Dream sequence (narrative technique)
A dream sequence is a narrative technique , particularly used in film and television , that sets off a (usually short) interlude from the main story. This interlude can consist of a flashback , a vision , a dream or other fantasy . Its events usually take place in space or time away from the main story, or run contrary to the actual events. Dream sequences are often used as a means to reveal or explain a character's motives without having to integrate them into the actual story. But dreams can also influence the behavior of a character by giving him insights (moral or other nature) that he has previously lacked in reality. Occasionally a character (usually the protagonist) also wakes up at the end of a story and realizes that all previous events were just dreams. This usage usually ends the story in an anticlimax , but sometimes it also serves to explain previous improbable and strange occurrences. As a rule the dreaming character does not know that he is dreaming (or hallucinating, etc.); as soon as he notices it, he usually wakes up.
A distinction must be made between a normal dream sequence and journeys into the dream world, which are undertaken voluntarily or involuntarily by the actors. In such cases, the dream world often basically exists independently of the real world and the dreamers who visit it. Travel to the dream world is more like journeys in parallel worlds , which are also self-contained. For example, the events of the series Captain Zed and the Traumpatrouille and Schlafmütz & Co. take place almost exclusively in the dream world, without it being a dream sequence.
In order to identify the beginning, duration and end of a dream sequence, audiovisual means are usually used in film and television: The transition from the real to the dream world (and vice versa) is often accompanied by music (e.g. harp sounds) and a brief blurring of the image . In the dream sequence itself, such means may be used as they are also used in normal flashbacks ; for example a different color scheme, change in focus or lighting. Often enough, however, dream sequences are simply highlighted by possible surreal peculiarities.
Examples
- A forerunner for the stylistic device of the dream sequence can already be found in Charles Dickens ' Christmas story . Although the reader is left in the dark as to whether the three ghosts' visitation to Ebenezer Scrooge was real, that part of the story serves a similar function as some of today's dream sequences.
- The ninth season of Dallas was (to the annoyance of viewers) on the whole a dream.
- In the film Vanilla Sky , the protagonist David realizes towards the end that after a certain point all of his experiences are only dreams and he is given the choice of whether he would like to end this dream.
- The events of Dr. House episodes "Gegenpiel" are largely the protagonist's hallucination , from which he only escapes when he manages to see through it.
The dream sequence's popularity has also made it the target of parodies , including the following:
- The South Park episode "Reaching into History" is not only largely made up of (false) flashbacks, it is ultimately also revealed that all events were just a dream of Cartman , which in turn is a dream of Stan .