Dream sequence

A dream sequence is used especially in film and television narrative technique that distinguishes a (usually brief ) interlude from the main story. This interlude may consist of a flashback, a vision, a dream or other fantasies. Its action takes place usually in space or time away from the main story from, or runs contrary to the actual events. Dream sequences are often used as a means to disclose the motives of a character or explain without having to integrate them into the actual story. But dreams can also influence the behavior of a character by teaching him insights ( moral or other nature ), which lacked in reality so far. Occasionally awakened a character (usually the protagonist ) and at the end of a story and notes that all previous events were only dreamed of. This use does the story end in a commonly anticlimax, but sometimes it also serves the statement of previous improbable and strange occurrences. As a rule, the dreaming character does not know he is dreaming (or hallucinating, etc. ); as soon as he noticed it, he watches mostly on.

To be distinguished from a normal dream sequence are traveling in the dream world that are made voluntarily or involuntarily by the actors. In such cases, the dream world there often is basically independent of the real world and the dreamers, they visit. Traveling in the dream world are thus similar to rather more traveling to parallel worlds that are as complete in itself. Thus, about the events of the series Captain Zed and the dream patrol and Sleepy & Co. play from almost exclusively in the dream world, without that it would thereby involve dream sequences.

In order to make the start, duration and end of a dream sequence identified, usually audio-visual resources are put to use in film and television: The transition from real to dream world (and vice versa) is often associated with music (eg harp ) and a momentary loss of picture clarity accompanied. In the dream sequence itself optionally come such agents for use, as they are also used in normal flashbacks; about a different color scheme, change the focus or the lighting. Often enough dream sequences are also simply highlighted by any surreal peculiarities.

Examples

• A precursor for the stylistic device of dream sequence can already be found in Charles Dickens ' Christmas story. Although the reader is left uncertain as to whether the visitation Ebenezer Scrooge was real now by the three spirits, fulfilled that part of the story a function similar to some of today's dream sequences.
• The eighth season of Dallas was ( to the annoyance of viewers) in its entirety a dream.
• In the film Vanilla Sky recognizes the protagonist David towards the end, that from a certain point, all his experiences are just a dream and it makes him choose whether he would like to end this dream.
• The events of the House MD episode " counterpart " are largely the hallucination of the protagonist, from which he only escaped as he manages to see through them.

The popularity of the dream sequence, she has also made it the target of parodies, including the following:

• The South Park episode "The City on the story" is not only largely from (incorrect) flashbacks that ultimately is also revealed that all the events were just a dream Cartman, which in turn is a dream Stans.