Have you ever been reading a screenplay or watching a movie and noticed that the first few pages serve to set things up? We call that a prologue. And it comes from ancient Greek. It's a way to begin a story that sets up the world and the scene. The literary term is written to set the story in motion. They are specific plot devices used by writers across mediums. This part of the story matters a ton! Today, we're going to go over the prologue. We'll talk about its purpose and its definition. And we'll look at some examples in literature, film, and television. We'll also go over how you can use them in your storytelling to expand on the worldbuilding and stakes. Let's get started by going into the definition. 'Star Wars: A New Hope' Credit: LucasfilmDiving into the Prologue It doesn't seem fit to write about prologues without adding one ourselves. I think these techniques are underutilized in film and TV. They are inherently smart for opening scenes. They're a way to dip toes into a world and introduce characters without pushing us too far in. We get an appetite for the story, and then we dig in further. But how would you define a prologue? We can start our journey there. Prologue Definition A prologue (sometimes spelled "prolog") is an opening to a story that establishes context and background details that set up the main story, which follows. This opening scene can tie into the...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Sunday, 20 October