Let me clear some
film terminology up.
In film, "
sequence" is used very
specifically for reasons that are the result of
lack of specifics. Let me
define a bit here.
A sequence can be:
- A series of shots.
- A series of scenes.
- A series of events that are not a particular scene or shot.
- A way of describing a nebula in film.
This word is
abused a whole lot by real
fans of film. It sucks, because they could
communicate their ideas more
effectively with more
industry-standard terminology, especially when talking to
academic film freaks like me and actual
industry professionals (
i.e. all-out
film fags).
The more
common usage of this word is number one up there. A sequence as a series of shots is usually used to describe shots that go through the end of one scene and the beginning of the next, or to describe a
nebulous scene that takes place in more than one location but is still the same scene, or other weird
begging-for-semantic-argument situations.
The absolute best usage of the word
in film context is
none. Don't use it. Say "that part where" or talk about the actual
scene or
shot you mean. Sequence is a bad
wildcard word. However, there are times when it's needed, so I've provided some
stable examples.
Examples of a sequence would be in
Mallrats where
T.S. gets the shit kicked out of him and then
Jay and Silent Bob go kick the
Easter Bunny's ass. Or like the sequence in
Goodfellas where
Joe Pesci runs into that old
made guy and then they like
kick the fuck out of him and then they take him out to nowhere and he knifes the piss out of him and he's all like "
What do ya wanna tell me now, tough guy?"
(Note: these examples do not mean a sequence always consists of ass kicking)
I
hope I've helped
clear things up.
Misuse of some words really
bothers me, and this one's gotten to me lately.