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Hypertext syntagmas: cinematic narration with links
achronological.syntagmas

The achronological syntagma is an autonomous segment made up of several shots where the sequence is not defined by temporal continuity. This is not to be confused with the necessary continuity that a film produces as it 'plays' but is the continuity that is a part of a narrative world. There are two forms of this achronological segment for Metz, the parallel and the bracket syntagma, and while each do not rely on what could, awkwardly, be described as continuity of visual action, it is obvious that they're meaning, and our ability to interpret such sequences, is a result of our contextualisation of the sequence in terms of a constructed narrative continuity.

Documentary, while obviously not considered to be fiction, is clearly narrative, and offers ample evidence of the ability for the larger context provided by the entire text to encompass such potentially disruptive moments. An obvious example would be the popular television documentaries narrated by David Attenborough where he routinely moves to and from completely different environments (seasons, continents, years) between each shot but a single match cut on movement ensures a narrative continuity across the temporal and geographical discontinuities.

Adrian Miles: Hypertext syntagmas: cinematic narration with links
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