The first thing I should point out, is that movies are almost NEVER shot in chronological order, or in other words, in sequence of the events as they would unfold or "script order." This is pretty common knowledge, but don't beat yourself up if you didn't know already. For Dolly Parton's first motion picture (Nine to Five), she memorized the entire script, including the other characters' lines. Apparently, after letting on that she thought movies were filmed in chronological order, co-star Lily Tomlin burst out laughing.

Movies are shot out of sequence for a number of reasons. Among these reasons are; renting out locations or studio space, lighting, weather conditions, and most importantly, the availability of an actor. All of these basically boil down to time and money.

So with budget and time constraints almost always working against shooting a film in chronological order, what would drive a filmmaker to pursue such a course? We'll explore the various reasons for each film, but in gathering this list, I noticed a lot of interesting themes and storytelling devices that you should look out for that seemingly all of the movies shot in chronological order share. When an actor must undergo a physical transformation, or in cases where there are child actors involved, shooting in script order enhances an actor's look and performance. The majority of the films on this list take place in one day or night, and usually in one central location. Even as you look at the collage of screenshots above, you've probably noticed that nearly all of the characters are trapped in a world, stranded on a planet, held captive in a house or building, even down to being confined to a coffin or battling one's own mind.

I hope you have as much fun delving into these movies as I did compiling this list for you. Enjoy!