LOST in Order

The Future of LOST in Order

I wanted to take a minute to spell out my vision for the future of the LOST in Order site.

As I’m sure you LOST fans are familiar with, this is not a series that is easily re-edited into perfect chronological sequences. In addition to dealing with flash-backs and flash-forwards, characters come ‘unstuck’ in time, there are time shifts and potentially, if Jack’s plan works, two completely alternate realities.

In light of all this, I’ve been pondering the best way to portray the complex mix of chronology. Here is what I’ve come up with:

Arrange the videos into two distinct timelines (possibly split by two tabs).

These timelines will be equipped with animation; one can zoom in, zoom out, move forward or back. On the timeline will be the embedded video for each day in its appropriate place.

Also, videos will still be posted at the bottom as they are released. This section will be titled ‘recent videos’, in case someone just missed the latest post. As videos are completed, they will be added here and will fill in the timelines.

The two timelines are the Castaway’s Timeline and God’s Timeline.

The Castaway’s Timeline: In this, we see each event as it happens from the perspective of the castaway. So, Sawyer in 1977 would appear after Sawyer crashes on the Island, because that is the order he witnessed the events. This is how viewers are accustomed to watching the show.

God’s Timeline: Here, events occur when they actually occur. So Sawyer in 1977 happens in 1977, while Sawyer crashes on the Island later in 2004. This will be helpful to further understand the context of the Castaway’s time travel.

Also, it will be easy to shift between the timelines. If a video is in different places, there will be a link to the other timeline, so it’s simple and easy to fully understand the context of the event in time. I believe things will be best understood by utilizing both timelines.

…All this being said, I have no idea how I’m going to pull it off. I’m not very website-building-savvy (I barely know the most basic HTML), and of course, have no money. So right now, this is just a pipe dream. But hopefully someday, I’ll either find capable person who shares my passion for LOST, or have a bunch of extra money to drop on a pastime.

What is the subscriber’s opinion? Will a layout like that work?