Flashbacks generally get a nasty rap in screenwriting circles.
You may hear recommendation to keep away from them utterly for those who’re simply getting began. There’s some worth to that, as a result of novice screenwriters can generally use flashbacks as lazy exposition dumps, pausing the narrative to elucidate backstory that might be dealt with extra elegantly.
However flashbacks will also be inventive or surprising. Will we see the scene from one other perspective? Will we get info that adjustments how we really feel a few character? That is in all probability a fantastic flashback.
Let’s learn to write them. However first…
What Is a Flashback?
A flashback is an interruption of a story to go backward to point out one thing from the previous.
The perfect flashbacks should not simply fill in what occurred earlier than. They need to rework the that means of what we’re watching proper now..
You may use one to disclose character backstory that immediately impacts current motion, expose a defining trauma that explains present habits, or create suspense by displaying us one thing that recontextualizes what we thought we knew.
As an illustration, flashbacks in Struggle Membership redefine the complete film by revealing that the Narrator (Edward Norton) and Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) are literally the identical individual.
So, How Do You Write a Flashback?
Okay, now that we’re clear on what a flashback is, let’s go over methods to go about writing one.
Do You Want This Flashback?
That is the place it’s best to begin. Earlier than you write that flashback, ask your self, “Is that this one of the best ways to convey this info? How am I going to transition out and in of the flashback in a approach that is smart and would not disrupt the rhythm?”
In different phrases, do you actually need it?
flashback can create suspense, elevate stakes, or reveal one thing.
A nasty one slows story momentum.
May this second be higher conveyed by dialogue or current motion as an alternative?
“However Jo,” you may say, “I’ve been instructed to point out, not inform.”
Properly, sure. Usually, that is true. However generally flashbacks really feel heavy-handed, in that you simply’re displaying an excessive amount of. Contemplate the advantages of creating the viewers work a bit of more durable for info.
As a substitute of displaying viewers precisely how a pair broke up, give us some tantalizing battle. What is going on on between these characters? What’s their historical past? Drop hints of their dialog that counsel what induced their rift. This makes it extra like a thriller the viewer has to piece collectively, and after they do, there is a sense of triumph. A flashback would nullify all that.
The way to Format a Flashback
There is not any one “proper” technique to format a flashback in a script. You simply want to ensure it’s completely clear to the reader that we’re in a single, in any other case it’s going to simply look like persevering with motion.
I’ve used the next in my scripts:
INT. HOUSE – DAY – FLASHBACK
That is the best way I sometimes see it, though you may also run into this:
EXT. SUBURBS – DAY (FLASHBACK)
Or generally I see it formatted like a transition.
FLASHBACK TO:
You may then point out which scenes are in flashback by uniquely formatting every little thing that occurs prior to now, equivalent to utilizing italics. I’ve seen this in just a few screenplays.
In a single episode script for Andor, Dan Gilroy merely writes
FLASHBACK
as an motion line inside an already established scene (as Cassian watches a message from Bix she recorded the evening earlier than). That is finished as an intercut, so it really works.
A barely extra heavy-handed technique to begin a flashback sequence is to insert the road “BEGIN FLASHBACK” as an motion factor, then embrace your slugline. When it is over, you “END FLASHBACK.”
Inside the scenes, you may give extra description about “when” we’re, and you may point out any adjustments in characters (like their age and look) which might be necessary.
No matter methodology you select, be constant all through your screenplay.
Transition Easily
A typical technique to transition right into a flashback is to invoke the character’s reminiscence—having them see one thing that resonates, take a look at a photograph, or hear a tune that reminds them of one other time. In outdated TV, generally you will hear a music cue and the display goes all wobbly.
You should utilize a little bit of dialogue to bridge the previous and current, too. Perhaps a line from the current is one thing a personality has heard earlier than, and it takes them again to that second.
You should utilize a match lower creatively. Is a personality doing one thing that mirrors a previous motion? Use it to chop between the timelines.
You need it to be seamless so it would not distract, however you continue to need to be sure it is clear what’s occurring, so nobody is confused.
Do you have got a favourite flashback sequence?
