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flashbacks
- Thread starter Padnar
- Start date
Look at your story and see if it can be told without any flashbacks.
Look at your story and see if it can be told with the past all in part of the 1st act,
then in the present the rest of the way through.
Look to see if you can go past present past present the end (in larger intriguing chapters).
Look to see which flashbacks you don’t need and can cut.
Always use the flashbacks you do keep to their full potential.
If you did a little in the past and the remainder in the present, then like maybe start on your wedding scene and jump around meeting characters in attendance and setting as many things up as you logically can for when you resume in the present.
-Thanks-
Look at your story and see if it can be told with the past all in part of the 1st act,
then in the present the rest of the way through.
Look to see if you can go past present past present the end (in larger intriguing chapters).
Look to see which flashbacks you don’t need and can cut.
Always use the flashbacks you do keep to their full potential.
If you did a little in the past and the remainder in the present, then like maybe start on your wedding scene and jump around meeting characters in attendance and setting as many things up as you logically can for when you resume in the present.
-Thanks-
K, when you write this, make sure you stick to the Plot Point formula.
Meaning: Make sure something happens from Act 1 to Act 2 that flips the story around in a different direction. Same from Act 2 to 3. Try putting a mini one in the middle of Act 2. Act 2 is supposed to be double the length of the other acts, but this formula does not need to be followed. But it reads and sells good.
So, make sure the Flashbacks to interfere with that, unless the Flashback reveals something that flips the story around, which is actually a very good Idea. It would be very different, new and fresh.
If your flashbacks isn't a main ingredient in your story, then it'd be good to cut a lot of it out. But if it's needed for Plot purposes, just use the ones that really aid the plot.
You could do the, Flashback Present process. But if the story isn't meant to be like that, then it what fuck everything up and throw the reader off.
The bad thing about Flashbacks is; In your script, tension is built up like a roller coaster, reaching the top, ready to fall. But when you throw flashbacks in, it effects that build up. And drags everything on. So, thats what I mean by dont let it effect your plot points or Climax. I had a very very well written flashback scene in the third act of my script. It showed how the lovers met before all the crazy shit went down. My idea was to make you feel more for the characters, and know how things happened, but thats what act 1 and act 2 are for. By act three, the characters are introduced and the Climax is building. That scene I added would have ruined the climax. So don't let it ruin the climax. And a good idea is to keep it short.
Something I like and I think would work very well, is to do Act one without any of the flashbacks you wrote. And after your characters main problem arises and the story is flipped on its back... Example, In Alien, the first ten pages shows who the characters are and what their purpose is. Then, about 20-30 minutes in (Each page equals one minute of screentime) the Alien egg hatches on to the guy, and then the things bursts out his chest later. The story is flipped around now. Now, an Alien is running around their ship. At the End of Act 2, you find out who the traitor is and the purpose of the mission. Flipping the story around.
So, with this in mind, Try going through Act 1, showing the characters and the major conflict and after the first major thing happens. Do an entire Flashback scene of all the flashbacks. This way, any thing that they refer to in the first Act, that refers to a memory, the flashback scene will make it all make sense. Its a stylish way of going about it to. Then once the flashbacks that are refered to in Act one are done, continue with present time and go through Act 2, having them refer to more memories. Then, once another plot twist or turn happens, do another flashback scene filling in the pieces. This is something I have never seen before and It will work as long as it is fast, and the memories are exciting. Don't make them dreadful, for when it happens the second time, they dont say " fuck, not this again." Lol
What you think about that?
Meaning: Make sure something happens from Act 1 to Act 2 that flips the story around in a different direction. Same from Act 2 to 3. Try putting a mini one in the middle of Act 2. Act 2 is supposed to be double the length of the other acts, but this formula does not need to be followed. But it reads and sells good.
So, make sure the Flashbacks to interfere with that, unless the Flashback reveals something that flips the story around, which is actually a very good Idea. It would be very different, new and fresh.
If your flashbacks isn't a main ingredient in your story, then it'd be good to cut a lot of it out. But if it's needed for Plot purposes, just use the ones that really aid the plot.
You could do the, Flashback Present process. But if the story isn't meant to be like that, then it what fuck everything up and throw the reader off.
The bad thing about Flashbacks is; In your script, tension is built up like a roller coaster, reaching the top, ready to fall. But when you throw flashbacks in, it effects that build up. And drags everything on. So, thats what I mean by dont let it effect your plot points or Climax. I had a very very well written flashback scene in the third act of my script. It showed how the lovers met before all the crazy shit went down. My idea was to make you feel more for the characters, and know how things happened, but thats what act 1 and act 2 are for. By act three, the characters are introduced and the Climax is building. That scene I added would have ruined the climax. So don't let it ruin the climax. And a good idea is to keep it short.
Something I like and I think would work very well, is to do Act one without any of the flashbacks you wrote. And after your characters main problem arises and the story is flipped on its back... Example, In Alien, the first ten pages shows who the characters are and what their purpose is. Then, about 20-30 minutes in (Each page equals one minute of screentime) the Alien egg hatches on to the guy, and then the things bursts out his chest later. The story is flipped around now. Now, an Alien is running around their ship. At the End of Act 2, you find out who the traitor is and the purpose of the mission. Flipping the story around.
So, with this in mind, Try going through Act 1, showing the characters and the major conflict and after the first major thing happens. Do an entire Flashback scene of all the flashbacks. This way, any thing that they refer to in the first Act, that refers to a memory, the flashback scene will make it all make sense. Its a stylish way of going about it to. Then once the flashbacks that are refered to in Act one are done, continue with present time and go through Act 2, having them refer to more memories. Then, once another plot twist or turn happens, do another flashback scene filling in the pieces. This is something I have never seen before and It will work as long as it is fast, and the memories are exciting. Don't make them dreadful, for when it happens the second time, they dont say " fuck, not this again." Lol
What you think about that?
A technique I have used on one of my scripts is perfect for flashbacks. My movie was set in chapters.
Starting at six. And then we work our way to the end (13) and the begginning(1). Though the ending is still the ending.
This could be used with flashbacks, each time revealing something you didnt know about the character, is he who he says he is? In a sense, there are two endings. The bigginning, answering that question and the ending showing the final showdown, where we see what happens according to the decision he made.
I have never seen this done perfesionally. I would like to think I created the idea.
Starting at six. And then we work our way to the end (13) and the begginning(1). Though the ending is still the ending.
This could be used with flashbacks, each time revealing something you didnt know about the character, is he who he says he is? In a sense, there are two endings. The bigginning, answering that question and the ending showing the final showdown, where we see what happens according to the decision he made.
I have never seen this done perfesionally. I would like to think I created the idea.
Just don't use them, remove them all. Not to say some films don't use flashbacks but when good films use them it IS part of the story. Example - Forrest Gump.
In 99% of screenplays using a flashbacks it is usually unneeded and only ruins the story. Please allow me to explain, you have a story which moves to point A to point B. And during that journey for the reader you then tell us, "Wait a minute, stop! I need to tell you about this past information which will help you understand my story." Well guess what? Now we are not reading the original story which moves from point A to point B. It stops the flow of your original story to tell us another one at a completly different time and date. Most of the time flashbacks are used it's because either the writer doesn't know their characters well enough and don't know their back story, or a part in their story is not jiving because they have haven't thought it through, or they believe this is good writing because they have seen it in other films, etc.
Plain and simple, just don't use them unless it is a part in how the FULL story is told. For me, I will never use flashbacks (or a flashback) in a screenplay. Never. I believe this convention is used because the writer has not done enough back story and how the past has affected him/her in present day. How has this past event made them today? What do they do (physical, mental, etc) in present day because of this past event? etc. These things and any other PAST questions should be resolved before telling your story which travels from point A to point B.
But in all, it's your story and if you want flashbacks then go ahead and keep them in.
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Padnar,
I did a first draft WITH a flash back, then on a subsequent draft, I just moved the FLASHBACK to the beginning (temporally correct location) and it fit fine. You might be able to save that material just by putting it "when" it really happened. so, instead of flashing back to "when he was little boy" we just start the script "when he was a little boy" then move forward.. big gaps in time are easily digest when its the normal time flow direction we experience.
A fella could look at it like "all moves are 100% flash back to the ending scene" but that would be crazy talk!
I did a first draft WITH a flash back, then on a subsequent draft, I just moved the FLASHBACK to the beginning (temporally correct location) and it fit fine. You might be able to save that material just by putting it "when" it really happened. so, instead of flashing back to "when he was little boy" we just start the script "when he was a little boy" then move forward.. big gaps in time are easily digest when its the normal time flow direction we experience.
A fella could look at it like "all moves are 100% flash back to the ending scene" but that would be crazy talk!