How Do You Initiate a Flashback in Film?
Created in early cinema, flashbacks are some of the most common means of guiding a narrative back in time. To showcase events that happened earlier in the story or prior to the sequence of events currently under way. The flashback technique is one of many techniques that can be used to reveal earlier parts of the story. And is useful in character development. As well as in building structure to the narrative. While it’s a useful technique, many wonder. How do you initiate a flashback in film?
How to Write a Flashback into a Script
Sometimes, initiating a flashback into a story in film is all about getting the flashback sequence into the script. This method of initiating a flashback into the narrative isn’t always welcomed. And is even personally avoided by many. But it can work!
In order to write your flashback into your script all you have to do is determine which type of flashback you’re going to initiate:
- Occasional – in which you only occasionally deviate the narrative to a flashback. For the most part the structure remains linear with the exception of a moment, or a few moments, recalled from the character’s past.
- Structural – in which the majority of the narrative will take place in the past, or the character will spend extended periods of time in the backstory.
Write with Purpose
Once you’ve determined the most appropriate use of flashback in your narrative, you can determine where, and when to incorporate this effect into your narrative.
Writing your flashback into your script can work. As long as you have a purpose for the flashback and you don’t overdo it.
Unless you intend to use the flashback as a structural device. You should avoid more than one or two flashbacks. Consider re-evaluating your narrative.
Options for Initiating a Flashback in Film
So, how do you initiate a flashback in film? You’ve got several options in how you will introduce the flashback into your narrative.
Basically, you need your flashback to come into play when your character is at heightened emotion. And the reasons for this heightened emotion must be relative to the period of time in the past that you’ll flashback to.
How you flashback will typically be:
- Through past trauma – returning the character to a defining moment of trauma that reveals underlying pain.
- Through a startling revelation – returning the character to a particular event such as a montage or memory fragment that showcases incrementally throughout the story.
- Through nostalgia – returning the character to a period of the past as they daydream wistfully about what one was.
In Summary
Flashbacks can be initiated in various other ways but these are some of the most common options. So, how do you initiate a flashback in film? You’re likely to use one of the above methods, a lot of editing, and some planning. But you’ll get it right if you focus on it!