by DianeD

Created on: February 09, 2009

Flashbacks are scenes in a story or feature film script that reveal an incident which took place at a previous time. The use of Flashbacks can be necessary to give the reader or audience a full picture of a character's circumstances and can aid in developing a character's persona. Epic motion pictures, biographies, and novels that take place over a span of many years frequently use flashback sequences.

Visualizing the flashback scene, with full dialog, should bring a sense of understanding to the reader or audience of a character's reaction to a present event. The flashback should be prompted by an incident, dialog, or intense action which brings a vivid memory to the character.

The scene should always be believable and inform the audience of the time period such as: "ten year ago", or use the word Super in the margin of a screenplay followed by the time period, i.e., "1948". The word Super will let the reader know the numbers, 1948, will appear on the screen. If the flashback scene took place thirty years ago, the dialog cannot use present day slang; as well, vehicles which may appear in the scene would have to be year appropriate. Costume design or description, location, and set decoration should also precisely depict the decade.

When inserting a flashback into a story or script, the transition from one time to another should be smooth and flowing. The audience should not be left to wonder what is going on; the placement should be logical to the reader or viewer. The same is true for ending the flashback and returning to the previous scene; always return to the exact same scene that transitioned to the flashback. The audience should not have to speculate what happened in the story between the previous scene and the flashback. The flashback should be incorporated into the story and not disrupt the storyline. The story should smoothly progress when the flashback has ended.

A flashback should always be necessary and make an important contribution to the storyline. Use flashbacks sparingly, during the flashback sequence the main storyline stops, and the reader's interest may end as well. If the flashback is not a critical addition, omit it altogether.

The use of flashbacks has been common in novels and the film industry. Wuthering Heights, The Notebook, Casablanca, and The Butterfly Effect are a few examples of the storyline being enhanced by a flashback sequence. Several movies, such as Titanic and Carlito's Way, used the flashback technique to tell the entire story. Many wartime movies have also used the flashback successfully.

In conclusion, flashbacks should only be used to enhance a storyline or character, be believable, and transition smoothly. When used appropriately, the flashback will give the reader a thorough appreciation of the complete story.

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