Writing a flashback

MazingaSpidey · Dec 31, 2008

Hey all,

I'm currently working on a story involving two late twenty-year-olds faced with the concerns of living up to societal constraints and opinions of most people in this age group. Successful career, marriage, home ownership, having the 2.5 children and white picket fence, etc.

The bulk of the story takes place over the course of one night, with flashbacks to events in these characters lives relevant to the issue at hand. I have a Master's in psych so I am confident that I can make this story work in terms of what types of events would be impacting when, but I'm concerned with setting up the flashbacks correctly in the screenplay. Currently the flashbacks are set up as seperate scenes, marked by (FB in the Scene Heading, for my reference at this stage mostly).

How should I establish that the scene is a flashback?

Since the flashback involves the same characters we're seeing throughout the script, how much should I focus on their character descriptions?

How do I establish that we are back in the "Current" timeline after a flashback?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks! All comments are appreciated!

Anthony

aka eraser · Dec 31, 2008

Hiya Anthony and welcome to the Cooler.

I'm going to port your post over to the good people at the Script Writing forum. They'll look after you.

Cyia · Dec 31, 2008

You establish a flashback or flash forward in the slug line for the scene.

After you've established your scene:

INT-- Joe's Apartment -- Night

dialgoue...
action...
lots of good scene stuff...

(now cut or dissolve or however you want to transition to the flashback)

INT -- Coffeehouse -- flashback

or, if it switches back and forth between the present scene and one in another time period:

Intercut -- hospital -- flashforward

icerose · Dec 31, 2008

Don't forget after your flashback either do BACK TO SCENE underneath it, which will signal a return to present time. Be careful of flashbacks, they tend to be frowned upon, and they can be confusing, so make sure they are clearly marked. I'll get back to you when I'm not so tired about the format I use to indiciate it's a flashback sequence.

dpaterso · Jan 1, 2009

Didn't we just have a thread about flashbacks? Hold on, quick search... thar she blows!

Proper Formatting for Flashback?
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122137

-Derek

MazingaSpidey · Jan 3, 2009

Thanks for the pointers! Yeah, after I posted this I noticed the other thread. I should really check the forums at a more respectable time of day...

dpatrick · Jan 7, 2009

Cyia said:
You establish a flashback or flash forward in the slug line for the scene.

After you've established your scene:

INT-- Joe's Apartment -- Night

dialgoue...
action...
lots of good scene stuff...

(now cut or dissolve or however you want to transition to the flashback)

INT -- Coffeehouse -- flashback

or, if it switches back and forth between the present scene and one in another time period:

Intercut -- hospital -- flashforward

There are different ways to do the flashback scene or sequence. I wouldn't recommend the way it's done here because the time element is not described (night or day). The most current method I've seen is in the script for the movie TWILIGHT. A flashback on page 57 is written:

FLASHBACK to CHICAGO HOSPITAL, 1918 - NIGHT of course even this doesn't tell you if the scene is an interior. I write would write:

FLASHBACK to INT.- CHICAGO HOSPITAL, 1918 - NIGHT

slm22186 · Jan 14, 2009

I'm glad you posted this because I didn't know there was a specific method to writing a flashback. Thanks you

dpatrick · Jan 14, 2009

slm22186 said:
I'm glad you posted this because I didn't know there was a specific method to writing a flashback. Thanks you

There are other ways to do it. The idea is to be constant. Use the same technique throughout the script.

Here's another (especially if you have room or need white space:

.... last sentence of a scene before a flashback.

FLASHBACK

INT. SOMEPLACE - DAY

Blah blah blah

END FLASHBACK (or BACK TO SCENE)

clockwork · Jan 14, 2009

dpaterso said:
Didn't we just have a thread about flashbacks? Hold on, quick search... thar she blows!

Proper Formatting for Flashback?
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122137

-Derek

Why, yes, we did!

And I referenced a whole other bunch of flashback threads there which I'll copy here too. Please consider using the search function in future - not because I'm a pedantic PITA, but because merely typing 'flashback' into the screenwriting search box gets you all this and more:

Flashbacks
Flashbacks
Flashback Question
flashbacks
Flashback scene?
Writing a Flashback
FLASHBACKS
Flashback use
Need Assistance w/ Flashbacks

Writing a flashback

MazingaSpidey

aka eraser

Fish Whisperer

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

icerose

Lost in School Work

dpaterso

Patent pending

MazingaSpidey

dpatrick

slm22186

dpatrick

clockwork

In the zone...