How much to reveal, when to reveal it?

avid-dreamer said:

Hi guys, I've been going back and forth with something and need your input.
Now I know that the audience should know what the characters are seeking by a certain page. I'm writing an action script and I wanted to incorporate a bit of riddle solving into it. Between pages 4 and 6 readers will know that a secret "knowledge" is the thing desired, but it's not until page 30 that it is revealed that the knowledge is written on a stone tablet.
Is that ok? I don't want to reveal everything at the beginning because much of my very intricate riddle solving will be unnecessary.
Thanks for the help people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click to expand...

In Raiders of the Lost Ark Indie wanted the Ark of the Covenent.

But first ... he needed the medalion that his former girlfriend had in Nepal.

But then ... he had to bring the medallion to the secret Map Room in Egypt where the medalion would reveal the location of the Well of Souls.

And then ... after locating the Well of Souls, he would be able to go down into the Well and find the Ark.





I could do the same exercise with National Treasure and The DaVinci Code. But I think you see the point.







.

I always find these Hollywod True-isms or wisdoms interesting because inevitably there is an example where it doesn't work and yet people will still cite it.

A McGuffin is a hook in the story that the characters pursue throughout the story driving them through the story yet, in the final analysis, isn't really critically important to the story. It could be almost anything.

Certainly it works in The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca and Indiana Jones.

Maltese Falcon, all characters are in pursuit of the statue, The Maltese Falcon. It's what brings them together and it is what drags them through the story.

Casablanca: certainly all characters are after the letters of credit and it is what brings them together.

Same with Indiana Jones. But does this really apply to Pulp Fiction? Is the case really what drags all of the characters through the story? Are they really after the case? Is this what brings them together? I would say no. The McGuffin in this case is not a McGuffin. In fact, I would say that Pulp Fiction doesn't have a McGuffin.

You would be hard pressed to tie Bruce Willis's character to the suitcase in any way. For the vast majority of the movie I would say that the audience forgets about the case completely. And I can't say that Sameul L. jackson's character is driven bby the case at all. He is not in puruit of it. And the majority of his scenes have nothing to do with it.