Screenwriting : Flashback Cap? by Jessie Bernard

Aw, man....so many great films have long flashbacks......The Godfather Part II, Cinema Paradiso, 8 1/2, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Rashomon, just to name five classic films....it's all about how it relates to and fits within your story. Good luck and Happy Writing, Jessie!

IMO, there are no formulas, only what works. I can think off the top of my head of some films that had huge, huge chunks of flashback: The Usual Suspects, Memento, Out of the Past (which is a great oldie I thought of with all the attention being paid to Kirk Douglas turning 100).

I don't think that page count is a factor in these things - but the fact that you're asking suggests you think/know there's a problem with the sequence. Sounds like you have a niggling feeling that it's a bit flabby - cut it down if that's the case. Or else if it's as tight as it can be - don't be paranoid!

Don't overthink it. But, also, when you have your peer reviewers read, make sure you don't lead them ("Let me know if you think the flashback is too long.") Let them draw their own conclusions.

If your 8 1/2 page flashback works and keeps the story moving then keep it in. I agree with Jodie; perhaps the answer is in your question. Does this flashback seem too long to you? Do you feel it might be dragging the story down?

I'm gonna answer your question from the postproduction world: I have no idea if the flashback will work until I see the actual footage. Comes down to skills of a director, editor, actor-- your entire tech Crew in PostProduction. there is the script, the actual footage (dailies), and Edited footage. You are making 3 versions into 1. The 1st movie cut of "Reservoir Dogs" was a disaster until QT and Editor figured it out in Postproduction. Good Luck

Dan MaxXx: imagine the editing job on Once Upon a Time in America. Sergio Leone (RIP) originally had ten hours of footage. The first American version of the film was something like 2 hours 20 minutes, while the European version was almost four hours. The Director's Cut was almost five hours. I'm pretty sure the original American release told the story chronologically, while the European version and the Director's Cut were majority flashback. What a beautiful and brilliant film. Bello, Sergio - bello!

As long as every minute of that flashback escalates the conflict.

Great feedback guys! Thank you, It really helped.

I think a 9 min flashback is pretty long. You need to make sure all of it is absolutely necessary. id bet theres places you could cut.

I would disagree, Kay. It's a device. And like any other device, when wielded well, can be quite powerful. Now, I do agree that emerging writers can lean on flashbacks, voice over, etc, because they haven't honed their storytelling skills yet, but that doesn't mean these devices cannot be used effectively.

Kay, the reason you've been told that is because most emerging writers use flashbacks poorly. Flashbacks are not weak if used well (as RB points out). It's too bad that so many people tell emerging writers that flashbacks are weak rather than explain why the advice is relevant.

Kay: who is "BB?" You mean "Bebe?" Small world! FLASHBACK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXvPZxavVXc RIP, Robin Harris - one of the greats.

Just call it non-linear storytelling if it makes you feel any better. We're all here because we love storytelling and we want to try to communicate something through this medium - and flashbacks work! First time writers probably use it a lot because that's what feels right for trying to puzzle out how to use this art form. I guess what Kay is talking about is the age old question of writing what you want vs writing what you think they want - and surely most people start out writing what they want/love before they become corrupted by people like your mates with the big Hollywood Oscar bank accounts in the SS uniforms. Words like 'weak', 'disdain' and 'amateur' are massively negatively loaded: using them on here is condescending and slightly aggressive. And while we're about it - isn't 'having to explain a character's part in a story already underway' literally the definition of screenwriting?

I think I touched a nerve. IDGAF. See what you've started here Jessie? You're going to have to share all 8 1/2 pages just to clear the air. Then we'll really have the answer as to who's right and who's just a condescending patronising meanie with bad negative vibes man (that would be you Kay - FYI).

Trendy topic! Currently at the Movies 2 Award winners- Arrival & Manchester... - are heavy on Flashbacks, flash-forwards and play with narrative structure. Of course both Writers are not 1st timers. Wonder what Readers said about QT when he was a nobody and wrote "Reservoir Dogs" - 1/2 the movie is flashbacks and we don't see the jewelry robbery. Lame! :) He figured out a clever way to do flashbacks. Write your script without naming the slugline FLASHBACK. Write it normal and see if Readers are confused or don't care.

I'm sorry you feel that way, Kay. Flashbacks are a wonderful tool a writer has. Absolutes are usually more harmful to the creative process than not.

QT is the Grand Master Flash(back) - I love the one in The Hateful Eight. Sorry Kay - I was being silly and having a giggle. You probably do know a lot more than me and I bow to your superior wisdom. It's just I don't think you can be a slave to both money and creativity.

Bad writing creates bad screenplays, NOT writing tools and devices. There's a strange misplacement of logic here—a triangular non-relationship where a correlation is falsely correlated with something else; one is not causing the other. Just because bad writing utilizes a tool badly does not mean the tool itself is "bad" or "weak." Good writing utilizes the same tools with great success and creates great screenplays. So please stop this nonsense! Stop telling writers to NOT do something. Let's talk about great uses of writing tools, and learn how to use them well. There are no absolute rules for anyone, whether a hobbyist or a professional! Use any damn tool you wish! Learn about them. Explore. Write. Grow. :)

Jessie, the truth is: it's really hard to say without any context. Perhaps look at produced scripts in which there's a similar use of flashback that you too wish to utilize. Perhaps a good example will lead you in your desired direction. Does this move your story forward? Is its length detrimental to your story? Does it test your reader's patience? If you are asking then I assume your gut is telling you it might be too long. So perhaps take that into consideration. The only person who can decide is you. Good luck!

The SUFFERING WRITER gazes into his drink, shakes his head and points at his DRINKING BUDDY. SUFFERING WRITER Remember when writers backed their beliefs the old-fashioned way? DRINKING BUDDY Those were the days. FLASHBACK TWO WRITERS duke it out in an alley, both bloodied. WRITER ONE Flashbacks are for first-time hacks, you autodidact! WRITER TWO Tell that to Coppola and Tarantino, J. Bradford Williamson- or should I say...Ernie Schmitzengruber! Writer One's eyes widen, because FLASHBACK WITHIN A FLASHBACK A younger Writer One sprawls on a futon with a Long-Haired Buddy. LONG-HAIRED BUDDY How'd your pitch session go today, Schmitzie? WRITER ONE Man...I told the producer my name...and he started laughing. He couldn't even focus on my pitch. FLASHBACK WITHIN A FLASHBACK WITHIN A FLASHBACK WRITER ONE And then the dolphin jumps out of the enclosure...and starts to attack the people in the first row, and there's blood everywhere, decapitated heads roll into the tank, one...by....one....by.....one.....and....are you okay? PRODUCER I'm sorry....I just....I just....had oral surgery this morning.....too much...too much...too much laughing gas....I just can't concentrate....Schmitzenpoopie....Fritzenschuber....Gritzen.... WRITER ONE Schmitzengruber! BACK TO PRESENT SUFFERING WRITER You said it. Those were the days. Those were....hey...what's wrong? Drinking Buddy, in a daze, shakes his head. DRINKING BUDDY I don't know. I can't feel my face. SUFFERING WRITER Aw, man...you're having a flashback! DRINKING BUDDY Where's my face? Everything's white. SUFFERING WRITER White? Oh man.....remember when purple blotter was real purple blotter? Not that fake shit. Ohm. DRINKING BUDDY Yeah. Ohm. TOGETHER Ohm. Ohmmm. Ohmmmmmm. SUFFERING WRITER I love good flashbacks. DRINKING BUDDY Yeah.

Ha ha! Schmitzenpoopie! That Be Be's kids was funny too. I got lost in YouTube watching Patrice O'Neil - writing was right out.

Jodie: in the words of Villain-We-Love Frank Booth from Blue Velvet, "Let's FLASHBACK! I'll FLASHBACK anything that MOVES!" I think he said that, or something like that. Heh-heh. And yes...Robin Harris was a great one. It's hard to believe he was only 36 when he passed away in 1990. Crikey....1990.....time sure does fly.

Jesse, I'm a little late for the discussion, but I have to agree with the majority of what everyone else has said. If the flashback works and moves the story along, then, by all means, don't change the page count. If you're questioning yourself, then maybe you already see that the flashback isn't moving the story forward and needs to be cut down. Sometimes we tend to keep writing out scenes because we think it makes them better, when in actuality, they need to be trimmed and to the point.

You gotta be REAAAAAL careful with flashbacks as a new writer... simply because the proper use of flashbacks is one of those "learn to walk before you run" type of devices. An executive will typically see a flashback in a new writer's script and, before he's even read it, go "oh no..." It's because, unfortunately, MOST new writers overdo it. MOST new writers lean on them and other devices far too much. They take the tools that the masters have used and think they know how to use them when, honestly, they don't. THAT SAID... if you do it right, it can be a powerful weapon. It can hit you right in the gut with the feels. But tread lightly.