Is there a consensus in the industry about flashbacks? I am writing a holiday movie that is a modern Christmas Carol, but my scrooge is an elderly woman who has wreaked havoc on other people. I have written about half the script. It is character-driven, and I'm thinking I might have too much dialogue and not enough action. So far, I have not incorporated any flashbacks in the script but I am thinking about it. I've thought about finishing it using the same style I started with, getting some feedback on it, and rewriting from there, or going back to the beginning and working in some flashbacks like the ones used in A Christmas Carol. Would any of you like to offer your opinions on this issue? Thanks in advance.
Screenwriting : Flashbacks by Steven M. Cross
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Hey, Steven M. Cross. I think flashbacks are ok if they're clear, something is revealed in each flashback (like a story unfolding), and you don't overuse flashbacks.
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Steven:
There is a lot on the web about avoiding flashbacks in a screenplay.
Here's an interesting quote and a link to an article with examples.
No matter how exciting their content may seem, by their very nature, flashbacks almost always kill the drama of a story, distracting both writer and audiences from what is most important in a script: the main character's present-day journey.
https://screenwritingmagazine.com/2018/01/25/4-reasons-not-use-flashbacks/
However, I believe nothing should be off-limits if it's executed well. The way I avoid using flashbacks and still take a character back in time is to write a scene heading and then insert a Super. For example, if you want to take the Scrooge character back to her school days.
INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
Super: Thirty years earlier.
EBENEZER (17) sits at the front of the class.
I hope that helps.
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Phillip, that makes a lot of sense.
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Maurice, I don't want to use Flashbacks as extensively as the movie versions have, but I find myself writing conversations about things in the past without showing them.
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What do you think about using memory flashes, brief glimpses of the past that are short, and reveal only a small portion of a story rather than extensive flashbacks?
I like the idea of memory flashes, Steven M. Cross. I use them sometimes.
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I use as necessary. In "whodunits" like "Knives Out" they are quite clever.