Hey friends, as you know, I’m writing a thriller. My hero appears at the very beginning of the film and then, at the end, saves the main characters from certain death.
So here’s my question: should I show him somewhere in the middle of the film so that the audience doesn’t completely forget about him? Or is it better to only show him at the beginning and then at the very end, to make the twist more impactful?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what would work best.
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Hey, Aleksandr Rozhnov. Since he's your hero, he should be shown throughout the script. The hero almost always has the most scenes in my scripts.
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Hi Aleksandr, in my opinion you should definitely show him enough times but not too many times to the point where it makes it too obvious in a way where the audience figures out too quickly that he might play a "bigger role" later on. But I also wouldn't show him too little also so the audience is able to keep up a small connection without it being too predictable. Hope that helps :)
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Thank you very much, but I think I expressed myself the wrong way. He’s not the hero — he’s a character. The main heroes are completely different people. He is a character in this film, but not the hero. Sorry, I didn’t explain my thought clearly before.
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And here’s the thing: my idea is to show this character only at the very beginning and then bring him back as a twist at the end. Do you think this approach works, or would it be better to show him throughout the film? The risk is that if I do, the ending won’t feel like a twist anymore. My intention is to surprise the audience with his unexpected return.
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Similar twists have been used in films like Home Alone with the old man who only appears a few times, the debt collector in Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and the gangster in The Grand Budapest Hotel. These kinds of characters appear only occasionally, but their presence has a big impact.
What do you think of this approach for my script?
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You're welcome, Aleksandr Rozhnov. Oh ok, I see. I suggest having him show up at the beginning, make one or two quick appearances throughout the script so the audience doesn't forget about him (maybe more than one or two times), and the end.
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Introduce with a bang and tone of the story.
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Also Aleksandr Rozhnov, this background character who ends up in a significant role later should have impactful intermittent appearances.
Using your example of the Old Man from Home Alone, note that each time he appeares he scares Kevin. His intro is ominous, as a killer. Then in the store his hand thumps! down on the counter right by Kevin. Lastly, he sits next to Kevin in the church, also scaring him, but this 2nd act ending scene is the twist: the Old Man isn't evil. And the act 3 ending scene, he saves Kevin.
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How best to introduce your hero? Kill him. In a grand and dramatic way....kill him. Then have him show up in the second act. In the third act, have him explain how he survived in the first act and then have him save the day.
This is just something i would do. I love to create dramatic entrances in the first act.
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My lead protagonist is included in most scenes throughout the pilot. Good luck.
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Thank you all so much for your opinions — I really appreciate them and will take them into account. Still, I’d like to keep this character as a twist at the end, so I’ll probably give him one quick appearance in the middle of the film, and then bring him back in the finale.
The effect I’m aiming for is somewhat like Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, where the café robbers are shown only at the beginning and then reappear at the end.
Thanks again, everyone!