Personally, I think the flashback is important, but most think they make you look like an amatuer when used to frequently. What if thats the only way I can get the point across? Half the story happens whle the main character is knocked out for 10 years so I gotta have a few flashbacks to make stuff make sense.......my point being, how can I avoid flashbacks but still make the story logical?

That would mean he was in a coma.

Anyway, yeah the "FLASHBACK" is a bit of a hit and miss in screen writting. Do you use it all the time? No.  Why would you?


I think a "FLASHBACK" used effectivly is a great thing, but you toss it in to many times and it loses it's effect, quickly turning it into a defective part of your script.

I think if the story calls for several FLASHBACKS then it's the only way to do it, however if you can get away without using them and come up with a new and inovative way of implementing them... do it that way.

I've never used one in a single one of my screenplays and I've wrote over 60 now.

If a FLASHBACK isn't needed, it isn't needed.

That's my rule of thumb.

But if I dont use flashbacks, the whole thing would be a lot more confusing to understand. Is that good or not? DO people want to know 'everything or nothing?' (yeah, accidental James Bond advertisement.....)

Less is better. It gives us all more to go with actually. It lets us use our heads and minds more. Did This happen or did that happen? Is this what was intended or was that what was intended?

Those are always the best movies. Movies that let the viewer interact with them and piece together what "THEY" think it's all about.

MUHALLAND DRIVE was a great movie that challenged the viewer this very question.

Memento was a great movie that relied on flashbacks the entire picture.  

Res Dogs also used flashbacks throughout much of the film, but they also revealed plot information through dialogue.  Your character could  reveal what you need the audience to know about his past through conversation.

The flashback is really a hit or miss, but if you use a Flashback too much,  it gets annoying and signifies writing weakness, especially when you're trying to reveal character backround.

Memento was pretty good, I loved it on the DVD when Christopher Nolan recut the movie so it wasn't backwards anymore, that was genius.

Resevoir dogs did a good job with flashbacks, I always wondered why Tarantino can always break the rules and yet new writers are told not to... curious.

In my opinion, flashbacks only suck when they re-use film from earlier in the same movie.  If the flashback presents new material, it's alright.

Quoted from sheepdogg_plankton, posted July 13th, 2004, 3:21pm at here I always wondered why Tarantino can always break the rules and yet new writers are told not to... curious.

I've always wondered about that. I've wondered too why scripts are supposed to follow such a rigid structure and format. No wonder all the Hollywood movies are the same garbage.

Maybe they're not supposed to but people actually listen to what there fed like drones or robots, flashbacks are important in one form or another depending on what type of screenplay it is

I doubt they'd matter in a dramatic tear jerker as much as it would in an adventure story that you need to get a character across without alienating the whole plot

Maybe, maybe not.

look peoples, this is my problem. My story is an epic. TOO epic. Its got to much compicated alien race battling and most of it happens HUNDREDS of years before I have a main character. Which leads me to my second problem. Its really confusing, and I could only explain it through LONG mono parts or (lengthy) flashbacks. Shoud I just cut the crap outta my story and make it straight forward or what?!

Quoted from sheepdogg_plankton, posted July 13th, 2004, 3:21pm at here The flashback is really a hit or miss, but if you use a Flashback too much,  it gets annoying and signifies writing weakness, especially when you're trying to reveal character backround. Memento was pretty good, I loved it on the DVD when Christopher Nolan recut the movie so it wasn't backwards anymore, that was genius. Resevoir dogs did a good job with flashbacks, I always wondered why Tarantino can always break the rules and yet new writers are told not to... curious.

because taratino used his own money he made from selling A SPEC SCRIPT to produce his own film...he was in a unique situation with lawrence bender, and by chance harvey kietel came on board and they made Res Dogs as an Independant Film.  Indy films dont adhere to conventions or traditions, so the filmmaker does whatever he wants.  But QT DID sell True Romance to finance Res Dogs, and it was sold as a SPEC script.

Quoted from Old Time Wesley, posted July 13th, 2004, 10:44pm at here Maybe they're not supposed to but people actually listen to what there fed like drones or robots, flashbacks are important in one form or another depending on what type of screenplay it is I doubt they'd matter in a dramatic tear jerker as much as it would in an adventure story that you need to get a character across without alienating the whole plot Maybe, maybe not.

Its not a case of brainwashed drones, its a case of a unionized industry.  Hollywood IS ran a specific way, and many movies ARE made specifically to make money and not for artistic "love of cinema" reasons.  With all these union regulations, it is difficult to make a large budget film without using union workers.  Everyone is unionized in hollywood.  So as it is, to make money in this industry, the highest probable way to make money (which is still great odds in and of itself) is to deal with unions.  You CAN be black balled by a union, like the WGA is you sell a script when the union is on strike.  And this becomes a serious career matter.  No union person will work with you.  You are painted into a corner.  So if you want to SELL a screenplay and actually make money, you have to adhere to the standards and formats of the industry.  They require these formats, because the volumn of applicants if you will.  Many directors/producers recieve countless amounts of unproduced scripts to read.  If they arent in format, many will  not read them.  

Heres an example.

You have an international writing contest.  You recieve thousands of entries.  The best one, might be written in korean, but you'll never know, because you dont speak korean, and you dont have time to learn.

The people reading your scripts dont have the time to sort through a convoluted structure or "on the fly" format.  QT does it how ever he wants because he MAKE THE FILMS HE WRITES.  And the films he wrote but did not direct NATURAL BORN KILLERS and TRUE ROMANCE are formated properly and written in industry standard.  And guess what?  He sold those for thousands and now he makes his own films however he wants.

Quoted from dangeroussamurai, posted July 13th, 2004, 11:06pm at here look peoples, this is my problem. My story is an epic. TOO epic. Its got to much compicated alien race battling and most of it happens HUNDREDS of years before I have a main character. Which leads me to my second problem. Its really confusing, and I could only explain it through LONG mono parts or (lengthy) flashbacks. Shoud I just cut the crap outta my story and make it straight forward or what?!

perhaps you should consider writing a book instead of a screenplay.  

Have a look at epics like LOTRs and starwars ect.  The characters are introduced early and the plots and developments occur in the same ACT structer as traditional films.  

Maybe writing a book first would help get everything out of your system, then you could write a screenplay based on the world you created, but with structure to make it a feature length.  Ie 120 pages.

Actually, I am doing the book. This is for the book. But even as a book.........I fund it hard presenting all the material in a manner that isnt flashbacks----without making occasional boring parts. I will make a script of it though, but THAT wont make ANY sense, believe me.

why dont you try just writing it linear and then only use flashbacks where they are important to the story.  Instead of your character having a flashback, just write that scene first so he doesnt have to have it later in the story.  Once its linear, then you can chop it up however you want and put it in whatever order you choose.