I've gotten dozens of messages from you guys asking about flashbacks, so I decided I'd make it simple and put a chapter in here about them.
1. When do I use a flashback?
Flashbacks are for pivotal backstory points you can't convey in any other way (for example: dialogue, what a character's habits are, clothing). Use flashbacks sparingly, instead of throwing them in every few scenes to try and supplement your character's backstories.
Let's use the example of a character who used to be homeless, yet now lives the life of a wealthy CEO.
If I wanted to convey he was homeless, using a flashback would work.
Perhaps our homeless character used to beg on the fancy streets he now struts on. A flashback to his grimy youth, panhandling wealthy executives like himself now. Maybe he received a generous gift of $100, which was the difference between life and death for him.
Other ways to show his homelessness without a flashback could be as mentioned above. He could have the unshakable habit of pickpocketing his coworkers even though he makes twice as much as them now. Or when he sees other homeless people now, he makes sure to give them food or money.
If you're unsure about using flashbacks, ask questions here!
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2. How do I show a certain scene is a flashback?
*This is just talking about a single scene flashback. If you want to make a bunch of consecutive scenes as flashbacks, skip to the next question.*
The way to show a single scene is a flashback is to add FLASHBACK to your header. Like these examples:
INT. LOCATION - DAY - FLASHBACK
EXT. LOCATION - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
FLASHBACK - INT. BAR - NIGHT
Then, just write your flashback scene like any other scene!
Ex:
INT. JOEY'S JUKEBOX BAR - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Joey sees Kate for the first time, and he's all but drooling. She walks over to the shiny new jukebox. A quarter goes in. Zeppelin plays. Her hips sway her over to the bar in time with the music.
KATE
I'll take a S*x on the Beach.
JOEY
Yeah you will.
Kate raised an eyebrow at Joey. Other patrons chuckle.
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3. What if I want to make multiple scenes as part of a large flashback?
Before your header of the first flashback scene, write:
BEGIN FLASHBACK
And write this after the last flashback scene is over:
END FLASHBACK
Ex:
BEGIN FLASHBACK
INT. LOCATION - DAY
Scene description.
Dialogue. Blah blah blah.
EXT. LOCATION - DAY
Scene description & dialogue. Character blocking.
EXT. LOCATION - NIGHT
Scene description and character action. Introduction of a new character. Dialogue.
END FLASHBACK
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Hope your scripts are going well! I can't wait to read them soon! If you have any questions or want to request a chapter about another aspect of screenwriting, let me know!
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