It's All Coming Back To Me Now
The other day while watching an old tv show I realized something.
You can call me a sucker. You can call me sentimental. You can even call me Al. It won't change what I'm about to tell you.
I'm a sucker for flashbacks.
Yes, you read that right. Flashbacks. I'm sure you know a good flashback when you see one, but unlike me, you never thought to break it down quite like this before. For clarification's sake I've categorized it into five basic rules that make the classic flashback so...classic.
Five Finger Flashback
1. Good flashbacks occur after a show has been on for a period of time.
The reason why good flashbacks work best with established shows is because both the new and old viewer know where they stand simultaneously. It's particularly great when they dig deep into the archives to resurrect a great moment or two that might otherwise have been forgotten. When shows have been on hiatus for say summer this is also an effective means in bringing the viewer up to speed.
2. Good flashbacks are never overused.
Like anything else, a good flashback should be used in moderation. The flashbacks themselves for instance should not go on more than a minute or two. If it proceeds much past that it's no longer a flashback, it's more like a flash flood. Also, if 75% of your show or movie exists via flashbacks you've got a problem. This is because it makes it very confusing for the viewer. It's all the more confusing when the technique is overused and it's used with flashbacks that have never been seen before, thus the "old" footage is really all new material. If you haven't figured it out already, I definitely had Lost in mind when I came up with this one.
3. Good flashbacks are often accompanied by special effects such as slow motion editing or a musical montage.
This is perhaps the most important element of a superior flashback. It is a proven fact the most highly effective flashbacks are ones that evoke emotion. Ok, maybe not a proven fact, but it might as well be. What better way to evoke emotion than by pulling out all the stops? If you watch your run of the mill, garden variety flashback you may not pay much attention or you might go one step worse and decide to (gasp) fast forward. But a funny thing happens when you take the old and make it new with music or different pacing. Suddenly you've peaked the viewer's interest with what is really the same old shit all over again. This type of flashback works best when a character is leaving a show and/or the show is going off the air completely. You might think you don't care but they hit you with a slo mo, musical montage and before you know it, you're crying like a baby for the "good ol' days".
This type of flashback only backfires on a recurring series where the role has since been recast. It's really hard to wallow in memory lane when the character is played by a completely different actor or actress. Here, unfortunately, the flashback becomes null and void.
4. Good flashbacks refresh your memory in a climactic or pivotal moment in the story.
This type of flashback works really well in movies. It also works well in mysteries like say, Monk. This is because it reveals little details you might not have noticed the first time or put together in exactly the same way. A classic example of one of the best dramatic flashbacks would be the movie, The Usual Suspects. If you haven't seen it go now just to see an example of textbook, chills down your spine flashback in action.
5. Good flasbacks let you know they are flashbacks.
Although there are many cheesy effects that go hand in hand with the most successful of flashback, it's a necessary evil in my eyes. Sometimes flashbacks will have a smoke effect, a hazy shade of winter, if you will. Other times you might notice the echo effect that happens to the author's voices. Then there is the voice over narration that happens. Here you are simply expected to sit back and watch the events unfold while listening to the new details the narrator is giving you.
Finally the fourth dead giveaway in the lineage of great flasbacks is what I like to call the "compare contrast". Sometimes there is no need for echos, voices or haze. Instead the appearance of the characters or the time and place gives the change away. Basically some subtle, yet important clue is there to tip you off without all the bells and whistles.
If something along these lines is not present it's probably a Quentin Tarantino movie. If so, good luck and may some semblance of the five finger flashback rules be with you.
No matter your favorite flashback technique I guarantee after reading this you won't look at flasbhacks ever the same way again. In fact, I'm willing to bet you might even enjoy reading this post again in a month or two. You know, for nostalgia's sake.
Never before have hot flashes felt so good.
You can call me a sucker. You can call me sentimental. You can even call me Al. It won't change what I'm about to tell you.
I'm a sucker for flashbacks.
Yes, you read that right. Flashbacks. I'm sure you know a good flashback when you see one, but unlike me, you never thought to break it down quite like this before. For clarification's sake I've categorized it into five basic rules that make the classic flashback so...classic.
Five Finger Flashback
1. Good flashbacks occur after a show has been on for a period of time.
The reason why good flashbacks work best with established shows is because both the new and old viewer know where they stand simultaneously. It's particularly great when they dig deep into the archives to resurrect a great moment or two that might otherwise have been forgotten. When shows have been on hiatus for say summer this is also an effective means in bringing the viewer up to speed.
2. Good flashbacks are never overused.
Like anything else, a good flashback should be used in moderation. The flashbacks themselves for instance should not go on more than a minute or two. If it proceeds much past that it's no longer a flashback, it's more like a flash flood. Also, if 75% of your show or movie exists via flashbacks you've got a problem. This is because it makes it very confusing for the viewer. It's all the more confusing when the technique is overused and it's used with flashbacks that have never been seen before, thus the "old" footage is really all new material. If you haven't figured it out already, I definitely had Lost in mind when I came up with this one.
3. Good flashbacks are often accompanied by special effects such as slow motion editing or a musical montage.
This is perhaps the most important element of a superior flashback. It is a proven fact the most highly effective flashbacks are ones that evoke emotion. Ok, maybe not a proven fact, but it might as well be. What better way to evoke emotion than by pulling out all the stops? If you watch your run of the mill, garden variety flashback you may not pay much attention or you might go one step worse and decide to (gasp) fast forward. But a funny thing happens when you take the old and make it new with music or different pacing. Suddenly you've peaked the viewer's interest with what is really the same old shit all over again. This type of flashback works best when a character is leaving a show and/or the show is going off the air completely. You might think you don't care but they hit you with a slo mo, musical montage and before you know it, you're crying like a baby for the "good ol' days".
This type of flashback only backfires on a recurring series where the role has since been recast. It's really hard to wallow in memory lane when the character is played by a completely different actor or actress. Here, unfortunately, the flashback becomes null and void.
4. Good flashbacks refresh your memory in a climactic or pivotal moment in the story.
This type of flashback works really well in movies. It also works well in mysteries like say, Monk. This is because it reveals little details you might not have noticed the first time or put together in exactly the same way. A classic example of one of the best dramatic flashbacks would be the movie, The Usual Suspects. If you haven't seen it go now just to see an example of textbook, chills down your spine flashback in action.
5. Good flasbacks let you know they are flashbacks.
Although there are many cheesy effects that go hand in hand with the most successful of flashback, it's a necessary evil in my eyes. Sometimes flashbacks will have a smoke effect, a hazy shade of winter, if you will. Other times you might notice the echo effect that happens to the author's voices. Then there is the voice over narration that happens. Here you are simply expected to sit back and watch the events unfold while listening to the new details the narrator is giving you.
Finally the fourth dead giveaway in the lineage of great flasbacks is what I like to call the "compare contrast". Sometimes there is no need for echos, voices or haze. Instead the appearance of the characters or the time and place gives the change away. Basically some subtle, yet important clue is there to tip you off without all the bells and whistles.
If something along these lines is not present it's probably a Quentin Tarantino movie. If so, good luck and may some semblance of the five finger flashback rules be with you.
No matter your favorite flashback technique I guarantee after reading this you won't look at flasbhacks ever the same way again. In fact, I'm willing to bet you might even enjoy reading this post again in a month or two. You know, for nostalgia's sake.
Never before have hot flashes felt so good.
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