ASK DR. FORMAT: Formatting 5 Common Flashback Situations

Some flashbacks are tricky to format. What follows are five “common” unusual situations that I get questions about all the time.

Situation #1: The storyteller

You begin your screenplay in present day, and then, in the first act, flash back to the main story which continues until the third act when it returns to present day.

The above describes Saving Private Ryan and other movies that use the storyteller device to introduce and conclude their stories. The “storyteller” (which is usually a character) introduces the story. Since that story, which is most of the movie, takes place in the past, use a SUPER (short for “superimpose”) rather than a FLASHBACK heading. In other words, even though “the story” is technically a flashback, don’t call it a flashback. Label it as follows:

Situation #2: A flashback within a story told by a storyteller

As you know from Situation #1, you would use a SUPER for the first flashback since the storyteller device is being used. What if there is a second flashback?

Refer to the second flashback as a FLASHBACK. In other words, format the second FLASHBACK like you would any other FLASHBACK. No reader will get lost.

Situation #3: A flashback within a flashback

This is where a character recalls a previous event in which he or she recalls an even earlier event as in Julia and Secret in Their Eyes.

The solution is to 1) use correct format and 2) be absolutely clear in your labeling and description. I’ll illustrate with a brief example where the first flashback consists of more than one scene, and is therefore a flashback sequence. Notice the clearly identified characters in each flashback.

Situation #4: Character A has a flashback in Character B’s flashback

This is rarely done because it seldom works and can be confusing. Use the same technique described in Situation #3, but define whose flashback is whose. Here’s a quick example.

Notice the implied MATCH CUTs for transitions to help maintain continuity.

Situation #5: A FLASHBACK where time is the key element

In some situations, it is perfectly fine to use a SUPER rather than a flashback to indicate exactly how many years ago the flashback occurred. For example:

And so on. What follows is an alternate way to describe TEEN DORIS:

You might use the above method if you think the actress who will play Doris as an adult will also play her as a teen. In any case, keep writing!