9 Some Common Plot Devices
Every genre of storytelling uses certain plot devices in relating a narrative. Some plot devices exist in multiple narrative genres, including screenplays. Then there are some plot devices unique to screenwriting. This chapter focuses on four of the most common plot devices (and temptations) for screenwriters.
1. Flashbacks
When it comes to flashbacks, just avoid them and don’t use them.
OK, so that is harsh, but flashbacks should be used carefully. Too many screenwriters, especially screenwriters just starting out, use flashbacks when they should not.
We all know what a flashback is: it goes back in time, so it happens before the time of the current plot. For the writer, it is a tool in our writing toolbox. But it is one shiny, awesome looking tool that is so tempting to use. It is a tool when used well can make the writer appear especially clever. Remember though, we are not trying to be clever. We are trying to tell a good story.
A flashback is not a crutch or a band-aid. It should never be used to cover over plot holes or rectify plot mistakes.
While a flashback does mean going back in time, it should be moving the story or character forward.
Here are some ways flashbacks CAN work with examples.
The frame narrative. This is perhaps the most common way screenwriters use flashbacks. Think of a picture frame. The picture inside the frame is the main part and is the focus, but a frame itself does surround the picture and contributes to the overall aesthetic. In a frame narrative, a frame story surrounds the main story and the main story is in the past. A good example of this is the movie Titanic. In that movie, we start in the present with exploration of the Titanic and we are introduced to the elderly Rose. Then we flashback to the main plot of the movie, Rose’s voyage on the Titanic, meeting Jack, etc. Then at the very end we come back to the frame with the elderly Rose. In this type of plot, we meet someone and there is something interesting about them, and then a flashback (the main plot) tells us why they are interesting or why they have a story people care about. We can see in this scene how the movie transitions from the elderly Rose to the original voyage of the ship.
Motivation. A flashback can show why a character is making a decision that actually moves the plot forward. This type of flashback often is short. It reveals motivation for a character, which can be especially helpful if it demonstrates a turn in their behavior. A great example of this is in Ratatouille when the food critic, Ego, eats the ratatouille dish prepared by Remy and has a flashback to the comforting food of his mother. From this, his character changes, becoming much nicer, ultimately helping Remy and Linguini open a bistro. (If you want to impress your friends, you can call this scene, and its use of memory, Proustian, for the great French writer Marcel Proust.)
Thematic. A flashback can add to the themes of the movie by offering depth and contrast. Think of the movie The Godfather Part II. While in the present of the main plot Michael’s family is falling apart and he is alienating everyone who was once close to him, the flashbacks show us the rise of his father and how important family was to him. This contrast highlights just how far Michael has fallen.
The Real Way it Happened. A flashback can show us how something actually worked. Earlier in the movie, we thought we understood how an event unfolded, but we later learn what we thought happened did not happen that way. A good example of this is in Fight Club. Warning, major spoilers are coming. When Ed Norton’s Narrator realizes that Tyler Durden is actually in his head, we get flashbacks to show how scenes that included Tyler Durden from earlier actually took place.
Visualization. A flashback can be used to visualize a character’s storytelling. Here, think of movies whose main plots are essentially courtroom scenes or character’s giving depositions (such as The Social Network). Rather than just having to watch characters tell the events, flashbacks are used to make the testimonies visual.
Memory. The plot is ABOUT memory. In this type of plot, a character’s, or characters’, memory is the primary emphasis of the plot. In that case, flashbacks become necessary as the character explores their memories. Movies like Memento and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind fall into this category.
There are other ways a flashback can be successfully used but stick to these basic ideas. Again, though, make sure flashbacks are absolutely necessary. Before using flashbacks, ask yourself this: does the plot work just as well without them? If the answer is yes, well, then you don’t need them.
2. Montages
A montage is a way to quickly and efficiently show the passage of time in a movie. In the 1980s, it seemed like every comedy had a trying on clothes montage. One character or multiple characters would try on clothes while a friend would make happy or sad faces of approval or disapproval.
Another popular montage is the learning montage where one character teaches a skill to another character. In the montage, the learner at first performs poorly, but by the end, they are an expert. Here’s an example of this from Dirty Dancing.
The montage allows us to compress days, weeks, months, etc. It is a good device to use to show this passage of time, but is also a good device to compress time to show character growth – like characters growing closer or cutting loose to have fun, etc. Learning how to dance really well takes a lot of time and practice. A movie like Dirty Dancing isn’t about that time and practice, so it compresses that learning into a montage which also serves to show how two characters are starting to connect.
Film is a visual medium and a montage is a visual plot device. It can be incredibly emotional and poignant, a way for us to show how years, for instance, can have an impact on a person’s life. The opening montage of Up is a perfect example of this. Without any words, the montage shows an entire marriage, the joy and sadness two people in love go through. A good montage has that power.
The montage is also an effective way of showing a character learning about a new environment. Through a montage we can see how the new environment is somewhat strange, but also how the character is adapting. A montage allows this to be done quickly.
3. Voiceover
Voiceover is a form of narration. Voiceover is when a character talks over scenes, narrating them. It can also be a way to reveal inner monologues, inner thoughts. Like flashbacks, using voiceover can be tricky because we do not want it to be a band aid to cover up poor plot structure. We don’t want voiceover to be redundant either. If the audience can get all the information from the scene and the voiceover is just describing what the audience is seeing, that makes it redundant and unnecessary.
One of the best uses of voiceover is the character driven one. The narration is a way to reveal a character’s voice and personality as a contrast to others in the film. Goodfellas is a great example of this. Henry Hill’s narration adds character insight to scenes, giving us a character filter through which we can interpret events. It also is a guide for us, documentary fashion, so that we understand how certain things within the mafia work. But even then, it is still HIS distinct voice.
Fight Club is another movie that does this well. The voiceover is often ironic, but it reveals character personality and the angst of the main character.
Voiceover was a genre staple of classic film noir. The voiceover in those films set up the hardboiled mood and atmosphere. It functioned like the first-person narration in detective novels, sometimes advancing plot, but always creating a tone.
Notice in these examples, voiceover is not really about relaying the plot. Relying on voiceover to just spew plot information is like using it as that band-aid we discussed above. The structure of the script, the structure of the scenes, the character arc – these are how we tell the story. Voiceover can enhance the film but it is only there for that enhancement.
