Flashbacks - Are they Cliche?

-May-

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Basically the thread title...considering a story that uses a flashback. When writing stories I generally try to avoid the flashback as it feels like a bit of a crutch/info dump... How do you feel about the use of flashbacks in screenplays?
 

dpaterso

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I dunno if they're cliché, there's a time and place for everything, and if the big reveal demands a flashback then it demands a flashback. But overusing them, like everything else, can become wearying, I expect. Just my opinion.

-Derek
 

Wilde_at_heart

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They don't seem to be used as often as they used to be. So long as it's done well...
 

xhouseboy

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Like others said, depends how it's applied. True Detective, for the most part, is told in flashback. As is Usual Suspects. But probably not the examples that you were referring to, as flashbacks are an integral part of the structure in both these stories.
 

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Thanks all - this is for a horror script idea I'm working on. I'll try to use judiciously :)