{"id":91169,"date":"2021-11-09T09:18:26","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T15:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=91169"},"modified":"2022-03-30T13:20:24","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T18:20:24","slug":"how-to-edit-flashback-sequences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/how-to-edit-flashback-sequences\/","title":{"rendered":"The Flashback Sequence Effects Tool Kit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This guide breaks down everything you need to know about producing and editing effective flashback sequences.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cover Image via Warner Brothers<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone knows a flashback when they see one\u2014it’s a tried-and-true narrative tool<\/strong>. Really, there are two types of flashbacks. While their names come from the literary world<\/strong>, we can borrow them for film. There is an internal analepsis<\/b>, which returns to a scene established in the narrative, <\/b>and an external<\/strong> analepsis<\/strong>, <\/b>which takes the story back to a time before the audience joined the narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some critics believe an internal flashback<\/strong> undermines the strength of the story. The argument is that your film language hasn’t been clear enough if you need to return to an earlier scene<\/strong> to highlight something that the audience may have missed\u2014unless this was intentional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you prefer to tell your story with flashbacks, you need to know the different visual and audio cues<\/strong> that signify a flashback instead of a new scene in a linear progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at some of the effects you can use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Slower Shutter Speed<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Before we jump into the digital domain, let\u2019s have a look at what you can do in-camera. By decreasing the shutter speed<\/strong> of your camera lower than the 180-degree standard shutter angle<\/strong>, each frame gets exposed a little bit longer. As a result, the footage becomes a myriad of fading blurs. This technique is perfect for dreamlike sequences<\/strong>\u2014or when the character is intoxicated. It’s also great for short flashbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will mean that you will have to film the scene twice<\/strong> if it’s an internal flashback. However, it\u2019s a great technique if you want to show the scene from a unique perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bloom Transition<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The bloom transition<\/strong> is a very popular technique used in TV, and it usually indicates a new scene<\/strong>, rather than a flashback to an established scene. This might occur when a suspect is telling the police how he committed his crime, or when a character is thinking about their past, and we transition to see that moment. For example, see the flashback below from The CW<\/a>‘s Arrow<\/em>, S01E01.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is the easiest and simplest effect<\/strong> to use, as you\u2019re only applying the effect on a small area of the clip, rather than the entire flashback layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, there\u2019s no need to follow an instruction list or video tutorial on how to create this effect, as the great Andrew Kramer from Video Copilot has already made a preset you can download for free<\/a>. On the VideoCopilot blog, there\u2019s also an instructional video<\/strong> how on to adjust the effect if you find yourself confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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White Dissolve<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Similar to the bloom transition, but less extravagant, involves dissolving in and out of a white solid<\/strong>. There are two ways you can do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n