Only My Scriptwriting

Establishing Shots Versus Flashbacks

Establishing Shots
Versus Flashbacks

What is the difference between an Establishing Shot and a Flashback? The difference is that an Establishing Shot shows a Scene Heading from an EXT. point of view before it goes into an INT. Scene Heading. At least that is what an Establishing Shot does most of the time. It doesn’t happen always, though.

Sometimes an Establishing Shot stays the same as the Scene Heading it represents. But slightly different, especially if the DAY or NIGHT is the same. That’s true if two Scene Headings are similar. The only difference is who is heading those scenes. That isn’t what I’m blogging about in this blog entry.

A good example is that the first two Establishing Shots that start each Act are both EXT. shots. The total Scene Heading is what makes them different. EXT. THE PLANET POULASK – SPACE is my first Establishing Shot for each Act. And the second one is something like EXT. THE PLANET POULASK – DAY (NIGHT)

EXT. THE WATER OF POULASK – DAY (NIGHT) will sometimes be the second Establishing Shot. Especially, when I start writing the Scene Headings for my Episodes. The Establishing Shots I write within my Outlines and scripts are the ones that usually end in INTs. But not always. They can be EXTs. too.

Whether at the beginning of an Act or within the Act, it can be difficult to write a Scene Heading that isn’t the same DAY or NIGHT if the Establishing Shot is the same as the Scene Heading it represents. It’s not impossible to handle. But it can be hard sometimes. A good example is my Teaser Act and Act One of this Scene Outline.

A good example is the first two Acts of this Scene Outline. Most of the Teaser Act takes place in a Confinement Location. One or two scenes are in a Group of Trees or leading into a Group of Trees. But most of it is in a Confinement Location. Too many of the Scene Headings are the same in these Acts so far.

Flashbacks are Establishing Shots. They are three-part scenes. The first and third parts are where the character is right now and the middle part is the flashback. What makes them different than Establishing Shots is also their length. They are the same length as the flashback scene. And they are usually a Scene Five or a Scene Ten.

The length of these flashback scenes can be four or five lines too. but they can be four or five-line scenes. So far, I have had only one flashback scene. And it was Scene Fifteen of Act One. I don’t think I will have too many flashback scenes in my Outlines or scripts. But I may have a few more of them.

Why am I writing about Establishing Shots and Flashbacks? Is it because I don’t have anything to write about today? It’s not because of me not having anything to write about today. It’s just the opposite of that. I got twenty-six single paragraphs written today, twenty scenes, four Establishing Shots, and a flashback three-parter.