Flashforward

Disciplines > Storytelling > Story devices > Flashforward

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

The natural flow of the story forward in interrupted by a jump into the future for a while before jumping back to continue with the story.

The flashforward usually describes what might be, and may be associated with a person musing about possibilities. It may also be used to show what will be.

The flashforward may take the present as the cause and show the future as what will happen as a result.

Example

The scientist talks about possibilities for the future, accompanied by scenes of levitating cars in a fictional metropolis.

The hero makes a stirring speech about saving the town by battling the monster. As the populace look on in hope, a flashforward of the hero in battle is shown.

The movie starts with the death of the hero. The story then is then told as an inevitable series of events that lead up to this tragic ending.

Discussion

The flashforward is less common than the flashback, perhaps because the flashback has more value in explaining current events. Nevertheless, the flashforward simply juxtaposes this, possibly showing the future that may be caused by the present.

Where most of the story is told as a flashback, jumping into the 'present' appears as a flashforward from the point of perspective within the flashback.