Hmmm...Dreams....can they be used like a...flash back?
I've never really seen any advice on the use of dreams in a screenplay. But take for instance -- John Doe got into an accident a couple months ago where he lost his leg. We don't see the initial event, just him with one leg. But, the ordeal still haunts him, and it replays in his head as he sleeps at night, so, we become aware of how he lost his leg through that medium.
Is something like that, okay? What are some ways that you have/would use dreams in a script?
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I just dive right in and, at the climax of the action, cut to the character waking up from a nightmare. The audience can figure it out.
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Just write them as you would for any action description. QUICK FLASH can work for a short glimpse of a memory. Perhaps hunt down shooting scripts with similar scenes in films that are close to what you are trying to achieve. See how others handled such things on the page. ;)
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Imo. I have one in The Devil is in the Details where Jake wakes up in a cold sweat.
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If you have something from the past that is important to the story you can use dream to convey it. It can be corny though so you have to in my opinion drip feed in the present and then use the dream to clarify only. Not to show all. Also you have waking dreams where people remember and then you can flash back with more clarity as it's not a dream state. I am not totally sure but I think Stronger might a good script to get hold of. If I recall the bombing is not fully explored straight away. I think Jake Gyllenhaal's character loses his legs and whilst we how he lost them, the full event doesn't get show until later on. Certainly worth a watch and a read.
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Chris Nolan is a master of dreams/flashbacks. Memento, Inception, TDKR.
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Hi Imo,
Sure, you can use a dream in the way you described. It's your story, and you're the writer. That sounds like a potentially very cool element in the way you described it.
In a similar vein, I ldo loves me some dream sequences in films. a quick Baker's Dozen of my faves. But first, a quick nod to probably the first dream scene in a feature film, the Atlantis scene in Atlantis, which might be the first disaster feature film too - it's over 100 years old!
1. Opening Scene, 8 /1/2
2. Nazi Werewolf Dream-Within-a-Dream Scene, American Werewolf in London
3. Dream Scene, Vanilla Sky
4. Lloyd's Super-Lloyd Dream Scene, Dumb & Dumber
5. The Dude's What Condition My Condition Is In Dream, The Big Lebowski
6. Dumbo's Champagne Dream Scene, Dumbo
7. Scottie's Nightmare, Vertigo
8. Professor's Dreams, Wild Strawberries
9. Patterson's Dream Scene, The Ghost and the Darkness
10. Ralphie's Great Paper Grade Daydream Scene, A Christmas Story
11. Dream/Consciousness Scenes, The Cell
12. Max Solving the Hardest Math Equation in the World Dream Scene, Rushmore
13. The Dream Scene in Inception, The Wizard of Oz, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and Eraserhead.....wait a sec...the whole films are dreams...I think. Heh-heh.
Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, Dreamo - I mean, Imo!
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Lol bill. Who knows what is and isn't a dream when it comes to David lynch
Lots of great information shared. Thanks a mill! I'm going to check out some of the movies/scripts mentioned. Always good widening your knowledge of the craft. I've messed around with some methods, and will be sure to experiment with some suggestions here.
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I agree with the QUICK FLASH comment from Beth. It had me thinking of The Fugitive movie, with Harrison Ford. He returns to the same traumatic memory of his wife's murder, replaying it his mind, as he searches for answers. In the script, these quick moments are marked by the text "Memory Hit - Night of Murder". You can find the script on imsdb.com.