Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-27404492-20170511131216/@comment-25936766-20170529222335

Nikoli the rebel wrote: I have taken screen writing classes and we aren't allowed to use flashbacks. They are cheap and easy emotional appeal. Only amatuer writers use them. Your writing class teacher should be fired. That is horrendously subjective. And profesional writers do use them, have used them, and will keep using them.

Why? Because Tropes are Tools, and flashbacks are no exception. You call it "cheap and easy", but it doesn't change the fact that the right flashback at the right moment, can greatly amplify the emotions delivered to the audience during a scene.

Plus they do help at making it easier for the audience to remember things that are at least somewhat relevant, though this practical use is not omnipresent.

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@73: ....Wait, why do they need flashbacks? They are useful, but I see no reason they are "required".

Even if they kept forcing themselves to keep RWBY Volumes at Movie-like lengths, I still don't see what you're trying to say there.

-They can include filler, and just leave it out if/when that Volumes goes to theaters.

-The limited screentime doesn't demand that they use flashbacks, even less if the purpose is to explore side characters or build the world. If anything, the limited screentime is an incentive to not use them because every minute counts, thus if they do use one, it's got to be worth it.