Flash-Forward
Best for: Vlogs, challenges, travel
The hook
- Do
- Open on the most intense moment, then jump back to the start.
- On screen
- 12 hours earlier…
The first 3 seconds
- 0.0sThe most intense 2 seconds: the sprint, the scream, the mess.
- 2.0sFreeze or cut. Text: “12 hours earlier…”
- 2.5sThe calm start of the story.
- 3.0sThe viewer knows where it's heading and needs to see how.
Why it works
Showing where the story ends up makes people want to see how it got there.
What you need
- A story with one intense moment
- Footage of the whole story, start to finish
- Text like “12 hours earlier…”
Step by step
Plan
- Film the whole story, and know which moment is the peak.
- Make sure the story really reaches that moment again.
Film
- Keep filming during the intense moment, even if it's messy.
- Film the calm start too, so the contrast is clear.
Edit
- Put the most intense 2 seconds first.
- Add “12 hours earlier…”, and replay the peak in full when the story gets there.
Use it in your niche
- TravelRunning through an airport, then “6 hours earlier…” at breakfast
- ChallengesYou collapsing at the finish line, then “Day 1”
- CookingSmoke pouring out of the oven, then “30 minutes earlier…”
Pro tips
- The time in the text adds intrigue. “12 hours earlier” makes people wonder what happened in between.
- Use the same sound on the flash-forward and the replay, to link them.
Avoid
- A peak that turns out to be nothing.
- Giving the ending away in the flash-forward.
