Foreshadowing is a powerful tool in storytelling.
A way to get the audience a hint of what's to come.
Whether they know it or not.
Today, we're looking at two types of foreshadowing
and the various ways that can be employed.
"- Killed his family with an ax.
- You can rest assured Mr. Almon, that's not going to happen with me.
Here's Johnny!"
- This is "What is Foreshadowing?"
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Be warned.
We will be spoiling the following movies.
Let's begin.
What exactly is foreshadowing?
"- No one's ever seen it.
They keep a monster in the basement
right next to a huge steaming ball of foreshadowing."
- Foreshadowing is a literary device used to give an indication or hint
of what is to come later in the story.
The term has been used since the 16th century,
but the technique can be found in some of the earliest written stories
like in "The Epic of Gilgamesh".
When Bilgamesh dreams foreshadows his own death at the hands of the gods.
Foreshadowing is a highly useful narrative tool
and we can see it in every genre.
It creates cohesive storytelling.
"- I knew it."
- Builds anticipation for future events.
"- Not going to tell me how you're planning to get out of here, are you?
- I'm going to walk right out the front door. Anything else?"
- And makes the ultimate payoff feel all the more earned.
In the words of David Trottier, "Inventive foreshadowing creates
a sense of unity in a story...
even when the audience may not be consciously
aware of the foreshadowing and payoff.
In other words, using foreshadowing is just good storytelling.
"- I am your father!
- No!"
- Now, there are two forms of foreshadowing.
Direct and indirect.
Direct foreshadowing refers to explicit allusions to future events.
"- We're trying to tell you that the entire planet is about to be destroyed."
When direct foreshadowing is happening
the audience knows it.
"- Before this war is over I'm going to kill you."
- These illusions can either hint in what's to come.
"- You think all this can last?
Storm coming, Mr. Wayne."
- Or indicate specific plot points.
"- One of you is going to die.
Which one will be up to you."
- Either way, this type of foreshadowing
creates expectations that keep the audience more invested in the narrative.
In the opening scene of "Macbeth", the witches foretell Macbeth's rise to power
indicating exactly what is going to happen.
"- All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!
All hail Macbeth. Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor.
All hail Macbeth,
that shall be king hereafter."
- You might think that this revelation spoils the plot.
But the story of Macbeth
is less about the power he obtains
and more about what he does to obtain it.
These indications allow the audience to focus more on the journey
rather than the outcome itself.
"- What's done is done.
We have scorched the snake, not killed it.
In "Frozen", direct foreshadowing merely hints at the story's resolution.
When Anna is cursed, she has also told how she could be saved.
"- Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart.
- An act of true love?
- A true love's kiss, perhaps?"
- The hints ambiguity allows for misdirection.
Anna and the audience expect the romantic love.
But the love that cures her comes from an unexpected source.
"- You sacrificed yourself for me.
- I love you.
- An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart."
- Hints like this still explicit enough to be direct foreshadowing
while leaving enough room for mystery or subversion.
But what do we want our foreshadowing to go unnoticed?
Indirect foreshadowing refers to clues of future events
that are less obvious or recognizable than their direct counterparts.
"- You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
- You live.
You die.
- Now we're talking."
- In fact, most indirect foreshadowing is only evident in hindsight.
Like this conversation that lays out the rest of the plot
"- You know what we should do tomorrow?
Keep drinking. We'll have a Bloody Mary first thing.
- Now, seriously.
Uh, Mary. This is it.
- Have a bite at the King's Head,
couple at The Little Princess.
- We're going to the Winchester.
We'll stagger back here and...
We're back at the bar for shots.
How's that for a slice of fried gold?"
- This is different from Easter Eggs,
which are deliberately hidden references or inside jokes.
And typically have little bearing on the story.
"- I've just about had enough of you."
- Indirect foreshadowing can be as subtle as finding a way
to make two female ends of a seatbelt work.
"- Bad wind shears. We have to drop pretty fast.
So hold on."
- Which symbolizes a crucial twist later in the film.
"- There's no unauthorized breeding in Jurassic Park.
How do you know they can't breed'?
Because all the animals in Jurassic Park are female.
We've engineered them that way.
- Life found the way."
- But the technique can also be blatant.
In "Midsommar", the first image we see tells us the entire story.
First-time viewers have no idea that this mural
represents the entire narrative of the film.
It is only at the end or perhaps even a second viewing
that we realize the complete plot was laid out for us.
And this is just the beginning of an indirect foreshadowing in the film.
A tapestry presents the steps needed to create a love potion
that will ensnare Christian.
And this image of a burning bear
foretells his ultimate fate.
Upon a second viewing, director Ari Aster's use of indirect foreshadowing
creates a feeling of inevitability.
Danny has always been the chosen one.
And the fate of our companions were sealed from the beginning.
Now that we covered the two types of foreshadowing.
Let's look at the various applications.
"- You are a part of this too. - How am I a part of this?
- You'll see."
- One of the most common methods filmmakers foreshadow
is through dialogue where a character alludes to future events, either explicitly.
"- Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?"
- Or implicitly.
People die at a dinner tables, die in their beds.
They die squatting over their chamber pots.
Movie titles can also foreshadow the plot.
Like "The Return of the King".
Or "12 Years A Slave".
Foreshadowing can also be found in props and set dressing.
In "Magnolia",
the many references to 8 and 2 point directly to a passage in Exodus
that foretells a plague of frogs.
Arguably the most famous example is Checkov's gun.
This is a principle that says everything in your story should have a purpose.
And that everything else should be discarded.
Therefore by default successful applications of Chekhov's gun
can also create expectations for future events
similarly to foreshadowing.
"- I feel like kind of a fifth wheel around here. Is there anything I can do?
I don't know. Is there anything you can do?
- Well, I can drive that loader.
- Be my guest."
- For more on this concept, check out our video on the subject.
Objects can also simply hint at future events
without necessarily showing up again.
Props can even foreshadow sequels.
"- Waves a calling card...
- I'll look into it."
- Foreshadowing can also be found in character traits.
Certain elements in a person might hint at their actions.
"- The fear of loss is a path to the dark side.
- I won't lose you the way I lost my mother."
Success.
"- I am the chosen one.
Only I can destroy him."
- Or demise later in the film.
"- Ron Burgundy will read anything that is put on that teleprompter.
"- Go f*ck yourself, San Diego. - Ahh!"
- Storytelling can mix and match these forms of foreshadowing
to create a coherent narrative and an ending we expect.
Or should've expected.
"- I see people.
They don't know they're dead."
- The next time you watch a film
keep an eye out for foreshadowing.
More likely than not,
you'll find something.
Whether it be in dialogue...
"- I don't think you ought to be doing this to yourself, Andy.
These are just sh*tty pipe dreams."
- Character traits.
Or props that hints at the future.
And if you don't notice it the first time around, you surely will upon rewatch.
What are some of your favorite examples of foreshadowing?
Let us know in the comments.
See you next time.
"- I shoulda seeing this coming.
- And next time we'll be better prepared.
Well, keep your eyes peeled."