Flashbacks and Phone Conversations

Flashbacks and Phone Conversations
I won't tell you not to use flashbacks. I've used them and I've seen them used in many other scripts and movies. I will tell you, however, that they're an outmoded and overused device. They're done is many different ways and I have yet to see the same method used twice. Here's one way:
He stares down at the photograph, remembering...
EXT. VIETNAM - NIGHT - FLASHBACK
It's 1966. A battle is raging, Craig belly down in mud, worming his
way toward a makeshift foxhole.
When you want to come back to the present, just do this:
EXT. CRAIG'S ROOM - PRESENT DAY
Craig blinks, coming out of his fog, blah blah blah...
Boy, I really do hate flashbacks. Quick memory flashes, however, are another thing altogether. These are short bursts of picture and sound that can be quite effective if used with a certain amount of restraint:
Distorted faces and colors and loud voices fly at Travis like images
from some surreal nightmare as he shoulders his way through the crowd,
Billie falling farther behind, and --
A MEMORY FLASH
assaults him in a burst of light: a grainy, black-and-white image of
a terrified four year-old boy screaming --
BOY
Daaaaaddyyyyyy!
And --
TRAVIS
pushes forward through the crowd, etc.
You get the point. This is a technique I've been known to use and I'm told there are other writers who do much the same.
Next, we have telephone conversations. These seem to be a real problem for some people. Here's an easy and straight forward solution:
INT. HOUSE - DAY
The phone is ringing. Lisa runs to it a scoops it up.
LISA
Hello?
INTERCUT:
INT. CAR
Craig is tooling down PCH, a cell phone in hand.
CRAIG
Lisa, how are you?
LISA
Who is this?
CRAIG
You don't recognize my voice?

Lisa frowns, plopping into a chair.
LISA
Oh. Hi, Craig.
And that's all there is to it. Hopefully, your scripted phone conversations will be a heckuva lot more interesting than this one.
Computer and TV Scenes
There are no real rules about scenes involving a computer or a television, but if you're stuck with a computer scene, try this:
Lisa stares at the screen a moment, then types:
THAT'S OKAY, CRAIG, I'M STARTING
TO GET THE HANG OF THIS.
If you have a scene where a visual or graphic appears on a computer or television screen, all you have to do is drop down a couple lines, like this:
Lisa stares at the television.
On screen, a news report is in progress. A smiling reporter stands
before a crowded crime scene.
And there you have it. No need for fancy camera angles, just a simple paragraph describing what she sees. If you need to add the reporter's dialogue, just throw it in like you would any other dialogue in the script.