Definition of flash back

The term "flash back" originated in the 1950s in the film industry to describe a camera technique used in editing. It refers to a sudden, quick reversal in time, depicted in a movie or TV show through a series of images or a short sequence, that helps to illuminate an understanding of the current events by shedding light on past events. The word itself is a combination of two fading techniques, the "fade" and "back," which referred to the process of gradually fading in or fading out scenes as transitions between them. The technique in its original form would involve a sharp visual change followed by fading, known as a "fade-out/fade in," but by the 1950s, the transition technology in films had improved, allowing for smoother and quicker visual transitions, such as the "jump cut." A "jump cut"was simply an edit where a scene cut abruptly to the next one within the same shot, displaying an indication for a jump in time. This series of jump cuts would later blend with the fade technique with the introduction of "flashbacks" to mark a sudden change from the present to the past, and this is what gave birth to the now-popular term "flashback," referring to a temporary departure from the ongoing storyline or timeline to display events from the past that shed light on the present circumstances.