The climax and the cliffhanger are closely related: the latter is used as a cut at the moment of maximum tension, which usually occurs at the most intense stage of the story.
Outcome or resolution
It happens after the conflict has been resolved. It's the calm after the climax, when all doubts have been resolved and all loose ends tied up.
It's important to keep in mind that the longer the break between episodes, the stronger the cliffhanger. It's much harder to keep a viewer in suspense for months waiting for a season than it is for a few days until the next episode airs.
Attract attention with cliffhangers
Cliffhangers should be used consciously and not as a frequent mom database recourse. If they are used constantly and predictably, the audience may lose interest. Cliffhangers must be resolved appropriately so as not to disappoint viewers.
The cliffhanger must be a narrative component that involves an unresolved change of direction in the story, leaving the action unfinished to be resumed later.
There's no single strategy for using cliffhangers. They can be used between episodes or within a single episode. Their inclusion will depend on the complexity of the series' plot and the desire to keep the audience in suspense.
We can classify cliffhangers in two ways:
Interepisode. This is the most commonly used form and is found at the end of an episode or season to link it to the next installment.
Intra-episode. Also called a hook , it is located within an episode. It serves to connect two different episodes. In television series, it is usually found before the commercial break.
While it's an element of surprise for your audience, a cliffhanger can be introduced gradually into a story to make it believable at the moment it happens. The narrative needs to progress at a growing pace and build up the urgency of the situation.
Below, learn about the narrative tools to consider when designing cliffhangers.
Foreshadowing scenes
These are small clues you give the viewer about what's going to happen. They're very important for creating impact with the cliffhanger.
In the series Game of Thrones , for example, there are many references to dragons who no longer live. In this case, the author subtly introduced all the information related to them so that, when the time comes, you believe the story.