Mystery

For there to be mystery, viewers must be aware there are things they don’t know yet. Make the audience suspect something.

Mystery is a powerful tool because human nature makes us want to understand and discover what is hidden, at the risk of being troubled by the answer.

Be careful. Mystery can easily become irritating, for instance if viewers feel it is gratuitous and sense the author is using it just to keep them interested, with no real justification as far as the story itself is concerned.

Example Peter walks up to Dimitri and says: “Listen Dimitri, I just saw your girlfriend and she said that … no, I shouldn’t tell you. No, sorry, she’ll tell you herself, I think it’s best…”