The reveal (also known as the big reveal) is a
plot device in
narrative structure
Story structure or narrative structure is the recognizable or comprehensible way in which a narrative's different elements are unified, including in a particularly chosen order and sometimes specifically referring to the ordering of the plot: ...
and is the exposure to the reader or audience of a previously unseen key character, or element of
plot or
performance
A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function.
Performance has evolved glo ...
.
A reveal is different from Aristotle's ''
anagnorisis'', in which something is revealed to a character rather than to the audience.
Narrative
The reveal may result in a
plot twist and could be the key plot turn or unexpected
coda in the story; for example, in the
mystery genre
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
. It may have scenes in the future that reveal consequences of actions to provide a lead for what will occur in the plot or side plot. This may be the overarching plot line in a
mystery or soap opera. It may also be used as a device (particularly in the
climax) in
stage magic by an
illusionist or
escape artist.
Stage magic
In a magician's act, "the reveal" may refer to
[
* the normal culmination of a trick
* the unexpected (to the ]audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...
) culmination of the trick
* an explanation of the trick, which itself may be immediately eclipsed by a version of the trick that the first reveal can't explain.
Film
''Reveal'' is also used for two distinct cinematographic techniques:
* A slow, theatrically presented image of an important character or item not seen previously in the film;
* A close-up, wide shot, or other unusual camera point-of-view that shows the audience an important visual clue not known to characters in the same scene.
In the sense of first-time showing of a character, a ''reveal'' is similar to, but usually not the same as, the opening shot or Establishing shot that gives the location or context of a new scene.
References
Plot (narrative)
Narrative techniques
Cinematography
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