Flashing arrow

A flashing arrow is a metaphorical audiovisual cue used in films to bring some object or situation that will be referred later, or otherwise used in the advancement of plot, to the attention of the viewers.

The device is not introduced into the plot or the dialogue, but is something peripheral; however made obvious (hence the name) by a particular camera shot or background music. An example of this device is a camera close-up in a horror movie that suggests information like danger from an unlocked door. A literal flashing arrow was used in the 1981 film Student Bodies to mock this clichéd use. The use of flashing arrows and that particular joke were both mentioned in Everything Bad Is Good for You, where the authors says works that have little use of this and require figuring things out yourself have a more deductive viewer base.