One of the most significant components in film and television is surprise. Knowing how to develop a great narrative twist is a crucial skill to have in your toolkit as a writer. A red herring may be a terrific approach to offer such a plot twist in screenwriting. A "red herring" is a device used to deflect attention away from the truth. In other words, it's a way of tricking the reader or viewer into thinking that one thing is happening when actually something else is going on. The classic example of a red herring in fiction is Hamlet's father. We know from early on in the play that Claudius is the true murderer, but Shakespeare wrote a line saying that old King Hamlet was seen walking around the castle grounds just before he was killed. This gave the impression that there was another possible suspect. Red herrings are also used in movies. One example would be to cast someone who is well known for their work in a minor role and then use this as a means of distracting the audience while another character gets closer to discovering the truth. For example, if I were writing a movie about Batman and had an idea for a scene where he meets with some other superheroes but doesn't tell them who he thinks is the Joker, this would be considered a red herring because it seems like he's doing something illegal by not telling everyone involved what his plan is. In reality, he's following standard operating procedure for a superhero - trying to keep his identity secret so nobody will try to kill him again.