One of the techniques that can be used to create suspense is announcements – telegraphing in screenwriting terms. However, this technique is often used merely to support the narrative flow.
It took me a long time to understand how strongly these two go hand in hand. Because: suspense is forward movement. As if I were sitting in a kayak. To really move forward, I do have to paddle – making the decision for each individual stroke myself. But it becomes easier when I am not paddling against the current or when the water is not completely still, but when it is moving forward anyway.
A good example of this is Jaws (1975). Clearly, at the center lies the horror: Will there be more victims? But the plot in the first act is also driven forward by the many announcements about the upcoming tourist season. If the shark continues to kill, the tourists will stay away – a catastrophe for the small town.
If I want to create suspense, it helps to understand the exhibition as a river. And then to consider: Where do I want the kayak to come to a stop? At which points do I want to slow down the pace? And in which passages should it happily jump over the waves? Full speed ahead!