tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30413383.post1176388019000978876..comments2023-11-05T07:45:02.082-05:00Comments on Mystery Man on Film: Breathing Room in FilmsMystery Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17486331815227364944noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30413383.post-27629618006057976562008-05-15T00:57:00.000-04:002008-05-15T00:57:00.000-04:00I know this post is old (sorry, MM!) but I must sa...I know this post is old (sorry, MM!) but I must say that anyone reading this needs to make sure that when Ramin Bahrani's <I>Chop Shop</I> is released on DVD, they buy a copy, take the day off, go home, shut off the lights, and watch it.<BR/><BR/>It's only 85 minutes, but once you see it, you won't be able to think about anything else for the rest of the day (and maybe a few days thereafter).Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15130480927375919459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30413383.post-3639762633245122282008-04-25T19:52:00.000-04:002008-04-25T19:52:00.000-04:00Thought-provoking as usual. I myself HATE back sto...Thought-provoking as usual. I myself HATE back story i.e. some explanation as to why a character does what they do. <BR/>It would be like James Bond making a speech about how his past has contributed to his defiance in the face of horrendous death.<BR/><BR/>The hero is defined as what he does not why. Though I guess a reporter could ask why, it is totally unnecessary for a good story.<BR/><BR/>The situations can be manipulated to say - subtextually - anything you want.<BR/><BR/>The beauty of cinema is that you can use pacing to show that perhaps with thought a person may have done something different, but with the fluidity of life, sometimes your intuition will impact your immediate decision.<BR/><BR/>This makes for a plethora of opportunities to build conflict based on that immediate decision.<BR/><BR/>The essence of cinema is the use of images and sounds to emphasize these choices and consequences.Christian H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30413383.post-86073723745926643692008-04-25T08:36:00.000-04:002008-04-25T08:36:00.000-04:00I prefer breathing room in films as well, but woul...I prefer breathing room in films as well, but would argue that the majority of movie goers (not video geeks, but families going out to Saturday Matinees) want their films simple, direct, and manipulative as hell. Without Oscars, "No Country For Old Men" didn't do too hot at the box office. And the majority of our population - people of "average" intelligence - don't understand the ending, and therefore don't like the entire movie.<BR/><BR/>Then again, Pulp Fiction made bank in '94 (pre-Oscar bank). And there's plenty of breathing room in Pulp Fiction. So maybe the open ending of "No Country" was just too much for the average asshole to comprehend.<BR/><BR/>But I love subtext in movies, and I strive for it in my writing. It makes the struggle more intense. But emotionally, you learn more about your characters, you learn more about yourself, and I would argue that's the key to Quality Writing - intense personal discovery.<BR/><BR/>And terraling makes a wonderful point - if you don't figure out your characters, you won't be able to write the space between. Not successfully.Zanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723560204537674780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30413383.post-72333544380883215382008-04-24T20:39:00.000-04:002008-04-24T20:39:00.000-04:00The caesura.I've been thinking about this, and the...The caesura.<BR/><BR/>I've been thinking about this, and the way that all forms of art seem to need some variation on it. A pause, a slow moment, a clean space - otherwise it becomes noise, like someone who shouts all the time.<BR/><BR/>Planning on my next blog post being on this subject.Laura Deerfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06481017193764065233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30413383.post-9364883745972243012008-04-24T12:07:00.000-04:002008-04-24T12:07:00.000-04:00I think subtext is extremely important - the chall...I think subtext is extremely important - the challenge is that the best subtext isn't always apparent on the first superficial read (hence the description of it as, ah, subtext, heh) . . . since scripts often only get one read (done in an hour) then it can often get missed. <BR/><BR/>It's frustrating, but it's a part of doing business, I guess.Joshua Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08239067667651048280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30413383.post-40357281243780398442008-04-24T11:49:00.000-04:002008-04-24T11:49:00.000-04:00leaving spots for some empty space, breathing room...leaving spots for some empty space, breathing room is one of the great weaknesses of my scripts. I've been drummed to get in/get out, which while good advice, doesn't mean that EVERY scene all the time has to be frenetic. There's times where it's important to reflect on what you've just seen or set you up for what you're about to see. Now if I could remember to do that myself!!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537155200839804221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30413383.post-83128755012747334492008-04-24T05:18:00.000-04:002008-04-24T05:18:00.000-04:00These wonderful posts of yours keep reminding me o...These wonderful posts of yours keep reminding me of the core lessons I've come to learn in my own limited writing experience so far. And the pearl from today's post is that mystery needs clarity. If you are to create uncertainty in the mind of the audience that gets them thinking about what they are seeing, there is no room whatsoever for uncertainty on the part of the writer. As the quote from Hemingway evinces, any fudging will be all too clear. In the opening sequences of one of my stories I wanted to create a certain ambiguity about the morality one of the principal characters, and when a reader challenged me about the confusing messages, I had to admit it was because I hadn't really nailed in my mind why he made the choices he did. Confronting that made for a much stronger character and now I could really put that ambiguity to work constructively. Winging it doesn't work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com