In the last six months I’ve watched three very good movies. I’ve seen two of them more than once, and I’ve tried to pick apart all three to see what made them work and what didn’t, but was easy to ignore on the big screen. (Warning, this is all an excuse so I can ramble about ‘The Social Network’ which I finally saw last night and loved so much I want to have its Facebook babies…or something)
First: ‘The Watchmen’. The majority of the movie…I can’t say it was great or not great. It was compelling, it was emotional, it was a lot of time trying to introduce characters which is common for a superhero movie. However, there are so many movies I’ve seen recently where I’m like “It was awesome, but the end was a let down.” This was the opposite. It was good. But the ending was its saving grace. It ended the way a story like that should have and I was in awe of how they reached that conclusion. I struggle with endings so I will probably pick this one apart again and again to figure out how they got there.
Second: ‘Inception’. Looking back on the movie, it’s almost all flash bang. The plot isn’t super complex – just presented in a complex manner. The movie is more about eye candy and spectacular explosions than it is about the underlying story. However, it still left this lingering ‘what’s real and what isn’t’ in the back of my head both times I watched it. So for this movie I analyze how you make a standard story into something people will talk about. Something that makes them think.
Third: ‘The Social Network’. Did I mention I’m in love with this movie? Watching it was a massive rush for me. I suspect a lot of people didn’t like it for whatever reason, but I have personal reasons for being enthralled. I’m a technology junkie and I love the way the mind of a brilliant tech geek works. Few things are sexier to me. No, really. I also willingly watch stories about the inception of Microsoft and Apple. And oh yeah, some of my novels are based on similar concepts.
The thing is, this movie was boring. I mean, pick it apart, analyze what was really going on, and the premise is downright dull. You’re talking software development and court cases. IRL – few things are less interesting. And there was a lot of technical and legal jargon in this film. The dialogue was laced with it throughout.
So why did I feel like I had just gotten off a roller coaster when it was all over? My adrenalin levels soared, and I even had that kind of achy feeling in my gut when the rush started to subside…which it does right toward the end of the film as it should. (Think roller coaster after it comes off it’s last big dip and starts to head back into the station).
It all had to do with the story telling. All three of them were compelling because of the way the stories were presented. Did they have elements that wouldn’t have translated well to the written page? Oh hell yeah. But the delivery is what made them work, each in their own way.
I have a two page document on my hard drive. It’s called ‘The YA/MG Fantasy formula’. By answering a series of questions in this simple script, anyone can build the plot for the next Harry Potter/Percy Jackson/Lemony Snicket/etc. But…what makes those three names come to my mind above any other that followed the formula? Their story telling.
It doesn’t matter how epic your idea is. How great, grand, high-concept, unique, same-but-different it is. Unless it’s told well. And really, there’s no formula for that. Storytelling really is an art form.
What have you seen or read lately that left a positive/contemplative impression on you and why?
Awesome. I love all three of them. Here are my thoughts on why they worked:
“The Watchmen”
– The heroes are flawed, filled with self-doubt and their own personal demons, and some of them are plain psychotic. This part it’s just like “Hancock”. But the best part is when Ozymandias reveals his diabolical plans to the rest of the heroes. This is one of the things master storytellers keep on warning us to avoid, but in this case it works. “Why am I telling you this? It’s already done.” It’s too late for the heroes to do anything. You don’t get that often, so it’s a big plus.
“Inception”
– This is what we call a ‘high concept story’. The premise is simple: planting an idea so deep in a person’s subconscious that he thinks he comes up with it himself. The presentation, however, is elaborately deceptive. Let’s face it, the story’s confusing for most people. It’s a good thing, because it got them talking. And others get intrigued. Methinks word of mouth plays a major role in this movie’s success.
“The Social Network”
You want to know why this works, even though the movie’s ordinary/mundane? Almost everyone uses Facebook. Heck, almost all my friends and family use Facebook. Along comes this movie about the birth and drama of the thing that most of us are addicted to. Facebook is considered universal, something everyone can relate with. If someone makes a movie about Youtube or Google, I think it’ll still be a success.
Can you believe I haven’t seen any of those films? And I run a movie theatre! Must get out from under my rock sometimes and go to the multiplex…
Interesting. I haven’t seen any of those but I never go to the movies. I see how much people like The Social Network but I don’t want to see it. Just looked not good so it’s on my “I refuse to see list” of movies. I need to see more movies though. Then again, the theater here has only one screen. Yep, 1.
But it’s true, your analogy about how important storytelling is. A grand idea is good but it can’t do anything if the person doesn’t write it in as grand of fashion (meaning write it well enough).