Friday, August 8, 2014
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!
Let's take a moment and discuss some of the pros and cons of spoilers.
Below are a few examples/anecdotes about some interesting spoilers. All of these are fairly or very old...so they are HEAVILY spoiler laden. I'm guessing anyone reading this post has seen them all...or at least know the twists. In order to give you a chance to avoid the below spoilers...before you get to these spoilers, I will be embedding a kick butt photo of Star Wars Kittens.
But before we get to that, I wanted to point out that this post is in response to listening to the Echo Base podcast on ForceCast.net (hosted by Erik Blythe, Eric Geller, Louis Secki and Justin Bolger. One or two of these fellow geeks (I'm sorry...I can't remember which ones) reported that they got more enjoyment of their first viewing of the movie Revenge of the Sith (May 2005) because they had already read the novelization of Revenge of the Sith (April 2005) before watching the movie. One said, "I was spoiled up the wazoo and I loved it." (Awesome quote!)
Anyways...their contention was that this was not a "spoiler" because they still got to experience the narrative flow as intended. They got their surprises during their reading of the book instead of during their watching of the movie. This is even less of a potential spoiler, in this case, because so much of the events after Episode III get revealed just by watching Episodes IV, V and VI. (Please see my thoughts on the "correct" viewing order at: http://rosie-verses.blogspot.com/p/the-definitive-okaythe-highly.html. Hint: It's 451236...mostly.)
Here is the link to the full podcast episode to listen for yourself: Echo Base #2: Knowing Too Much.
I have to say that I found that to be a fascinating idea! I had read both Jurassic Park and The Lord of the Rings prior to seeing the films, and they greatly added to the experience. And I agree that this is very different than knowing a big twist from the beginning. However, my short response is that if a film needs a novel to complete the narrative, then it has failed in the medium of filmmaking as a complete piece. But that's okay. It doesn't mean it is bad or is without any merit at all. There was LOTS that I truly enjoyed about Ep. III, but, sadly, the bottom line is that I contend it was not a complete film. (I'll do my best to explain why below.)
Below are a few examples/anecdotes about some interesting spoilers. All of these are fairly or very old...so they are HEAVILY spoiler laden. I'm guessing anyone reading this post has seen them all...or at least know the twists. In order to give you a chance to avoid the below spoilers...before you get to these spoilers, I will be embedding a kick butt photo of Star Wars Kittens.
But before we get to that, I wanted to point out that this post is in response to listening to the Echo Base podcast on ForceCast.net (hosted by Erik Blythe, Eric Geller, Louis Secki and Justin Bolger. One or two of these fellow geeks (I'm sorry...I can't remember which ones) reported that they got more enjoyment of their first viewing of the movie Revenge of the Sith (May 2005) because they had already read the novelization of Revenge of the Sith (April 2005) before watching the movie. One said, "I was spoiled up the wazoo and I loved it." (Awesome quote!)
Anyways...their contention was that this was not a "spoiler" because they still got to experience the narrative flow as intended. They got their surprises during their reading of the book instead of during their watching of the movie. This is even less of a potential spoiler, in this case, because so much of the events after Episode III get revealed just by watching Episodes IV, V and VI. (Please see my thoughts on the "correct" viewing order at: http://rosie-verses.blogspot.com/p/the-definitive-okaythe-highly.html. Hint: It's 451236...mostly.)
Here is the link to the full podcast episode to listen for yourself: Echo Base #2: Knowing Too Much.
I have to say that I found that to be a fascinating idea! I had read both Jurassic Park and The Lord of the Rings prior to seeing the films, and they greatly added to the experience. And I agree that this is very different than knowing a big twist from the beginning. However, my short response is that if a film needs a novel to complete the narrative, then it has failed in the medium of filmmaking as a complete piece. But that's okay. It doesn't mean it is bad or is without any merit at all. There was LOTS that I truly enjoyed about Ep. III, but, sadly, the bottom line is that I contend it was not a complete film. (I'll do my best to explain why below.)
But before I go on...let's discuss spoilers, in general.
I will start with a premise. The premise is that what truly stays with us in our experiences is not the details of an event, but the memory of how the event made us feel.
In a narrative, the satisfaction of a dramatic climax is the result of following the following basic sequential steps:
If this formula is not followed in this order, then there is no tension...no excitement...no emotional connection. There is some flexibility in Steps 1 and 2. You can start the story by presenting the danger, then introducing the characters & setting. But the resolution of the conflict must be in the final act.
I will start with a premise. The premise is that what truly stays with us in our experiences is not the details of an event, but the memory of how the event made us feel.
In a narrative, the satisfaction of a dramatic climax is the result of following the following basic sequential steps:
- Introduce Characters and Setting.
- Put Characters in Danger.
- Resolve Danger.
If this formula is not followed in this order, then there is no tension...no excitement...no emotional connection. There is some flexibility in Steps 1 and 2. You can start the story by presenting the danger, then introducing the characters & setting. But the resolution of the conflict must be in the final act.
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