SPECIAL EDITION WRITING TIPS

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45195831164565545502011-11-27T16:34:59.072-08:00SPECIAL EDITION WRITING TIPSWriting Craft from Film and DVDAric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.comBlogger141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-6648146737550472132008-05-30T22:38:00.000-07:002008-12-09T15:17:01.464-08:00Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls: Build Credibility with Your Audience

Over the years, the Indiana Jones franchise has taught us how to build pacing and dramatic tension in storytelling. Unfortunately, the new lessons from the latest outing are of what NOT to do, which is truly tragic considering the storied history of its predecessors.I will try not to dwell on my firm belief that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the sole perpetration of one

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-28617840948535741132008-05-19T16:44:00.003-07:002008-12-09T15:17:01.577-08:00Audition DVD: Creating Sympathetic Characters

Few films from the horror genre terrorize their viewers like this graphic, deliberately paced gem from director Takashi Miike. AUDITION shifts from first to fifth gears without warning and leaves you feeling somewhat deceived by what you've witnessed. However, the change is intentional and the result is one of the best recent horror efforts on any level AND in any country.It starts with Aoyama (a

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-20836777776421818682008-05-06T13:14:00.000-07:002008-12-09T15:17:01.765-08:00Vanishing Point DVD: Character Philosophy, Nonlinear Storytelling, and Flashbacks

[SPOILERS AHEAD – BE WARNED]In geometry terms, story structure can be defined as the distance from a starting point to an endpoint. In Richard Sarafian’s Vanishing Point, that structure gets turned on its head, emphasizing what would become an influential form of storytelling as well as asking the question: can a man be defined by a solitary moment? Simply speaking, Vanishing Point is exactly

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-58295381222479716532008-04-29T18:07:00.000-07:002008-12-09T15:17:02.151-08:00Sole Survivor DVD: Setting a Mood and Building Tension

SOLE SURVIVOR has come to DVD from the crew at Code Red (http://www.codereddvd.com/), and while that may not mean much to today's audiences, trust me: it's a good thing. A loose remake of David Hemmings' THE SURVIVOR from a couple of years earlier, SOLE SURVIVOR tells the story of an advertising executive, who walks away unscathed from a plane crash that kills every other passenger. Unfortunately

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-24610820539947053302008-04-27T19:17:00.000-07:002008-12-09T15:17:02.352-08:00Blown Away DVD: Readers Can Wait. Delay the Payoff and Build Major Suspense!

Welcome back, one and all. This week we look at a film endangered of being forgotten – and unjustly so. While BLOWN AWAY won’t go down on any Ten Best lists, it’s a solid piece of filmmaking, and probably one of the last American action movies to rely on real-world special effects. Filled with great character development and tons of earth-trembling explosions, the film masters in suspense, and

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-21666264766452027632008-04-24T18:38:00.000-07:002008-12-09T15:17:02.556-08:00In the Line of Fire DVD: Build Plot Complications and Make Your Character Miserable

This week, we are taking a look at IN THE LINE OF FIRE, a film by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Clint Eastwood, and ranking, in this columnist’s opinion, as one of the five best thrillers ever made. The special edition DVD includes a treasure chest of extras designed to dig into the great details filmmakers included to achieve authenticity. More importantly, the film itself stands as a wonderful

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-60059137315557117722008-04-22T17:46:00.000-07:002008-12-09T15:17:02.820-08:00The Sting DVD: Creating Plot Twists

Last week we looked at THE STING and focused on proofreading, feedback, and revision, asking the question, “How much is enough?” This week we dig a little deeper into the supplemental material of the recent Legacy Series release, as well as the film itself, for a look at character, and how it should drive our stories.When developing a character, ask yourself the following question: What baggage

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-4957193909202444452008-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:002008-12-09T15:17:03.112-08:00I Know Who Killed Me DVD: Creating Character Foils

I know what killed me. Approximately two hours of sitting through I KNOW WHO KILLED ME on DVD. And if that doesn’t segue appropriately enough for talking about a crappy movie like this one, I’ll simply have to make due.Grotesquery is the word of the day. Let me ask, what the hell is wrong with this movie? I KNOW WHO KILLED ME, currently available on DVD after its oh-so-short theatrical release

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-25578312997822921352008-04-16T16:03:00.000-07:002008-12-09T15:17:03.278-08:00The Sting DVD: Creating Characters with Lives of Their Own

In 1973, director George Roy Hill took a young writer’s second screenplay and turned it into a winner of seven Academy Awards. THE STING reunited Paul Newman and Robert Redford from their successful turns in BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, but more importantly, it proved that you don’t have to be a seasoned veteran to achieve the highest honors in your field.“It was the perfect script,”

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-3413227711458490522008-04-14T15:08:00.000-07:002008-04-20T19:51:18.086-07:00The Godfather DVD: Creating Effective Sequences

[SOME SPOILERS AHEAD – BE FOREWARNED] Now that I’ve slipped in my shameless overused pun, let’s talk about the movies themselves. If you read the title, and you still can’t tell I’m talking about The Godfather series, then you may have wandered into the wrong column. Regardless, rush out and pick up The Godfather Collection on DVD. In it, you’ll find two terrific films, and one solid effort

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-10040863175152962902008-04-10T19:21:00.000-07:002008-04-20T19:52:07.606-07:00Time Bandits DVD: Writing Fiction for Children and Young Adults

With the recent reboot of TALES FROM THE CRYPT from Papercutz now in stores, I engaged in the internal debate of being true to the spirit of something, or changing the old formula for a new generation. Needless to say, the preview Papercutz released left me under-whelmed (as a long-time fan of the originals), but it does raise a serious question worthy of more consideration. Are we fans of the

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-61710861923976518732008-04-09T18:10:00.001-07:002008-04-20T19:53:14.638-07:00Dawn of the Dead DVD: Creating Fiction through Collaboration

I confess. I have tendencies. I teach ninth graders in my spare time. Many is the occasion where I find myself fantasizing about all the nasty, unpleasant acts of vengeance I could take on the little pipsqueaks for making my life a frequent Hell. Rather than act on those tendencies, I pop in a good horror flick to revel in the carnage. And I find no better provider for buckets of blood than

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-18571001659483132482008-04-07T18:23:00.000-07:002008-04-20T19:54:30.645-07:00Robocop DVD: Using Religious Symbolism in Story Creation

Robocop begins with the idea of a robotic police officer attempting to decode human behavior. Why do these people behave as they do? This image fascinates co-writer Ed Neumeier, and he builds one of the greatest science fiction scripts of all time around that premise. Neumeier elaborates on this idea with three more compelling ones: What if technology isn't part of the problem? What if the robots

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519583116456554550.post-66876812436476087992008-04-03T18:26:00.000-07:002008-04-03T18:27:57.555-07:00Booneville Factory Fire Claims More Than Plant

Larry Mitchell’s phone rang early in the Easter afternoon. On television, Office Space neared its flame-throwing conclusion. The much-abused Milton walks off with over $300,000 in hand to a life where he is in charge, far away from his former workplace now ablaze from the fire he started. But before he could make it to that portion of the film, Larry picked up the phone and realized that things

Aric Mitchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04675864907131784458noreply@blogger.com0