TRILOGY BUILDING PART II: The Characters and Worlds of Star Wars and Halo

James Robert Martin returns for the second part in his guest blog series about the structure of a trilogy, using my Story Maps method to break down the Halo game universe and the classic Star Wars trilogy. [Part I here]

Three summer blockbusters that broke the rules (District 9, Ted, The Hobbit)

The summer movie season is known for convention — sequels, remakes, broad comedies, CGI spectacles; rinse and repeat. But the films that really stand out and distinguish themselves creatively are those that break with commercial movie conventions in major ways, beginning with the script. Here’s three examples from recent years…

• DISTRICT 9 delivers reality-based Science Fiction to emphasize themes of social justice

District 9 opens with a docu-drama style sequence that grounds this alien invasion story on a more realistic foundation than most films of the Science Fiction genre. We not only get crucial exposition but we get a clear, active portrait of a key theme: this story is a metaphor for apartheid. The “reality-based” style of the story extends to every level — the gritty visual effects, the unlikable protagonist and the greedy corporate overseers that act as villains.

The best Science Fiction offers commentary on our modern world, and this is one of the strongest aspects of District 9.

• TED makes a G-rated stuffed animal into an R-rated party animal

Seth McFarlane’s Ted puts a twist on two oft-enjoyed genres: the buddy comedy and the “boy and his dog” story (which doesn’t have to literally mean a dog. E.T. is a “boy and his dog” story.) McFarlane made the boy into a man who never grew up, and his best buddy into a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear come-to-life. Once we’re past the initial gag of a teddy bear dropping f-bombs, we can focus on McFarlane’s true muse and the main source of his humor: Eighties pop culture references. Whether or not this is a good thing, you can decide, but I think we can all agree that it’s a pretty unique mix of familiar elements and Flash Gordon is, in fact, so bad it’s good.

• THE HOBBIT strays from source material to build a more cohesive theme and character arcs
  

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey expands on plot elements that were barely mentioned in the J.R.R. Tolkien book to provide greater motivation for the characters and a more focused thematic arc. The book is an episodic story with some inactive elements that arguably would not “play” as well for modern movie audiences without some tweaking (e.g., the heroes are saved three times; twice by Gandalf and once by the giant eagles). And since our adventurers will not catch up to Smaug the dragon in this first film of the trilogy, and Peter Jackson needed to justify an action sequence for a final act to follow the terrific goblin cave chase sequence (one of the great 3D action sequences of our time, in my humble opinion), he decided that Azog the most-handsome orc would be the active villain to anchor this final set piece.

Azog is only mentioned in a single line in the book, and he never faces Thorin in battle, but the filmmakers decided to build in a backstory where Thorin cuts off Azog’s arm and leaves him for dead, only to learn later that Azog lived and has put a bounty on Thorin’s head. This gives Azog motivation to return in the final act and it gives Thorin some sympathetic edge (Azog killed Thorin’s father, which is true to the source material as it is mentioned by Gandalf in that single line in the book). The opening flashback sequence also establishes how Thorin and his fellow dwarves went into hiding when they were driven from their home kingdom by the evil dragon Smaug.

It is this motivation — the quest for a home — that binds Bilbo to them and provides the emotional connection to the theme of the film. In other words, this is not just a fun story about an adventure to steal some gold, it’s also a heartwarming tale of refugees coming home.

Tolkien’s stories of hobbits have always foregrounded home as a major theme, in fact you can see it right there in the full title of his book: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. The Shire is always depicted as a great place of carefree comfort, one that any self-respecting hobbit would be crazy to leave. This theme will no doubt provide a strong driving force for the narrative through the full trilogy.

So if you’ve decided to go big and you aspire to write a Summer tent-pole, then I hope you find some unique takes on your chosen genre to add some spice to that too-often stale popcorn.

Good Luck and Happy Writing,

Dan Calvisi

Related: Trilogy Building Part I: Star Wars and Halo

Related: The Future of 3D

Related: Story Mapping the Summer Blockbuster

“Dan has created a book that is straightforward and full of valuable insight and guidance for screenwriters at different experience levels.”
-Laurie Lamson, Editor, Now Write! Screenwriting

Arrested Development, Netflix and Nolan walk into a bar named VOD for some binge-viewing and we all win

Arrested Development Season Four debuted over the weekend on Netflix, and, although we won’t see any kind of traditional ratings from Netflix, I can safely observe that it’s been a huge trending topic online and in traditional media. I was never a big fan of the show, but I watched the first three new episodes to see what all the fuss was about, and my opinion didn’t change. I admire the effort, but I just don’t find it very funny. The choppy structure and the omni-present narration become grating after a few minutes and I find myself itching to watch a complete scene. “Let a scene play out!” and “Shut up, Opie Cunningham!” may have been heard in my living room as I tried to keep up with what felt like a non-stop highlights reel. Maybe it’s just not my style of comedy; I happen to love Happy Endings, a sitcom that has now been canceled because I was apparently the only one who bothered watching it. Comedy is subjective, we know this. So I was planning to toss AD in the “Don’t Watch” bin with The Big Bang Theory.

But then I heard from a number of sources that the season really finds its groove around episode five or episode seven, depending on the source. In other words, the intricate story and character beats start to come together, pay off and the arc of the season is revealed — but you have to hang in there to really get it. In fact, the creators may have designed it this way intentionally, knowing that the Netflix platform allows for unlimited repeat viewings.

Making Everyone Happy All At Once: Writing a Blockbuster

Note: This article originally appeared in Script Magazine here.

There’s a debate raging now about whether or not the actors who play the superheroes in hit franchises are worth as much as the brand. Would we accept Chris Pine as Tony Stark or is Robert Downey, Jr. the only actor who can pull off Iron Man? Mark Ruffalo was great as Bruce Banner in The Avengers, but did we pay to see the co-star of You Can Count on Me or did we pay to see THE HULK smash things in all his 3-D CGI glory?

Mad Men image vault – Episode 501-502 “A Little Kiss”

The torturous 17 month hiatus is over and Mad Men is back! And that means I’m back in my habit of scouring the web on Monday mornings for all things Mad Men, finding nice treats like the gifs at the bottom of this post. But when it comes to images, most high-profile sites only feature one still photo from each episode, so I’m going to use my AMC press credentials to bring you a bunch of cool pics for your scrapbooks, including ones you might not see anywhere else yet (like the pic above).

American Horror Story viral campaign keeps it creepy

I’m really liking this viral campaign for the upcoming series on FX, “American Horror Story,” which is created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Galchuk of Nip/Tuck and Glee Fame.

I know what you’re thinking: Wait, the guys from Glee are doing an edgy, creepy horror genre show? Can the guys from Glee actually SCARE us?

Louis C.K. Interview — Writing and Directing “Louie” on FX

I can’t call upon the writing the same as the other jobs…The writing has the most pressure, it’s the toughest but it’s also the most rewarding when it works out.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast interview (video) secrets of season 7

I had the opportunity to visit the set of one of my favorite shows on television: the sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” which shoots on the Fox lot. A group of us observed the shooting of a very funny scene in Paddy’s pub (I wish I could tell you the premise, but I can’t reveal any spoilers), toured the set and interviewed the cast.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia set visit Season 7

The FX Network was kind enough to bring a group of us online journalists to the Twentieth Century Fox lot to observe the shooting of the comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and to interview the cast. When I first walked on the soundstage, I immediately was struck with the thought, “So THIS is why TV shows cost so much,” because there were so many crew members, equipment, lights, scaffolds and general buzzing around that it’s apparent that even though the style of the show may be gritty, this is no low-budget indie film shooting in someone’s apartment. After watching many takes on the monitors of a funny scene (that I can only say involves a funeral) the crew took a break so we were able to tour the set.

Justified Season Two

Justified has returned for a second season and it looks like there will be no shortage of gunfights, chases and southern swagger.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/212848/justified-all-new-season

Raylan Givens is back, and to that I say…

Olyphaaaannnttt!!

It’s going to be a great season.

Telematic Dan!

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