By Matthew Werner
In the past, I've posted several premises for projects of mine which are crosses between action and drama stories. (you can read a few of those here and here: Plague Father: The First Chapter, He and the Dying Tree) After having this argument swimming around in my mind for weeks and sharing it with a family member who isn't a writer, I've finally decided to just write this bit.
The conventional wisdom with most action flicks is to make them dumb, bombastic, and escapist popcorn films. And those can be fun; a nice change of pace from brainier films or ones that think they're brilliant but fail to reach such lofty goals. This is not to put down such titles, but rather to offer an alternative we don't often see; films that are both more subtle, and yet able to ratchet up the action and pacing because of it.
Environmental storytelling is an excellent way of achieving this. Rather than having backstory told through potentially heavy-handed expository dialogue or flashbacks, it can be done through visual cues written into the script. Not only does this allow you to be freed from the possible chains that come with those kinds of shortcuts, it means you can have much more room for action, action, action because you're not so bogged down having to explain stuff. A neat byproduct of this is critics, cinephiles, and other writers will probably enjoy your work far more because many of them are sick to death of overbearing exposition.
A good case study for how to execute this well would be the works of FromSoftware, Dark Souls and Bloodborne (ignoring Armored Core, King's Field, etc.). Here's a video which talks about some of the fascinating lore hints one can wring from just the animations of the Old Demon King boss (skip to 21:14 for the bit I'm talking about). While the dissonance between video games and cinema is no doubt chasmic, this is something that can absolutely translate between the two mediums.
What's doubly cool about this tactic is how you can allow for more dramatic moments too. While it is often said that comedy and tragedy are siblings, the same I believe holds true for drama and action. They can be used in a way that naturally augments one another--action can be used to elevate the emotion, and drama can make people care more for the characters when they do get into the fight sequences. When people are able to intuit the backstory for themselves, it allows for greater satisfaction and engagement.
... assuming, of course, that you do so well and with passion, rather than taking an easy road. I don't want anyone reading this and thinking "Wow, that sounds like the perfect get rich quick scheme!" because no such thing exists. People will see through cynical attention grabs and if you fail, you're utterly, legendarily boned. Just like wannabe auteurs who have nothing to say. Write with passion, in your own way or whatever way interests you most--because there's nothing inherently superior about anything in this field.
(originally posted: 2/15/2019)
In the past, I've posted several premises for projects of mine which are crosses between action and drama stories. (you can read a few of those here and here: Plague Father: The First Chapter, He and the Dying Tree) After having this argument swimming around in my mind for weeks and sharing it with a family member who isn't a writer, I've finally decided to just write this bit.
Logan (2017)
The conventional wisdom with most action flicks is to make them dumb, bombastic, and escapist popcorn films. And those can be fun; a nice change of pace from brainier films or ones that think they're brilliant but fail to reach such lofty goals. This is not to put down such titles, but rather to offer an alternative we don't often see; films that are both more subtle, and yet able to ratchet up the action and pacing because of it.
Equilibrium (2002)
Environmental storytelling is an excellent way of achieving this. Rather than having backstory told through potentially heavy-handed expository dialogue or flashbacks, it can be done through visual cues written into the script. Not only does this allow you to be freed from the possible chains that come with those kinds of shortcuts, it means you can have much more room for action, action, action because you're not so bogged down having to explain stuff. A neat byproduct of this is critics, cinephiles, and other writers will probably enjoy your work far more because many of them are sick to death of overbearing exposition.
Elysium (2013)
A good case study for how to execute this well would be the works of FromSoftware, Dark Souls and Bloodborne (ignoring Armored Core, King's Field, etc.). Here's a video which talks about some of the fascinating lore hints one can wring from just the animations of the Old Demon King boss (skip to 21:14 for the bit I'm talking about). While the dissonance between video games and cinema is no doubt chasmic, this is something that can absolutely translate between the two mediums.
What's doubly cool about this tactic is how you can allow for more dramatic moments too. While it is often said that comedy and tragedy are siblings, the same I believe holds true for drama and action. They can be used in a way that naturally augments one another--action can be used to elevate the emotion, and drama can make people care more for the characters when they do get into the fight sequences. When people are able to intuit the backstory for themselves, it allows for greater satisfaction and engagement.
Bloodborne (2015)
... assuming, of course, that you do so well and with passion, rather than taking an easy road. I don't want anyone reading this and thinking "Wow, that sounds like the perfect get rich quick scheme!" because no such thing exists. People will see through cynical attention grabs and if you fail, you're utterly, legendarily boned. Just like wannabe auteurs who have nothing to say. Write with passion, in your own way or whatever way interests you most--because there's nothing inherently superior about anything in this field.
(originally posted: 2/15/2019)
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