tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048006265600046573.post9189115561715195773..comments2020-06-23T18:44:02.034-07:00Comments on Captain America! Redefining Modern Myth: Emails #45: Almost ZeroBen Alpihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349155228789121570noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048006265600046573.post-74945919577552973592011-05-22T20:11:15.805-07:002011-05-22T20:11:15.805-07:00Hey Luke -
Sorry Syd Field is not to your taste. ...Hey Luke -<br />Sorry Syd Field is not to your taste. I like Sayles but confess to having never read any of his screenplays or novels. I know him as an actor, director and writing only from finished films. I did download two of his screenplays to read. A three act structure not creative? Since as a writer you can pour anything you want into this structure and use this as your starting point, I don't see how this is limiting. Rather, you and I both lament the quality of finished products that roll of the Hollywood assembly line. Ditto for comics. RICKRICK Arthur, Founderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16925622575714675074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048006265600046573.post-55541118726072452442011-05-21T23:32:32.295-07:002011-05-21T23:32:32.295-07:00On the topic of characterization: When Cap first a...On the topic of characterization: When Cap first appeared he was a one-dimensional character. I'm not knocking Simon & Kirby. They created an interesting character by 1940s superhero standards.<br /><br />But compare Cap's early stories with the early Lee-Ditko Spider-Man stories, especially S-M's origin. Peter Parker was more of a real person, flawed, not perfect. As a young reader I could identify with Peter Parker; Superman was boring.<br /><br />Now the trend is to add deep personal dimensions to all superheroes. But sometimes such re-creation goes too far, becomes pointless. Look at Adam Strange to see how to "adultify" a character into a tragic joke.Luke T. Bushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04527411288764968714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048006265600046573.post-1078713015374228972011-05-21T23:17:19.252-07:002011-05-21T23:17:19.252-07:00Gawd, Syd Field.
To quote Wikipedia:
"Field...Gawd, Syd Field.<br /><br />To quote Wikipedia:<br /><br />"Field has written several books on the subject of screenwriting, and holds workshops and seminars around the world that help aspiring and professional screenwriters produce the kind of screenplay that will sell in Hollywood. Field's ideas about what makes a good script have become very influential for Hollywood film producers, who have increasingly used his ideas on structure as a guideline to a proposed screenplay's potential."<br /><br />Note the key phrases "screenplay that will sell in Hollywood" and that Hollywood producers use Field's ideas as "a guideline to a proposed screenplay's potential."<br /><br />That is creativity? Three act structure must be followed?<br /><br />Hollywood is the center of uncreative parasites who must follow "guidlelines" because they're too stupid to think creatively. Follow the formula. For example, notice all the stupid sequels and remakes.<br /><br />I prefer John Sayles, thank you.Luke T. Bushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04527411288764968714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048006265600046573.post-54929289653873999642011-05-20T08:28:05.053-07:002011-05-20T08:28:05.053-07:00Hey Jim - Thanks for the question. I am not sure ...Hey Jim - Thanks for the question. I am not sure to what degree in-depth character analysis has been done as far as comics go. I know that Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Extraordinary Gentlemen, Miracle Man, Swamp Thing, From Hell...) does a lot of research and is just all around extraordinary in the intelligence department. Neil Gaiman also. However you don't have to be a genius to plot your characters. George Lucas generated Star Wars using ideas about myth made popular by Joseph Campbell.<br /><br />If I were starting a new project today, I would want to know as much as I could about the main characters and their motivations. I can't see why you wouldn't. The degree to which Ben and I delved into Cap has just as much to do with the back and forth nature of email as anything else. We never set out to start a blog, map Cap's character genome or write a script. Those things came much later.<br /><br />It is a testament to Ben's patience that he put up with my creative waffling. I am not by trade a writer, screenwriter or blogger. I think the discussion we have had was allowed to sprawl in many directions based on the curious, playful nature of our relationship and our strong desire to see where the story leads us.<br /><br />Will this approach work in comics? No. The handful of writers who honestly attempt such things in the comic medium prove that the mass of writing being done is the "follow the snake" variety. Dipping only one page into the past and one page into the future. Meandering like a snake with only a present. Sure, you can take the idea of full character development and make a hundred graphic novels out of it but it is a lot of work and a lot of brain power. At the end of the day, writers need to get paid...<br /><br />RICKRICK Arthur, Founderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16925622575714675074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048006265600046573.post-29823785284290762522011-05-20T07:57:05.756-07:002011-05-20T07:57:05.756-07:00If such an in-depth charater exploration doesn'...If such an in-depth charater exploration doesn't work for the screen, could it work in the graphic novel format? To what extent has this been done before?Jimhttp://www.facebook.com/borisvolodnikovnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1048006265600046573.post-49259200685697387252011-05-20T06:10:09.674-07:002011-05-20T06:10:09.674-07:00I am great with faces. Names not so much. In the...I am great with faces. Names not so much. In the opening portion of the post, I mistakenly insert the name Syd Mead when I really meant Syd Field. Both work in the film industry and are named Syd. That is about the extent of the similarities.<br /><br />Syd Mead is a prolific, highly creative artist whose talents have shaped some of my favorite movies. He is best known as a conceptual designer for such unique films as Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens and 2010. <br /><br />Syd Field is a prolific, highly creative writer whose books and lectures have helped define the present day art of screenwriting. Some of his books include: Screenplay, Screenwriter's Workbook, Selling a Screenplay, Four Screenplays, Screenwriter's Problem Solver, Going to the Movies and Definitive Guide to Screenwriting.<br /><br />I hope this clears that up (for now). RICKRICK Arthur, Founderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16925622575714675074noreply@blogger.com