When scriptwriting will allow it I also write for a website called Planet Origo, where I review movies and try to contribute articles in the pop-science genre. So far I’ve focused on the concept of film style in a number of different ways, and all the articles can be found here.
Planet Origo is dedicated to science fiction and fantasy, and later in the year we’ll get started on a feature series about the “other” sci-fi milestones, meaning those you don’t always find on the Top 10 list.
INT. EMBASSY BALLROOM – NIGHT
COLONEL O´REALLY stands by the bar – a scotch in one hand while the other rests on the thigh of a young blonde. Her shapely behind is planted on a barstool, and she giggles noisily at one of his jokes.
COLONEL O´REALLY
...so then I said to Oliver North, I said: “Ollie...”
A young officer, CORPORAL WIMP, approaches behind the Colonel´s back. His face is flustered and beads of sweat cover his brow. He clears his throat nervously.
The Colonel ignores the young officer, moving even closer to his blonde prey.
CORPORAL WIMP
Sir...
COLONEL O’REALLY
I’m busy here, son. Take a hike.
But the Corporal persists.
CORPORAL WIMP
Sir, I’m afraid it’s an emergency.
COLONEL O’REALLY
So spit it out, what is it?
CORPORAL WIMP
Well, sir...
COLONEL O’REALLY
(bellows)
Spit it out, Corporal!
CORPORAL WIMP
I think you need to see this, sir.
How many times have we seen scenes like this? Disaster movies are sure to have at least one “you need to see this” – some have close to a dozen. Is it just a harmless cliche? Or is it a sign of something worse: screenwriting advice mutated into dogma?
One of the first commandments of screenwriting goes “Show, Don’t Tell!” To be sure, that’s good, sound advice. Film is audiovisual storytelling, so your writing should be all about what can be seen and heard. But all advice must be combined with conscious thought. Otherwise you end up with insanely annoying characters that are incapable of telling each other anything. And all they can say is “I think you need to see this.”
Disaster movies are all about the spectacle. We don’t want to hear about the explosions. We need to see them. That doesn’t mean that every disaser movie has to be strictly formulaic in every scene. Sometimes a young officer can actually just tell the Colonel what’s up. It’s not always: Volcanoes = good, dialogue = bad.
An unthinking attitude to show, don’t tell, may lead to some problems:
Keeping all this in mind, I still consider show, don’t tell, one of the best pieces of screenwriting advice you can get. You just have to remember that it’s not dogma to be followed blindly.
And that sometimes it’s really okay to tell, and don’t show.
The two most important attributes for a film critic are knowledge and passion. Pål Bang-Hansen is possibly the greatest film critic Norway ever fostered, and a perfect example of both. Now he has passed away.
Our local cinema centers are finally going completely digital. The work to convert every single one of the theaters in Trondheim starts in March, and about half of them will be fitted for 3D projection as well.
I’m thrilled! Let’s keep the cinema clubs for celluloid, nostalgia and the old indie vibe. Let’s leap into the digital age with our commercial cinemas. With Avatar pointing to the ideal future of cinema technology, the digital projection (2D and 3D) is what people will be happy to pay for.
I saw The Road the other day. The film itself left much to be desired, and the celluloid print was a joke. Patchy and uneven colours, a less than satisfying sound reproduction (although that might be down to the terrible score…), in a theater perfectly capable of flawless digital projections.
A decade ago people ridiculed George Lucas for filming Star Wars on digital cameras. I liked his reply: When people ask me if the time is right for this, I say we should have been doing it 20 years ago.
Amen. Let’s go!
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