what makes a story worthy to be told in films?
This may be little vague but I'd like to respect your personal interpretation.
Let's evolve from there
We talk, question about films, as another form of world we create.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
1.
We see tons of different kinds of films, that are made by talented group of people to tell a story. Yes, we say story, story, story, story is the king. upon the question about origin of specific style of art, animation, color or whatever, story seems more radical and ultimate question to ask value of a film(in my opinion...definitely some films does present amazingly NEW art in film that that does sensational things but crazy thing about story is that every story can be NEW!!). Among infinite variety of stories and subject matters, few questions come up to me.
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A story is worth being told if it takes the viewer on a journey, whether that be through someone's life, across death or through space; and shoots us out the other end a little different then we started. However, a great story does all of this while reflecting on something with a unique point of view.
ReplyDeleteBut that could be told through a book, novel. A comic, anything with visual storytelling. Or even applied to a video game.
ReplyDeleteWhy film? Why does it have to be told visually through motion?
Watching a film, whether it be one person on a computer screen or a large audience on a large theater projection, is an intimate experience. You sit down and for the next few hours of your life you make yourself completely vulnerable to the story, and you laugh and cry, hate and love with the characters on the screen. That kind of vulnerability doesn't really happen anywhere else, so when I tell a story I try to make it worth the audience's emotional investment. The audience is opening up to you and your film, so the story should pay homage to that, whether it provides a laugh, some thrills, a good cry or some deep profound message.
ReplyDeleteAnd why film... I think it's one of the most powerful mediums because a book, a comic, or a video game might give the visual and audio aspects to the artists to work with, but film also lets the artist control time. Time (and timing) is so essential to how people take in and interpret information, that by controlling what people see and hear at what moment is like having control over what people think and feel.
BEN - it is interesting to hear how one's journey shows different world with different perspective. but can't a great story be about mundane life? last year I thought like, there are so many short movies that have some monsters, space, epic journey and epic stories. definitely it is interesting, 'cause they are totally different world, never seen before, there must be something to find out. But then, does that mean things we do everyday, mundane life or stories wouldn't be an interesting story and meaningless? are the all silly pop cultural music videos or cartoon don't value as much? if it's about perspectives and reflection, which must be different as many as how many directors are in the world, What does that do to audiences? i wonder where would it go even after they finished watching the film.
ReplyDeleteRIKA- emotional communication, deep profound messages definitely they worth to be targeted to provoke through films. but we know that sometimes film-makers don't try hard to be serious about the subject matter and keep it just funny. I am not saying there is anything wrong with shallow funny stuff. but further than that, emotional trigger that we make in story for people, what would that do afterwords? would people end up feeling more like better since they are involved in artistic communication made through films? what would emotion do? I think there are specific emotions that can totally change someone's life. but it's afraid to say the other emotions are not worth to be reflected. why do we make a great story to provoke stuff like that?
ReplyDeleteis movie going towards only entertaining social emotion manipulator?
This is a great blog Eusong. Kudos for making it. So about the question, "What makes a story worthy to be told". I think everyone on this page has so far nailed it. They are all right. A story is worth telling if its a great journey, or a simple human task. Audience emotional investments are absolutely important. And yes, i think a great story needs to be in any adventure, including books, comic books, or video games. So i guess i'll say my opinion on a more broader scale and concentrate more on story itself.
ReplyDeleteI think anything is "worth" telling. It's all about how you tell it. I do not think a person should make a whole movie on what happened to him/her at a market the other day, no. I think that would be way to literal and superficial. It would not appeal to the masses. I think an idea should spark a great story and then we start to put in what we've learned from life into that story. Here's a metaphor that i have heard from different people. A film is like a tree. The seed is the initial spark or the first idea. For example, i asked Ian Worrel what inspired him to do Second Wind and he told me that he wanted to do something with a blue light. And then Second Wind was made, hahaha. So you plant that little idea and try to get roots, which are the theme. The theme of course is whatever the film is about. Honesty is the best policy, curiosity killed the.....blah blah blah you get the idea. The trunk is the story. The beginning middle and end. As you know the trunk is the biggest part of the tree so it better be a good fuckin trunk. And this I believe is where we can start to put our life experiences in to make it original and heart felt or funny as shit. Branches are the more technical pretty stuff. Shots, acting, compositions, editing. And the pretty things on the tree, leafs fruits ext. is the art. And just cuz the art comes last doesnt mean it should not be beautiful. After all, its the first thing the audience sees. So thats the tree. The seed could be whatever the fuck you want. It could be sparked by a piece of artwork. "I want to make a movie about the eye krusties i get in the morning". Thats fine. But the roots are where the story needs to start some heavy thinking. What will the eye krusties learn or experience? The trunk is sooo crucial. The tree would fall over without a strong trunk. The story needs to have a beginning middle and end. And the end has to be a great one because it supports the roots or theme. Any seed is "worth" planting. But we have to really work hard so it can grow strong roots and a strong truck so we can put pretty artistic things on it.
To evoke emotion, of any sort, laughter is also one.
ReplyDeleteReally everyone said so much I don't know what else to say, haha. But great blog Eusong=D
Manny - I get what you are saying, manny. and I am thinking to add few things on top of what you said.
ReplyDelete"Any seed is worth planting." I understand what you are saying. from what you've said, I once again feel the importance of how much we have to be aware of things around us, which will impress us at any time. cool blue lights in Second Wind, Ian Worrel's short film was definitely a noticeable inspiration. I think it always start like this. what we find interesting about some mundane things that others don't notice. When I see shoe cases with full of my family's shoes at home, although It's just an everyday image we see whenever we open the door, it is very warm and relieving feeling. tells me there are people at home, who i love. starting from such impressive small things, I like to start, too. strong trunk, yap of course, vibrant colors fruits and persistent green leaves. yap, it will live on people's mind timelessly. The roots where you start, your seed, you can say anything is capable to be baobab tree. and i agree....but I will say more carefully. as a film-maker, upon firm idea of anything can be something, if you were to really talk about it over 90 min or shortly, It's the how it impresses you, how you see it differently, why you are impressed by that little thing of the world, might be what you want to dig into. So, everything may be worthy to be told, if you perceive it worthy.
Determining which stories are worth being told in any art, its core has to be in some way relatable or identifiable to the audience. It's hard to get involved with something you can't connect to. Yet, it should take that connection and introduce a new way of seeing life. Else if you're shown something you've seen in a daily basis, you lose the intrigue, or importance of that point of view. We instinctively want to experience something stimulating from a story, and that stimulation comes from either a new way of telling the same thing, or showing something brand new that we can make the connection with.
ReplyDeleteA great thing about the seed of a story is its personal connection or identification it makes with anyone who sees the tree it becomes. The fruit sparks another idea, which in turn could be the source of many other seeds. In turn anything can be a source to pioneer said idea.
And I believe the ultimate source is life itself. We wouldn't be able to replicate anything clearly before experiencing it. It'd be very difficult to paint a color without sight, imitate a sound without hearing, and breathe souls into drawings without living.
My most vivid, lush memories involve me being with nature as a kid or growing up. In retrospect they have become the most essential parts of my life that made me the person I am today, being outside, stimulating myself with new ways of expressing myself. Learning how to ride a bike, swim, snowboard, draw on the grass, splat clay, skate, play piano, flip in the air, all of it.
I think that's what provides the intrigue. Taking something familiar, nurturing it, sculpting it, growing it into a new way of seeing through someone else's eyes. I love the analogy with the tree because it very much does relate to any approach with art. The idea has to bloom with strong roots to support it, as Manny said. That comes with experience and hard work. Sowing seeds is easy. Growing any seed's roots is difficult.