This comes to mind when I pop onto the profile for The Dark Knight, and I see the last writer tries to fit in EVERY SINGLE DETAIL about the film.
One time, I tried to condense it down, but a week later, the EVERY SINGLE DETAIL was back in.
Anyone else encounter that, either in TDK or anywhere else?
In conversations with my younger sister, we have sometimes chatted about Frasier episodes, let alone when we started watching.
I had started back at the beginning. When Cheers was in its final five episodes, a commercial showing Frasier getting a spin-off that Fall had me primed and ready.
Bear in mind I was 13, and my sister was 10.
“I think, we were a little young to be watching that show,” she said to me on one occasion.
However, even so, I think we had enough smarts to begin to pick up on some of the comedy and learn a few things (though surely Niles’ joke about “there will be no blaming mother today” flew over my head). It probably explains why I don’t just laugh at anything considered “comedy,” and I have very high standards (bear in mind, I sat through a screening of Shrek the Third in 2007. I gave a small chuckle while the audience around me would not stop laughing).
I was curious if anyone else watched this show at a young age, and your thoughts/results of that.
I’ve seem all the complaints from people over the years:
- “Just keep using puppets!”
- “Just go to the desert and film there!”
- “Make model ships and film them!”
- “Put real people in suits and film it!”
It feels like most of this talk is from people are just saying: “That worked for me when I was a kid, just do more of that!”
What most people don’t realize is the reason Lucas did so much of that, was because he was at the limits of what he could do to tell his story.
He envisioned a larger world, and the computer technology freed him up in so many ways, and not just on film.
Digital editing he saw as a more convenient way to spend time cutting and editing. Rather than worrying about the physical process of handling film and such.
Digital technology allowed him that greater freedom on film because there is often one element that as a filmmaker and as a producer, that he was very concerned about: time, and money
“But he’s George Lucas!” people cry out. “He could make a Star Wars film for $300 million and it’d make money.”
Well, Disney might spend that kind of money and decide to shorten the production time by 30%, but not George.
Time and money are the demons nipping at his heels when trying to finish his works.
The clock is ticking once pre-production starts, and he has to get stuff going. The money, well, he sets strict amounts on what could be spent. Like with the prequels, he budgeted out $120 million for the films.
Digital technology can also allow for the ability to restage elements, change lighting and detail, let alone come up with new shots without having to do costly stage rebuilds once something has been taken down.
There was a lot of to-do about “why are all the clones digital?” Much like dealing with The Mandalorian’s reflective costume, there are certain reflective elements to take into account, so not only would you need to film multiple elements, duplicate some troopers and add animated lighting to them, but you’re keeping track of a large number of elements and the possibility that something might need to be re-filmed.
The convenience of the technology to make his vision is why George embraced the digital revolution, even if some scenes were not utter perfection.
Sometimes I do think that escapes a number of people regarding the “why” that they cling to, thinking that technology for the films peaked in 1983.
Even when Tomorrowland came out, my most anticipated film of the year just came off feeling very disappointing.
A small group of people claim that it’s message of hope was very strong to them, but overall the film feels like it is just intent at throwing stuff at people and expecting they’ll “get it.”
At one point, Casey Newton has questions about what Frank and Athena are doing, and he responds: “Do I have to explain everything? Can’t you just be, amazed, and move on?”
I think that right there is where the frustration and lack of repeat value for the audience happens. I had a thought that when it comes to the film, for every 5 questions we may have, the film will begrudgingly answer 1.
I was going over some Q&A of author Paul Duncan interviewing George Lucas about the Star Wars prequels during the pre-production phase. While George would often keep some information vague to see how his teak of concept artists would interpret some elements, he did have some information on keeping clarity for the audience.
Here’s an excerpt:
People have to perceive what’s going on very quickly. In a normal movie, if the audience sees a 1945 Jeep, they can jump to the conclusion that World War II is going on, and they know all kinds of things about that.
We’re dealing with things that people have never seen before, and they have no idea what the cultural connections of these things are, so it’s hard to understand what it is they’re holding in their hand, or what it is used for, or what it is they’re wearing.
They’re thinking about what it is that he’s holding, rather than what’s going on in the scene.
To me, I think that hits the nail on the head regarding this film. Writer Damon Lindelof seems to love mysteries, but you’re cramming a bunch into a 2 hour film, and pretty soon it’s hard to really care about saving the future when a majority of the film is making you ask, “where is this all leading to,” and no one is giving Casey or the audience a clue until partway into the third act. Whereas say, in Episode IV of Star Wars, when R2 delivers the message to Kenobi, we are informed in the first act what is going on, and we have a mission set up to drive the story.
Really hoping some can engage me in conversation regarding this, but I feel this is just gonna disappear sooner or later.
Me: “The psychopath?”*
*Stole that from a Universal Studios tram guide, circa 1997.
It’s short, but wow, they really hit the nail on the head regarding Iowa’s regard in the national polls.
“That’s right Yakko, here I am in Iowa. The state we pretend to care about for one January, every four years! I’m cold and lonely, just like everyone else in Iowa!”
It was brief, but I could not believe how they nailed it (and as someone who spent numerous February birthdays in Iowa, that last line really hit!).
When Spirited Away was coming out in the US in 2002, a special event was held at PIXAR with him in attendance. Miyazaki drew this for a person in his typical sketch style, though the name of the person was never revealed. On the site JimHillMedia back then, was the first time I saw the sketch.
Since then, someone cleaned it up and this image has floated around the internet ever since.
Whomever that person was, they are incredibly lucky.
Hammond is being very calm and collected with the group, telling them they’ll have “a little time with our ‘target audience.’”
Then you have Tim and Lex in a very TV sitcom intro calling: “Grandpa!”
And then Hammond puts the cherry on top of the reveal, and gives his entrepreneurial
/familial pose and cry of: “Kids!
A real “wind up and the pitch” way of moving onto the next scene.