Re: Hollywood Formula

Posted by TA (A) on December 13, 2002 at 16:31:22

In Reply to: Re: Hollywood Formula posted by Bambi B on December 13, 2002 at 15:58:55:

Hey Bambi, You don't need to be defensive - I think these boards are for playing out ideas and getting a good discussion going so we all come away with new ideas.

The "formula" has been around forever. Some movie books talk about it with His Girl Friday as their example, and if you run through old Hollywood film (It's a Wonderful Life, Casablanca, etc.) you'll see that it's always been there.

What I think often distinguishes "good" films from "bad" films these days falls along the lines of what Victor's post talked about. A good film will develop good characters, and the story and action "naturally" comes out decisions and choices that are the products of their nature and character, and maybe their one flaw if it's a morality tale. A bad film just drops action out of the sky onto the main character and makes those choice for the character.

Maybe the main character trimphs at the end, or maybe he fails (and either outcome might have been done many times before). The crucial difference is that the outcome is a product of the character's nature and choices developing over the movie, rather than just the writer dropping a situation on the character. In other words, you see how the charcter's flaws drive him into a situation where he's got to make a final stand against his enemy, versus random bad guys showing up out of nowhere for that final fight. Either way, you wind up with gunfight at the OK Coral, but it's a matter of *how* you get to the fight that makes the difference.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - The 8-step "Secret" Hollywood Formula - Bambi B 12:24:29 12/13/02 (22)

...is why I like non-Hollywood movies... - SmokeTest 19:09:36 12/15/02 (1)

Re: ...is why I like non-Hollywood movies... - TA 18:03:55 12/16/02 (0)

Is it any different than the strict formats of classic poetry? - cfraser 14:53:36 12/14/02 (4)

Formulas are necessary - Bambi B 20:07:06 12/14/02 (3)

Good response, and the movie "Adaptation" - cfraser 09:43:48 12/15/02 (2)

Re: Good response, and the movie "Adaptation" - Bambi B 11:43:28 12/15/02 (1)

Re: Good response, and the movie "Adaptation" - cfraser 12:20:00 12/15/02 (0)

Don't forget : self basting . . . - Pjay 11:35:37 12/14/02 (0)

GREAT DISCUSSION, all you guys... nt - clarkjohnsen 06:57:43 12/14/02 (1)

GREAT COMMENT, Clark. nt - BS 10:27:34 12/14/02 (0)

Hollywood Formula - TA 13:45:03 12/13/02 (3)

Re: Hollywood Formula - Bambi B 15:58:55 12/13/02 (2)

Bruce Willis dead in Sixth sense - SmoKeTest 19:12:16 12/15/02 (0)

Re: Hollywood Formula - TA 16:31:22 12/13/02 (0)

Re: The 8-step "Secret" Hollywood Formula - Victor Khomenko 12:46:20 12/13/02 (7)

Re: The 8-step "Secret" Hollywood Formula - Bambi B 16:46:33 12/13/02 (4)

"Clooney's Ocean Did Not Have Any believable inner...... - AudioHead 11:49:15 12/17/02 (0)

Re: The 8-step "Secret" Hollywood Formula - Victor Khomenko 17:55:09 12/13/02 (2)

Re: The 8-step "Secret" Hollywood Formula - Bambi B 20:03:13 12/13/02 (1)

Re: The 8-step "Secret" Hollywood Formula - Victor Khomenko 05:43:59 12/14/02 (0)

I blame it on the public's lack of monocles! (nt) - mvwine 13:42:08 12/13/02 (1)

You nailed it 50% - Victor Khomenko 15:02:17 12/13/02 (0)

Follow Ups

Re: Hollywood Formula - TA 16:31:22 12/13/02 (0)

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