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Story Lessons, Big and Small (Warning: Spoilers!)

April 29, 2008

The Drama Before the Drama

Rewatching Cloverfield, I was struck again by how tight a movie it really is. Come on, people... if you don't think this movie works on a monster/disaster level, I don't know what.

But here's a simple lesson that's a great reminder for our own work: before the "problem of the movie" kicks in, the characters already have problems! In Cloverfield, our gang of partiers is celebrating Rob's big promotion... while Rob is pining for Beth, the girl who's about to be the "one who got away". For the first twenty minutes of the movie, that's what Rob cares about -- Beth is seeing someone else, because he never called her after their perfect day together. It's also what pretty much everyone else at the party is interested in too. 'Cause you know what? Who's-sleeping-with-whom is what life's all about.

Characters are supposed to be people. People always have drama in their lives. The things they care about may seem small when a giant monster attacks New York City... but until then, life isn't just jello shots and singalongs. Minor dramatic conflict goes a long way in helping establish the characters and what drives them, while keeping the tension up until the real stuff gets going. Even Luke Skywalker whined about wanting to go get power converters, if only his aunt and uncle weren't such sticks-in-the-mud.

Of course, in Cloverfield's case, the minor (romantic) drama is pretty much the major throughline of the film. The central question of the story is less "Will they survive?" and more "Will Rob get to Beth in time to tell her how he feels?"

So there it is. Have your characters sweat the small stuff until the big stuff comes along. You can't go wrong.

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9 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

I think the minor romantic throughline of the film would work have worked fantastic in a more straightforward film. But within the gimmick of the 'found footage', it totally falls apart for me.

I can absolutely buy Rob seeking Beth out in the midst of this chaos. I can maybe even buy Hud tagging along. I'm less okay with Marlena risking her life in going with them. But the fact that Hud is rolling on all of this, and happens to catch all these moments on tape, in the midst of all this chaos, just stretched my credulity one step too far.

I loved the idea of everything seen through the lens of a video camera. But the romantic subplot should have been left out of this film. When I watched the DVD last night, I found myself wanting to fast-forward through all the jibber-jabber love story (however my wife, who hadn't seen the movie yet, wouldn't let me).

The filmmakers' hearts were in the right place, but for ME, it just didn't work.

11:06 p.m.  
Blogger m said...

Hold on: "life isn't just jello shots and singalongs"?

Way to break my heart.

1:21 p.m.  
Blogger Butch Maier said...

I enjoy reading your blog. You can check out one about my upcoming romantic comedy movie at http://thebrideandthegrooms.com

11:34 p.m.  
Blogger Jennica said...

I think a lot of people agree with you, Vic. Which is why I just have to keep speaking on behalf of the other side! :)

I loved the found footage concept. I thought it took the Blair Witch hook and evolved it. The idea that the found footage could express both the romantic throughline (meta-flashbacks, in a way) as well as the action of the present timeline... I thought it was incredibly clever.

I guess the credibility of the thing is less of an issue for me than for some. I mean -- I have to suspend my disbelief for the giant monster. Why not the idea that someone would film their experience? (Particularly given that self-documentation IS the world we live in; established in the film when a large group of people stands around the head of the Statue of Liberty and instead of running for their lives, they're all taking pictures with their cell phones.)

I also think, without the romantic subplot, you don't have a story. This is a monster movie made very personal: we're with one group of people the whole time. We don't do any of that "visiting the President as he makes his tough calls" stuff. The stakes are with the characters. They need SOME kind of goal beyond survival... you know? Personal character goals are the stuff of disaster movies, aren't they?

M, I'm sorry to crush your spirit like that... cruel, cruel.

1:45 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know this is coming a little late after the post, but something you said reminded me of this:

I was reading a story about a UN staff worker at one of the largest refugee camps in Africa (million plus people). She was a psychologist and prior to going she wasn't sure how she would cope with the stories she would hear.

Interestingly, she said more often than not people wanted to talk to her about who was sleeping with who, that their husband cheated, the boy that got away (not about the fact that their village was burned to the ground etc). I found that so fascinating. Even under the most dire of situations we are all still... well, human.

loved the post.
:)
Kathryn

5:35 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, I just discovered your blog a couple of days ago and pretty much read the entire thing in one day. Just wanted to say it was fantastic. I really enjoy your writing - very witty and insightful at the same time. Particularly loved the times where you reviewed two similar movies together.

5:23 p.m.  
Blogger Jennica said...

Hey, welcome Luke! And Kathryn, that's so funny... I guess we just have an innate hunger for the relationship drama, hey? (Except Vic, up there... just kidding, Vic! :)

5:39 p.m.  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hey... I love relationship drama as much as anyone. I just think it weakened what was a completely different film.

While I can totally see how people in a refugee camp are talking about who's sleeping with whom, it would not ever happen in the middle of an attack! I PROMISE you that there were NO relationship dramas taking place as people were running for their lives as the Towers were burning. There were no relationship dramas occurring as the Chinese earthquake was at it's peak, or in the midst of a hurricane at it's worst point.

Way back in the day in my very first college class, the teacher (multiple teachers, actually) trotted out the "Maslow's hierarchy of human needs" chart which shows how we don't concern ourselves with less urgent needs when our basic survival needs aren't being met.

And while it's only a movie, and this sort of story plays out in just about every single action movie, Cloverfield's video camera conceit worked against it. We know as average people that we would never continue to roll video under those circumstances. Yes, people in the film were shooting camera-phone pics and video of the Statue of Liberty head, but at that moment, they weren't facing immediate death.

If the movie had just been about the escape and the attack, it would have been a masterpiece. Or if they had toned down the relationship gymnastics that the film was attempting.


As far as the film working without the relationship subplot, why not? There was MORE than enough drama and tension just in their trying to escape and get to safety. I look at a film like United 93 that focuses on the event, and not any manufactured romantic subplot. Films don't NEED relationship drama to be effective.

We'll all just have to agree to disagree on this, I guess...

11:43 p.m.  
Blogger SCRIPTMONK!!! said...

I read I good article on this same topic using "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."

http://www.storyispromise.com/whoney.htm

It basically analysis how the character problems, the problems of the "outer story" are already well underway when the film begins, before the problem of the main narrative (the "inner story") engages. And, how the problems of both the inner and outer story interact with each other and bring about each other's resolution.

1:08 p.m.  

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