tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post3842763258571582335..comments2024-03-07T10:45:47.002-08:00Comments on The Invisible Ink Blog: Tell 'em What You're Gonna Tell 'emBrian McDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-39989530363610916742013-07-19T17:24:42.106-07:002013-07-19T17:24:42.106-07:00Hello Anne,
Thanks for writing. I'm not sure ...Hello Anne,<br /><br />Thanks for writing. I'm not sure I meant to say what you got from the post. Yo said, "This theory seems to suggest that it is to the writer's advantage to show all their cards, especially if the ending is a weak one. Tell the viewer where they are headed. Then you diffuse any potential disappointment about the ending and allow the viewer to focus on the journeyBrian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-85191660019208787002013-07-19T13:05:02.869-07:002013-07-19T13:05:02.869-07:00I like to explore the idea that there's an imp...I like to explore the idea that there's an important distinction between knowing or expecting the ending and predicting the ending. I think it has to do with the writer's control over information and thus the story. If the writer controls the information, I think this works well to create suspense for the viewer. But I've also watched many movies where I've seen the ending coming annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05068678248501399228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-64262451998690307372012-03-25T18:28:30.242-07:002012-03-25T18:28:30.242-07:00Hello Scott,
Thank you so much for reading the bo...Hello Scott,<br /><br />Thank you so much for reading the book. Happy to know that you got so much for the masculine/feminine stuff. Yeah, that contrast and balance stuff is useful, isn’t it. I apply so much of what I have learned over the years from my art friends to my understanding of story and filmmaking. That’s why I watch this Paul Rand video from time to time:<br />http://adland.tv/Brian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-56404018975468436432012-03-25T14:14:46.114-07:002012-03-25T14:14:46.114-07:00Hey Brian,
I stopped by here after reading your B...Hey Brian,<br /><br />I stopped by here after reading your Book "Invisible Ink" which I found to be both excellent and objective. Your breakdown of masculine/feminine writing hit the nail on the head for me. Being a cartoonist I am obsessed with contrast and balance visually and I know this concept will help me keep me my writing contrasted and balanced as well.<br /><br />This post Scott Lincolnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04472064232686124325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-35898923932743953302012-01-13T08:41:42.076-08:002012-01-13T08:41:42.076-08:00Hey Kaki,
I have thought about that. Thanks for t...Hey Kaki,<br /><br />I have thought about that. Thanks for the reminder. And thanks for the compliment about my teaching.<br /><br />- BrianBrian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-58478452717195467342012-01-13T06:40:18.132-08:002012-01-13T06:40:18.132-08:00Brian,
Have you ever considered doing a v-log of ...Brian,<br /><br />Have you ever considered doing a v-log of you teaching Invisible Ink or The Golden Theme? <br /><br />Not a lot of people have the ability to teach creative topics in a straight-forward way.<br /><br />(I get the impression from talking to someone that took his classes Walt Stanchfield nailed this to perfection).<br /><br />I bet you people would pay for them. <br /><br />Even Kaki Flynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07365597155297162565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-88959592581182223762011-11-27T17:16:50.164-08:002011-11-27T17:16:50.164-08:00Hi Brian,
I have just read the original treatment...Hi Brian,<br /><br />I have just read the original treatment of Terminator by James Cameron and it reminded me constantly of your theories. If you read it, he keeps repeating thematically again and again that the machines are just a part of what we are as humans, and not a bad thing for itself. I thought you may want to use it as a good example in your classes because it's shorter to read Enriquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16912687792023074583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-61255122251818179672011-10-04T23:10:45.540-07:002011-10-04T23:10:45.540-07:00Brian,
I just saw Road to Perdition and it had th...Brian,<br /><br />I just saw Road to Perdition and it had the same thing you were talking about. The movie starts with the kid, having already gone through most of what they will show in the movie, talking about his father: was he a bad guy? And then it backtracks. By the end of the movie we find out that sons shouldn't judge their fathers. Amazing.<br /><br />Road to Perdition is a good imyjimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04572637564901769632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-87323733991416427752011-10-03T16:36:48.948-07:002011-10-03T16:36:48.948-07:00Hey Michel,
I think that Tatanic does some things...Hey Michel,<br /><br />I think that Tatanic does some things really well, but for me it is not up to what James Cameron can really do. Aliens and T2 are, in my opinion, better constructed stories.<br /><br />I think that is nothing short of a stroke of genius that Sarah Conner, who was terrified of the killing machine becomes one herself. She even tries to kill someone for something they haven&Brian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-53417868644314435862011-10-03T16:26:17.391-07:002011-10-03T16:26:17.391-07:00Hey Santiago,
I have noticed that when things wor...Hey Santiago,<br /><br />I have noticed that when things work people tend not to notice, so that when I bring up a concept the only thing that comes to mind for most people is when someone has done it poorly. <br /><br />It might help you to look for where this has worked, you'll be surprised at what you find, I think.Brian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-59125569446175873662011-09-23T13:59:13.237-07:002011-09-23T13:59:13.237-07:00Hi Brian,
It's not the first time I understan...Hi Brian,<br /><br />It's not the first time I understand you think Titanic is a mediocre film. Can you tell me what it is? Maybe in a next post?<br /><br />Thanks!Michel Maashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08123258147492336246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-25552453517616444552011-09-21T09:44:32.680-07:002011-09-21T09:44:32.680-07:00Great post, Brian. And, it's backed up by scie...Great post, Brian. And, it's backed up by science: <br /><br />http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-19/bostonglobe/30176405_1_stories-spoilers-readingPhil Laaveghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14996746222868145596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-35104418717912844822011-09-16T22:38:43.242-07:002011-09-16T22:38:43.242-07:00"Imagine someone from a non-profit speaking t..."Imagine someone from a non-profit speaking to an audience of potential donors. She shows a slide of a distinguished businessman on a suit in a fancy office and says that this man was once homeless. People will listen."<br /><br />That's a very cool observation and it speaks to how you can rearrange events in a story to get what you want. <br /><br />That said, I just saw a movie imyjimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04572637564901769632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-48721853583405269302011-09-16T04:20:44.022-07:002011-09-16T04:20:44.022-07:00Brian thankyou for your thoughtful reply.
I agr...Brian thankyou for your thoughtful reply. <br /><br />I agree that they are not mutually exclusive, and that we're probably discussing two different things; this is intended as an 'yes and' not a 'no but' to your essay. I guess that since you seemed surprised that people were nonplussed by the study, I thought I'd explain why I had had that reaction, and why you might Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02036909211618730530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-10066784453215121082011-09-15T14:35:47.429-07:002011-09-15T14:35:47.429-07:00This post about endings reminded me of why I hated...This post about endings reminded me of why I hated the movie Open Water. In a way, by expecting a happy ending (that the stranded divers would be saved by the end of the movie) I gave the annoying characters a chance. <br /><br />When neither of them survived I realized that I had suffered through 80 minutes for two characters that had no redeeming qualities and whose deaths I actually welcomed.<Santiagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10120687032592744783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-11443927254282534792011-09-14T07:15:35.652-07:002011-09-14T07:15:35.652-07:00Hey Ian,
You will have to find for yourself what ...Hey Ian,<br /><br />You will have to find for yourself what you like and why. For me it was about studying the classics – that’s how I learned. I read interviews with old directors and writers to learn what they knew. <br /><br />Be open to learning and be open to changing your mind as you grow. A film you think is great today may lose its luster as you learn more and you have to be open to Brian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-36478545842200437182011-09-13T12:41:02.937-07:002011-09-13T12:41:02.937-07:00After reading that email I was wondering how long ...After reading that email I was wondering how long it'd take for you to bring up that study on your blog... : ) nice post Brian. You always highlight such great universal Truths... this is one of my favorite! Not only do we tell stories this way, but we were taught to communicate like this in elementary school - the 5 paragraph essay right? Though maybe you've made that example before and Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16818549341554043276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-54716906006363320862011-09-12T10:02:23.966-07:002011-09-12T10:02:23.966-07:00I can understand why you did not answer my questio...I can understand why you did not answer my question. I also really appreciate all of your "Movies I Like" posts, they are all very helpful and I have read them several times. <br /><br />However, I still have one more question to ask. <br /><br />What the process you go through to tell if a film is well written? I want study the best writing I can, so it is important for me to be Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00838178451162369538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-73773885866884261532011-09-11T01:34:01.032-07:002011-09-11T01:34:01.032-07:00Hello David,
Thanks so much for writing.
After m...Hello David,<br /><br />Thanks so much for writing.<br /><br />After many years of teaching I have noticed that people are often using the same words and speaking a different language. We may mean different things when we say “knowing the ending”. It is still possible to surprise people with your ending. I talk a little bit about this kind of thing in my previous post about cliché. <br /><br /Brian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-87583589647894191022011-09-11T00:53:48.041-07:002011-09-11T00:53:48.041-07:00Unknown,
Happy to know that the post got you thin...Unknown,<br /><br />Happy to know that the post got you thinking.<br /><br />Sorry, but I cannot get into Princess Mononoke because<br /><br />My real life is too full of people asking me if I like this or that film and why or why not and I don’t want this blog to become that.<br /><br />I do The Movies I Like posts to give folks an idea of what I think works and why.<br /><br />Sorry. Thanks Brian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-79798029901362294632011-09-11T00:35:39.033-07:002011-09-11T00:35:39.033-07:00I'm a big fan of the kind of suspense examples...I'm a big fan of the kind of suspense examples you show, and agree with all the examples you give, but I'd nonetheless like to argue that knowing what happens at the end actually can harm our full enjoyment of a story. <br /><br />I remember watching Se7en in the cinema, and was absolutely riveted at the climax - I had that giddy feeling of being utterly at the mercy of good drama. As Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02036909211618730530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-92053917740298082252011-09-10T16:38:01.555-07:002011-09-10T16:38:01.555-07:00Wow, this post gives me a lot to think about! I r...Wow, this post gives me a lot to think about! I really understand what it means that "all good storys end the same way it begins." I think it is kind of the other way around, you tell them what you are going to tell them, then at the end, you prove your point. <br /><br />When you said your opinion of the film titanic, I was wondering what you thought of Princess mononoke? (I know you Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00838178451162369538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-59049926486602867592011-09-10T02:29:15.181-07:002011-09-10T02:29:15.181-07:00Hey Clint,
Glad that the advice spoke to you. Go...Hey Clint,<br /><br />Glad that the advice spoke to you. Good luck with the story.<br /><br />As for Wilder’s work happy to hear you’re a fan. He was pretty great.Brian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-63052067409026455082011-09-10T02:23:36.393-07:002011-09-10T02:23:36.393-07:00Hey Jimmy,
At its core science is about observati...Hey Jimmy,<br /><br />At its core science is about observation, isn’t it? Jane Goodall is a scientist and all she really does is watch.<br /><br />One of the ways I learned what I know comes from going to the movies as a kid and paying attention to audience response. Or I watch how people tell stories to each other. I have done this for years. <br /><br />People tell stories all the time so Brian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14646103.post-20848285857014586672011-09-10T02:03:51.279-07:002011-09-10T02:03:51.279-07:00Joon,
Thanks for the story about paying your tick...Joon,<br /><br />Thanks for the story about paying your tickets.Brian McDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14725832940943503641noreply@blogger.com