Hashtag that!
It’s no secret that you, me, and everyone we know shares a deep and abiding fascination for popular culture, whether it is in the form of books, films, television shows, or video games. Personally, I believe that the process of storytelling is an important reflection of our own world, as it shows what a particular society lives and bleeds for at a given point in time. Yet with all of the entertainment controversies in this day and age, I feel that we’ve lost a sense of perspective on why we watch, play, and read.
With this in mind, I’d like to ask a series of questions to challenge your thinking and see where it leads.
Is Spectacle No Longer Special?
BORING! Where’s the beef?
We’ve seen it all before in movie reviews, haven’t we? The ones that show us the glamour of cinematography or digital effects that show vast, open worlds teeming with life. However, I’d argue that we’ve reached a point in time where this is no longer a selling point in itself. If you went to see Star Wars back in 1977, a part of the wonder that came from that movie is in the production design. Now, every single movie in science fiction and fantasy has reached a point where technology has caught up with vision. In essence, if you can dream it in a computer, you can put it on the screen.
So, what is left?
I would argue as I’ve always argued. Story is king and always should be. Unfortunately, we seem not to have architects that can see the future in the way that a Lucas, Spielberg, or Scott might have done so. To demonstrate this, I would like to reference James Cameron’s Avatar.
Quickly, how many of you can remember anything in that movie beyond the visual effects and a few character names? Even though the movie came out in 2009, it is almost never talked about in the culture despite being the biggest box office success in the world. Why did that movie fail to stay in our imagination while the Xenomorphs from Alien have done so for nearly forty years? It was arguably because that movie was twenty years too late and the script was not as important as an environmental message made of pig slop.
Speaking of which…
Why Are Political Messages Seeping Into Everything?
Hey, ladies. Did you know that it’s now okay to assault someone if they’re a big old meanie head? DC Comics told us so!
A part of the reason behind the downfall of entertainment can be traced to the rise of the idea that it can be used for political grandstanding instead of delivering a thoughtful story. For evidence of this, one can look at the recent eruption of examples from Marvel or DC Comics. The writers seem to think that they can just shove in things like mansplaining or the idea that Republicans are evil and no one would notice.
We have, it blows, and your sales numbers are tanking because of it.
With that said, it’s next to impossible to explore stories about war or politics without considering related themes. However, I share the philosophy that they should be used to unite as wide of an audience as possible instead of dividing them down partisan lines. Luckily, there are several pieces of entertainment that have already done this without much of a fuss. Let’s name a few, shall we?
- Star Wars – While they are messy, democratic republics are generally a good thing. Totalitarian Dictatorships are bad.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Be wary of unlimited and secretive government power before it is turned against people.
- Assassin’s Creed – Is freedom or order more important for human happiness?
- The Maereath Saga – Can individuals and nations with common ideals overcome seemingly impossible odds?
You may have noticed that our books are up there, but that is to draw an important conclusion. These works don’t target a political party or ideology that emphasizes the values of freedom, but they may include Space Nazis, Communists, or Absolute Monarchies to demonstrate their points. We should all be against these things, shouldn’t we?
Why Do We Ask Questions?
Why is BB-8 so adorable? That’s a question you want people to ask. The other stuff? Not so much.
As I have mentioned previously, story is king regardless of form or format. However, it is missing one critical point beyond the obvious ideals of a compelling plot and relatable characters that you can form an emotional connection with. Reading, watching, and playing are participatory acts. With this in mind, we must ask ourselves why certain things draw our attention and how that relates to suspension of disbelief.
As a content creator, I find that it is important to create awesome moments. However, it is doubly important to engage the logical side of the mind and steer it in the way that I want it to go. This can come from something as basic as details and exposition to an intimate conversation between major characters. In addition to the overarching questions of the story, it is important to feed an audience questions and answer them in a time that feels as organic as it would in real life. This is how great writers often suck their viewers into the world, but it can also go overboard and destroy the entire story.
The best example of this is when the only plausible answer is because the plot requires it, which can cause the flaw to stick out in the mind of the person experiencing the story. When said audience member is on this path, it can lead to more questions that unravel character and plot threads to the detriment of the entire saga.
We don’t want that, do we?
Should We Embrace Diversity Or Craftsmanship And Risk?
A VILLAINESS?! How dare you, you racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, oppressive, privileged, mansplaining, reality-supporting bastard!
We’ve heard it all by now. #OscarsSoWhite! We’re not hiring enough minority actors and actresses in various roles! Why can’t there be someone like that in this franchise?! Yet what Hollywood and the general public doesn’t even dare to consider is whether or not entertainment is trying to be refreshing and new to begin with!
I’d argue that it is important that artists should not create art unless they are genuinely inspired to do so. This is where I’ve found that a devotion to craftsmanship, risk, and diversity of story is more important than whether or not we’re casting Diego Luna again. The reasons? It undeniably leads to stronger character development, better stories, and a richer experience.
The main point behind the philosophy of craftsmanship is that it is better to go into the toy box and come out with something fun that services the story, rather than worrying about filling this quota or that marketing checkbox. To do this, we’ll finally turn our full attention to my Maereath series of novels.
The main (if not only) reasons why I thought about writing a female elf, a lizard assassin, or any other character in that story was because it sounded cool at the time and helped to steep the work in a kind of realism. And again, it comes from asking a series of logical questions.
- Why would this group need this person? It’s because they have unique skills or experience.
- Where did that lizard guy come from? I’m not going to spoil Illumination here, but you’ll see why in a few background details.
- What would The Raiders need to succeed? Possible honeypots, weapons experts, people with military or political connections, and other assets like doctors or inventors.
I might fill it in one way, but you might do something differently. And to make it even funnier, one reviewer of mine pointed out that I came up with a more diverse cast than the usual fantasy fare.
How about that. I’m not an SJW and I didn’t even give a damn about the concept of diversity, yet it’s getting better results!
Conclusion.
Amatu kei lanin.
While the culture wars may rage on, I think that this philosophy is the most important thing to look out for in the years to come. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Rich and daring stories that can challenge an audience are what ultimately matters in the end, for it is this from which every other joy in entertainment comes from. Creators can tell these tales, but not put people off of enjoying fun and crowd-pleasing moments of awesome. We can build a means of asking questions, but structure it in such a way that it feels rewarding and natural. We can build new and exciting characters, but also use them in such a way that serves the story as the exalted piece of the puzzle that it yearns to be.
Then, and only then, can we make entertainment great again.
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