1) "Life is about fluidity, and so is the process of storytelling. Moviemaking is about the discovery within the written word, that which cannot be found when spoken. The main focus should always be to keep looking for what is not visible, to keep striving for the image beyond the words." - Marc Forster


(From "MovieMaker" magazine, issue 81, Vol.16)

I dunno, I feel strongly there will never be a day when written stories are obsolete. The notion that a picture is worth a thousand words to me fails, as some literary descriptions and scenes can only barely be imitated in drawn or animated art ... I think there continues to be a strong case for both written and animated stories.

*chuckles warmly* I believe this is exactly what the quote is talking about... how spoken and written words may be (mis-)interpreted.

(...Actively delving for the _correct_ interpretation, rather than settling for an interpretation that does not make sense in context.)

"The discovery within the written word, that which cannot be found when spoken." (Not the superfluousness nor the abolishment of the written word.)



Take two performances of Hamlet, for example. One may be stellar while the other may be tedium in the extreme.

The "stellar" one is such because the actor and director were looking beyond the symbolic logic of the lexical units we call "words" into the deeper meaning the artist/author may/hopefully have had in mind... or possibly to an even deeper meaning/interpretation beyond the original artist's conscious scope.

There is an old adage in both writing and performance: "Show me don't tell me."


(script: MIKE RACES INTO THE KITCHEN, DYING OF THIRST )

Bad: MIKE runs into a kitchen and says, "I'm really thirsty."

Good: MIKE races into a kitchen, throws open the cupboard, breaking two glasses in his haste to grab one and thrust it under the faucet... completely ignoring the concerned questions from his roommates as he guzzles glass after glass of water.


Creativity as a filmmaker comes from imagining and connecting with the intent of the screenwriter... always looking for and attempting to do justice to, "The image beyond the words."

"The discovery within the written word."

Writing and movies each have their own advantages and disadvatages, which is why both will endure the test of time, since both have something different to offer to the public.

Books can delve both farther and longer upon complex and intricate aspects of a story, spending as many chapters as needed upon single plot points and adding inflections and internal musings of characters, adding petic flair and devoting space to details, such as tastes and the effect of climate, which affect the characters in ways difficult to portray visually.

Movies and television have the strength of visuals, which allow some summation of a written story, plus the ability to bring to life complex scenery which may be difficult to imagine in detail from the written word. Other things can be added which simply cannot exist in a purely written form, such as physical comedy and visual humor, aspects that lose most if not all of their affect when only written.

Graphic novels and comics represent a fusion of both worlds, and are an equally important form of arts and entertainment. This is evident simply from the sheer numbers of books and movies that have stemmed from the iconic characters created in the pages of comics.

Not about which genre is best, but about doing the best you can in your genre. :3