Whilst working with the director of Y3llow on script revisions, I started ruminating on this theme, not so much because of the script of Y3llow, but rather as a general pondering really.
Script logic is important, no doubt about that. Get that wrong, especially if you’re working on a procedural type film like Zodiac or Inception, and immediately the film fails. The audience don’t buy into the premise, the premise breaks down.
At the same time, it begs the question at what price though?
If it means missing out on a powerful emotional beat just because it does not fully adhere to the story logic, what then? For me, I always find that the emotional response is a more powerful one to the logical response, and if you can’t find a way to marry the two, then choices become hard as a writer.
What’s your process like?
Comments 1
As soon as I saw the post title I knew the answer! They’re both equally important; and I actually think a great story can come from one that’s almost entirely logic-oriented, another that’s almost entirely emotional-oriented, and any point in the continuum between those two.
In other words, I think it’s irrelevant how much of both the story contains, only that it should be the right amount for that particular story.
A movie where the story logic is completely watertight makes you swear in admiration, and your brain explodes at all the epiphanies the movie brings to you. A movie with great emotional impact … makes your heart feel. A movie that has a lot of both simply gets the advantages of both sides.
Posted 23 Jul 2010 at 2:58 pm ¶Post a Comment