More meme responses!
Feb. 13: What are your top five favorite TV/movie tropes?
Hoo boy, this is probably going to take a while. To be honest, I love tropes so damn much that I really don't know what I'd pick. But I'll try and narrow it down a bit. :)
5. Soundtrack Dissonance/Suspiciously Apropos Music. Let's say that I'm very much a musical person, and whenever I'm writing my scripts, fanfics, novels, or even my LJ posts, I always am listening to music if only to get me in the mood for something. Music can be used to set cues, to foreshadow, to set a certain mood, and a lot more -- or even sort of jar with it, in a way. A good example is the famous scene in the Return of the King movie when Pippin's singing to Denethor while Faramir's proceeding with his suicidal charge on Osgiliath (and Denethor's chowing down on tomatoes. Which, I will admit, first time I watched that scene, it Squicked me out. And judging from Peter Jackson's statements on the commentary track, it was very much intentional, because he thought that it would show how...not right Denethor was, for lack of a better word) -- and they just let Pippin's song (BTW, Billy Boyd's voice? It's incredible. Seriously) play over Faramir's charge. It would have been so easy to just go into straight up loud battle music, but instead, with Pippin's singing, it lets the scene play out and it's very haunting and tragic, cutting between Pippin singing, Faramir riding to reclaim Osgiliath, and Denethor eating, all with this very subtle sort of string movement that shows that something terrible is going to happen to Faramir. But it doesn't get bombastic. So when Gothmog and the Orcs shoot Faramir, it's all the more shocking, and cutting to Pippin and Gandalf's faces, respectively, makes it all the more heartwrenching. It would have been so easy to put this big sort of bombastic tune over Faramir's charge, but to have Pippin sing this simple, haunting little song, it really makes it all the more heartbreaking. That and the lyrics to the song -- it could also match up as Suspiciously Apropos Music, considering how the lyrics are very fitting for the hell that everyone goes through if only to defeat Sauron and his forces in these films.
Another good example is a lot of Brad Jones (also known as the Cinema Snob) and his films; he's actually a really big soundtrack buff, and it shows in his films (Midnight Heat, for example, which was just packed full of eighties music to set the tone for certain things, and Cheap, where the Soundtrack Dissonance actually makes the horrific events onscreen -- and I mean horrific; I mean, Cheap is a great film, but it's very disturbing -- all the more terrifying). The thing is, when he chooses a great soundtrack, he chooses a great soundtrack. It sets mood, it foreshadows, it makes the events onscreen stand out all the more, and, of course, they're just really damn good songs.
So yeah, music? It's definitely a great mood setter. And if the music is something unexpected, or juxtaposes with the events onscreen, or even matches them just right, it's all the more powerful, and all the more haunting.
4. Cliffhanger: Because seriously, it's sadistic, but it's incredible, and it definitely keeps me hooked for the next installment, which I think is a definite sign that the writer did their job well. Good examples of that are the Master stealing the TARDIS in the Doctor Who episode "Utopia", which works just because of how shocking it is, and how even heartbreaking it is, if only because of the fact that when we met the Master...we didn't even know that it was the Master. He was just this kind, gentle old man -- who turns out to be an amnesiac Master who, once he gets his memory back, pretty much wreaks havoc for the Doctor, Martha and Jack. It's also shocking because it leaves the Doctor, Martha and Jack in jeopardy, and when the Futurekind are practically banging down the door, about to kill the three of them, we care about them and we care about what they're going through. I think with that mention, cliffhangers also work a lot when it's genuinely unexpected and there's a genuine sense of jeopardy (if the viewers just yawn or call bullshit on the idea of the cliffhanger, then you haven't done it right), which a lot of Doctor Who cliffhangers do. And if there's a sense of everything genuinely going to hell, which they're also very good at. That and providing a good sort of line or shot or whatnot that changes everything and makes the viewer think, "Holy shit, what's going to happen next?" or, alternatively, just "Holy shit!"
3. Naive Everygirl: I dunno; I guess it sort of helped that I grew up with these characters (characters like Alice McKinley from the Alice series and whatnot), so they definitely have a special place in my heart. But there's definitely something really charming about this sort of character who's really trying to figure out what life is about, becoming an adult, stuff like that. In terms of the female characters that I write, I really try and develop them and give them a sort of inner journey as well as an outer journey -- coming of age while saving the world, learning something about themselves, dealing with loss, etc. I think that's really the key to writing good female characters that I think a lot of people (no one in particular, just in general) just don't understand; they're so caught up in the little details that they don't just think of writing female characters like people. Because in the end, they are people. They have hopes and setbacks and worries and annoyances and uncertainties and so many other things just like people do in general. Write them like people -- write them like people who are still on a journey to figure out what everything's about, write them like people who still worry about certain things, write them like people who have fights with friends and people that they run into repeatedly that they hate and stuff like that. Write them as strong characters who happen to be female and you're all set. Give them interests, give them dislikes, give them things that scare them -- and yeah, I know it sounds really ridiculous that I have to say this, but people just don't do this enough. They just don't get it, so they end up with caricatures of female characters, and that's not what you should do.
I definitely try and vary my female characters by their personalities (some are more cynical than others, for example, just like characters really are), but in terms of this, it's definitely a template that I fall back on because I think it leaves the most opportunity for development. A likable main character who has room to grow stronger, who has room to learn from others, who has room to make mistakes, who has room for, honestly, a lot of things. Who has room for a sort of Hero's Journey, because that's what I think some of the best main characters have. An opportunity to grow. I'm definitely going to try to vary my main characters a little bit though; I mean, I don't want to basically tell the same story over and over again. I mean, that would just make people lose patience with me, and that's not good.
2. Well-Intentioned Extremist: I think there's something about this sort of villain that's really interesting. I think there are definitely villains who work through just simply being evil (Palpatine, a lot of horror movie villains, etc.) but there's definitely something about this sort of character that leaves room for more interesting storytelling. They don't really think that what they're doing is evil; they really think that it's for the good of humanity/their family/etc. And there's something about that that's terrifying because they just don't understand what they're doing and how horrible it really is. That and there's the fact that they'll do just about anything if only to achieve their goal, no matter how horrific (and depending on your approach, they can either be wracked with guilt over it -- which I usually do because I think it leads to some interesting depths for the villain as they muse over, "Was what I did right? Was it just?" It's definitely more interesting than a downright unrepentant one, although the unrepentant ones can work if done right -- or they can just be completely oblivious to it, which I could probably use for some of my villains just because it's just plain terrifying), and to them, they're not the villains. To paraphrase Darken Rahl from Legend of the Seeker (and this is a bit off-topic, but this is actually one of my favorite scenes from the show because of how chilling it is. I think it's definitely something that people could use for any villains they're writing; have a little story that they've invented for themselves to justify their actions), like so many villains like this, they think they're the heroes. In their eyes, the heroes are either severely misguided fools that need to be shown the light, or they're dangerous, even perhaps evil creatures that need to be taken down for the good of the villain's empire (or whatever they have). And it can make a good morality tale too, like this is what happens when good intentions are taken too far (because I think everything can be taken too far). Hell, if you really want to get interesting, apply it to one of the good guys. Don't make them outright villainous, but make them a genuinely good person who's willing to use questionable methods to do what they can to protect people. Honestly, it's just a genuinely complex sort of character, and I like complex. I like characters that make me think, I like stories that make me think. I like stories that leave some sort of impact on me. I don't think I could ever be satisfied with just ruthless and diabolical.
1. Save the Villain. Maybe it's because I'm a bit too much of an idealist for my own good, but I love this trope. I love the idea that no matter what the cillain's done, the heroes still take pity on them and try to help them. I think it was really stuff like Star Wars and Doctor Who that made me love this trope.
That and it's another trope that has a lot of opportunities to be played with. Maybe the villain and the hero used to be buddies and the hero still cares about them even after what they did (the Doctor and the Master from Doctor Who ), the villain has some good in them, the villain is a family member, etc. And the villain's reaction to the attempt -- whether it be thinking there's no hope for them (Darth Vader, for example), laughing it off, getting angry, feeling some regret that they're on the wrong side, not thinking that they're really the bad guy -- there's a lot of opportunities to play with this trope if only to make the hero and the villain more complex, and tell more interesting stories, which, honestly, I think is quite the plus.
So those are my top five TV/Movie tropes. I hope you liked them, and that I made sense.
Hoo boy, this is probably going to take a while. To be honest, I love tropes so damn much that I really don't know what I'd pick. But I'll try and narrow it down a bit. :)
5. Soundtrack Dissonance/Suspiciously Apropos Music. Let's say that I'm very much a musical person, and whenever I'm writing my scripts, fanfics, novels, or even my LJ posts, I always am listening to music if only to get me in the mood for something. Music can be used to set cues, to foreshadow, to set a certain mood, and a lot more -- or even sort of jar with it, in a way. A good example is the famous scene in the Return of the King movie when Pippin's singing to Denethor while Faramir's proceeding with his suicidal charge on Osgiliath (and Denethor's chowing down on tomatoes. Which, I will admit, first time I watched that scene, it Squicked me out. And judging from Peter Jackson's statements on the commentary track, it was very much intentional, because he thought that it would show how...not right Denethor was, for lack of a better word) -- and they just let Pippin's song (BTW, Billy Boyd's voice? It's incredible. Seriously) play over Faramir's charge. It would have been so easy to just go into straight up loud battle music, but instead, with Pippin's singing, it lets the scene play out and it's very haunting and tragic, cutting between Pippin singing, Faramir riding to reclaim Osgiliath, and Denethor eating, all with this very subtle sort of string movement that shows that something terrible is going to happen to Faramir. But it doesn't get bombastic. So when Gothmog and the Orcs shoot Faramir, it's all the more shocking, and cutting to Pippin and Gandalf's faces, respectively, makes it all the more heartwrenching. It would have been so easy to put this big sort of bombastic tune over Faramir's charge, but to have Pippin sing this simple, haunting little song, it really makes it all the more heartbreaking. That and the lyrics to the song -- it could also match up as Suspiciously Apropos Music, considering how the lyrics are very fitting for the hell that everyone goes through if only to defeat Sauron and his forces in these films.
Another good example is a lot of Brad Jones (also known as the Cinema Snob) and his films; he's actually a really big soundtrack buff, and it shows in his films (Midnight Heat, for example, which was just packed full of eighties music to set the tone for certain things, and Cheap, where the Soundtrack Dissonance actually makes the horrific events onscreen -- and I mean horrific; I mean, Cheap is a great film, but it's very disturbing -- all the more terrifying). The thing is, when he chooses a great soundtrack, he chooses a great soundtrack. It sets mood, it foreshadows, it makes the events onscreen stand out all the more, and, of course, they're just really damn good songs.
So yeah, music? It's definitely a great mood setter. And if the music is something unexpected, or juxtaposes with the events onscreen, or even matches them just right, it's all the more powerful, and all the more haunting.
4. Cliffhanger: Because seriously, it's sadistic, but it's incredible, and it definitely keeps me hooked for the next installment, which I think is a definite sign that the writer did their job well. Good examples of that are the Master stealing the TARDIS in the Doctor Who episode "Utopia", which works just because of how shocking it is, and how even heartbreaking it is, if only because of the fact that when we met the Master...we didn't even know that it was the Master. He was just this kind, gentle old man -- who turns out to be an amnesiac Master who, once he gets his memory back, pretty much wreaks havoc for the Doctor, Martha and Jack. It's also shocking because it leaves the Doctor, Martha and Jack in jeopardy, and when the Futurekind are practically banging down the door, about to kill the three of them, we care about them and we care about what they're going through. I think with that mention, cliffhangers also work a lot when it's genuinely unexpected and there's a genuine sense of jeopardy (if the viewers just yawn or call bullshit on the idea of the cliffhanger, then you haven't done it right), which a lot of Doctor Who cliffhangers do. And if there's a sense of everything genuinely going to hell, which they're also very good at. That and providing a good sort of line or shot or whatnot that changes everything and makes the viewer think, "Holy shit, what's going to happen next?" or, alternatively, just "Holy shit!"
3. Naive Everygirl: I dunno; I guess it sort of helped that I grew up with these characters (characters like Alice McKinley from the Alice series and whatnot), so they definitely have a special place in my heart. But there's definitely something really charming about this sort of character who's really trying to figure out what life is about, becoming an adult, stuff like that. In terms of the female characters that I write, I really try and develop them and give them a sort of inner journey as well as an outer journey -- coming of age while saving the world, learning something about themselves, dealing with loss, etc. I think that's really the key to writing good female characters that I think a lot of people (no one in particular, just in general) just don't understand; they're so caught up in the little details that they don't just think of writing female characters like people. Because in the end, they are people. They have hopes and setbacks and worries and annoyances and uncertainties and so many other things just like people do in general. Write them like people -- write them like people who are still on a journey to figure out what everything's about, write them like people who still worry about certain things, write them like people who have fights with friends and people that they run into repeatedly that they hate and stuff like that. Write them as strong characters who happen to be female and you're all set. Give them interests, give them dislikes, give them things that scare them -- and yeah, I know it sounds really ridiculous that I have to say this, but people just don't do this enough. They just don't get it, so they end up with caricatures of female characters, and that's not what you should do.
I definitely try and vary my female characters by their personalities (some are more cynical than others, for example, just like characters really are), but in terms of this, it's definitely a template that I fall back on because I think it leaves the most opportunity for development. A likable main character who has room to grow stronger, who has room to learn from others, who has room to make mistakes, who has room for, honestly, a lot of things. Who has room for a sort of Hero's Journey, because that's what I think some of the best main characters have. An opportunity to grow. I'm definitely going to try to vary my main characters a little bit though; I mean, I don't want to basically tell the same story over and over again. I mean, that would just make people lose patience with me, and that's not good.
2. Well-Intentioned Extremist: I think there's something about this sort of villain that's really interesting. I think there are definitely villains who work through just simply being evil (Palpatine, a lot of horror movie villains, etc.) but there's definitely something about this sort of character that leaves room for more interesting storytelling. They don't really think that what they're doing is evil; they really think that it's for the good of humanity/their family/etc. And there's something about that that's terrifying because they just don't understand what they're doing and how horrible it really is. That and there's the fact that they'll do just about anything if only to achieve their goal, no matter how horrific (and depending on your approach, they can either be wracked with guilt over it -- which I usually do because I think it leads to some interesting depths for the villain as they muse over, "Was what I did right? Was it just?" It's definitely more interesting than a downright unrepentant one, although the unrepentant ones can work if done right -- or they can just be completely oblivious to it, which I could probably use for some of my villains just because it's just plain terrifying), and to them, they're not the villains. To paraphrase Darken Rahl from Legend of the Seeker (and this is a bit off-topic, but this is actually one of my favorite scenes from the show because of how chilling it is. I think it's definitely something that people could use for any villains they're writing; have a little story that they've invented for themselves to justify their actions), like so many villains like this, they think they're the heroes. In their eyes, the heroes are either severely misguided fools that need to be shown the light, or they're dangerous, even perhaps evil creatures that need to be taken down for the good of the villain's empire (or whatever they have). And it can make a good morality tale too, like this is what happens when good intentions are taken too far (because I think everything can be taken too far). Hell, if you really want to get interesting, apply it to one of the good guys. Don't make them outright villainous, but make them a genuinely good person who's willing to use questionable methods to do what they can to protect people. Honestly, it's just a genuinely complex sort of character, and I like complex. I like characters that make me think, I like stories that make me think. I like stories that leave some sort of impact on me. I don't think I could ever be satisfied with just ruthless and diabolical.
1. Save the Villain. Maybe it's because I'm a bit too much of an idealist for my own good, but I love this trope. I love the idea that no matter what the cillain's done, the heroes still take pity on them and try to help them. I think it was really stuff like Star Wars and Doctor Who that made me love this trope.
That and it's another trope that has a lot of opportunities to be played with. Maybe the villain and the hero used to be buddies and the hero still cares about them even after what they did (the Doctor and the Master from Doctor Who ), the villain has some good in them, the villain is a family member, etc. And the villain's reaction to the attempt -- whether it be thinking there's no hope for them (Darth Vader, for example), laughing it off, getting angry, feeling some regret that they're on the wrong side, not thinking that they're really the bad guy -- there's a lot of opportunities to play with this trope if only to make the hero and the villain more complex, and tell more interesting stories, which, honestly, I think is quite the plus.
So those are my top five TV/Movie tropes. I hope you liked them, and that I made sense.