"People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening."

[greygirlbeast]

Oh, blue sky, I know your appetite, so don't dry to fool me.

Yesterday, I wrote another three pages of Chapter #3 of Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird (13, 14, and 15). It has gone to a surprising place, and that's why I don't write outlines. Because outlines have a way of setting things in stone, and instead of unfolding organically

Comments

[setsuled]

The format afforded by New Television provides filmmakers - because these are filmmakers - with a more expansive canvas than they are likely to be provided by a two (or even three) hour theatrical film.

Yeah--and the potential was always there but I think it was held back by the belief that TV shows had to be crafted by committee and individual episodes ought to have isolated creative vision. I think there were predecessors to what we see now, particularly in Europe--I'm thinking primarily of Fanny and Alexander and perhaps to a lesser extent Doctor Who. And in the U.S. we had the ongoing stories in Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine but maybe Twin Peaks has the most influence, as much for what it did wrong as for what it did right. The show so obviously derails the further it gets from David Lynch's control I think it's helped modern television makers to see the importance of approaching serialised dramatic television as an auteur's medium.

We also began watching The Newsroom, which is smart and hilarious and biting, and I was not at

[setsuled]

I've never seen Wiseguy but Twin Peaks has been cited as an influence by the makers of many of the shows Caitlin's talking about, like True Detective. And several shows, like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, hire directors whose first television jobs were on Twin Peaks. But as for what "started the trend", as I said, one can point to several European series that predate both Twin Peaks and Wiseguy that fit this mould.

[mojave_wolf]

Well,you just convinced me to check out Newsroom. & yay for unruly plots!

[aarongp]

Yep, you also convinced me about The Newsroom. Hope the Alabaster writing goes well today so you can start getting ready to head off.

[kiki60]

I really like coming here to read what you have to say, so I don't like being the fly in the ointment, but... I believe Will McKvoy was loosely based on Bill O'Reilly. They wanted to hire Keith Olbermann? I believe Keith is back doing his sport opinion gig. Things were grim for Keith last time I heard, so why didn't he take the Job? Ya, I loved Newsroom too, but I could feel myself being manipulated. HBO has always had that subtle evil background taste that taints all their work Sometimes I get tired being so cynical.