James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

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  • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

    Originally posted by spinningdoc View Post
    And then when I've asked if there's anything more to his gloriousness, it goes quiet.
    Nonsense. The fact that you won't listen doesn't mean plenty of people haven't tried to explain it to you.
    Patrick Sweeney

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    • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

      I like him, I think he's good.

      /understatement mode off

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      • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

        imho, he's a world-builder. it requires a totally different skill-set than say a drama writer or horror writer and he's at the top of his game.
        life happens
        despite a few cracked pots-
        and random sunlight

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        • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

          Originally posted by asjah8 View Post
          imho, he's a world-builder. it requires a totally different skill-set than say a drama writer or horror writer and he's at the top of his game.
          That's a great point. He is amazing at building worlds. I don't love Avatar, but The Terminator will always allow him a position of honor in my eyes.
          Chicks Who Script podcast

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          • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

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            Last edited by AJ_FIN; 06-08-2020, 11:33 AM.

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            • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

              Originally posted by Terrance Mulloy View Post

              Avatar borrowed from a lot of science fiction tropes - both new and old - but to say it's not "new" is simply insane. The concept of using an Avatar body to interface with an alien race of beings on a distant planet is a fantastic idea. And what's so brilliant about it, is that it's simple too. My grandmother even understood it -and she's 100. Fvck, Cameron even invented new technology to make the film. Story wise, he's telling an age-old tale. That's what any of us are telling. How would you exactly tell a 'new" story? There are none.

              The mind does boggle.
              Only because it is COLUMBUS DAY,
              I'll mention that Avatar also borrowed heavily from history. Maybe even more so than from other sci fi in terms of story. If you change space ships into wooden sea going ships and then turn the blue people into red people, that also makes for an interesting, albeit sad story. You have people who are more developed technologically versus people who are more developed spiritually(just imo no offense to anybody). At least Avatar had a happier ending.

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              • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

                Originally posted by spinningdoc View Post
                But it's not. They're both writer/director/producers and we're specifically looking at their writing abilities. Are you really claiming there's one of Cameron's scripts that compares with Seven Year Itch, Ace In The Hole, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment or Sunset Boulevard? And that's leaving aside the sheer number of outstandingly superb scripts Wilder wrote, and the genres he wrote in.

                That's the level of writing that puts you in screenwriting deity land.

                You're redefining the question from 'is Cameron a god amongst screenwriters' to 'is he better than others in his chosen genre'. And even then...
                Aliens is as good as Some Like it Hot.

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                • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

                  Even Piranha 2 was pretty good.
                  It's the eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

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                  • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

                    I wouldn't call him a God - wrong word, Master maybe - but the guy is definitely no hack.

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                    • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

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                      Last edited by AJ_FIN; 06-08-2020, 11:32 AM.

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                      • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

                        I'm in spinningdoc's camp on this debate, though I do think 'hack' is the wrong term to use nor is 'God' for that matter.

                        Dan Brown sold a lot of books, but he's not a great "writer." He won't win the Nobel Prize, the National Book Award, or a Pulitzer. Really good writers win those in most instances. James Cameron is more like a Dan Brown. He produces great page turners (action packed and well paced movies) but he's not a deep thinker or a gifted communicator of ideas.

                        I used to teach screenwriting at a film school, and there's almost nothing in Cameron's oeuvre that I would use to instruct young "writers." I do remember in a textbook we used they had the description of The Terminator when we first meet him as an example of a nice character description. I would agree with that, but that's as far as I would go. One might teach The Terminator as a good action script, and I actually think that's his most interesting movie artistically. But that's really it.

                        Avatar was juvenile from a script point of view. When a class full of undergrads recognizes that, no one should deem it great writing. I don't care what John August says, Cameron is no better or worse than your average screenwriter in Hollywood.

                        There's a difference between a great showman and a great artist, and I'd put Cameron more in the former category.

                        However, if the way you measure great screenwriting is by ticket sales then he certainly knows the formula and you have to give him credit for that.
                        Quato Lives!

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                        • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

                          If someone on this board came up with a faux Cameron writing excercise, there are probably 100 people on this board who could do a good job with it.

                          If you did faux Wilder, there are probably 3.

                          That's why he's a hack.

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                          • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

                            Originally posted by kintnerboy View Post
                            If someone on this board came up with a faux Cameron writing excercise, there are probably 100 people on this board who could do a good job with it.

                            If you did faux Wilder, there are probably 3.

                            That's why he's a hack.
                            Lovely post. I'm still not sure I would call Cameron a hack. Over-rated absolutely but a hack I'm not sure. A hack would be the guy who writes something he knows Cameron would like and kiss up to him to try to sell it to him.

                            Everybody who thinks Cameron and Wilder are equivalent as writers, please watch "One, Two, Three" with James Cagney. If you think Cameron could write something approaching that I'd like to hear from you.
                            Quato Lives!

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                            • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

                              I wish somebody would get their hands on Wilder's unproduced time-travelling killer robot script and post some of it here, so we could settle this once and for all.
                              "Only nothing is impossible."
                              - Grant Morrison

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                              • Re: James Cameron - God Among Screenwriters or Hack?

                                Originally posted by EddieCoyle View Post
                                If you think Cameron could write something approaching that I'd like to hear from you.
                                So... you think if he could write something on par with "The Apartment" he'd be a better screenwriter?

                                Originally posted by EddieCoyle View Post
                                Avatar was juvenile from a script point of view. When a class full of undergrads recognizes that, no one should deem it great writing. I don't care what John August says, Cameron is no better or worse than your average screenwriter in Hollywood.
                                And I'm sure August doesn't really care what some undergrads think either. No offense, Eddie, but I personally wouldn't be using them as a barometer to judge what's juvenile.

                                My issue isn't whether or not Cameron is looked upon by Done Dealers as the most original guy since... I dunno, god. My issue is that there's people here (aside from whether you like his films or not) who can look at all he has achieved, both past and present, and still think he's total crap - whether that be screenwriting, directing, producing, or inventing new cinema technology to build worlds and create mythology. That to me is astounding.

                                Each to their own, but man, there's some really odd points of view around here. Maybe someone can help me understand.
                                @TerranceMulloy

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