"Don't be too clever for an audience. Make it obvious. Make the subtleties obvious also."
- Billy Wilder
I'm not going to make my usual war cry: subtlety! subtlety! subtlety! I'm here to learn.
I'm not sure I have a question so much as a topic I'd like to understand better, from professionals, and I think it's one of the more important topics in writing and yet so unspoken.
At what point is subtext too little? When can I use a scalpel, and when must I use a hammer? One critic's "amazingly nuanced writing" is another critic's "made no sense." One's "hits us over the head with an expositional hammer" is another's "powerfully thematic."
My struggle today is with how little I can get away with, and how much? Guardians of the Galaxy is a recent hot-button film on this issue: the film was filled with on-the-nose dialogue, and tactless exposition. It's currently the second-highest rated blockbuster of the year (The LEGO Movie coming in first on RT).
I find even the best shows on network television tend to fall into the "Ughh" spectrum as far as the writing is concerned. Everything is laid out there, and badly.
Obviously, I'm not going to jump ship and write Transformers-level bullshit. I am wondering, though, where the line is. I have noticed that some of my favorite films, and the ones where I really notice theme and the "subtle meaning behind what's going on" actually wear their exposition almost on their sleeve. Collateral is one of my all-time favorite films, particularly because of how well the theme and characters are central to the story. But looking at it objectively, the film lays its themes out in broad strokes, underscored by subtle moments. It's a combination of "THIS IS WHAT I MEAN," moments and "You'll notice this nuanced glance on your fourth viewing of the film."
Anyone have advice on this topic? As someone who's currently working on a high budget-aimed script, it's important that I be subtle, but even more important that I be clear.
I guess that's what it boils down to: subtlety vs clarity and efficiency. I can talk my way around the exposition for 90 minutes, but at some point, there's a significant portion of your audience that won't follow. How have you fine folks dealt with this, and to what degree of success?
Thanks! Look forward to the responses, as always.
-EMB
- Billy Wilder
I'm not going to make my usual war cry: subtlety! subtlety! subtlety! I'm here to learn.
I'm not sure I have a question so much as a topic I'd like to understand better, from professionals, and I think it's one of the more important topics in writing and yet so unspoken.
At what point is subtext too little? When can I use a scalpel, and when must I use a hammer? One critic's "amazingly nuanced writing" is another critic's "made no sense." One's "hits us over the head with an expositional hammer" is another's "powerfully thematic."
My struggle today is with how little I can get away with, and how much? Guardians of the Galaxy is a recent hot-button film on this issue: the film was filled with on-the-nose dialogue, and tactless exposition. It's currently the second-highest rated blockbuster of the year (The LEGO Movie coming in first on RT).
I find even the best shows on network television tend to fall into the "Ughh" spectrum as far as the writing is concerned. Everything is laid out there, and badly.
Obviously, I'm not going to jump ship and write Transformers-level bullshit. I am wondering, though, where the line is. I have noticed that some of my favorite films, and the ones where I really notice theme and the "subtle meaning behind what's going on" actually wear their exposition almost on their sleeve. Collateral is one of my all-time favorite films, particularly because of how well the theme and characters are central to the story. But looking at it objectively, the film lays its themes out in broad strokes, underscored by subtle moments. It's a combination of "THIS IS WHAT I MEAN," moments and "You'll notice this nuanced glance on your fourth viewing of the film."
Anyone have advice on this topic? As someone who's currently working on a high budget-aimed script, it's important that I be subtle, but even more important that I be clear.
I guess that's what it boils down to: subtlety vs clarity and efficiency. I can talk my way around the exposition for 90 minutes, but at some point, there's a significant portion of your audience that won't follow. How have you fine folks dealt with this, and to what degree of success?
Thanks! Look forward to the responses, as always.
-EMB
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