GITS interview: Craig Mazin

[Guest Close Dr. Vergerus]

http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/20...in-part-1.html
http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/20...in-part-2.html
http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/20...in-part-3.html
http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/20...in-part-4.html
http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/20...in-part-5.html
http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/20...in-part-6.html

[WaitForIt Regular Find all posts View Profile Close WaitForIt]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Nice. How awesome of Craig to make time for that.

[Guest Close Dr. Vergerus]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Updated OP with link to 2nd part of the interview.

[Guest Close Dr. Vergerus]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Added link to 3rd part of the interview.

[Guest Close Dr. Vergerus]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Updated with link for part 4. There's a 5th one coming tomorrow.

[pabloamigo Regular Find all posts View Profile Close pabloamigo]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

The king of the sequel! I always enjoy Craig's musings - I struggle to think of a writer who gives more insight into the biz.

[Guest Close Dr. Vergerus]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Part 5 is up. Tomorrow, part 6.

[Guest Close Dr. Vergerus]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Added link to the final part of the interview.

[goldmund Member Find all posts View Profile Close goldmund]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Thanks! Always worthwhile to read some Craig.

My 3 pennies from a European writer:

Horrible Bosses traveled great, Identity Thief did not. Hangover 2 and Hangover 3 traveled awesome. Talladega Nights, no. I can’t figure it out.

Identity theft is not a problem here, but everyone had a horrible boss. Almost every adult was hungover once, but most people here don't know about NASCAR and car racing isn't a very popular sport.

It's nothing mysterious.

[Guest Close Dr. Vergerus]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

I doubt it's that simple; if it was, space operas and fantasy films wouldn't have an audience at all.

There are a lot of factors to consider: how idiosyncratic the humor is, how the movie was marketed, how popular the main actors are in those countries, what other movies were released at the same time, etc.

Another European here, btw.

[goldmund Member Find all posts View Profile Close goldmund]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Space opera and fantasy are genres, not a subject matter or IP.
Both cultures are permeated by Arthurian legends and Tolkien's oeuvre.

If something is simple, it doesn't mean it's false.
What are the chances Europeans will storm their cinemas to see a movie about Lincoln or baseball? The same with NASCAR and its heroes.

[Guest Close Dr. Vergerus]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Why not? We go watch movies about the CIA, about Vietnam, about slavery, about samurai warriors, about cowboys and Native Americans, etc.

As for the popularity of car racing in Europe, you may have heard of an underground sport called Formula One

Seriously, I think it's more complicated than that, although I agree that certain subjects don't travel as well as others; but put Robert DeNiro, Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie in a good movie about baseball, and people will go see it even if they've never seen a baseball game.

And yes, space opera and fantasy are obviously genres, but they imply very specific story elements like space travel and fantastic creatures, none of which is part of any single audience member's experience (except for a few astronauts).

[WaitForIt Regular Find all posts View Profile Close WaitForIt]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Craig, if you swing through here, could you elaborate on this?

I like to think about a simple theme, but a dramatic argument. That is to say, brotherhood or jealousy is not a very valuable theme for an argument. Better to be yourself than be this, or that.

[Craig Mazin Regular Find all posts View Profile Close Craig Mazin]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

If your theme isn't an argument, then there's no position for the character to arrive at. This goes back to Aristotle, and what he called "Thought". Poetics says it better than I could.

[Craig Mazin Regular Find all posts View Profile Close Craig Mazin]

Re: GITS interview: Craig Mazin

Thanks! Always worthwhile to read some Craig.

My 3 pennies from a European writer:



Identity theft is not a problem here, but everyone had a horrible boss. Almost every adult was hungover once, but most people here don't know about NASCAR and car racing isn't a very popular sport.

It's nothing mysterious.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/8423e...#axzz2b96F80Zs

That aside, consider Step Brothers.

Made $100M in the U.S.

Made $27M in the rest of the world.

There are step brothers in the rest of the world, yeah?