Writing for Emotion

As I attempt to write my own screenplay, I of coarse want it to be prosperous. So what is the audience looking for when it comes to movies?  www.movies.com/movie-news provides great insight to such perplexing questions. I believe the best answer is an escape.  Whether its comedy, adventure, or horror, the audience wants to step into a life different from their own. Studies have shown that reasons vary from an adrenaline rush to a self-psychological understanding. The steady success of superhero movies lately attests to the beauty, power, and  clarity that is absent from everyday life. Obviously we as viewers have a need for something.  In a world full of callousness, I believe we simply crave to feel something.

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                We live in a fast paced world that contains a lot of critics with a lot of opinions. (Yet another side effect of the Internet.) No matter what you like, someone else is bond to hate it. I’m so particular when it comes to comedy that I would trash 95% of every one ever made. But what’s important here is your own personal escape. We all need some alone time, some time to fulfill what is seemingly missing from our everyday lives. It could be a laugh, an adventure, or a serious moment.

                Yet I would still argue that not just any movie will suffice. A thousand dramas could draw you in with their sappy melancholy love stories, but they probably wouldn't provide the realism of a movie such as Atonement. Its realism because life isn't fair, even with those we trust. It ends and it has great meaning. But it often ends uncomfortably. We feel…and that’s what we’re searching for.

Reality of It All

For years I have privately critiqued the premise and effectiveness of movies. Age has not only sharpened my understanding of film analysis, but also my comprehension of character action. Most movies, however, should just rightfully be labeled fantasy or science fiction. Because they just can’t be real. People do not react that way nor seldom say what their characters say; case in point, any Twilight movie. These notorious sequels are produced without a single coherence to reality. Classics like The Wizard of Oz held more realism. Yet www.edition.cnn.com reports that it has become common for women in their 30s to be devoted fans of series. Has the digital deluge of movies washed away all sense and sensibility?

Of course it could be argued that movies such as the Saw series still make money. Bluntly, they are flavors of the week, entertaining the guileless; destined to be pebbles at the base of a wonder such as The Shining.  Regardless of genre or gross revenues, a film simply should have quality. Follow me as I continue to discuss those aspects that make a great movie.                                            photo courtesy of  www.informatedfw.com