Tag: TV

Snake-Eyes Solo Movie….no thank you!

~ CV Whitfield ~ Leave a comment

Again, Hollywood has no clue. Yet, I still blame Hasbro too. Because Hasbro could oversee and control the out come as they “own” the property.

I’ve never understood the motives of film writers and producers that have (literally) the easiest job when it comes to adapting a iconic 80s property. The backstory is there. The characters are there. Heck, the fans and viewership is already there! All you have to do is come up with a great story! How hard is that?

But noooo. Producers and writers have to come in and F*#k it all up. Why? I truly believe its because they have absolutely no clue about the actual source material. Either this is complete ignorance or simply a matter of no respect. Because its all about the money.

Thus, if these producers (or Hasbro) had any clue, they would not be moving forward with a Snake-Eyes solo movie. Snake-Eyes is a product of G.I. Joe. G.I. Joe is a team. G.I. Joe, in definition, is a group of diverse characters with unique skill sets that work together to defeat Cobra, a terrorist organization determined to rule the world. Snake-Eyes excels when he’s fighting alongside Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock and Tunnel Rat.

Honestly, Snake-Eyes is a bad-ass character and he’s freaking awesome. But I don’t want to see him in a movie by himself. He needs his supportive cast. And if you bring even one of those characters, or a member of Cobra (i.e. Storm Shadow) then it’s a G.I. Joe movie. Why not just make that one?

There’s over 200 stories in the form of comic books. Its okay to use those as the basis for a good story – a great story. Yo Joe!

It’s not the size ….

~ CV Whitfield ~ Leave a comment

So I spent most the day writing but my spoils of the day’s progress was only a page and a half.

Granted I was working on a script vs prose. Yet I think screenwriting is just as hard. Writing a scene has to be blocked out, rehearsed, reviewed and then rewritten. Every detail is critical. Writing a novel or even a prose short story lends for some embellishments. The script, on the other hand, can’t relish in this outcome.

The script is in every sense a poem. It’s poetry for the camera and filmmaker. The writer must convey a voice for the story. The words create the tone and substance. Scripts just like any other written form has an identity and can be very unique. Not to say, I’ve read very dry scripts and I’ve read very descriptive ones. Neither was done incorrectly. Yet if there’s something added that doesn’t resonate reasonably in the scene then it shouldn’t be on the page.

So, 1.5 pages today …. tomorrow will be a day for more until that magic 120 is reached!

You Must Believe.

~ CV Whitfield ~ Leave a comment

As a writer, I struggled for so many years and worried over so many stories on whether the details were realistic. Could the events happening in the story really happen? Would the characters really do this? Does the law of physics allow this object to move like that? Which one is better: fission or fusion? Can a horse jump that high?

When you’re writing science fiction, the science really makes me stress. I’m not a scientist and I’m not the smartest crayon either. But I do have an interest in learning. Science intrigues me and fascinates. I’m not so good on the math or the equations but I can usually grasp the basics. I want the details to be realistic yet not embarrass myself either. And it can’t just be techno-babble either. I feel when I do that it does sound a bit too Star Treky.

Like, I stated it took a long time to overcome the hurdle. My own grounded mind kept my stories plagued with believability. When you read a story, or watch a movie, you sometimes have to suspend your disbelief. This is true and exists as the author and creator of the work. Before I completely learned this, I just started writing fantasy or science-fantasy. This allowed me to make it up. I’ve returned to writing science fiction but I’ve decided I’ll research it the best I can, but in the end, it is my tale.

Hint: the writer just has to believe the story. It doesn’t always have to make sense. It doesn’t have to meet some set of rules or laws. It just has to be fun. It just has to entertain. So if you believe a man can fly or a ship can travel between the stars, it’s not important that you explain it. Just tell the story!

(This theory is why I think some films and books fail. Something that I think George Lucas may have lost. More to come on that….)