The Movie Moments We Shouldn’t Miss
I’d like to thank Michelle for inviting me over to Magical Musings. All of my stories have a touch of magic, but then I write paranormal and fantasy so the two go hand in hand.
Today I thought I’d bring along some DVDs so we could do some work on our craft. I love movies. A whole story arc in two hours. Characterisation that snaps, plots that dazzle and special effect that wow…well not all films are created equal but you can still learn from the ordinary ones as well as the good ones. What works and what doesn’t…but if you watch the DVD you can dig deeper –to the bonus features.
I love the extras. I’m one of those people who buys my favourite film and heads straight to the extras. Apparently not everyone does this…actually I haven’t met anyone else who does. Why? You can learn so much from the extras. Here’s what you’re missing:
Set dressing-nothing is put on camera without someone having thought about it. It’s all about creating the right mood or look. Setting is just as important in writing, you need to create the right feel without spending pages detailing everything, so as the camera in your mind pans across the scene pick a few things that mean something to the characters or the plot.
Character dressing-What characters wear is very important, it gives clues to culture, time period and personality. Ever watched the extras on the x-men DVDs? There is some really good stuff on there about creating the look for the different characters. Tristan and Isolde and King Arthur are also good ones, they even talk about the armour and weapons.
Deleted scenes-these are like gold, especially if they tell you why it was deleted. It’s like a mini tute on cleaning up the plot and lines of action. The supernatural DVDs have some of these.
Special effects-these can spoil the magic. I will never forget the Dr Who confidential where they turned a quarry into a snowfield with papier mache. Totally ruined the magic…but on the other hand very clever. Why do writers need special effects–well while we don’t need a green screen, we still have to put in the work to make the fantastic believable. After all if a dragon is going to fly over the city he’s going to have to be aware of tall building, air currents, the news helicopter and possibly the air force trying to bring him down…
Action scenes-If you find an extra where it shows you the actors rehearsing it is fantastic, like watching a dance until they speed it up. Like directors we must choreograph our fights scenes for maximum impact. Be warned some fight scenes are more realistic than others, unless your hero is super human he is not going to be walking away uninjured. He’ll be hurting (even if he’s too tough to show it).
When watching a film you may not be aware of some of the subtle ways the movie has been put together, unless you watch the extras. Small details can make a big difference without the audience ever noticing.
In Boyfriend in a Bottle the theme colour was red. Red is the colour of risk, speed, desire. His red bottle, her red sofa, red rope and red leather seats in the Audi TT. If they had all been different colours it probably wouldn’t have mattered (in fact they did start out different) but by linking them they gained extra power and gave the story unity.
I am giving away a copy of Boyfriend in a Bottle today, so tell me if you watch the DVD extras or if you are going to start watching them or if you know some really good ones I should check out.
Shona, I always look at the extras. I loved the one for Sweet Home Alabama, where they discuss why they cut some of the scenes, even though they were great. The rule of thumb being if it doesn’t move the plot forward, it has to go.
And congrats again on your new deal! Thanks for blogging with us today.
Shona, thanks for being our guest today. I’ve never watched the Extras on a DVD, but now I will.
I have a dragon in my last book, one that I hope to be a series. He didn’t fly in this one, but he might in a future book. I’ll keep in mind what you said about flying. Great details!
Shona, so happy you joined us at Magical today! And yep, I watch the extras. I love the outtakes, cause it’s always a great giggle! And I agree, you learn something from all of the extras. Interesting stuff.
Congrats on your book deal, and that cover is gorgeous! Bet you’re still smiling…
Hi Shona. You’re a woman after my own heart. I always get the “Special Edition” DVDs. I don’t always have a chance to watch the extras, but when I do, it’s well worth it.
I loved watching the extras from Wall-E. Not only did they show deleted scenes, the creation of the movies, but they did the whole Pixar story. Incredibly fascinating.
The extras from Underworld (the first one) was really good as well.
Thanx for joining us today and for reminding me that there are a lot of extras that I haven’t had a chance to watch yet. Gotta get on the newly released “Alice in Wonderland”. Seeing the makeup alone will make that worthwhile.
My favorite extra’s so far are the ones from the new STAR TREK movie. I’m a big Trekkie fan, loved the original series. So it was great to see how they tried to echo things back to the original series, or why they went in a certain direction regarding Star Trek mythology.
Hi Shona – great blog! I love watching the extras, though agree that sometimes finding out about the special effects can ruin the magic if I see that first.
The directors comments/deleted scenes from “Truly, Madly, Deeply” and “Love Actually” are some of my favorites.
Good luck with “Boyfriend in a Bottle” – it sounds like a fun book.
Liz-I’ll have to check out the extras on Underworld. It’s been along time since I saw the film.
Kate-I haven’t seen love actually, but I’ll keep an eye out for it.
Theresa-I watched Star Trek recently but DH didn’t want to watch the extras, I’ll make sure I have a look at them.
My daughter is the movie person in my house. She uses our Netflix account, but always watches the extras. I do also when I occasionally sit down and watch one with her.
Hi, Shona! I don’t watch many movies, but when I do, I do love to watch the extras and deleted scenes. The ones they created for movies like Toy Story just crack me up! I love how they went the extra mile to create “behind the scenes” footage for those animated features!
Oh, I love the extras, especially the deleted scenes. I’m always wondering why they leave such a great scene out that usually adds a special something to the film.
Love the cover of your book, btw! Gorgeous.
Mary,www.authormaryc.com
You are a delight! Just for the record, I too look at the extras when I watch a movie. Love getting an ‘inside’ look. Always interesting as are you and your creative genius in your writing. Have a great summer and stay cool.
Hello. I do watch the extras. Like on the harry Potter Movies and also Twilight series. I don’t watch them 1st though unless I am waiting on one of my kids to start the actual movie. I don’t watch the movies and have the comontary going at the same time that drives me nuts but i like the extras!!!
brandyzbooks@yahoo.com
The winner of ‘Boyfriend in a Bottle’ is Andrea I as selected by random.org (and not counting my post)
7 Timestamp: 2010-07-25 05:02:43 UTC
Please email me at shona(at)shonahusk(dot)com.
Thanks!