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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Writers at the Movies


Which movies have influenced the way you approach storytelling in prose fiction, and specifically how have they influenced your work?

Brant Fowler: Thinking specifically of comic writing, the films are paced and cut tend to inspire me, and sometimes spark ideas for stories of my own. Thinking of cinematic imagery, the movie Drive really stood out to me as there was no wasted scene, and every aspect of the film felt driven (no pun intended) by graphic storytelling, which relates so well to the comics medium.

Bill Craig: All of the old Bond Movies, and the Lethal Weapon movies, and of course all of Bruce Lee's movies.

Amanda Niehaus-Hard: The movie Adaptation provided a pretty good lesson for me, if only on what "story" and "plot" actually means. Robert McKee's quote is incredible, NSFW but incredible.

What is the power of film that it can influence even the written word? Does it have something to do with the axiom that "books are movies in your head" or is it deeper than that?

Bill Craig: If you can visualize while you are writting, that will carry over to the reader and allow them to "see" the action in their heads as well while they read.

Brant Fowler: Going beyond that, even, certain films are so rich in the backgrounds and settings that they influence that part of your writing. I've always been drawn to fantasy, and most actually come from books to begin with. Neverending Story, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Princess Bride... all these world's are so rich and detailed that I sometimes find myself breaking them down into descriptive writing. I guess in a way I'm being influenced by the source material, but it takes  that visual element at times to ignite a new perspective that ultimately feeds my own creativity.

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