Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Question: Should you Use the News to Narrate?
While watching Stephen Moffat’s first Doctor Who finale the second time round, I noticed one of many differences between him and Russell T Davies’ writing. This was the first series finale for ages which didn’t feature real-life BBC journalists describing the way that the world was now being devastated by Daleks or Cybermen etc. Even without this device, there was no sense that the world wasn’t in peril so I was left wondering…not only, ‘is it okay’ to use the news in storytelling, but do we ever actually need to?
It clearly breaks the ‘show – don’t tell’ rule so could just be labelled as lazy writing. But in his book ‘Save the Cat!’, Blake Snyder described how Stephen Spielberg considers it just plain bad writing: As he explains, in ET – The Extra-terrestrial, if he’d shown the news breaking worldwide of proof of alien existence, this becomes the planet’s population dealing with this news – a very different story to an isolated boy helping his alien friend get home. There are plenty of journalists in ET – but we don’t follow them, the focus stays on Elliott.
But then I can’t help of thinking of examples I really like of the press covering all angles of particular events. Shaun of the Dead (a script I am increasing impressed with the more and more I look at it!) not only has the Doctor Who-style cameos of real news presenters (and Vernon Kay) but also plays it for laughs by channel-hopping through them to conjoin sentences in funny ways. Crucially, it also clearly shows that the main characters are the ones watching the news – not just us. Too often I think this device is used to dump exposition on the audience – but is it okay to use the news if we are learning stuff alongside the characters?
I can’t not mention a glaring example from my favourite film either. The above cameo-heavy montage shows the rise and rise of the Ghostbusters as heralded by the media. But is the difference that the news actually features our main characters, showing them ‘growing up’? I think it’s interesting to note that this sequence is the only moment of media coverage in the film. When the Ghostbusters take on Dana Barrett’s building at the film’s big battle, the events are not relayed to us by journalists (unlike the dismal ‘narrated’ climax to Spider-man 3) the audience is instead put there right in the crowd, cheering on our heroes!
We see it often enough, but how often is news-narration the most-effective method of storytelling? Is it okay when the characters are learning stuff alongside the audience? Is it okay when our protagonists are themselves the news? Is it lazy writing? Or just a quick and efficient way to get through vital exposition? When is it okay to ‘use the news’?
July 6th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Mike Ritchie said:
You’ve raised some interesting points regarding news broadcasts in a narrative and the effect on the audience.
I think it’s fine to use news broadcasts whenever you like, but it’s important to be aware of the influence they have on your story world.
It does seem that they take an audience away from the main character’s life and put it in a wider context, which can be quite a cool thing to explore. But equally it’s the sort of thing that could sap the magic from a nice intimate sequence.
A person’s story can be both the most important and least important thing in the world, depending on the context and scale in which one views the world. Using news broadcasts, or not, will help you position your audience on that scale, hopefully to great dramatic effect!
July 6th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
john said:
Am not sure I quite agree with (or maybe understand) that last part, Mike - I’d say that the character’s or characters’ story should be the ONLY important thing in the world. Everything should be shaping the character’s journey.
While it’s interesting to explore other facets of the story world (ie - through other characters) unless this ultimately affects your main character(s), you’ve got yourself a deleted scene in the making. If it ain’t about the character - it ain’t about the story!
But yeah, I definitely agree that news broadcasts can be used well. Since posting, I’ve remembered another Ivan Reitman film ‘DAVE’ starring Kevin Kline. Again, that’s another news cameo-heavy newsfest but I think the public/political world’s *perception* of Dave playing president *IS* a vital part of the story. What they’re saying about him lets us know whether he’s winning or losing. So again, maybe that’s being the subject of the news that ensures it’s vital in the plot!
Cheers for the comment!
July 6th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Mike Ritchie said:
Hey no worries, it’s always good to read a fellow blogger’s musings!
That last part was more referencing life in general, rather than a screenplay. The idea that a person and their story can be both the most important thing in the world (for example, to their mother) and the least important thing in the world (for example, to the big bang, to whom our existence is a mere drop in a vast ocean) and everything in-between.
Reigning my rambled philosophy in a bit: It made me think about how the use of news reports, or not, let’s you focus on the story on your character or put them a bit more in the context of the outside world. Neither approach is fundamentally right or wrong, just something to think about when putting together a narrative.
Hope that makes more sense. Either way, it’s gotten the old brain juices flowing!