Taking good from bad

My husband and I watched a film yesterday evening that did nothing for me at all. I kept waiting for the reveal and when it faded into the final scene I was relieved that it was over. Had I been watching it on my own I would have given up on it forty-five minutes in, but as my husband was enjoying the visual effects I saw it through to the end.

Did I waste my time? Could I have used the time to write a short story instead? I’ve been reflecting on this and have decided it wasn’t time wasted and yes I could have used the time for something else, but looking at this as a visual book I learnt quite a lot from it. Or perhaps didn’t learn new things, but it emphasised the writing issues we have discussed in workshops, on forums and been advised about by experienced tutors.

Firstly, there was no real story line. The scenes did not connect well, it was if they were written in isolation and then thrown in without having a purpose. No “killing my darlings” for this writer.

The main protagonist didn’t change. Or rather the opening scene/chapter led to a change in his perception on life, but there was no growth thereafter for him.

Supporting characters did not offer any value for their existence. They did not move the story forward, they were a distraction and were not needed. It pulled the viewer/reader out of the moment to wonder what their role was. Other than to give well known actors a presumably well paid role, they added no depth to the story.

The love interest was two dimensional. Her back story was revealed with no finesse and no drama. It should have been a moment that caught the viewer/reader’s emotions, particularly when she died towards the end of the film. No, it was a “Saw that coming and actually so what?” moment instead which is unsatisfactory and I felt no empathy or sorrow for her character.

The dialogue was poorly written. It did not move the story forward; it was not believable. Part of the premise was a senior FBI agent going out on a limb for a student FBI that he believed in. I didn’t believe that he believed — their interactions were flat and uninteresting. If a man was putting a long career on the line for a rookie, we should be on edge for him and seeing what he saw to make him take that stance. We should believe in the rookie right alongside him but the words put in their mouths did not make this happen.

Both the protagonist and the antagonist were poorly shaped and were far too understanding of each other’s perspective. Without the clash of wills or challenges but a respect from the outset there was no growth for either of them and no real conclusion at the end.

As writers we give life to characters to tell a good story and however we do this whether a novel, short story, screen plays, theatre or radio scripts we are responsible for everything our characters do or say. We owe it to them to provide a decent story and awesome dialogue. Our readers should care what happens to them, laugh when they laugh, cry when they cry, bleed when they bleed.

Obviously a film maker has the advantage of making the scenes come alive and we had mountains, caves, air displays, surfing, snow boarding, motorbike chases, death defying leaps that far outshone the story arc itself. I wonder how the author described the scenes. On the other hand, I think perhaps it is better that I never know.

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