Cargo Cult Filmmaking

To quote the opening of the Wikipedia article on Cargo Cults:

A cargo cult is a type of religious practice that may appear in tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced, non-native cultures. The cults are focused on obtaining the material wealth of the advanced culture through magical thinking, religious rituals and practices, believing that the wealth was intended for them by their deities and ancestors ... Members, leaders, and prophets of cargo cults maintain that the manufactured goods ("cargo") of the non-native culture have been created by spiritual means, such as through their deities and ancestors, and are intended for the local indigenous people, but that, unfairly, the foreigners have gained control of these objects through attraction of these material goods to themselves by malice or mistake.

The result is the instigation of rituals and rites to bring the cargo to them, invoking the magic that will see them rewarded with the cargo from the sky.

Which made me think of Hollywood and, to a slightly lesser extent, other Film/TV organisations and conglomerates. (Actually mega-corporations as well but that's not my focus.)

Talent-less executives using the magical rituals of the "screenwriting gurus" that they perceive as the magical formulas for success in their desperation to create the blockbuster that will make them.

The magic must work because it has worked is the thinking.

The fact that these so-called formulae only work if backed by actual writing talent passes them by, just like any ignorant savage. Woebetide (and a thousand curses upon) anyone who suggests that a good story with good characters is what you actually need.

A simple concept, a horrible result. Let the sacrificing of human hearts begin.

Addendum: And, of course, the more they fail, the stronger they adhere to the rituals - they must have done some bit of it wrong, must stick even more strenuously to the prescribed rules. If it didn't work it can't be the ritual that was wrong...

I can't claim complete originality for this concept, I read this article today and realised that it applies particularly to Hollywood and other TV/Film establishments.

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What's on the turntable? Nuffink, I'm at work

Cheshire cats

I'm grinning from ear to ear. I hope my jaw doesn't fall off.

And then my kettle exploded. All the lights went out. Using my mobile as a torch I unplugged the kettle and reset the fuses. Phew.

I've had feedback from my other main script reader, Dave Bull, about my "Air" script. Modesty forbids me to quote everything he said in his opening remarks but the word "Wow!" (with the exclamation mark) came into it. Mind you, modesty didn't stop me from boring my wife with it over the phone.

However he did have some script-readery things to say, and he was right. He noted that the tone of the main character, and thence the script, changed significantly at one clearly definable point. Which is a bad thing.

But still, I was pleased because he did say a lot of nice things.

I did get three full pages of Monsters OGN (see I'm calling it that now) written yester-eve, and popped it over to the illustrator. It's really interesting how it all works out - the things that I'm including in the OGN but left out of the TV script, and vice versa. Now, we wait.

Do you think you want to write for Hollywood? I thought I might, but I think I've changed my mind - no, I have definitely changed my mind. Why? (You may ask, and if not, why not?)

Why?

Because of this posting and then this one. And I am unwilling to be crapped on like that. From my reading of Bill Martell's blog I knew that this sort of thing went on, but these two guys are even higher up the tree than Bill.

Then again, it's not that I've completely changed my mind - it's a case of ensuring that when you do write for Hollywood you're in a sufficiently powerful position that this does not happen to you.

Funnily enough there is a book which would make a cracking SF blockbuster. It's written by one of the absolute masters of SF, yet the book is available, I almost optioned it a couple of years ago. Good thing I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to write a decent script then.

One day.

I'm going to do some work on Unit X. Right now. Honest.

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What's on the turntable? "Leon's Room" by Vangelis from "Bladerunner CD2"