When Science Fiction Becomes Reality
by Jaden
An article in the LA Times that I read a couple months back had me a little worried about planet annihilation. “The end of the world as we know it; Europe’s atom-smasher may solve cosmic enigmas, reveal new dimensions — oh, and open a black hole,” was the title, written by John Johnson Jr.
I was going to write a post about it at the time, but instead of freaking everyone out, I decided to wait past the June 2008 launch date and see if we were actually all going to quietly vanish in a flash or not.
Maybe in some alter plane, we all died, but in this reality, we survived.
There’s this thing called the Hadron Collider that was some 20 odd years in the making by thousands of physicists; it resides deep under some cute little French and Swiss towns in a train-sized circular tunnel that span 17 miles. The concept is: Hey let’s shoot these subatomic particles at each other and recreate the big bang theory. Temperatures during experiments are hotter than the sun’s core and countered by temperatures colder than in outer space. Possible outcomes: black holes and time travel!
It’s a true story grandma would never believe. Grandma still can’t get over how long-distance calling is free.
NEWS FLASH:
While writing this article, I researched the date again, and the proton beams have not been shot. No wonder we’re still here! The experiment has been pushed back a few more months.
Oh, and by the way, it’s just a “micro black hole,” just a wee little thing, nothing about which to worry — except that black holes work by sucking in everything around them which makes them bigger and stronger (ie. smaller and more compact), which enables them to suck in more faster, including light — but this is all just theory — theory that will be put to the test.
Still sitting on my unpublished post, I see Yahoo! placed this story front page, “Scientists: Nothing to fear from atom-smasher.”
There are a lot of articles debunking fears and little in the way of challenging possible outcomes, uh, like the one wherein we all diiiiiiiieeeeee!
See, this is why things have to remain top secret, otherwise mass logic could get in the way scientific advancement.
The U.S. also had a cosmic plasma experiment under way, but supposedly abandoned it over a decade ago due to the billions of dollars in costs.
Researching further into the world’s scientific experiments, I found all kinds of fantastic ideas being tested by various nations around the world, the labs for which lurk deep under the earth’s crust.
Lots of projects are public knowledge, so just think about the ones that are not!
With the Internet, all this spy technology, big government, and massive science exploration, so much about what writers like Jules Verne, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, H.G. Wells, Carl Sagan, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and Philip K. Dick have written is no longer fiction, it is our reality.
What came first — the fiction story or the future reality?
Should writers worry about what ideas they bring into the world?
Or are science fiction writers seers and prophets who channel the future?
Sunday Picture Post 17 / Style
photo credit: Kevin Goebel
For The Sunday Picture Post, we are going to flip upside-down the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Thousands of words are great if you are writing a novel, but if you are writing a screenplay, you need to do the opposite and be as concise as possible.
Each Sunday I will post a picture. For your screenwriting practice in brevity, in the comments section, please post one or all of the following:
- A title for this movie
- 1 word describing the theme, mood, or scene
- 1 sentence to describe the scene
- A pitch to sell the entire movie
The more colorful and creative you are, the better! Use any genre.
A good screenwriter is laconic, using a few words to say a lot.
SCREENWRITING TIP OF THE DAY: STYLE
A good way to stand out from the pack is by having your own recognizable writing style.
Your writing should feel natural, honest, and comfortable to you, not forced or contrived.
Try to come up something different that has not been done and do it in all of your scripts.
Example: An enormously wealthy and successful screenwriter I know made his mark 30 years ago by writing scripts in a conversational way, as if he was talking to the reader.
Cultivate your unique writing voice.
Indiana Jones Didn’t Change, We Did
by Jaden
After reading many negative reviews from Rolling Stone magazine to online blogs, out of fidelity to a film series I love, I dragged myself to the theater to watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Despite having a head full of bad reviews, I felt the script was well-written. It made me laugh, grabbed my attention, and even surprised me with its bizarre ET ending.
New York Times reviewer Manohla Dargis said, it is a “drearily familiar party.”
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, “Everything looks raided from the lost ark of the three previous Indy hits.”
Sometimes I can’t help myself from jumping on the hater bandwagon, I’ll admit, but in this case, people are not giving credit where credit is due.
If a modernized Indiana Jones did not hark back to its original spirit, everyone would complain that it is estranged and nothing like the preceding series.
Is it better to stay true to the original or to do something in suite of the current market?
Crystal Skull is exactly in line with the previous three movies, which, from a writing perspective, should be applauded, not criticized.
The expectations of film buffs for this movie were far too high for any person to fulfill, even persons with the last names Spielberg and Lucas.
Most of us were children when we saw the first Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark. The expectations and excitability of children differ markedly from adults. After making the transition to adulthood and seeing hundreds of films, our values, opinions, wants, and needs change.
Is it possible that reviewers are strongly biased with regards to this movie? Unimpressed with Crystal Skull because it did not give them the thrill they had as a child seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark?
In what way are the previous Indiana Jones movies better? I just watched them all last summer. The only difference I see is that Harrison Ford was younger.
Did I like Crystal Skull as much as I liked Raiders of the Lost Ark? No. But I am not a little kid anymore. I like different things now. Even though 20 years have changed me, I can still recognize without prejudice and personal expectations that Crystal Skull is a pretty good movie. Is it a new favorite of mine? Nope. Was there a poorly cast main character? Yep. Were some of the scenes stupid? Yeah. Did it feel true to what I know to be Indiana Jones? Yes!
The initial three Indiana Jones movies take place in the 1930s and then the Crystal Skull picks up in the 1950s. The film maintained its 1980s style throughout them all. The first, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which portrays the 1930s from a 1980s perspective, came out in 1981. The last, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, came out in 2008, yet still uses the 1980s looking glass.
What I see as the underlying disappointment is that critics did not like the choice to go with the 1980s clichéd style and mono-dimensional stereotypes. People wanted something mature that grew up with them. Normally, I would agree that this type of movie is no good.
For the sake of remaining true to a story and its original characters, Indiana Jones must receive a pardon.
Crystal Skull succeeds in capturing the true identity of the Indiana Jones series. In addition to staying true to itself, Crystal Skull is an entertaining blockbuster movie with a solid script, amazing stunts, excellent cinematography, and good acting. The negative press is the only overrated thing about this movie.
Considering the billions of dollars that the Indiana Jones series pulls in, I don’t think Lucas or Spielberg give a rats’ ass what we film nerds think.
As they say: Any press is good press!
Read more Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull reviews until your cubic zirconium cranium explodes!
P.S. Did anyone else happen to get Indiana Jones playing cards?
Sunday Picture Post 16 / Upkeep
photo credit: iowa_spirit_walker
For The Sunday Picture Post, we are going to flip upside-down the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Thousands of words are great if you are writing a novel, but if you are writing a screenplay, you need to do the opposite and be as concise as possible.
Each Sunday I will post a picture. For your screenwriting practice in brevity, in the comments section, please post one or all of the following:
- A title for this movie
- 1 word describing the theme, mood, or scene
- 1 sentence to describe the scene
- A pitch to sell the entire movie
The more colorful and creative you are, the better! Use any genre.
A good screenwriter is laconic, using a few words to say a lot.
SCREENWRITING TIP OF THE DAY: UPKEEP
For lawyers and doctors, it is mandatory by law and industry to continue learning, for which we are thankful because our lives occasionally depend on these people and what they know.
Writers also affect people’s lives greatly, yet screenwriters and novelists do not have anyone to say to them, “Learn and stay current on industry breakthroughs, or you will be disbarred!”
It is up to writers to educate and improve on their own or one day the public might disbar them by no longer buying their product.
If you neglect a house, it does not stay the same, it deteriorates.
What is popular and fabulously new will one day be old and tragically unhip.
Time and nature bury that which goes without maintenance.
Learn, be curious and open-minded; it will extend your career.
Who Wants To Be a Pro Blogger Anyway?
by Jaden
photo credit: icanteachyouhowtodoit
Many sites are dedicated to instructing people how to be a professional blogger, filling cubicle workers with dreams of four-hour work days, no bosses, and mailmen cramming money into the door slot.
From the better sites, I have learned good tips to improve my site and broaden my public appeal.
Eventually, the brain flat lines after reading so much advice.
Being too calculated can kill your je ne sais quoi. Spontaneity and taking risks make for exciting reading.
There are a few sites with a constant flow of entertaining and fresh material who don’t seem to give a crap about the professional blogger standards or marketing schemes.
Drum roll please…
In the blogging spirit of yore, these bloggers write whatever the heck they want, they have no flashy advertisements, no slick expensive programming, and they keep my belly trim with laughter.
Ingenious Title To Appear Here Later
Thank you for brightening my days with your wicked wit. True talent needs no costume for the role.
Internet writers ought not get so caught up in trying to look like the perfect blogger that they lose their unique identity and voice. Conformity is the death of creativity.
Unleash yourself and chase your tales.
