How to Tell a Story

State of Play - BBC miniseries - 2003My husband and I were thoroughly engrossed by the five-part BBC miniseries version of State of Play that we watched this weekend. (Disclaimer: I thought I’d picked up the Hollywood-movie version, and will be watching it next weekend.)

But getting back to the BBC miniseries…

This is an excellent example of how to tell a story. The writers ease you into the story, letting you get to know the characters and come to care for them while gradually turning up the heat. And then there’s the matter of “the stakes.” Initially, the stakes are low – the reporters want a story. But as the story progresses, the stakes also increase from personal challenges to serious physical jeopardy. And then, just at the point where you’re beginning to wonder how long they can sustain the original threat, they raise the stakes yet again, in much the same way that a musician might change key. But even then, the movie isn’t overloaded with action sequences and fluffy filler. Instead, the scriptwritrs gave us a real treat: characters who actually talk to each other – crisp, real dialogue, that keeps you glued to your seat for the duration of the series.

I think it’s the dialogue that is actually my favorite part of the entire show. When the characters are talking to each other, you actually believe the conversations – they don’t come off as scripted or artificial, the way so many other movie conversations feel.

And there’s one scene, where Ann (in the foreground) is finally letting herself react to the day’s events, while Cal (in the background) is talking just like a normal person would, that is a brilliant piece of both dialogue and cinematography.

If you’re tired of the usual roller-coaster action-adventure ride, that leaves you breathless but wondering what the big deal was, give State of Play a chance. The storytellers – and the creative team that produced the film – really knew how to tell a story.

Castle – mini-series style

Yes, I admit it – I’m not a fan of most television series. It’s not that there aren’t some good series’ out there – it’s that I don’t like the whole “being held hostage to the television” thing.

Castle&BeckettBut I will pick up the season DVDs of a series that I’m following or that has been recommended to me and watch it mini-series style. Which is what we’re doing with Castle, Season 3 (yes, I know, we’re behind, but I don’t care). I’m loving it! The writers and actors have really hit their stride, and the stories have a delightful number of twists and turns, and even when I can guess “whodunit” before Beckett & Castle, I don’t mind because I’m enjoying the ride so much.

Yup. As both a writer and a viewer, I’m definitely a fan.

A bit of fun

My husband and I randomly happened to pick up “Wild Target” from Blockbuster yesterday – not sure why (the cover image caught my attention, the blurb hooked me…sound familiar?)

The movie is based on the 1993 French film Cible Emouvante (which I’d never heard of before, and, not being fluent in French, will probably never see). It’s about an assassin (Bill Nighy) with a problem: He didn’t kill his target (Emily Blunt) quickly enough, and now he’s not so sure he wants to – although there are times when she pushes him almost to the edge in spite of himself. Toss in an accidental apprentice assassin (Rupert Grint), a bad guy with the worst taste in thugs, and an aging mother who has lovingly scrapbooked all of the assassin’s kills, and the movie could have very easily gone over the top into ridiculousness at many points along the way.

But it didn’t.

The DVD cover blurb bills the film as “…a dangerous comedy…” and while the action is not intense and the suspense low-key, the humor is in a dry, British style that is perfectly timed. The dialog is sharp and crisp, and even when you know what’s going to happen next, you don’t care, because you’re so engaged with *how* they do it.

I don’t recommend movies often, but this was well-written and great fun. If this were a review site, I’d give it five stars. Enjoy!

Wild Target
Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint
Honest Engine Films, 2010