The Anthony De Mello parable is reminiscent of the story of Jesus's disciples who were squabbling for a place of honor in heaven. Even Mama got involved. We each have a calling we easily forget if we get caught up in the thorns and thistles of life.
If you ever wondered what the seminal moment was for Coach Petersen and why he walked away from Husky football when he did.....now you know https://t.co/YyfZk0wxVK
— Brock Huard (@BrockHuard) April 23, 2021
I enjoy movie trailers to the point that I'm upset when I don't get to the theater in time for the trailers at the start. This Army of the Dead trailer is the best one I've seen and is entertaining in its own right.
More than other trailers, Zack Snyder seems to have clearly communicated the story into the few minutes of the trailer so viewers know what to expect: Ocean's 11 meets I am Legend. The narrative seems to be this:
An article in my news feed described the possibility of a first-time official water shortage declaration for the western US. That's because "man-made lakes that store water supplying millions of people in the U.S. West and Mexico are projected to shrink to historic lows in the coming months."
Main point: This risk comes as "less snowpack flows into the river and its tributaries, and hotter temperatures parch soil and cause more river water to evaporate as it streams through the drought-plagued American West."
More about it:
Takeaways:
Heard at a session with Marc Bernardin, Naren Shankar, and Emily Carmichael about building worlds in action, sci-fi, and fantasy at the ScreenCraft Writers Summit 2021:
How does world affect your story? World should have a connection/impact on your story. However, stories don’t always hinge on the kind of world.
Show audiences a new side of your world they hadn't seen before to make it more real.
Know your audience is expecting certain things: give them those things or subvert those things.
Don't be surprised when others introduce changes to what you created. Must be open to it.
Limitations, e.g., budget, drive you to new and interesting places.
Can standard story types from different genres work in other genres?
With well-done worlds, you feel like there are histories. Examples:
Generally can adapt the story types to different genres.
Horror is most rule bound genre. The horror must be very consistent. Example: characters may think horror is different things, but it must be the same. Example: shapeshifters appear different to different people but is always the same horror.
Make the setting seem very familiar to get max effect of horror, fantasy, etc.
Factoring equity issues. Think through the issues to make sure they work in the story.
Look at even small things like toilet paper that have impact because of scarcity.
Can action, sci-fi, and fantasy worlds inspire real world outcomes? Heard at a session with Marc Bernardin, Naren Shankar, and Emily Carmichael about building worlds at the ScreenCraft Writers Summit 2021:
Build on earlier stories because it's hard to come up with something unique.
Stephen King said about keeping in touch with the real world: Writers must be readers.
Make sure you have something to say for that world. Must do the deep thinking to make it work.
How do screenwriters create characters for action, sci-fi, and fantasy worlds? Heard at a session with Marc Bernardin, Naren Shankar, and Emily Carmichael about building worlds at the ScreenCraft Writers Summit 2021:
Game of Thrones is fantasy world but never makes the fantasy elements too derivative.
The Expanse characters reflected a blend of the historical War of Roses and Lord of the Rings.
Character is important on TV. Serial nature of TV shows character development.
Start with emotional events like climax, and then go to character after thinking through emotional underlayers.
It's not a show until you start talking about people. World is only important based on what character can see, so don't go overboard with setting.
How do screenwriters create rule structures for action, sci-fi, and fantasy worlds? Heard at a session with Marc Bernardin, Naren Shankar, and Emily Carmichael about building worlds at the ScreenCraft Writers Summit 2021:
Magic can seem like arbitrary solutions all the time. Don't let it feel arbitrary.
Science-based stories feel more real.
Likes zombies and vampires because rules seem more simple, consistent, and believable.
Thinks of X-Men as a magic system. There's always a cost to the powers they have. Need to include cost of having the powers.
Characters should have emotional response to situations.
Magic doesn’t make anyone's life easier.
Magic is like literature and has properties of literature. Not everyone can write a great spell just like not everyone can write great literature.
People like Harry Potter because of the emotional threads. Hogwarts is more like reform school where kids haven't gotten it right.