Do you find it harder to turn a movie off in the first five minutes than it is to shut a book in the opening pages? Movies have an edge over books because they engage our senses. We can see and hear the movie taking place. We can watch the characters speak and pick up clues about their body language. We don't need to be told the film is set in present day New York City because the information blares at us through the screen.
Also, movies have opening credits to gently, or not so gently, draw us in. Filmmakers can get away with sweeping panoramas of the countryside with little or no action happening. Or maybe the main character walks to work during the opening credits. He doesn't even have to talk, and we learn things about him through his clothing, the way he walks, the expression on his face, and how he interacts with those around him.
The tone of the movie can be shown through music, color, landscape, and character action--all without the character uttering a single word.
Authors cannot devote five minutes, or the equivalent of several pages, on a sweeping landscape or a character walking to work without any dialogue or thought. Readers need to be plunged into the story immediately, on page one, or they might not read further. Writers need to insert enough sensory details into the opening page to let the reader draw his own visual picture without overwhelming the scene.
While we all read different messages in movies, we physically see and hear the same images as every other movie goer. Books allow readers to create their own vision of the characters, the setting, and the soundtrack, and I believe books offer a personal freedom to readers, a way to tap into their imaginations in ways movies cannot.
I love movies and books, but each offers a unique sensory experience. Authors can emulate some techniques from films such as snappy dialogue, great pace, taut tension, and a general lack of unnecessary scenes. Also, it's good practice to analyze the story arcs in movies.
When you watch a movie and think it's terrific, spend time considering why. If at all possible, brainstorm ways to incorporate these reasons into your writing.
Do you enjoy movies? What type of movie do you love the best?
Join me on Wednesday when I'll share the beginning of my writing journey.
Love movies, Westerns, action/adventure, sci-fi, psychological thriller (a la Hitchcock), horror though not gratuitous blood esp. love the old horror movies of Bela Lugosi, Lon Cheney, Boris Karloff,movies about submarines
ReplyDeleteI love movies because they transport me from reality. That's what I want a book to do for me right away:)
ReplyDeleteI'm a romantic comedy movie lover. Romance and comedy is like peanut butter and chocolate to me!
ReplyDeleteI have found that we live in a time and place where we expect instant gratification. We want a movie to carry us into a fantasy world for two hours, and many expect a book to capture us in the first ten minutes of reading time. Right or wrong, that is reality, which is why writers must capture the readers attention with those senses very early in the beginning. A lot easier said than done, right?
ReplyDeleteI love movies. Often that's how Steve and I will spend our weekend evening...settled in, watching a movie.
ReplyDeleteAnd my tastes happen to be similar to my tastes in books. I'll watch and read just about anything.
I think I prefer dramas with a powerful message/theme.
~ Wendy
I do like movies that tend be close at revealing 'real' life. This weekend I watched 'Up in the Air' and, although George Clooney has not flown in any airplane I've been in, the story seemed very real to me--especially the ending. I also watched "Up" and liked the symbolism, a valuable tool in the written story. Like books there are many genres of movies, thankfully!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy old movies like "Little Shop Around the Corner" and "You Can't Take it With You". Have some new favorites too, like "Fireproof" and the newer "Pride and Prejudice". Will always love to curl up with a good book, though, too.
ReplyDeleteBlessings for a good week,
Karen
I'm actually a weirdo because I'm about as big on turning off a movie in the first 5 as I am on closing a book on the first chapter. I'm probably just finicky with my time ...
ReplyDeleteMovies I rarely shut off include historical epics like THe Gladiator or action flicks like Ironman. I'm terrible at shutting off chick flicks - the last one that bored me to tears for the first 20 (yes, I gave it 20 min) was Ghosts of Girlfriends Past)
I adore a good romantic comedy! There's something so wonderful about laughter. Not too many really solid ones out there these days that aren't full of icky stuff though :(
ReplyDeleteI love a good "chick flick." Maybe, that's why I write romance.
ReplyDeleteI have often thought about this exact thing. The visual given compared to the visual to be created.
ReplyDeleteI love your post on this - you nailed it when it comes to how a movie can quickly immerse you while sometimes it may take the written word a few pages to get you there. Either way both mediums can be just as fascinating as the other.
Personally - I LOVE movies. We go (no joke - I don't have kids) 3 times a week to the theater, sometimes seeing multiple films in one day. Right now there are only 2 movies I have not seen that are in theaters.
I love the idea of a character visual and I love for my senses to react during the experience. Yet even when I see a movie that is a book adaptation it does not compare to my reading experience. Now that does not mean that the actors were bad, the script without merit or the setting terrible. Its just I like what my minds' eye saw perhaps just a little bit more than what the Director's did... ;o)
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Great post! I'm drawn to different types of movies & books. and don't usually stick with 1 genre these days. I generally love a book more because I can picture things in my own way. Sometimes a book cover can speak volumes too, although not as much as movie openings. I think my favorite part of a movie is the music that fits so perfectly. I wish it was easy to incorporate that into a book. lol
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I took a workshop with screen writer Blake Snyder. He wrote Save The Cat. It really helped me to watch movies with an analytic-eye. Thanks, Jill!
ReplyDeleteGreat food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI do love movies. I'm a sucker for romances. Love, love, love a good romance!
Movies may resist better the very beginning, but books will resist better : if I went past the first say 50p I will most likely go till the end or till I found my own end. Movies could very well be off after 10-20 minutes esp on TV, yes to go to substance or lack of. Movies also have a harder time with suspension of disbelief,if they are not credible.In books your own imagination is partially responsible for the world and vision of it.
ReplyDeleteJC
You make a great point. My hubby and I watched a movie the other night and I remember saying to him (about five minutes into the movie) that the opening hook really drew me in and that's exactly how people needed to do it in a book.
ReplyDeleteI definitely need use the senses more when writing and draw the reader in quicker.
It's encouraging to know that I'm not the only person who compares the two mediums.
ReplyDeleteTo say that I love movies is an understatement. I love all kinds, though I generally will not re-watch dramas. I get some good inspiration from my DVDs :)
Hi Jill -
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big movie person. A movie demands you watch the whole thing in one sitting. I can read a chapter or two from a book and then put it down (most times).
Books engage me in ways a movie cannot. As I read, I enter the story. It's a rare movie that can transport me into the story world to such a degree.
Blessings,
Susan
I love reading more than watching movies, but it's always nice watching a great movie with a bowl of popcorn. My hubby and I recently signed up for Netflix and we're having fun adding all kinds of movies to our queue! I'd definitely choose reading over watching movies, though. Reading is more stimulating for me.
ReplyDeleteFascinating responses. It doesn't surprise me that most of us love movies as well as books. I've really enjoyed learning about your movie preferences!
ReplyDeleteFunny, yesterday I had a terrible migraine and couldn't even check my blog (the horror!), but I watched a movie on IFC--"Beyond the Sea" about Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. It made me want to learn more about the couple. I love when a movie piques my curiousity.
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It is much easier to put a book down than to quit a movie. My husband is a clicker. I can get the gist of something good very quickly and then he clicks. That is very frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI love movies where it is good all the way through, not just at the big finale. Love My Big Fat Greek Wedding and '61. Also love an old movie called My Man Godfrey. It's just stupid fun.
I guess this is like saying a picture is worth a thousand words. ;)
ReplyDeleteMovies can capture a reader with a thirty second clip it would take a writer pages to complete, so yes, they have the upper hand.
That said, I love movies, especially if I can watch them with my family. :)
I enjoy watching movies, romances and romantic comedies being my favorites. I'm excited because Netflix just informed me that The Young Victoria will be in our post office box tomorrow. I write historicals set in the Victorian era and love tales of the real life romance of the young queen and her beloved prince, a couple whose love story has become legendary.
ReplyDeleteI'll gladly wait for the "real" story to begin in a movie whereas an author of a novel has to capture my attention in a few pages. I think my consideration is that I'm going to spend 90 minutes-two hours watching a movie, whereas I'll spend several hours reading a book. In order to make the investment of time a book takes, I have to believe the author knows how to deliver a satisfying read. A slow start doesn't convince me.
I'm not a big movie person. Ack! I hate admitting that. I watch rom com's with my daughter and some movies with the boys and my husband but not too often. I did recently see Alice in the theatre and that was a blast.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think a really good book engages you more than a movie, but at the same time, it's much harder to get you into a book within the first few pages. It takes me a while, even if it's a really awesome, really mind-blowing book, it's still a few chapters in before I truly get lost in it.
ReplyDeleteNot to say I don't love movies, because I am a big movie-watcher.
I love movies and I love books, but it's a little like comparing apples to oranges. Sometimes when I'm watching movies I'll be multitasking. Checking e-mail on my phone, reading blogs, etc. But when I'm reading I'm completely devoted to the words on the page.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it is harder to hook someone with a book. Authors have quite a challenge with those opening pages. I will usually give the book a hundred pages or so until I completely give up and even then, I'll only put it down if it's really wretched.
Ooh, more interesting tidbits! This is fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said. Books and movies are very different things, each with their set of strengths and weaknesses.
ReplyDeleteI love analyzing story arcs in movies! That said, I'm not really a movie person. I like finding new worlds through words rather than images. My favorite movies are like my favorite books: they say something. :)
I love movies that can take me back in time!
ReplyDeleteI rarely watch movies, Jill, because we don't have a TV, and watching them on my laptop isn't as fun. But when we go to the theaters, I don't chose to watch movies based on books I've read because I end up disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI like movie beginnings, but I loooove book beginnings. Maybe that's because they have to be so much better. One of my favorite beginnings was Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Since then I've tried to copy Adams' style in a few works of fiction...
ReplyDeleteThis post outlines all the reasons I am envious of script writers more and more. It *seems* they have so much less they need to convey, allowing the rest of the film (what the viewer can see/hear) to fill in their blank spots, where a writer doesn't have any such fail safe.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. I'm glad I'm not the only one who looks at it this way!