Television Tuesday – Stepping back in time!

Television

This week saw a flashback to the past with a special anniversary show from TFI Friday for those who have never seen this here is a clip (it is a little long but five minutes should give you a taste of what the show was about)…

Back in the 90’s I watched this every week, it was a mixture of madcap fun and interviews and because of the laid back style people quite often gave away more than they meant to.  Not to mention they also had some amazing bands playing live.  I deliberately showed a clip from the original series rather than the one off simply so anyone who wants the chance to see it can find it on 4OD.

What I take from this in terms of writing is the importance of acknowledging the passing of time if you want to return to something you did previously.  You cannot write a story set in the now publish it wait ten years to write the next instalment without explaining the missing time, of course for works set in other time periods this is not an issue but if you want the reader to believe the events are happening in their own time frame then it must be explained.

Film

The film for this week was the Kingmen lets start with the trailer…

I loved this film, first just look at the cast list how could it be anything other than amazing but the characters they play are also brilliant. It was funny having just the right blend of humour along side action and a little gore but done in such a way that you smile as you squirm over it.  It is reminiscent of Bond before the franchise started taking its self so seriously and becoming action rather than a spy thriller.

My only concern for this film is the ending, I don’t want to spoil the film for those who have not seen it let us just say there is a high death count and I am not sure I would want to see a serial without some of the characters killed off however it is of course possible others could be brought in to fulfil the same role in the story but I hope the film studios leave this alone as a brilliant one off.

In terms of what can be taken forward to writing I think it is that sometimes it requires confidence to do what is best for the story as a whole rather than just create a show case for your favourite characters, I know writing the novel I struggled at killing off a certain person in the book earlier than I had originally planned but it was what was right for the book.

Youtube

I am a bit of a geek, okay if you have been following me long enough then you know that but this is a new RPG from Wil Wheaton this is episode zero which introduces the characters and the backstory…

I don’t have to explain to you where this relates to writing because in many ways it this the exact same process as writing a story and reminds me very much of books I read as a teen where the story gave you options and depending which you picked you turned to a different page.  The one thing however this does do is make you consider the options for your creativity and ways in which you can diversify from the straight novel format if you can team with others who can complement your own visions.

 

Anyway that’s it for this week as I am busy writing and getting very excited.