#But both films got rid of important side plots characters and relationships to play with some other things they invented

[longagoitwastuesday]

Unpopular opinion, but the new Persuasion isn't so bad compared to Emma 2020, which was also shitty.

[luvdetroit]

Hey! I 've just read the first chapter of the dbh series you wanted to start, and I really like the plot 🥺 Do you plan on continuing it? 👉🏻👈🏻

hey, sorry for the late reply! i actually do have it planned out a bit differently than i originally wrote it in the first chapter. i think this planned version is better than the one i posted. there are many other ideas that i have in my drafts, i just haven’t released them yet.

thank you for reading it! i'm happy you enjoyed it and i'm sorry for saying this but i think i'll just scrap this idea and go with my new one (VOW). it will be somewhat similar, just more complex? and hopefully interesting!

not sure if you are even interested in hearing about them but i’ll drop them here! maybe if you or anyone is interested, i will follow through with posting them (have been feeling very bad about my writing recently).

for anyone who does read my ideas, please do not steal! i really worked hard on thinking about these and would be really hurt if anyone took them. they aren’t super original or anything, but i still created them 😩

these are really roughly written so please don’t judge 🚶🏼‍♀️🚶🏼‍♀️

please do comment or send me a message in my inbox about which idea you like more, if i should do a specific one or all of them even! 💞💞💞

1. TITLE: VOW

pairings: various! x fem!reader

genre: meta (?), angst, fluff, etc

plot: metafiction. mc surfs the web to buy d:bh and finds a seller who is willing to sell the game for cheap (suspiciously). mc contacts the user and a deal has been made.

we will flesh out the seller later, he ain’t all that important rn. so mc gets the game after maybe two days? and in the packaging the seller wrote a letter to her, it is pretty cryptic. we can get into detail on the letter and stuff later.

so mc starts the game up right away because she is excited to play it. on her first play though everything is pretty normal. there are a few differences/odd occurrences but mc doesn’t bat an eye because it’s her first time playing so she wouldn’t know.

gradually as she plays, the characters (connor and markus) are more aware of them being in a game. (sense they are in the same series and are prototypes it only makes sense for them to be able to sync themselves/go beyond their coding).

connor and markus have broken the fourth wall/have become aware with other players. they grow a deep hatred for the player. sense they can’t throw their anger at the creators of the game, they can do so with the player.

at first, connor and markus only did minor things that didn’t really stand out to the player. when connor/markus breaks the fourth wall and directly talks about the player, the player thinks it’s apart of the game.

but when connor/markus mentions the player’s name that is when they freak out a bit, but assumes the characters got their names from their playstation.

it’s only when connor/markus states some personal stuff about them do they feel fear. (connor/markus can sync with the smart tv that also contains all their info).

connor/markus have tried to sync with the game/tv enough to transport the player in the game so the player can experience first hand what it’s like to live in their world. but their connection weakens each time the player resets. their memories are also wiped out.

over time connor/markus are able to retain their memories a lot faster but forget the previous players of the game. even if they don’t remember the previous players they still think of one goal. transport the player into their world, let them suffer, seeing first hand how THEY feel.

connor/markus will be slightly oc. they will have somewhat of a dark side.

i didn’t explain this in the summary bcus i’m dumb but the game can’t be destroyed (it’s like a possessed object). even if you throw it out or something it will still go back to you bcus you own it. the only way to get rid of it is selling it.

ik some wack logic but sjakwkw

sam is the seller of the game. (his username is GAMER BOY 69). the game is sold for $10 with free shipping and no tax.

mc: does this really only cost $10? why is this so cheap?

sam: i’m just being generous

sam: are you willing to buy it?

mc: can you show proof that you actually have it and it isn’t broken?

sam: sure, hold on a second

[sam sends a video of him filming the game packaging and saying his username (in a bit of embarrassment) and mc’s. he reassured her that it isn’t broken and works perfectly fine. he tells her he didn’t like the game so that’s why he’s selling it.]

sam’s letter is in a white envelope, his writing is slightly messy, almost jittery (from nerves). he feared he was being watched by, ‘them’ so he wrote cryptically.

sam’s note: i’m sorry i did this to you. i really am. i just didn’t have any other choice. don’t play the game, please.

2. TITLE: PARESTHESIA

pairings: various! x fem! reader

genre: dark au, cult au, angst, fluff, etc

plot: in this au kamski doesn’t publicly make androids n stuff

so amanda stern is still kamski’s mentor in this au

she, ‘disappears’ at some point and is listed as a missing person

kamski knows she isn’t gone though bcus she told him her plan

basically amanda is very manipulative and warped kamski’s young mind into thinking humans being lesser beings and that kamski can really create something even more superior, androids.

kamski and amanda are humans but they are excused because of them being intelligent and having that sort of mindset- humans being filth on this planet

instead of kamski making cyberlife public

he instead also disappears after a few years later (once he’s done w college)

it’s a gap between amanda and his disappearance to not completely draw suspicion

cyberlife is created in secret, hidden from the public

belief: humans are disgusting and should be replaced by something far superior, androids.

rules: only those who have the same mindset as kamski and amanda can join the cause and contribute. (so human co workers of amanda and such help gather material and thirium (blue blood) to create more androids in secret).

practices: a member has to willingly be able to sacrifice any body part kamski chooses to replace for an android part or partake in any experiment kamski may have. if not, they aren’t fully in the cause and should be ridden of.

kamski wants to take a oblivious civilian in for a secret test of his

he wants to test out how human his androids can be and if it can blend in with humans in normal day to day life.

so he releases one of his androids, connor (rk800) out into the world. his mission is to find a human he can initiate a relationship with. once he finds that human, he slowly grows a relationship with them over time- kamski is studying all of this through connor’s eyes.

kamski is amazed by this new discovery- his androids do blend in with humans well.

the last secret test for mc is connor telling her his true nature. (telling her he isn’t human, he’s an android). connor breaks this to mc at his, ‘house’ which is connected to their secret compound/underground base.

kamski wants to know how mc will react to this news because her actions depends on whether she’s just another piece of human scum or not. this will validate whether she can join their, ‘organization’ or not.

mc will be confused by connor’s sudden news at first. she won’t believe him until he pulls back his skin to show his porcelain interior.

she’ll be surprised then and question whether their relationship was all real or not.

connor reassures her that he does share her feelings. he admits that at first this was a mission but he truly does feel for her. he asks her if she still has feelings for him even after knowing he isn’t human and mc (after a bit of thinking) says that she does.

this makes connor happy as well as kamski bcus mc got through the test. this is the first android-human relationship too.

a few days pass just to really make sure mc doesn’t act any different and really is telling the truth about having feelings for connor still- when connor informs mc that his creator wants to meet her in person one day.

connor and mc go to his place and he leads her downstairs to his normal looking basement- and there is this really intricate hidden puzzle/door that opens to their underground compound.

connor leads mc to a room and meets kamski. kamski comments on mc- on how he was surprised that mc quickly took a liking to connor and how she still has feelings for connor even after finding out the truth. he’s impressed and approves of the relationship.

he tells her he hopes she keeps her word about this organization being a secret because he wouldn’t want anything bad happening to her so soon.

after that connor and mc go about their relationship like normal. although, connor has been experiencing these odd feelings lately. he’s also been oddly wanting to act out violently towards the most smallest things. like mc talking to someone else, smiling at someone else, touching someone else, even if it was platonic.

it didn’t sit right with him. he never voiced these new feelings to kamski though. he was too afraid kamski might tell him he has something wrong with his software. he doesn’t want kamski to call him defective and replace him for another connor. he doesn’t want to be seen as not good enough for mc.

connor doesn’t act on any of his thoughts. he doesn’t let his emotions control him.

after about two weeks kamski calls connor and tells him he wants him to meet someone (rk900) and that he should bring mc.

so connor visits the compound and meets kamski in a lounge area with mc. they both enter the room with kamski casually laying on a lush couch. a small smile is brought on his face when he noticed connor and mc’s presence. he greets them both and tells them that he’s happy they could make it.

connor opens his mouth, about to ask who the person kamski wants him to meet when rk900 walks in with two cups of tea + thirium in his hands.

rk900 places a tea down in front of kamski, the other tea and thirium on the opposite side of kamski’s before returning his attention to connor and mc. his eyes scrutinizing connor and mc.

kamski’s smile widens at connor’s reaction and stands up, clasping rk900’s shoulder with one hand. he prompts rk900 to introduce himself.

rk900 introduces himself somewhat stiffly in a monotone voice.

rk900: my name is conan.

it was short and to the point. he offers an open hand for a handshake.

connor looks over conan, completely ignoring the hand offered to him, then at kamski with all sorts of emotions. the main ones being confusion and fear. at this point connor is wondering if conan is going to replace him for a reason connor does not know.

kamski breaks the awkward silence/tension in the room.

kamski: “well, connor? aren’t you going to greet your brother?”

connor takes a few moments to process this information and absentmindedly inquires, “brother?” in a small voice. his brows furrow slightly and his gaze draws towards his look alike. from up close, conan looks exactly like connor with a few differences. he was slightly taller than connor and had cool greyish blue eyes. why would kamski decide to make me a brother? i didn’t ask for one.

kamski: “yes, brother. i just thought it might be lonely to live alone in that big house of yours so i have gifted you with your own brother.”

at this point connor is having a mental breakdown. kamski doesn’t do things without a logical reason. he’s not telling me the full truth.

connor finally breaks out of his thoughts, his eyes darting back to kamski and he nods shortly, ignoring conan’s still outstretched hand and his presence altogether.

connor: [in a stony voice] okay, is that all?

conan drops his hand.

the corners of kamski’s lips twitch, threatening to split into a menacing smirk at connor’s cold reaction. kamski clicks his tongue mockingly and sits back down, grabbing his tea.

kamski: “that’s not how you should treat your brother. [sighs] that will be all, but you have to teach conan how things work around here. that’s what a big brother should do, after all.”

connor bites back a disgruntled sigh of his own and settles for a slight frown.

connor: “why wasn’t he informed before meeting me? didn’t he go through the same test runs as me?”

it took everything in connor to not let his irritation show through his tone.

kamski pins connor with an annoyed glare, a small bit of amusement shining through.

kamski: “why are you testing my patience connor? are you not happy with my gift?”

kamski’s words were light mockery, with a dark undertone to them. connor knew better than to irritate his creator further. he bows his head slightly to him.

connor: “i apologize for causing you further inconvenience. i..am just surprised by the new addition, that’s all.”

kamski simply nods lazily. waving a hand, he tells them they are dismissed.

connor turns away from his creator and him to the exit with you following right beside him silently. he places his hand on the small of your back and presses you close to him possessively. the slight tapping of a pair of shoes follow behind connor and you. connor ignores it.

connor walks through the maze of hallways without pause, part of him hoping his, ‘brother’ would get lost and never return.

he knew better though. without even looking, he knew conan wasn’t even a step behind and it irritated connor to no end.

once the three enter the, ‘main area’ which was basically the center of the compound, connor turns around to face conan.

connor: [monotonously] “give me your hand, i’ll transfer the data so this all can be over with.”

connor outstretches his hand. part of him wants to pull it back because he doesn’t want to touch him.

conan looks at connor’s outstretched hand to connor’s face.

conan: “no, i can’t do that. kamski specifically told me to get the information from you the, ‘human’ way. he wishes for us to talk to each other like brothers.”

connor looks even more bewildered at that bit of information..why would kamski do this without his consent? this..has to be some sort of test. maybe conan is just playing the role as his brother to spy on him and catch him doing something that may incriminate him? does kamski know about his odd..’glitches’? did he make rk900 just to dispose of him and replace him?

no, he couldn’t have known..the cameras in his opticals were shut off weeks ago. so why was rk900 here? what is kamski getting at?

connor also took notice of how..machine like conan is. conan walks stiffly and has a rigid stance. in that sentence he brings up what kamski wants rather than his. he follows kamski’s orders as if they were law without question.

connor still has his hand in front of him and ignores what conan says

he’s like, “it would be easier if we just did this.” (he’s irritated and is insistent)

and conan refuses, again repeating, “we have to follow kamski’s orders.”

and connor taunts conan

he’s like, “can you not think for yourself? i thought you were supposed to be alive.”

at that, mc finally speaks, telling connor off, “that’s enough, connor. i think you should just follow what kamski says. conan is just as alive as you and needs some of your guidance.”

connor’s eyes slightly widen as well as conan’s. connor’s frown deepens at your words. you’re defending him. why? you should be on his side, not him.

conan still has a blank face but his eyes are now trained on mc, curiosity being one of the emotions flickering in his eyes.

connor notices conan looking at mc and narrows his eyes in disgust.

connor: fine..we can discuss everything at my place.

connor turns and places his hand back on mc’s lower back, pressing her as close to him and far from conan as possible.

conan follows on without question.

3. TITLE: DARK EXTERIOR

pairings: various! x fem! reader

genre: dark au, angst, fluff, etc

plot: the main plot is androids taking over and humans as pets

so mc is obviously gonna be a human, she is like in one of those sort of adoption places but it’s more like a buy your pet thing

and mc is gonna be 18 y/o because yes

- mc and her parents live in a house that is located in a rather secluded area in the woods

- when word gets out about androids dominating humans and turning them into slaves- mc’s parents decide to live underground. mc is 3 y/o during this time. (the father is an artist/architect, this was originally just a project for himself). years pass with them being undetected. (it was 2038 when androids dominated humans)

- 15 years passed without them being detected and mc is 18 y/o (year is 2053)

- mc’s father scavenges for food and such once a month

- underground they still have a tv, tablet, and phones to keep up with how everything is going in detroit

- mc feels trapped after living underground for basically her entire life and learning second hand about androids, the revolution, etc

- mc starts doubting her parents and their reasons. she questions whether if there are bad androids out there who will snatch her up.

- mc asks her father if she can help him scavenge one day but he along with her mother are against that (this is on her birthday when she turns 18 y/o bcus she thinks she’s mature enough to)

- this causes a big argument between her parents and her and she voices her doubts to them- this ends with mc locking herself in her room. after awhile when it’s night time, her father visits her and apologizes for yelling but tells her she still can’t go up there because it’s too dangerous.

- mc hides her anger and lies to her father about her understanding. when it’s about midnight mc decides to sneak out and go above ground.

- mc is wandering in the woods mindlessly basking in everything- she kind of becomes careless (she doesn’t act cautious when wandering around). she maybe follows a bird she sees (owl) out of curiosity and nears markus and his crew (simon, north, and josh). they were having a picnic or just stargazing.

- simon hears rustling and light footsteps coming towards them so he alerts the others, he’s like, ‘do you guys hear that?’

- the others listen and do hear the footsteps and rustling coming rather close and quickly. all of them are tense (because they have experienced a lot of..attacks in the past so obviously they got their bars raised)

- so mc bumps into markus and everyone is surprised by mc’s sudden appearance

- mc stops in her tracks and looks at markus, it takes her a minute to really look at him bcus it’s dark and her human eyes are very poor at catching details

- she recognizes markus and is frozen. she also faintly recognizes his friends because they are also a big part of the android revolution (or so she’s been told by her parents).

- after a beat of silence north says, ‘a human?’ in a rather disgusted tone.

- josh observes you and asks out loud, ‘how can a human be this far out of the city?’

- north: ‘maybe it escaped from it’s owner or something.’

- after observing you, markus reaches out to you (you are still frozen and too scared to move) and places his hand on the nape of your neck. he realizes you don’t have a chip installed there to tell him who your owner is. (let’s say every human at birth has a chip installed to their nape to identify them and their owner)

- markus informs the others that mc doesn’t have a chip which startles them.

- north: ‘wait..it’s a fucking wild?’

- josh: ‘how could it live this long on it’s own if it is a wild?’

- (markus had his eyes on you the whole time) he asks you if there are more of you in the forest and you slowly shake your head no. they all know you are lying though.

- north: ‘there are more like it in the forest..how come we didn’t know about this?’

- josh: ‘this is pretty bad..if there are more wilds out here hiding this could damage the trust we built with the others. everyone will be outraged if they find out we let wilds slip under our noses.’

- simon approaches you slowly and asks again if there are more people like you out there

- when you shake your head again markus holds your chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting your head up so that you can look at him in the eyes.

- with a dark look in his eyes markus says, ‘don’t lie to us again kitten because i’m not in the mood to play nice. now, tell us the truth. are there more of you out there?’

- you are scared now and regret ever leaving the hideout. knowing it would be futile to lie again, you nod. (you are unable to say anything because your throat feels constricted).

- north: ‘where are they?’

- you don’t say anything because you don’t want to give your parents away. you continue to berate yourself for your stupid decisions.

- north sighs (clearly irritated by you not answering their questions immediately), ‘well? aren’t you going to speak? or can you not speak?’

- josh tries to calm north down, ‘intimidating it isn’t going to make it talk’

- north: why are you defending it? have you gone soft now?

- josh: [sighs] are we really going to do this? i’m just trying to tell you that yelling at it won’t get us anywhere-

- north: babying it isn’t getting us anywhere and i don’t see /you/ doing anything.

- simon steps in before the argument could get even more heated and pushes the two away from each other, “that’s enough. can you both not argue for once? now is not the time.”

- a little bit of pressure on your chin directs your attention from the two arguing to markus.

- markus: show us and i promise we won’t hurt you.

- mc thinks about this, ‘deal’ and realizes at that moment she doesn’t know what the hideout even looks like from the outside bcus she was so caught up on other things.

- mc makes a half baked plan to pretend to know where her hide out is, lead them, then find an opening to escape

- mc responds after a bit of pondering, (in a feeble voice), “okay.”

- north: [annoyed and slightly surprised] that’s it? that’s all it took?

- markus lets go of mc’s chin and gives mc a slight nod, telling her to show them the way

- before mc could take any step north butts in

- north: shouldn’t we restrain it first? tie it’s hands so it doesn’t do anything stupid?

- mc really dislikes north and is pretty scared of north out of all of them.

- markus notices your discomfort and shakes his head at north, “no. we don’t need to."

- north: [irritated] but she is a fucking wild- she’s dangerous-

- markus: [interrupts north + raises one of his hands up] i said, we don’t need to.

- north huffs in annoyance but doesn’t say anything else. part of you is satisfied by seeing north being put in her place.

- markus returns his attention to you and silently tells you w his eyes to lead the way.

- you turn your back towards markus and observe the vast amount of trees before you and walk in the direction you remember vaguely running from.

[queermediastudies]

Between a mistress and a male lover, who will win?

Dear EX is a Chinese comedy-drama movie co-directed by Mag Hsu and Hsu Chih-yen (Chu, 2019). The film nominated a lot of prize in Asian, it won the Best Narrative Feature Film of 20th Taipei Film Awards and Best Leading Actress of the 55th Golden Horse Awards. It received a lot of positive reviews in the Asian area and selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. The two-hour-long movie is built around the beneficiaries of insurance and centered with a thirteen-year-old boy called Song Cheng-xi. Song Cheng-xi’s father was died because of cancer several weeks ago when his mother Liu San-lian found that her husband Song Zheng-yuan left his insurance to his male lover Jay. Jay is a director and actor in a small theater and did not live in a very rich life. Jay met and fell in love with Song Zheng-yuan 17 years ago when they met each other in a college drama club. They broke up because Song Zheng-yuan wanted to have a “normal” life and got married to San-lian. San-lian believed that the insurance should be left to her son to study abroad and she brings her son together to get the money back. However, Song Cheng-xi stands on Jay’s side and lived with him to find some answer about his father’s relationship with Jay. The film shot from the child’s point of view to show audiences the story of queer, family, marriage and love.

The title of the film in Chinese is “谁先爱上他的”, the meaning of the title is “Who fell in love with him first?” which is a little bit of different from the English title. “Him” in the title represents Chengxi’s father Song Zheng-yuan, both San-lian and Jay believed that they are the people who first be in love with Song Zheng-yuan at the beginning of the movie. The movie did not begin in chronological clues, the director mixing the flashbacks with present-day screen to show Song Zheng-yuan’s relationship between neither Jay or San-lian. Using alternates between the three characters’ perspectives to show the characters’ identities, motivations. Each one back to their own life at the end of the film, Cheng-xi learned to get on well with his mother, Si-lian also gave up to hate Jay and her husband and Jay continued his life in a small theater with the insurance money. San-lian helped Song Zheng-yuan to get his package for the drama club, she fell in love with the handsome man for the first time they met. Jay attracted by Song Zheng-yuan when Song ran into the drama club and talked about theater issues. Director did not answer the question that “Who fell in love with him first,” the truth was that Song Zheng-yuan met Jay and San-lian on the same day.

Dear EX provides a look at homosexual people’s life in the Asian area. Under the context of Asian traditional culture, homosexuals still as a marginalized group in society faced a lot of social problems especially in morality and marriage issues. Dear Ex as a movie that enters the mainstream media and released to the pubic hope to make more people aware of the problem and understand this group.

Although the film and its actors received many accolades include nominations for Best Actor in Golden Horse Awards, it still failed in the casting issue since the homosexual characters are represented by cisgender people. Martin’s article stated that hiring LGBTQ people in the film is not only necessarily important for issues of representation and diversity but also important with respect to labor issues in the market (Martin, 2018). A cisgender actor represents homosexual role based on their heterosexual identity and experiences, audiences will take away roles from real gay men. It is not good for showing the image of the actual guy men in the movies.

Meanwhile, since Dear Ex is a Chinese movie we should critique the movie with the guide of an ethic of cultural humility. Caution must be taken to avoid imposing the worldview of researchers on the sense-making of participants whether under the guise of academic imperialism, gay imperialism, or the Western gaze (Goltz, Zingsheim, Mastin, & Murphy, 2016). The problem that hiring a cisgender actor to play homosexual roles is caused by the traditional Chinese culture. Although Taiwan is one of the most openly are in Asian toward LGBTQ issues, the LGBTQ group faced more pressures than in western countries. Actors as public figures and also people who have great influence cannot easily come out in China (Taiwan). Audiences will connect the actor with the character together that the image of the actors may be related to homosexual identity. Actors who used to play homosexual roles want to get rid of the “homosexual identity” tag on them.

While Dear EX did a good job of showing the real-life and pressures homosexual people have in Chinese society. The heteronormative almost through the entire movie that people see the world in a binary system and define heterosexual as a common behavior by default (Andersson, 2002). San-lian did not want his son to hear the quarrel between her and Jay because she thought that her son will get bad influenced when he knew that his father is a guy. Another plot is when San-lian told her friend that her husband gave the insurance money to the mistress in the office. Her friend cannot understand the reason San-lian did not sue until she knew that the mistress was a male. When San-lian spoke out that her husband was cheating on with her on a man, everyone in the office kept quiet. San-lian did not want others to know that her husband had a male lover because it was a kind of shame for the family. Sian-lian kept calling Jay as a mistress or a pervert before she reconciliation with Jay. The movie represents the real-world situation that most people in China still believed that heterosexual is the right or the more acceptance option under the idea of binary-sex.

The movie also reflects the common stereotypes of the LGBTQ community from the young kid and Sai-lian’s perspective. By the influences of heteronormative and traditional Chinese cultures, the young boy Cheng-xi thought that Jay must be on drugs because Jay wears his colorful pajamas every day and he is gay. However, Chengxi’s thought changed at the end of the movie because he found that Jay took good care of his father in his last time of life. For San-lian, she is the representative of the traditional Chinese mother who takes good care of the child’s everything in life and wants her child to put all efforts into the study. Her thoughts about homosexuals are also influenced by traditional cultures. When her husband told her the truth that he is gay and he decided to leave the home to live with the male lover. San-lian’s first idea was to take her husband to see a doctor and get him back to “normal.” Although homosexuals did not count as a disease in China since 2001, still a lot of people think homosexual as a disease and doctor can solve the problem through treatment.

Furthermore, Dear Ex also discussed the meaning of coming out through the change of main character Song Zheng-yuan’s perspective toward the issues. Coming out is a process that “the individual realization that one was homosexual, and acknowledgment of sexual identity to other gay people (Gross, 2001, p.22)” and it is also the growing of self-conscious among gays and lesbians. Song Zheng-yuan came out in the movie when he reappeared in Jay’s life 17 years after they broke up. However, from Jay’s memory, we can know that Song was afraid of coming out. Song prevented Jay from coming out to his mother and decided to hide their sexual orientation. Song said to Jay “I need a normal life and a normal marriage” when they broke up. In traditional chines cultural, people value the succession of the family. A “normal” life for Song means to marry a woman and have their child for the family. Song came out to his wife when he was diagnosed with cancer. He decided to be himself in the remaining days of his life. Coming out is still a serious issue for homosexual people in China. Coming out is not only related to the self-conscious to the person but also as opposed to the traditional content of marriage that being a homosexual person will lose the succession of the family. With the pressure from family and society, a lot of homosexual people did not have enough courage to come out in China. In the movie, Song had the courage to come out only after he knows that he did not have much time to live.

As a movie that entered the mainstream media and released in the theaters, the director uses a lot of doodles and bright colors to tell the story in a relaxed way. Dear EX discussed a sensitive topic in China which is called “TongQi.” “TongQi” means a woman who gets married to a gay man but she did not know his husband is gay. It can be said that the traditional concept of marriage led to this tragedy. Song deceived San-lian and got married to her but finally left the home. Jay and Song fell in love with each other but Jay been in Song’s company for a short time before he died. Everyone in the movie is a victim. The movie does not give the only answer to who is justice. The film was released in November in 2019, it was in the window between the court ruling that couples had the constitutional right to marry (May 2017) and the actual moment of legalization in May 2019 (Brown, 2019). The film wants people to think about the pressures and problems caused by the traditional Chinese contents, and to further explore the importance of legalization of same-sex marriage.

As a Chinese and a straight person, I was really happy to see a movie like Dear EX can be released in the theaters (Taiwan) and Netflix. My Chinese identity can help me understand the content of the movies very well since some words are hard to translate. After knowing more and more queer contents from our class, I have more thoughts on the movie when I saw it for the third time. I awarded the heteronormative in the movies and started to think about the relationship between traditional marriage content in China and coming out in China.

References

Andersson, Yvonne (2002). “Queer Media?: Or; What Has Queer Theory to do with Media Studies?” IAMCR, 1-10. 

Brown, C(2019). "This Film Is Blessed by the Gods": Talking with Mag Hsu, Director of Dear Ex. Retrieved from https://brightlightsfilm.com/this-film-is-blessed-by-the-gods-talking-with-mag-hsu-director-of-dear-ex-netflix-2018/#.Xbyqj5NKhaW.

Chu, K. (2019, September 16). Oscars: Taiwan Selects 'Dear Ex' for International Feature Film Category. Retrieved from 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/2020-oscars-taiwan-selects-dear-international-feature-film-category-1239706.

Goltz, D. B., Zingsheim, J., Mastin, T., & Murphy, A. G. (2016). Discursive negotiations of Kenyan LGBTI identities: Cautions in cultural humility. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 9(2), 104-121. doi:10.1080/17513057.2016.1154182

Gross, Larry (2001). “Ch 2: Coming Out and Coming Together” and “Ch 3: Stonewall and Beyond” in Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America, 21-55. 

Martin, Alfred L. Jr (2018) Pose(r): Ryan Murphy, Trans and Queer of Color Labor, and the Politics of Representation. Retrieved from https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/poser-ryan-murphy-trans-queer-color-labor-politics-representation/.

[letterboxd]

Trustworthy: The Lynn Shelton Q&A.

“I wanted to let myself have a bit of fun.” Filmmaker and actor Lynn Shelton chats with Letterboxd about the improvisational joy of her new film Sword of Trust, the “mixed bag” of streaming services, and the power of Claire Denis.

Lynn Shelton is a trusted director in the world of TV comedy, having helmed episodes of GLOW, Fresh off the Boat, Shameless, New Girl, The Good Place and many more. Along the way, she has written and directed several feature films that together form a smart, gently praised mumblecore-meets-naturalism oeuvre.

Shelton’s films are small delights, with low stakes and a human scale to them; introspective, contemporary chamber pieces that give her actors plenty of space to improvise. Your Sister’s Sister, which she wrote and directed, has been hailed on Letterboxd as a “terrific little character piece from three superb actors” (Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt), and her earlier mumblecore arthouse porno comedy Humpday (also starring Duplass, with a turn from Shelton as well) has received love for being “absolutely hilarious and deeply awkward”.

Her latest, Sword of Trust, which she co-wrote with Mike O’Brien (a.k.a. Pat the Pizza Guy from Booksmart), is a screwball inheritance comedy starring comedian and podcaster Marc Maron as Mel, a pawn shop owner. He teams up with a couple (Jillian Bell and Michaela Watkins), who are trying to hawk a Civil War-era sword. Together with Mel’s man-child shop assistant (Jon Bass), they are drawn into an absurd world of conspiracy theories.

Shelton’s association with Maron began in 2015 when she appeared on an episode of his exemplary podcast, WTF with Marc Maron. The following year, Shelton directed the first two episodes of the fourth and final season of the IFC series Maron (she also had an on-screen role in episode 11), and in 2017, she directed Maron’s Netflix special, Too Real. He is, it turns out, not only the star, but also the muse for Sword of Trust. “Since the first time I worked with him, I felt he had untapped depth that I wanted the world to see on-screen.”

Marc Maron as Mel and Jon Bass as Nathaniel in ‘Sword of Trust’.

What inspired the premise of Sword of Trust? Lynn Shelton: [Marc and I] started writing a script for a different movie but it was hard to make progress on it because we’re both so busy. I was getting frustrated since I wanted to get on set with him, until he told me he would show up for any part I wrote for him. For Sword of Trust, I was inspired by seeing a pawn shop and thinking he would be a great pawn shop owner and that it would be a great place for a narrative to unfold.

I knew that I wanted to give myself the opportunity to explore a new genre and do a screwball caper. It would be emotionally grounded and have authentic characters who resonated as real people, but goes on a misadventure; a comedy that allows itself to go into slightly unrealistic territories. That was something I’ve never allowed myself to do. Before this I always wanted to make sure that every single minute was completely realistic.

I wanted to let myself have a bit of fun. I also wanted to return to improvisation, which I haven’t really done since Your Sister’s Sister, which was nearly ten years ago. I was excited to return to that territory and I started to assemble a cast of people I knew that would be really good at improvising around Marc.

Lastly, I really wanted it to involve some sort of a con that was relevant to what’s going on in our cultural political situation. One thing I’ve been obsessed with right now is this peak moment we’re having in society of conspiracy theories and the idea of alternative facts. I wanted to make a film that would point it out, but also one that wouldn’t make you want to slit your wrists as you walk out of the theater. That’s where the whole conspiracy theory premise came from.

When you direct with improvisation, what structures do you have in place to ensure you and the cast keep the characters and the story consistent, yet also make sure you stick to the schedule? I built those characters with and for the actors, especially Marc’s character Mel. With improvisation in general, it’s important to have clear back-stories and relationships between the characters going in, even weeks before you arrive on set. I asked the actors to get together with the people they were supposed to have relationships with to get the wheels turning about who these people were. By the time we got there they were able to start spinning out some sort of narrative that reflected all of that work we put into their back-stories.

This is a very plot-heavy movie, which was tightly pre-constructed, so it wasn’t the kind of improvisational movie where you show up and wonder ‘what will happen to these people today?’. I knew exactly what had to happen in each scene to map out into the final narrative. In this case we had a 50-page scriptment, where some scenes are written out in terms of dialogue but actors were always free to toss the specific words out the window and come up with their own replacements. There’s a lot of room for embellishments or improvised little side roads.

There’s a moment I always think of: when Jillian Bell picks up a sale item she was inspired by in the pawn shop we were shooting at and she created a whole little funny side thing about it. People are inspired by the environment they’re in and something will just come out of their mouths and they’ll just go down that road. It’s a beautiful thing.

I ask them to do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of getting some exposition out while planting seeds, but outside of that they can really play and have the freedom to find their own way through the beats of the scene and add their own little grace notes to how the scene plays out.

Jillian Bell as Cynthia and Michaela Watkins as Mary.

Did anything significantly change between the initial treatment and final film? How does it transform on set from the core essence of what you have on the page? There were a couple scenes that ended up getting thrown out on the cutting-room floor after we had a few feedback screenings. We had multiple endings and we got rid of a lot of them, which didn’t seem to hurt the film at all. We also had some great scenes that were added along the way. Halfway through the shoot we had a little break and Marc suggested a new scene that helped round out a couple of the side characters that we hadn’t gotten a chance to get to know very well.

I had planned for the confederate thug characters (who try to get the sword from Mel in the pawn shop) to turn up again later when the four characters are at the farm, but it was Marc’s idea for Mel to recognise them from when they were kids and embarrass them about how they would come into his shop when they were younger. It’s a tragic story Marc paints about them and it really shifts your perception of these two bozos and gives you a sense of sympathy for them even while they’re trying to be tough guys.

I love when you can take a couple of characters who seem to initially be two-dimensional and then you find out some extra facts about them and you’re able to turn them into fully fleshed-out human beings, even if they don’t get a lot of screen time. It’s a wonderful thing to humanize characters like that.

The scene in the back of the van—which I think is really the heart of the movie—also developed over time. In the script itself it just said: “they get to know each other in the back of the van.” That’s all it said. That was the most fully improvised scene in the film. I left it open-ended because I had a feeling it would fulfil a really important role in the movie but I didn’t know exactly what it was until we got going.

It became clear there was an emotional journey with Mel as he starts out very shut-down and he opens up a little bit by the end. I realized this scene needed to be used in the service of that arc, so I told the actors that I needed them to open up to each other and be vulnerable to each other so the characters could become more intimate. A lot of the time they drew from real life, drawing from first- or second-hand experiences to build those back-stories.

You’ve settled into a real groove with directing television. Your resume in that area is really impressive. What keeps you circling back to film when you could keep making a career out of being a TV director? Most of my income is from television and I really enjoy the extra-collaborative nature of television. It’s almost a pathology with filmmaking—I can’t stop doing it! This is my eighth movie and I just love it so much. I love the little family you develop. Obviously there’s a lot of overlap in the process of making film and television since it’s basically the same thing, but when I’m writing and directing I have more of an opportunity to set the tone and really create from the top-down of what I want the culture of the production to be like.

I can be the creative visionary in a way that, until I create my own television show, is not going to be possible. If I’m the director on a show, I’m ultimately in the service of other people. Luckily, I keep working with really visionary and talented people. This film, I sort of willed it into existence and it’s nice. I really wanted it to happen, so I asked a bunch of friends if they would join me, and it ended up becoming reality and there’s something really lovely about that.

Your last two films and your Marc Maron stand-up special are on Netflix. Anyone can (and should) watch them at any time, and streaming has completely transformed indie cinema in this way over the past decade. Yet, there are so many films that they can all still get lost in the shuffle. How do you feel about the way streaming has changed low-budget cinema? What work needs to be done to support them? This is a constant topic of conversation between filmmaker friends of mine. I know a lot of friends who were able to get films made that wouldn’t have been able to if not for Netflix, for instance. I don’t know if that’s even going to continue being the case because they seem to be shifting their paradigm in the kinds of films they’re producing, but for a while there they were almost the last bastion of producing films of a certain size that weren’t just giant tentpole movies.

Obviously films are still being made, little- to medium-sized films, but the issue of them getting lost in the shuffle because of this vast ocean of content that’s out there—unless you have this big machine waving flags to say: “look at this over here”—they will continue to disappear into the ether. It can be disheartening for sure.

My last film Outside In [one of Shelton’s more highly rated films on Letterboxd] had a very tiny theatrical run and basically went straight to Netflix, so I don’t really have any sense of who is seeing the film. But it’s interesting how I do have people reaching out to me saying they didn’t know I directed it but watched it because of Edie Falco, or they were recommended it. People do seem to see the movie, I just don’t know exactly what the numbers are. You just don’t know, so it’s a very strange feeling.

On the other hand, it’s very nice that it’s accessible and it can be discovered. If I wanted to point somebody to one of my films on Netflix, I know they can easily access it anytime. Streaming is a real mixed bag for independent filmmakers. Right now I have about 30 theaters showing Sword of Trust and I’m so thrilled that even if it’s just a weekend, at least a good chunk of folks will be able to see the film and have the communal experience the way I wanted in the first place.

Lynn Shelton turns up on screen as well as behind the scenes, playing Mel’s ex, Deirdre, in ‘Sword of Trust’.

Finally, a favorite Letterboxd question: what was the film that got you into films? I could go to different points in my life. My mother was a huge fan of Jules et Jim so I saw that at a really early age and it had a big effect on me. It was the first time where I was ever aware of the filmmaker’s hand. I never started thinking about it until the one sequence where Jeanne Moreau is singing and it freezes and then it plays and then it freezes again and then it plays again and it made me realize there was a director who made that decision to do that. What does that mean? That got me thinking about filmmaking when I was really young.

Then later in life I heard Claire Denis speak when her film Friday Night was coming out. I remember finding out that she was 40 when she made her first feature and Friday Night was her sixth or seventh film. I had an epiphany that I could start making movies and it wasn’t too late for me because I didn’t make movies in my 20s and 30s. I didn’t make my first feature [We Go Way Back] until my late 30s. That was the film and filmmaker that really made me feel like ‘I can do this too’. Those would be my two bookends about being inspired to be a filmmaker.

‘Sword of Trust’ is on streaming services and playing in select US cinemas now. Images courtesy of IFC Films.

[lightsandlostbells]

wtFOCK season 1 reaction

So this is the one Skam remake I did not watch as it was airing! There wasn’t any reason it was this remake in particular, only that I didn’t have time to follow all of them; I was busy and already watching and taking notes on Skam NL, Skam España, and Skam Italia, and wtFOCK happened to be the “surprise” Skam remake that I wasn’t prepared for. And apparently it did very well and connected with the local teen audience, which is fantastic!

Anyway, I did want to watch it when I had time. I’m not going to do recaps for this season per episode, though I might for future seasons, but here are some thoughts about it.

wtFOCK season 1

I had heard that this remake was on the cringe-worthy side, and … yeah, I can see how people would say that. The acting isn’t the strongest, there are moments that I found exaggerated in a way that felt corny. That said, I did enjoy it overall.

Perhaps the biggest thing in its favor is its authenticity, especially with the characters. These feel like real kids. Because, well, they are real kids. The casting is age-appropriate from what I can tell. One reaction that struck me strongly was watching the scene with Jana and Robbe (Eva and Isak) after the gossip gets out at school about Jana cheating and Robbe comforts her, because I just had this big sense of wow, these are really teenagers, and that youthful vulnerability helps deliver the material. With that in mind, I’m much more willing to forgive shakier acting, because they aren’t professionals as far as I know. They’re teenagers representing themselves. The actors do not look or act like 23-year-old Instagram models, and that’s a big plus in my books.

On that note, I love that Jana had braces! Now that’s something you barely see in films and TV unless it’s like a plot point, practically, or a way to signpost that a character is young and awkward. Here it’s just a fact of life. 

In a way I’m glad I didn’t do episode by episode recaps, because some of the scenes were so similar to the original series that I really had nothing to say about them. On the other hand, there were some completely original scenes, and I liked a lot of them!

A lot of the best new material had to do with Jana and her mom. Loved that awkward scene where they run into Britt and Jana’s mom has no idea that they’re no longer friends - give Britt some credit for not ratting out Jana about the cabin trip. And I adored that Sinterklaas scene where Jana came downstairs and found all the goodies on the table, and Jana’s mom said that even though Jana forgot to place her shoe, she must still be in his good books. What a lovely scene to show that Jana’s mom still thinks her daughter is a good kid despite the fight and her bad grades. It was a different detail that Jana had lost her dad at a young age, although I wish that had been brought up a little more as to maybe how it affected her character, since it’s not the same set of circumstances as being distant from a parent who’s moved on to a new family. Touching to show her and her mom visiting her dad’s grave, though.

I also really liked that scene where Jana was eyeing Amber and Luca, and Jens was encouraging her to go talk to them. That was sweet and showed that he knew she was holding back on making new friends, making the post-cabin talk about her not having friends stronger.

Another good addition: Jana jumping straight to the worst conclusion when Jens doesn’t show up at the movies, showing her growing distrust of him, and foreshadowing that the thing with Britt is all a misunderstanding (since him not arriving to the cinema was, too).

The direction on the show is pretty standard. There’s not much ambition or #aesthetic and sometimes scenes are blocked clumsily or paced strangely. However, I could always tell what the main point of a scene was supposed to be, I wasn’t struggling to understand Jana’s emotional state, it wasn’t style over substance. So in that way, it was efficient. When it comes down to it, the characters are the most important to any version of Skam.

FreeFest was a decent way to adapt the russ storyline, although now I want to see if they continue to develop it across seasons or if it’ll fizzle out or fade into the background like I think the russ equivalent is going to with several of the remakes. One big challenge, I’ve realized, is that Skam could easily develop russ throughout the entire show, since it wouldn’t happen until graduation. However, the remakes have introduced various parties and trips and events that have less of a reason to go on indefinitely. FreeFest seemed like a lot of work, so I’m curious if it’ll continue into the second season. I didn’t catch when it was supposed to happen.

I was curious what was the point of Keisha, too, since she basically just showed up to be a red herring friend for Jana and then she disappeared. To demonstrate Jana really hates drugs? I did like her intro scene where Jana was obviously reading a little bit more into that interaction than intended, she was looking for a social connection and Keisha just kept on passing out flyers. They kept updating her IG throughout the season and even into the new year, so maybe she’ll be returning for S2, as someone working on her own FreeFest team.

Jana was great. She was a realistic teenage girl, with lots of insecurity and some bouts of confidence, and I appreciate that. She really hated drugs and smoking of all kinds in this version, it felt even more pronounced than with Eva. At times it felt a tad after-school-special but it also strengthened why Jens would hide his big secret from her.

After the cabin trip, Jens said that he thought having friends was important to Jana, and she said it was, just that Jens was more important, which I thought was a nice line, considering she had chosen Jens over Britt and established her mindset at that point.

Jens was clearly the best-looking dude around, to the point where I easily would have bought if he were the William character. Like the actual William and P-Chris characters had nothing on the Jonas (no offense to those actors, it’s not a comment on their performances) although I know their popularity is also a matter of personality and status and Jens/Jonas is supposed to be more an edgy non-conformist type. No wonder Jana didn’t know who Senne was, compared to her own boyfriend.

Loved Zoë a hell of a lot. Loved that she was so unimpressed with a lot of the guys’ bullshit. Loved that she had no time for any man’s fuckery, from Senne to Luka to Jens. She was probably kindest to Robbe, all things considering.

Also loved how they showed Jana and Zoë’s friendship in this version, such as seeing Jana having video chats with Zoë, or that they were so frequently seen together.

When Amber asked whether Zoë got turned out by guys, Zoë’s “...Yes?” felt like the least convincing thing ever. That girl does not care about dudes in the slightest. I mean, I know she does, buuuuut ... nah.

I think Zoë is the first Noora to come from Oslo, and in a way it’s kind of amazing that it took so long.

She had a pic of Laura Palmer on IG, so like Noora, she is also a Twin Peaks fan.

Yasmina was missing from the party scenes, which I guess was the actress’ choice, and I respect that. However, I did feel that it ended up undermining her character. The big moment of Sana throwing water in Ingrid’s face on behalf of Vilde was changed to Luca doing it, because Yasmina wasn’t at the party. And that was a pretty crucial moment in the Sana-Vilde relationship. I don’t think Yasmina and Amber had anything like that to make up for it. When Amber says some Islamophobic crap in the later part of the season, Yasmina doesn’t even get to counter to point out that she’s defended Amber. And I don’t think they ever explained why Luca threw the water in Britt’s face, that it was on behalf of Amber, so it ended up being some random event.

Also, because Yasmina wasn’t at the party where Amber passes out, it was Luca who stuck her fingers down Amber’s throat and helped her throw up, so that Sana-Vilde moment was gone, another one that felt pretty significant to their relationship. Again, not blaming the actress, just too bad we couldn’t get some big Amber-Yasmina moments to make up for that.

Yasmina was present when Amber was talking about her plans to sleep with Senne, and I wish they’d given her more to do in the scene, or had her speak up more, because later on she’s so blunt about Senne not being into Amber. When she’s in the scene listening to Amber talk about sleeping with him before it happens, it makes you wonder why she let it happen or didn’t say much in the first place. I guess she thought Amber was gonna Amber.

I did like Yasmina from what we did see of her. Her having all the girls breathe in and out after they get the party invite, her showing up for Amber the morning after she passes out even while not being at the party herself. I hope she gets more attention in S2. (Also? She’s gorgeous and I adore her camel coat.)

Also, having Luca throw water in Britt’s face rather than Yasmina also meant Amber was talking about getting rid of both Yasmina and Luca at some point, and that made her seem more like Cersei Lannister, lmao, like she was ready to ax people all over the place. 

I don’t think Amber’s topless pics ever came back into play, though there was more emphasis on them in this version than others, with Jana’s own topless pic serving as a parallel and Amber wondering if Senne had shown the other guys. I thought it was implied that he did, but we didn’t hear the actual conversation between Jana and Luka, just saw Amber’s sad face. I really hope he didn’t because that would make that situation even uglier, and I would need Zoë to drag Senne thoroughly for it in S2.

I believe Amber said it was Luca’s mom who had the wine tasting party, so are they eliminating that part of Amber’s background? There is the scene where they’re talking about getting alcohol and Amber starts rambling about why she doesn’t have the money, and that made me think she might have some financial problems.

I like that they made Luca kind of an unrepentant weirdo, although I wish they’d cut back on some of the Robbe flirting as it was too over the top. Although I had to laugh that one time she blatantly hit on him and he just flat-out ignored her and was like “Jana can we talk (save me plz)”

Luka was so sleazy. He was even more of a teen movie antagonist than the Chris character is usually. The most endearing thing about him was his extremely dorky vampire Halloween costume.

However, LOVED the extra scenes with him, such as Jana leaving her phone at his place. Adored that Zoë accompanied her to get it back and handled the matter completely businesslike, even though Luka was obviously disappointed when he saw that Jana didn’t arrive alone. She’s a true pal. And loved Jana going off at him when she knocked into him! Even if she wasn’t right about him spilling the beans, it was cathartic, it was Jana’s own Zoë vs Senne moment. 

Also ended up liking Robbe. They were going for a more wise-cracking, comic relief version of Isak in some ways, it felt like Robbe made more actual jokes than Isak did, but then he ended up being surprisingly more vulnerable than I expected toward the end. I thought they were leaning harder on the Jana/Robbe hints for the misdirection, but at the same time, it felt like there were some extra wink-wink nudge-nudge ironic moments about his sexuality as well, like Jens telling Robbe he’d understand acting like a lovesick puppy once he got a girlfriend, and some extra moments showing how he was affected by homophobia, like Moyo backing away from a hug at the end of the trip, telling Robbe to watch himself. Robbe didn’t even try to tell Jana he had feelings for her at first, it was Zoë who came up with that idea. It seemed very likely that he was going to confess the real truth to Jana on two separate occasions.

I also liked that his explanation of why he betrayed Jana was about feeling Jens had no time for him anymore, and even when Jana wasn’t there, Jens was still talking about her. Because that’s not a lie, that’s the truth, Robbe must have been miserable feeling unable to escape the guy he likes talking about his girlfriend, or them acting lovey-dovey, just no respite, not that it excuses his actions, obviously.

The Jana-Robbe dynamic as a whole was pretty good, I liked that he was pretty efficiently snaky - for instance, he basically coaxes her into telling him her secret about kissing Luka, and plays on their close friendship, that she can trust him, they’ve known each other a long time.

George Michael’s “Faith” being the big reveal music was an A+++ choice.

The music. Oh boy. Some of the remakes aren’t that good in their use of music; Skam’s use of music always felt purposeful and usually well-chosen, and the editing and soundtrack complemented each other. That’s not always the case with the remakes, some of which use music in perfunctory, expected ways: a pop/indie song opens the clip, a pop/indie song closes the clip, maybe a song somewhere in between. But it feels like songs are enforced because God forbid we have silence opening or ending a clip, or have scenes transition without music. And I would be willing to bet there’s some network/Powers That Be influence at play, like they want a hip teenage soundtrack to promote various artists and get the kids to follow the official playlist on Spotify, so the production teams have to use music. Skam France was guilty of this a lot. Druck is doing this more in its second season. But wtFOCK is possibly the worst offender. Too much music, used in a way that often didn’t complement the tone or editing of the scene - especially the editing, some of the songs just felt slapped over the clip rather than working with it. In the full episodes, there were some moments where a clip ended with a song and then another clip started with a completely different song in a way that was very jarring. There are some great choices, like “Faith,” but I just want the remakes to calm down and stop feeling the need to push music in every clip. Plenty of Skam scenes do not have music and they work wonderfully.

Also, disappointed that they used the exact same song for the fight scene. The fight scene wasn’t edited or choreographed that well, though I liked the guy returning Zoë’s hat at the end. And someone was actually filming the fight! I’m trying to remember if we’ve seen anyone else film the fight before, because that is something that would definitely happen in this day and age.

Another random thing I like: the characters talk about school a lot. As in, exams and homework, not just personal drama that happens while at school. Because yeah, this is a school, and teenagers are going to be concerned with passing their classes. It’s always been a thread in Eva’s season and her character overall that she’s not a great student, so I was proud that Jana ended up doing well on her biology exam! Maybe her academic performance can improve once she’s worked out some of the personal stress weighing on her.

That Mexican-themed party … not a great choice! For a moment I wondered if this party was supposed to be read as offensive since Zoë was not in costume and she’s a more “woke” character, like maybe the Beat Boys and Girls crowd (or whoever were throwing that party, I don’t recall) were supposed to be seen as clueless, but nah, I think it was just poor taste. 

It’s interesting how different versions portray the Eva/Chris kiss. In some the Eva character is the initiator, in some it’s the Chris character, in some it’s more mutual. In some it happens quickly and some Eva slowly gives in. In wtFOCK Luka was definitely initiating it and Jana was more hesitant. 

I had to laugh when Zoë was explaining the bracelets to Amber and all the girls she pointed out were conveniently displaying or showing off their bracelets at that moment, I guess because they’re much harder to notice at a glance than hoodies.

However, I liked Amber saying that she feels like it’s her fault every time and not his, because that paralleled Jana’s situation too - Jana is the one who receives the hate and blame even though Jens/Luka cheated, too. I’m glad they brought up the boys’ culpability at various points.

Zoë was keeping that period letter in her backpack and I mean, it was in a plastic bag and all, but I dearly hope she got rid of the tampon before carrying it around all day. It’s gross enough as it is.

So different that Marie didn’t come bursting out of the stall to interrupt the Jana-Britt heart-to-heart! Instead she came out after they left, and she seemed emotionally affected, like she was crying too. Maybe because she really felt like Jana was a person in that moment, and not just a nebulous boyfriend-stealer. Marie did seem to be pretty defensive when Jana confronted her later, but she quickly backed down when it was revealed what a lying cheater Luka was, and she could no longer be in denial. Jana seemed hesitant about accepting Marie wanted to be friendly with her afterwards, which was an interesting and believable touch.

A good scene when Senne was texting Zoë and Zoë lied to Amber that it was her parents asking how her exam went, and Jana covered for her by being like, I know the feeling, doesn’t your mom do that? And Amber was like, yeah, constantly. Which made me :( because I bet Amber’s mom doesn’t do that too often.

I laughed when Jana was like “That dude (Senne) is stalking you” to Zoë, so Zoë looked his way, and that got Senne’s attention and he IMMEDIATELY went up to Zoë, like good job breaking it, Jana.

I loved that Zoë learned psychological tricks from Dr Phil, but now I have this burning question: is Dr Phil like some beloved international icon?? First Eva and now Zoë turn to him for wisdom. I have seen maybe one episode of Dr Phil in my lifetime so I find it wild that the youthz are getting life advice from him. 

FINALLY we saw some characters on Skam playing a video game besides FIFA (and I guess on Skam France we saw them playing a racing game once). Jens, Robbe, and Moyo were playing Fortnite.

I am actually very eager to see Zoë’s and Robbe’s seasons because I liked their characters. Yasmina’s, too, even though I didn’t get as much of her as I would’ve liked in this season.

There weren’t a ton of text messages in the season, were there? I looked for them and only saw a few, and most of them didn’t seem to add much to the story or develop characterization. That’s something they can improve on for S2 (unless I just missed out on all the texts).

However, there was considerable effort put into the Instagram accounts, as many of them were consistently updated and they’ve maintained IG accounts even for minor characters to the present. I wonder if they’re going to keep a lot of those characters around in S2 and beyond, because that’s more work than necessary just to maintain realism, heh. But still, big props for that.

I apologize if I misinterpreted or missed something. Feel free to clarify anything!

[chessanator]

11 Questions WIP tag meme:

Thanks for tagging me, @pomegranate-belle!

I’ll tag: @blackflirtlarping, @kiichu, @transezual, @eatingfireflies and @i-demand-a-hug.

1. How long have you been writing?

I’ve tried to start writing something a bunch of times during my life, but I only really got anywhere when I did some writing for the college magazine when I was at uni. Which was... eight years ago now oh fuck I’m old.

2. What are the major themes of your current wip(s)?

The main theme of TUoHS has to be, ‘Haruhi Suzumiya would be a dangerous fucking nightmare in any piece of fiction that wasn’t at its base slice-of-life.’ Because, duh, she would be. I’ll also need to work in my take on the usual Danganronpa hope/despair themes, but I’m willing to let that develop as I come up with later murders rather than lock it in precisely now.

3. What do you want people to take away from your story once they’ve read it?

An experience similar to playing the Danganronpa games. If readers can enjoy the murder mysteries - following along closely enough to enjoy working out some things in advance but not finding the whole thing too obvious - I’ll be happy.

4. Would you be excited if people write fanfiction about your wip(s)?

Probably? There’s some good hooks in the past half of the story which might attract some recursive fanfiction. And maybe people will like the OCs and want to do fluffier stuff with them that I wouldn’t consider. I think I would feel more comfortable if people were to contact me before doing something so I could vet it. Everything before the story is fair game, but there’s quite a bit of idea-space after the story that I’d want to reserve for sequels I want to write.

5. What’s your go-to writing beverage?

When I’m doing ‘write drunk, edit sober’ my go to drink is vodka-coke.

6. Who is your favorite oc? Tell me about them!

Ooh! Close choice between two:

Mayumi Uehara (The Ultimate Mathematician): Is essentially a self-insert (I knew long before starting to plan that I wanted an Ultimate Mathematician character) and also the OC slotting into one of my favourite Danganronpa archetypes. Plus my favourite line from TUoHS, the one I go and re-read when I’m feeling down, is a line of dialogue by her.

Hitomi Maeda (The Ultimate Chemist): I’ve got a database of all my characters, and one section is for descriptions of their personalities: quite a few paragraphs of text for most OCs as I’ve built them up. Hitomi’s now just reads ‘I have a massive crush on her.’ That’s enough to make her the easiest character for me to write by far. Plus she’s gotten me out of a couple of dead-ends while writing.

7. Do you feel that mistakes are important learning tools in the writing journey?

Not really? Unlike with maths or chess, I don’t really learn from my writing mistakes as I look over them. I just get locked-in on them, unable to change them without the help of the help of a beta-reader.

8. Rank your ocs by their capability in a footchase (either running after or from smth, your choice)

Let’s see:

Katsuya Terasaki (The Ultimate Firefighter)

Taichi Fujino (The Ultimate Driver)

Arata Nakayama (The Ultimate Archaeologist)

Ikko Watari (The Ultimate Scam Artist)

Satoru Ishihara (The Ultimate Journalist)

Hitomi Maeda (The Ultimate Chemist)

Yayoi Mikawa (The Ultimate Cosplayer)

Konosuke Kamio (The Ultimate Film Critic)

Mayumi Uehara (The Ultimate Mathematician)

I’ve long had a similar list ranking (both my OCs and the Haruhi Suzumiya characters) by who would win a fight. The big changes for this list are that Ikko Watari has shot up from last-but-one place, while Yayoi has dropped from third among my OCs. Also, while Katsuya is first out of my OCs on both lists, I’ve decided that his Talent has enough of an impact that he’s about equal to Haruhi in a race, rather than significantly worse than her in a fight.

9. Does your wip have romance? tell me about it!! if not tell me about a friendship/important relationship in your wip!!

I was about halfway through the sixth chapter when I realised that Arata Nakayama was crushing like hell on Mayumi Uehara. Had a bit of a think about it, decided it was mutual, and edited back to chapter four to hint at more of it. It doesn’t come from a particularly positive place for either of them: Mayumi is one of the few Ultimate students who doesn’t trigger Arata’s hangups about Hope’s Peak, while Mayumi (who as a self-insert - of me, no less - is about as close to an existence of pure selfishness as you can get) notices that Arata treats her better than the rest of the cast, and likes it. But I’ve decided that their romance itself will be happy and healthy.  It’s not a major part of the story - just offstage and a side detail like most of the other romances are in DR - but it does have effects on the plot. I’ve also decided that they will also get together in the past half of TUoHS, and that they would in any non-killing-game AU.

10. Do you believe in the advice kill your darlings?

Yeah: I have had cases where getting out of a block has needed me to get rid of a particularly witty but dead-end-aimed sentence. Most recent one was during the last part of the first trial, where I had three clues left to use and wrote a pithy way of introducing the first of them. But I quickly realised that talking about that clue would set the killer off, so no-one would get the chance to bring up the other two. I had to go back and use a different clue first, even if it wasn’t quite the same slam-dunk. That’s a general point, really: ‘Kill your darlings’ is particularly important in a mystery story like TUoHS, where controlling the information each character has is crucial for keeping the story on track. If a pretty phrase gives or requires from a character details they shouldn’t know, then it needs to go.

11. Do you prefer plotting or worldbuilding? Why?

The stories I’ve written haven’t needed lots of worldbuilding; they’ve all been hugging close to the world of the originals. I’d like to be good at worldbuilding, but I suspect I won’t be nearly as good as I am at plotting.

[rewolfaekilerom]

thoughts on the beguiled.

I’ve wanted to watch The Beguiled since I saw the trailer for it in 2017, but I never ended up seeing it. I also didn’t hear much hype around it in the 19C US lit academic community, which I was definitely a part of at the time of its release. I saw–I think–a Vogue article on it, and a few articles came out about the costuming or historical setting. It was directed by Sophia Coppola, so that carries some weight–or it should have. I can’t speak much to the film’s popular success, but I can say that it wasn’t a thing in academia. That surprises me now, especially given how popular the recently released Green Knight movie has been in the medieval academic internet. Maybe The Beguiled didn’t get much buzz because it’s a remake, so anyone who would’ve hyped a movie in 2017 had already seen the original, or maybe it’s just that 19C US lit academia hasn’t come to fully appreciate films about that time period (I’m not sure I buy that because everyone had something to say about the most recent Little Women adaptation). Basically, I’m surprised the 2017 The Beguiled wasn’t required viewing for every PhD student in 19C US lit in the same way that literally any single one of the Little Women or Anne of Green Gables adaptations has proven to be. Is it because The Beguiled focuses on the South? Is it because it’s a remake? I don’t know, and now that I’m not in academia, I’m not sure I really care. It’s just a casual thought that prompted this post.

If you haven’t seen or heard of The Beguiled, it’s like Misery meets Little Women but set in the Civil War-era South. The recent adaptation stars Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell. The basic premise is that Colin Farrell’s character is a Union (Northern) soldier (originally of Irish descent) who is wounded in battle and hides in the woods to die or … recover? He’s found by a young Southern girl who’s attending an all-girl’s boarding school in the area; she’s out picking mushrooms, finds him, and brings him back to the school so the headmistress can care for him. The five or six other female students at the boarding school–and the headmistress–quickly become enamored with Colin Farrell and begin competing for his affections. They heal his leg, and he begins reciprocating everyone’s attention. He tells Kirsten Dunst he loves her, he shares a few heavy emotion moments with Nicole Kidman, and he flirts repeatedly with Elle Fanning–all while the other girls and women are in the room. It’s bold behavior, but what does he have to lose? Well, actually, a lot because Kirsten Dunst finds him one night in bed with Elle Fanning, and when he approaches her to apologize or explain (honestly, what is his goal????), she pushes him away from her–and down the gigantic plantation house’s stairs. He’s knocked unconscious and his sutured leg injury reopens, so Nicole Kidman decides to amputate because he’s losing a lot of blood (but actually because she’s jealous that he went to Elle Fanning’s bedroom). He awakens from the surgery and is BIG MAD. He calls everyone on their bullshit but also goes into a drunken rage because he only has one leg and the amputation was performed for, frankly, illegitimate reasons. Kirsten Dunst tries to calm him down by having sex with him, but the other women plot how to get rid of him (oh yeah, he grabbed a weapon–I missed how he got it. Did he already have it? I thought Nicole Kidman had one too?), and they decide to have Mushroom Girl go get the bad mushrooms. They feed them to him, he dies, and the leave his body outside the gate for whichever army to pick up as they pass. That’s it. That’s how the movie ends.

I liked this movie; it was fine. Was it what I’d hoped for from Coppola? Not at all. Marie Antoinette is one of my favorite movies and I always how Coppola will make films in that same style. The Virgin Suicides has a lot of that same energy, and I love that film too. The Beguiled definitely feels like a Coppola movie. It has a similar dreamy and ethereal quality, but here there’s a darkness and underlying tension that some of the (literally) brighter films don’t always have–visually, at least. Or, maybe a better way of putting it is that the true bright, dreamy, and ethereal scenes are fewer and further between in The Beguiled than they are in the other two films I mentioned. Whereas the dark, saturated tones appear pretty much throughout in The Beguiled (except in a few very key moments), Marie Antoinette and TVS are dominated by those bright, dreamy, ethereal tones, and the darker, saturated tones appear in very strategic moments to signal Serious Business happening. As a viewer, I don’t mind the difference, but I’m not sure if the dark, saturated tones in The Beguiled always accurately reflect other depths of the film–most notably, its plot. But more on that in a second.

To get the thing out of the way that I’m supposed to talk about as someone with a PhD in 19C US lit, the historical stuff in this film works. It’s not trying to be irreverent or fanciful with historical tropes like, say, Marie Antoinette. That’s not a value judgment; it’s just a comment. Frankly, I don’t really have too much to say about this film’s historical aspects. Whereas I usually have some opinion of costuming (the recent Little Women adaptation is wonderful but there are … things I don’t love) or how historical subject matter from the period gets treated in films, in this case, I really wasn’t distracted by any significant historical inaccuracies and there were only a few times that I was like “wait a second, is this right???” Honestly, the biggest cause for that question related to some of the evening wear, which looked a little cheap, but that’s whatever; also, Civil War-era garments aren’t something I know especially well, so who am I to judge?

I appreciated the film’s take on women’s–well, some women’s–concerns during the Civil War, including the threats posed by roving military troops on both sides of the conflict, the loss of loved ones (and the sense that their lives are halted but also must go on), the mindless regurgitation of stereotypes about enemy soldiers, etc. I also love the way the film portrays some of the more mundane aspects of these women’s lives–the monotony of sewing, housework, and learning French to speak … with one another–and some of the unique situations caused by wartime population changes, including middle- and upper-class women’s need to perform outdoor labor (I was surprised to see them using shovels, for instance).

I was, frankly, extraordinarily disappointed to see that the film pares the household economy down to a group of middle- and upper-class white women with a casual comment about how all of the enslaved workers left prior to the film’s opening. I understand that this detail further emphasizes how alone and isolated this group is, but for a film released in 2017, it frankly felt like a cop-out. It’s unfathomable to me that a Southern Gothic film set during the Civil War wouldn’t have one single Black character and could write an entire population off in a throw-away line at the beginning of the film. Black Americans played essential roles in the US economy during this period–in all periods, but I’m talking about this one specifically here–and they were pivotal figures in the Civil War itself. They held especially pivotal roles in the South’s (really, the nation’s) economy, and their relationships with domestic life in that region were so complex, rich, and, frankly, worthy of all the attention in the world. Did the film’s producers not want to hire more actors, or did they think a group of white people having old-timey white people problems was enough to bring in audiences? The 19C was full of a million different stories of how enslaved southerners responded to the war and how their lives changed–especially in the South–because of it, so to not depict even one of those stories strikes me as … well, representative of what’s wrong with this film.

Okay, so I lied when I said I didn’t have an opinion on the historical stuff in this film.

My big issue with the film–well, other than (or connected with) the fact that it completely ignores literally the most important population of society during the historical moment it depicts–is that this film’s content doesn’t seem to live up to its visual richness and depth. What I mean by this is that the film’s deep and rich visual style–the color saturation and tones mentioned above–don’t mesh with the plot and characters, which are collectively underdeveloped. I think the underdeveloped plot is fairly straightforward–I didn’t need to leave much out in my summary above, and that paragraph is shorter than most emails I send. This is a film without subplots, which has made me realize how important subplots actually are for fleshing out a fictional world–even a fictional world I know a lot about and am able to imagine my own depth for. The story is a love triangle (with a few extras) in the South during the Civil War. That love triangle could take place literally anywhere and anytime else and it’d have basically the same tension. I’m not even sure you really even need the enemy soldier dimension of Colin Farrell’s character because it’s barely an issue; the majority of the tension comes from the threat a man poses–even an injured one–to a group of women, and that’s timeless. We, as a society, are also obsessed with the idea of women fighting for a man, a storyline I’m getting a bit sick of because it’s just another way we pit women against one another. But that gets to something else, which is the lack of character development. The characters–all seven of them or whatever–are stereotypes. Kirsten Dunst is the shy one who underestimates her beauty, Colin Farrell is an undercover Casanova (a 19C fuckboy, shall we say?), Elle Fanning is a flirt, and Nicole Kidman is a stern (and vindictive) older unmarried woman. We also have the spoiled rich girl and the silly sweet (but also unexpectedly vicious) girl. And Mushroom Girl is the nature-lover, who we know will be expected to conform to societal expectations the second the war ends and she reaches a certain age.

Frankly, the most interesting part about this film is imagining what is happening and will happen outside of what it shows on screen. I spent the entire time I was watching it wondering what these girls’ families were doing, how the soldiers just beyond the camera shots were faring, what the home’s previous (enslaved) domestic laborers were up to and where they had gone (and what their lives were like here before the war), what would happen to the girls in the days and months following the events of the film, etc.

TL;DR: It’s a flawed film that wasn’t terrible to watch, but left me wanting more–a lot more, and not in a “oh, make a sequel!” kind of way but in a “what was left on the editing room’s floor?” kind of way.

xoxo, you know.

[gta-5-cheats]

Netflix's Bright Is a Will Smith Action Flick, and Nothing More

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Netflix's Bright Is a Will Smith Action Flick, and Nothing More

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Netflix has made a name for itself in the television department over the last few years, thanks to the likes of Stranger Things, BoJack Horseman, and the various Marvel shows. But it doesn’t have that kind of credibility on the movies front yet, where it’s fighting studios with much deeper pockets, and also always pushes for a same-day release on its platform as in theatres. 2017 has been a big year for Netflix though, with the Cannes-premiere of Korean adventure Okja, the major deal for Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, and now the release of its most expensive film to date, Bright.

The film takes place in an alternate reality where humans, orcs, elves, and fairies have lived beside each other since the beginning of time. Will Smith stars as a human LAPD cop named Ward, who’s been reluctantly paired with an orc cop named Jakoby, played by Joel Edgerton, due to a diversity hire programme initiated by the department. This bit is slightly reminiscent of Zootopia’s opening, which also features a diversity-hire police officer, and both films talk about society judging individuals on their appearances, rather than seeing them for who they really are.

But following two cops is also reminiscent of most films written and/or directed by David Ayer – he’s best known as the man behind last year’s dumpster-fire Suicide Squad (which also starred Smith) – whose background as a naval officer has seen him pen or helm several movies about law officers, starting with his Hollywood-breakout Training Day in 2001, lean years in between that gave us Dark Blue, S.W.A.T. (both in 2003), and Street Kings (2008), followed by his most critically-acclaimed venture, End of Watch, in 2012. Each of those films have also incorporated street gangs, morally dubious cops, and flashy gun violence.

The first official trailer for Netflix’s Bright

Bright is similar in that regard, embedding real-world LA crime problems and the distrust of police into its narrative, but it’s also got fantasy boots to fill. That means weaving in lore about an almost mythical past that saw humans, orcs and elves at each other’s throats two millennia ago, which involved a Dark Lord, powerful beings, and magical items. The plot riffs on Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter in a foregrounding way, just enough to convince you that stranger things have happened, but is still restricted to give Smith’s character – a human – a fighting chance.

The premise of Bright centres on a young elf named Tikka (Lucy Fry), one of a select titular few who has the ability to hold and use a magic wand – an object that can grant wishes, (seemingly) has the power of a nuclear weapon, and kills any non-Bright who holds it – and ends up in the custody of Ward and Jakoby after they are dispatched to an address. Ward’s call for backup from his precinct doesn’t go as planned, and he’s forced to go on the run with Jakoby and Tikka to keep the wand away from the hands of literally everyone: corrupt cops, street thugs, and criminal organisations.

That gives Ayer the licence to stage his film like a video game, comprising of ridiculous shootout routines one after the another where the fleeing trio is always under-powered, be it a car chase, bar evacuation, dance club hold-up, gas station face-off, or a fist-fight in an apartment. Through it all, the film explores the budding friendship between Ward and Jaokoby, spliced with gallows-type humour – Smith is natural at infusing comedy into the direst of moments, and he keeps denying that they’re becoming friends – and intercut with scenes that develop Bright’s fantasy world.

Noomia Rapace as Leilah in a still from Netflix’s Bright Photo Credit: Matt Kennedy/Netflix

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That involves introducing Noomi Rapace as Leilah, a dark elf who is part of an Illuminati-type group that’s trying to bring back a Dark Lord, alongside some of her expert close-quarters combat followers, plus two detectives who work for the FBI’s magic division, an elf (Édgar Ramírez) and a human (Ike Barinholtz), who are supposed to be in-charge of any wand-related troubles. The latter two are there to service the lore and hence don’t feature much, but even though Rapace is supposed to be the main villain, she’s hardly part of the film.

Bright’s choice to feature Ward as the chief protagonist and keep Jakoby as his sidekick in-training is also misguided. Zootopia worked precisely because it chose to stick with the diversity hire, the one’s who discriminated against. Jakoby is hated by his own kind because he’s not Blooded – having a pair of lower jaw teeth that jut out like fangs – and works with humans in the police force. Orcs look down on him, and humans revile him for belonging to another side, assuming he’s orc first and cop second.

Bright instead follows his slightly specist partner, Smith’s Ward. He isn’t as open about his distaste for working with an orc unlike some of his co-workers, but that doesn’t mean Ward doesn’t repeatedly try to get rid of Jakoby in the early going. Ward and Jakoby’s relationship is also tainted by an earlier event, and the film would benefit if it gave more emphasis to Edgerton’s orc. That would allow the film to be more powerful in what it’s trying to convey, but Bright fails to understand that.

One big obvious reason would be Smith’s casting, who is a much more recognisable star. Edgerton has as much screen presence as Smith, but Jakoby doesn’t get the necessary build up moments that help you connect and relate with the character. Those are reserved for Ward, whose family and background situation is given ample time in the opening minutes.

Joel Edgerton as Jakoby, Lucy Fry as Tikka, and Will Smith as Ward in a still from Netflix’s Bright Photo Credit: Matt Kennedy/Netflix

The film also grapples with a lot of social themes, which aren’t really addressed. There are multiple parallels and allegories here, but in many ways, the problems faced by African-Americans today have been grafted onto orcs. They have it much worse in the film in many ways, being openly reviled in a way that wouldn’t fly in our version of 2017. At the same time, the film’s actual African-Americans don’t seem to have it any better than our reality, implying that humans have kept themselves divided through the ages, even while living alongside two other sentient species on Earth.

Mistrust, class struggles, and social mobility appear to be important themes for Bright in the early going, and it indulges the idea of exploring the symptoms and consequences of that for the first half hour. But it eventually gives that up, and turns into a Will Smith-movie, which is to say a generic guns-blazing action thriller. Bright could make for a fascinating Netflix TV series if it was more interested and serious about its themes, but Ayer doesn’t seem to have those ambitions. It also doesn’t help that his vision for gun violence resembles that of a 7-year-old, with characters needlessly emptying entire cartridges as scare tactics, causing more pain for the set designer than our protagonists.

After an opening half-hour that gave us hope that the film wouldn’t descend into a bullet-a-minute adventure unlike some of Ayer’s previous dubious work – the posters designed by Netflix are putting Suicide Squad front and centre, which is hilarious and sad because it depletes confidence, instead of inspiring any – Bright turns into a chase story that keeps throwing new unimaginative problems at our heroes, and never bothers to deepen any of its themes and allegories.

It’s perfectly happy in being a big budgeted action flick – Netflix reportedly spent $90 million (about Rs. 577 crore) to produce it – but it doesn’t have the goofy swagger of Men in Black, nor the grittiness of End of Watch, and ends up just wallowing without saying much.

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[lorrainecparker]

Game of Thrones: the beginning of the end

Season 8 will put an end to the saga Game of Thrones. One year from now the last six episodes, so is said, will free many professionals from what has been a long time commitment. The last candles are burning at Westeros.

The last episode from season seven airs Sunday, August 27. Game of Thrones will, probably, end before Christmas 2018. Filming is expected to begin this Fall, and between filming and post-production, the last season will be ready for viewing in September 2018, the usual date for launching series running through the Winter period. But Game of Thrones will not make it to Christmas, as airing six episodes will place the end of the show somewhere mid November 2018. Then it will be time to say goodbye to a TV show that has kept so many people glued to the TV screen, waiting for the next episode.

GoT is one HBO’s most popular ever series. The mix of George R. R. Martin’s stories with film crews who understood and could give life to the novels and make them TV products while respecting the complexity of characters and plots, contributed to turn GoT into a success. Halfway through airing the first season episodes, Game of Thrones was confirmed for a second season. That was in 2011, and since then the series has grown, for each season, to become one of the most awarded series on television and, what is more important, to be a show seen and loved by millions of people around the world. Nothing compares to it, apparently.

The best seat at GoT

Camera operators have, no doubt, what some consider to be the best seat in the house to see the show as it unfolds, and in GoT they saw it and will continue to see it being created, rehearsed, repeated, until the final scene is in the can. It’s their experience, the challenge of working for a project that has had different directors and direction throughout times but has had to keep faithful to “the GoT look” that makes Game of Thrones even more interesting, I believe. Game of Thrones has been, one discovers through the behind the scenes videos published, a laboratory of narrative experience, an alchemist’s studio where the screenplays adapting the fiction of one author considered to be the American Tolkien, are intertwined with CGI and special effects to create a fantastic medieval but still believable world that grabbed fans’ attention, episode after episode.

Game of Thrones was going to be shot on film. Was… because in the end digital was selected, and ARRI cameras were chosen. Alexa cameras registered the first scenes of the ten-episode season from HBO, filmed in Northern Ireland and Malta, with Alik Sakharov, ASC and Marco Pontecorvo, AIC, at the helm, sharing cinematographic duties. The rotation of the crew would start, then, with Matt Jensen taking over for Pontecorvo when he left the series to direct a feature.

The whole story and those initial moments are remembered in the article “ALEXA wins the GAME OF THRONES” published by ARRI. In the article Marco Pontecorvo indicates the initial goals for the series, saying: “ We began with a concept of a very strong and committed look, in order to express the atmosphere and scale of the show; we also decided on how the look should differ between Northern Ireland and Malta, in order to help the audience place each scene. Once we’d done that we started work on some LUTs to really discover that look – this was in preproduction – and then the LUTs were adjusted and refined while we were shooting. Alik made his adjustments and I made mine; mainly it was playing with the curve and applying desaturation, with a generally warmer look in Malta and a cooler approach for Northern Ireland.“

ARRI, the logical choice

Regarding the choice of camera, Alik Sakharov revealed, then, that “we tested a film camera and two digital cameras very extensively for a full week and took the tests all the way through postproduction, working with Gary Curran, our colorist at Screen Scene. There was so much information in the ALEXA images that it just won us over” and added “I never thought I would be singing praises to HD technology and yet there I was, utterly enamoured by it.”

Marco Pontecorvo confirmed Alik Sakharov’s opinion about the equipment chosen and added ”I was convinced that ALEXA was the right choice as soon as I saw material from the two digital cameras. My only consideration was that, at the time, ALEXA was a prototype, so there was a chance that it wouldn’t be as user-friendly as a more established camera. But once we had taken the footage all the way through postproduction, we knew that ALEXA was the one. Both Alik and I are more used to shooting on 35 mm and it remains our first love, but ALEXA is very, very close and after we’d seen the test results we didn’t have any doubts that it would deliver both in terms of budget and quality.“

So, the ARRI ALEXA makes part of the history of the creation of Game of Thrones. In fact, it also contributed to make GoT the first hour-long series from HBO shot entirely on digital. But the ARRI ALEXA it is not the only camera on set, as in 2013 RED had a pair of EPIC-M RED DRAGON shipped to HBO for the Iceland production crew of Game of Thrones.  The show not only had its CGI dragon, now it had RED DRAGON cameras being used to capture some scenes.

The CGI dragon and RED’s DRAGON

The cameras from RED were first used during season four.  Some of the locations in Iceland held terrain that was unsafe for the Steadicam operator. According to cinematographer Robert McLachlan, the crew was able to get shots that would have been impossible without having 6K cameras light enough to be paired with handheld Freefly MōVI M10 rigs.

According to RED, “the CF DRAGON’s machined magnesium skeleton and protective carbon fiber shell support all the power of the EPIC DRAGON while weighing only four pounds. Its lightweight, durable construction has made the CF DRAGON an ideal choice for weight-sensitive applications. A member of the crew, Camera B-Operator David Morgan said then: “It was fortunate for us to be given the RED EPIC-M [CARBON FIBER] cameras…it meant we could use a high quality camera on the MōVI rig.”

While Game of Thrones�� hallmark quality and immersion were top priorities, there was no desire to sacrifice the crew’s safety. In similar circumstances McLachlan would typically use a series of long lens shots. But keeping the MōVI rig’s weight down using the CF DRAGON allowed for dynamic, focused shots while vastly reducing the risks involved. The ease of use, improved crew safety, and ability to maintain the series’ signature quality, concludes RED, “made the CF DRAGON an indispensable tool for shooting in the most difficult locations throughout Southern Iceland.”

Technology for a medieval world

Game of Thrones has been a display of technology evolution as well. The first season was still using Sony HDCAM SR tape and tape decks, but Francesco Giardiello, who is one of the busiest DITs around, working on major motion pictures and high-end TV productions had seen the latest Codex technology by the end 2009, while prepping the first season of HBO’s Game Of Thrones at ARRI Media in London and was eager to give it a try. In an interview published at Codex he says: I had heard about Codex, their external recorder and their road map for ARRIRAW recording from the ARRI ALEXA cameras. So we got a prototype to test. Although ALEXA was yet to be released, and it was still early days of the science behind ARRIRAW debayering, the potential of Codex to streamline and accelerate the workflow was blindingly obvious.”

So, in 2010, continues Francesco Giardiello, “after ALEXA was launched, we looked at Codex again, and saw the chance to get rid of tape for recording completely. It was the start of a great relationship with Codex, that continues to this day.”

From drones uses to represent the point of view of dragons, to the DJI Osmo used ”with a small digital camera on it that allowed a horseman to get shots while riding a horse at a full gallop through the cavalry charge”  Canadian cinematographer Robert McLachlan mentions during an interview, Game of Thrones crew have used anything and everything that helps to propel each episode to the visual level of excellence that is the hallmark of GoT.

People, people and more people…

With each ten-episode season of Game of Thrones occupying four to six directors, who usually direct back-to-back episodes, the list of directors associated with GoT is huge, including names as Alan Taylor,  Alex Graves, Alik Sakharov, Brian Kirk, Daniel Minahan, Daniel Sackheim, David Nutter, David Petrarca, Jack Bender, Jeremy Podeswa, Mark Mylod, Matt Shakman, Miguel Sapochnik , Michael Slovis, Michelle MacLaren, Neil Marshall or Tim Van Patten, among others.

The list of cinematographers associated with Game of Thrones does not stop there, though, as it grew throughout the seasons. Jonathan Freeman, ASC, and Kramer Morgenthau, ASC, Alik Sakharov, ASC, Marco Pontecorvo, AIC, Sam McCurdy, BSC, P.J. Dillon, Martin Kenzie, BSC, Robert McLachlan, ASC/CSC,  Chris Seager, BSC,  Matthew Jensen, ASC, or Anette Haellmigk are some of the names one finds associated with different episodes.

Anette Haellmigk shot two episodes of the show and she remembers the excitement felt when she found out there was a chance to work on the show: “ Game of Thrones came to me through director Alex Graves, with whom I’ve worked for 17 years. In Spring of 2012, when we were doing the 666 pilot together, he told me Game of Thrones had approached him to shoot two episodes, I said, “If you get it, you have to take me with you. I love that show so much, and I think I can contribute.”

The colours of GoT

A show able to move so many people, both from the production and audience side, is prone to create the more complex – and sometimes strange – studies about its evolution. We’ve seen it happen with different TV series, and GoT, due to its popularity, has been the base for so many interpretations that you’ll be able to discover by simply typing in Google  the phrase “the meaning of Game of Thrones”. Enjoy…

Here we look at a curious analysis about the use of colour in Game of Thrones. In a recent article under the title “More fire than ice: how Game of Thrones’ use of color has changed over 7 seasons” VOX offers readers a “colourful” perspective about the series. The  authors of the article reveal that “We analyzed the series’ use of color in all 66 episodes so far, capturing the screen every 10 seconds and averaging the colors in each image. We found that scenes where the average color is warm — that is, closer to red than blue — outnumber the ones with cold colors.”

Vox’s article offers an interesting take on a series that has captured the attention of a growing audience since 2011, but that now is coming close to its end. Meaning the world of Westeros will burn its last candle.

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