8 years ago I started a SF graphic novel project with some folks I met by posting an ad. The ad contained these notes as a jumping off point. I could expand on these, but I think they are still largely spot on, and demonstrate why many of the films fall so short of the originals. (Pardon the sentence fragments.)
What was good about Star Wars?
Technology not catered to. The audience was told they were looking at antiques and junk while being shown treasures. Little or no oral or visual exposition on technology – the audience does not need to know how it works, and the magic is broken when they do. Don’t fill in meaningless details with discussion, controls, tooling or displays. How did he fly that loop? By piloting – nothing more is necessary.
Faceless enemy. If you’re going to kill a lot of bad guys, it’s better if the majority of them aren’t individuals at all. Don’t distract the audience with unnecessary personal connections when not warranted. Uniform masks and suits are good. Nameless, faceless, numberless.
Simple characters, simple motivation. Bad guys are bad, good guys make decisions and stick to them. No deep psychology. Situations are funny, characters are not.
No swearing. No speeches. Neither are necessary, both are distracting.
A backdrop of terror. There must be horror if the bad guys are evil, but the horror should not be dwelled upon. Make it part of the larger scene or a quick punctuation – not the scene itself.
Simple design. The overall shape of the future should be easy to sketch and remember. Grossly complex designs are less fascinating than basic shapes with interesting details. Guns, armor, ships and buildings.
No stargazing. The story gets the screen time. The backdrop, no matter how fascinating, is just backdrop. The characters aren’t amazed, and the audience is there to follow the characters, not take a tour. They get to sneak the tour in.
Avoid prophesy. No one is Jesus. Some people are more gifted than others, but even the “normal” good guys can be very talented – let them.
The truly bad guys are people. Not robots, not aliens. Only a person can truly be evil to another person. Minions don’t all have to be human, but life and death battles should be a contest of life against life – not a pointless fight against appliances. There is no fear or bravery involved in cutting up robots.
No puzzles. The audience doesn’t need to see the characters “figure out” how to get past a complex but largely unconvincing gateway puzzle. Characters use their heads to out think other characters – not their environment.
What was good about Star Wars?
Technology not catered to. The audience was told they were looking at antiques and junk while being shown treasures. Little or no oral or visual exposition on technology – the audience does not need to know how it works, and the magic is broken when they do. Don’t fill in meaningless details with discussion, controls, tooling or displays. How did he fly that loop? By piloting – nothing more is necessary.
Faceless enemy. If you’re going to kill a lot of bad guys, it’s better if the majority of them aren’t individuals at all. Don’t distract the audience with unnecessary personal connections when not warranted. Uniform masks and suits are good. Nameless, faceless, numberless.
Simple characters, simple motivation. Bad guys are bad, good guys make decisions and stick to them. No deep psychology. Situations are funny, characters are not.
No swearing. No speeches. Neither are necessary, both are distracting.
A backdrop of terror. There must be horror if the bad guys are evil, but the horror should not be dwelled upon. Make it part of the larger scene or a quick punctuation – not the scene itself.
Simple design. The overall shape of the future should be easy to sketch and remember. Grossly complex designs are less fascinating than basic shapes with interesting details. Guns, armor, ships and buildings.
No stargazing. The story gets the screen time. The backdrop, no matter how fascinating, is just backdrop. The characters aren’t amazed, and the audience is there to follow the characters, not take a tour. They get to sneak the tour in.
Avoid prophesy. No one is Jesus. Some people are more gifted than others, but even the “normal” good guys can be very talented – let them.
The truly bad guys are people. Not robots, not aliens. Only a person can truly be evil to another person. Minions don’t all have to be human, but life and death battles should be a contest of life against life – not a pointless fight against appliances. There is no fear or bravery involved in cutting up robots.
No puzzles. The audience doesn’t need to see the characters “figure out” how to get past a complex but largely unconvincing gateway puzzle. Characters use their heads to out think other characters – not their environment.