‘Storytelling has become the art of world building’: Avatar and the rise of the paracosm

[Judderman]

Edit: I just looked up how many films Cameron has actually directed that anyone cares about. The list is pretty short: Terminator, T2, Aliens, Abyss, True Lies, Titanic, Avatar.

To be fair this is an amazing list. Particularly for sci-fi and action fans. While Titanic and Avatar raked in the money too.

 

[Judderman]

Better quality visually. I don't tend to watch them, because the experience is increasingly distant from watching nature in reality, thanks to e.g. intrusive background music, use of slow-mo and time-lapse, and too much narration. It's become very artificial (even down to shooting footage of animals in captivity and not saying so during the programme).

Exactly

 

[paeng]

According to the writer,

“More and more, storytelling has become the art of world building,” writes Henry Jenkins in Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. “The world is bigger than the film, bigger even than the franchise – since fan speculations and elaborations that also expand the world in a variety of directions.” As one screenwriter recently commented: “When I first started you would pitch a story because, without a good story, you didn’t really have a film. Later, once sequels started to take off, you pitched a character because a good character could support multiple stories. And now you pitch a world, because a world can support multiple characters and multiple stories across multiple media.”

Ironically, that's the reason why many new movies are awful: they assumed that because a world can support so many characters and stories, then those characters and stories will be expressed effectively as long as there's a world that can imagined to allow for them. Hence, no need to "pitch a story."

The result are movies involving worlds with churned out stories and characters that are at best mediocre because of short development time.

 

[BAYLOR]

According to the writer,



Ironically, that's the reason why many new movies are awful: they assumed that because a world can support so many characters and stories, then those characters and stories will be expressed effectively as long as there's a world that can imagined to allow for them. Hence, no need to "pitch a story."

The result are movies involving worlds with churned out stories and characters that are at best mediocre because of short development time.

We end up with 2 hour long Big screen game cut scenes in the guise of feature films.

 

[Rodders]

I haven't seen Avatar: The Way of Water yet. Perhaps after Christmas.

 

[Vince W]

I haven't seen Avatar: The Way of Water yet. Perhaps after Christmas.

Me too. In 2036.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Me too. In 2036.

You'll be way behind. By 2036 we be at Avatar VII: Papa Smurf returns

 

[BAYLOR]

Me too. In 2036.

That's too soon to see it.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Me too. In 2036.

I've heard it's an excruciatingly long film. Start watching now and you will be finishing in 2036 (or it will feel like it anyway).

 

[paeng]

Off-topic, but in light of putting together cut scenes, check this out:

"ALIEN: ISOLATION Game Movie (All Cutscenes) 1080p HD" (warning: spoilers)

Who knows, maybe they'll make an Avatar video game where the cut scenes can be turned into a movie.