cultural significance – Speculative fiction and art from Thea Dee

i was deeply touched by the recent Transformers movie.

>to listen to a very cool Transformers theme by Mute Math,
see this YouTube video (it will open in a separate window —
start it up,
then come back here to read
with the theme in the background… heh-heh) <

although the cartoon has pretty much faded into my childhood memories, i can find in the corners of my consciousness a fondness for Optimus Prime and his metal compatriots. two quotes stand out in my mind:

Optimus Prime’s deep voice ordering, “autobots, roll out!”
and
Starscream (appropriately) screaming, “retreat! retreat!”

lesson #1: the sky is no longer the limit

i was walking through an electronics store when i first saw the movie trailer. it stopped me in my tracks.

i caught my breath.
tears came to my eyes.
it was a spiritual experience.

not because i love Transformers so much. i don’t really care about them. it was because of the possibilities that opened up before my inner eyes when i saw those images.

someone had brought a cheesy animated cartoon to life in a way that made them look utterly, completely REAL.

ANYTHING is possible now.

lesson #2: the secret to entertaining a wider audience

the second time i watched Transformers, i realized what a clever thing they’d done with the presentation of the story.

they had three major interlocking, overlapping plotlines, and each appealed to a different segment of movie-goers:

the war story, with the brave soldiers
the teen romance story, with the geeky boy and hot chick
the hackers story, with sci-fi robots and the unlikely alliance between hackers and the government

isn’t that brilliant?
macho guys watch the movie and like the soldiers and big robots.
chicks watch the movie and love the romance.
teens watch the movie and relate to the main characters.
etc.

there’s the “cool car” element, the awkward family moments, the hilarious “sector seven” idiot agents mocking all things MiB/X-files/secret government agencies. the Spanish-speaking soldier spoke to the cultural divides in America. even a silly little Taco Bell dog for pet lovers.

in some ways, the handling and timing of all these elements muddied the story, but their inclusion touched a wider audience.

want your story to have wider appeal? choose your main viewpoint characters and main plotlines with thought towards major demographics.

just make sure you still love the story you’re telling. if you’re bored or not into some of your characters, it will probably show. create characters you care about, just stretch yourself and create ones outside your own usual characteristics (age, occupation, personality).

i love this about a lot of Japanese manga, too. they have so many characters, you gotta relate to someone in them!

your turn

so what did you notice in this movie? any lessons learned?

even if you weren’t watching it to learn anything,
think about what you really liked.
why did it appeal to you?
think about parts that bugged you.
how did they miss the mark?

comments, please!

bonus: my fav quotes

“it’s like a super-advanced robot… it’s definitely Japanese.”

“he’s not a rodent, he’s a chihuahua.”

ironhide: “the parents are very irritating. can I take them out?”
optimus: “you know we don’t harm humans.”

re: the Nokia phone turned decepticon:
“the itty bitty energizer bunny from hell…”

fellow prisoner: “what’d they get you for?”
sam: “i bought a car. it turned out to be an alien robot. who knew?”

ahhh… classic!

Transformers

as someone born in the latter half of the 20th century, i grew up with TV and movies. i watched a few cartoon series (yes, Transformers was one of them).

well, more than watched them. i remember memorizing whole episodes so i could relate them to my dad when he got home from work — the dialogue as close to word-for-word as i could get it. speaking of my dad, i’m a second generation Trekkie because of him. i’m probably a lover of sci-fi because of him, too.

(thanks, dad!)

my interest in storytelling, story making and even things like memorizing dialogue was either a reflection of my creative passions or perhaps my environment shaped them a bit. whatever the case, certain scenes have become ingrained in my consciousness and stayed with me over the years.

why do movies have such impact?

have you ever wondered why movies, or even books, have such impact on our lives? i believe it is of great significance and deserves more than a passing thought.

especially for anyone in creative endeavors.

why do i remember a Japanese hobo cooking a stolen egg for a little boy every time i make an omelette? it’s Tampopo’s fault.

every time i hear the word “inconceivable”, why do i hear a wiry swordsman’s Spanish accent: “you keep using that word. i do not think it means what you think it means.” because of The Princess Bride, of course!

okay, so they’re great movies to me. but not everyone would agree. everyone has different life-impacting movies.

is it because they’re funny? well, they are, but Tampopo is serious, too. so that’s not the only factor.

personally, i believe it’s because the human brain is such an amazing and faithful machine: it takes what it sees and hears and incorporates it as a memory. a slightly less-intense memory than something that happened to us directly, but still a memory.

a vicarious experience is an experience nonetheless,

and it shapes us just as living shapes us. especially if our living isn’t especially exciting on its own. we walk out of a theater triumphant, angry, depressed or inspired to greatness.

shared experiences

even more powerful are shared experiences. the movies and one-liners that i remember the best are ones i shared with others. my friends and i would quote favorite scenes from the Princess Bride back and forth, until we got distracted or laughed ourselves silly. there’s hardly a line in the movie i cannot complete.

*sniff*
“iocane powder. i’d bet my life on it.”

i mean, seriously, i’m still laughing, just typing the line above. now there was a character you were invited to despise, no question. he was begging for it, and didn’t even know it.

i’d dissect everything i watched in great detail afterwards from a writer’s perspective. talking it over with friends just cemented it all in my mind. especially the ones i watched again and again. heh!

there are many, many whole books i’ve read out loud to friends and family. the LOTR series, multiple times. the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold (i simply cannot recommend these enough or run out of good things to say about this author! the woman is not a multi-award winner for nothing!).

sharing the experience with others makes an amazing collective consciousness effect. everyone catches different angles on a story. hearing their viewpoint fills in holes in your own observations and brings epiphanies even after the movie or book is long over.

and after all,
when you love something,
who doesn’t want to share it
and talk to others who share your passion?

thus we have fandom.
a topic for another time.

the garden

there is a concept that is quickly becoming central to my philosophy of life.

my heart is a patch of soil.
it could be a garden.

my life grows out of the soil of my heart, using the seeds i plant in it. the soil is as moist and rich or as dry and sterile as i make it. everything i create is, more or less, coming out of my very innermost being. but what is in me?

> a gatorade commercial comes to mind…
successful marketing, right there:
is it in you? <

what am i experiencing every moment of my day? what passes in front of my eyes? how is it being connected to everything that has come before?

is my garden thick and overgrown, cluttered and choked?
or is it well-tended,
rich in nutrients and things that will make for yummy fruit?

what we watch becomes a part of us.
what we read becomes a part of us.
what we experience becomes a part of us.

DON’T MISS THIS: what we create and others ingest… becomes a part of them.

we become a part of them.
because what we create is a part of us.

doesn’t that trip you out?
it boggles.

Tag: cultural significance

two powerful lessons from the transformers movie