by any other name, it’s not a plot hole!
Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio are the amazingly talented writers of the popular Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.
I warned you before, me and the family are POTC nuts and I’ve recently run across several sites with things like interviews and production notes. I’ve devoured them, learning a number of things–little hints and tie ins from the previous two movies and a defnitive answer on how the whole trilogy ends.
In the interview found at Box Office Mojo Ted Elliott makes the following statement:
[warning-the interview contains mucho spoilers, don't read if you haven't seen the film!]
Ted Elliott: A lot of friends of mine who are writers said there were so many plot holes—but it’s still fun. The thing is there are no plot holes but what there isn’t is tell-it-three-times, signposted exposition.
YES!
YES!
YES!
Now, the critics are having a field day calling this movie (and the prior two) complex and messy and all over the map, but that’s not the case at all. I think the critics of this movie are just upset the writers expect them to THINK. Dear god, the horror.
A brilliant movie–and likewise a brilliant book–will have layers of information that will become clearer with each perusal. I want something that will engage my mind–force me to think. I don’t want chapters or wasted screen minutes where the whole backstory or layout is being explained to me in boring detail. I want to discover as I go. I want SHOWING and not TELLING.
As a writer, it’s hard not to want to put it all out there, at times be repetitive to make sure the reader “gets it”. But that can be as destructive as not telling enough. It really does depend on the story, the author and the approach. It’s a balance, really.
I don’t wanna lay too much exposition about it. Please share your thoughts on it!
Expo is the devil, I tell you.
It’s so dang hard to know what to tell and when to tell it, let alone how much. And don’t even try to guess what the reader might infer or what will stand out for them. That way lies madness.
But as an entertainment consumer, I’m of two minds. Most of the time I’d prefer not to have my hand held. I’d much rather watch something more than once than have it be insipid and shallow.
Yet there are other times when I’m reaching for Dude? Where’s My Car? just because my brain can’t take any more after a long day.
So it’s truly a multi-bladed sword, this expo thing.
May 31st, 2007 | #
I do feel it insults our intelligence when movies, books, etc repeatedly tell us what the story is about. I don’t need or want that. I appreciate a writer that credits their audience with having functional brain cells lol.
May 31st, 2007 | #
Don’t throw tomatoes! I never saw any of the Pirate of the Carribean movies
June 6th, 2007 | #