Other Story Formats

[Soz]

@Soz


Also, don't discount movies! To certain people, the physical stimulus of seeing actual pictures/movement and feeling the music, is much more powerful than reading words and imagining a scene. It's about equal for me, but I can understand if somebody would prefer a movie-version of a book, to the actual book. Of course this depends on other goodies like if the movie stayed true to the novel, if the person even liked the full novel, if the movie captured action better than the novel, etc. Wonderful.

I don't discount movies, but the medium is less storytelling and more art.

Enemy for instance. This movie is far more about the cinematography and how the information is communicated more than the information itself. Enemy being by FAR the most masterful use of cinematography I've personally ever seen, where literally EVERY SINGLE THING ABOUT THE MOVIE IS A CLUE. Everything. There isn't one scene that is meaningless. The story however is impossibly generic once you understand everything.

PRIMER, which is about a two hour long movie, that you'll have to watch maybe three times at least, and probably need two graphs, and a two and half hour long commentary to get a large portion of it unless you're actually a scientist. The audio is poor, and the characters explain little to the audience, and you've got to infer quite a lot from their scientific terminology as to what is really going on. Even then, there are about 9 different timelines, and it's rare that you've got advanced information for you to understand they are even in a different timeline. It's exhaustingly complicated, and I'd love to see it re-done for the average viewer that wouldn't take the time to explore the movie like I did. Maybe make it into a mini-series even on Netflix.

Even more simple movies like Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise was phenomenal, so I do let the simple stuff catch me occasionally.


I enjoy movies but my ADHD doesn't let me really sit through them. Anime has a very special space for some reason it's one of the few things where my hands aren't in use and I can be completely absorbed into it. I think it might be why I like it so much, and I can watch really bad anime and be just as entertained if it were good (but make no mistake, I know the difference between the two, lol).

 

[TrumpCard]

I even turn on subtitles in movies/TV, so I can read the Dialogue.

Funny enough, I do the same. I can't stand watching something without subtitles on.

 

[White Masquerade]

Bone2pick
I get it. I get what you mean. My mind goes back to what DruidPeter said before about density; the main strength of books. The excerpt you linked was just the perfect example of it. A scene like that. In that length. Described in that detail, you can't have in any other format. The closest competing format, video games, can't waste space on that. Let alone do it for a long time without engaging the player. Games being interactive by definition, doesn't allow a scene like to happen.

That was a beautiful moment. A life lesson. Just from that short piece I can definitely say Granger's experience did shift my perspective. It made me smile. I'm sure I read Fahrenheit 451, but I can't seem to remember the big details. Regardless, nice choice of book. You bring up good info. When i comes to concepts, ideas, and experiences, books hands down do it better than any other format. I would say when it comes to action or engagement, books face stiff competition, but I'm starting to understand in what way they're effective and strong too. Thank you for sharing that Bone.

Devious Dilbert
Haha. You were unlucky to post right after Bone. . I have a question for you Devious. You say you love games above all else. Reading what I said to Bone, would you say a game could explain a concept to you better than a book? Say...the conflict of Altruism vs Greed, Good vs Evil, Independence vs The Needs of Everyone. Do you think a game could properly explore any one of those concepts in the way a book can? Would you enjoy a game about them more than a novel about them?

wonderandawe
Lol. You turn on the subtitles? I do agree with you about RP. I like having full control of the journey I want to go on, but writing it out like a masterpiece can be trying, lol. If I had serious writing skill and everyone playing with me did too, I think RP would top the list easy.

Soz
Yeah, I could see how movies are more art than story-telling. Especially since they have 2-3 hours to start and finish. Movies don't have much depth when I think about it. It's probably the experience then that contributes to the overall feel of the movie. You know, the lights being off. Popcorn. A HUGE screen. A hundred other people in the room there to watch the same thing as you. It's magical sometimes. Especially if the movie is somewhat engrossing, lol.

On anime I know exactly how you feel. I honestly don't get it either. I can watch episode after episode of sub-par anime and be like "It's great." But sub-par live-action shows I watch get dropped and never watched again. It really boggles my mind. Anyway, thank you for the comment.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

My reasoning is more arbitrary than everyone else's: I enjoy a story the most when the medium allows me to take my time as I wish. For example, I can sped through a novel in a day if I really want to, while I can also do it slowly bit by bit to take in all the glory. With movies, I'm locked to a fixed time which I had to adhere to. Video game is another medium, but for me video games has always been the experience and not the story. A game with addicting gameplay will entice me more than a game with oscar-winning story but meh gameplay.

 

[Devious Dilbert]

Haha. You were unlucky to post right after Bone. . I have a question for you Devious. You say you love games above all else. Reading what I said to Bone, would you say a game could explain a concept to you better than a book? Say...the conflict of Altruism vs Greed, Good vs Evil, Independence vs The Needs of Everyone. Do you think a game could properly explore any one of those concepts in the way a book can? Would you enjoy a game about them more than a novel about them?

When you say "explain," all I have to say to that is: A good game doesn't tell. It shows.

When you say, "Do you think a game could properly explore any one of those concepts in the way a book can?"
My answer: It can properly explore these ideas, yes. In the way that a book can? No, because they are two very different forms of media and so they will approach and present the concept in different ways. The book is not superior although it does allow more words at the expense of visuals and interactivity. The game is not superior although it allows for more visuals at the expense of words. If you're talking about books being turned into games, that's a whole different story. And I don't think books-to-games should even be a point to be argued about, honestly.

Last question: Yes, definitely.

 

[White Masquerade]

My reasoning is more arbitrary than everyone else's: I enjoy a story the most when the medium allows me to take my time as I wish. For example, I can sped through a novel in a day if I really want to, while I can also do it slowly bit by bit to take in all the glory. With movies, I'm locked to a fixed time which I had to adhere to. Video game is another medium, but for me video games has always been the experience and not the story. A game with addicting gameplay will entice me more than a game with oscar-winning story but meh gameplay.

Yes! That's what I'm starting to figure from all the responses too. Books/written works are still king in terms of depth and exploration, but the experience/interactivity in games does well at catching and grabbing attention. A bonus if the game has a decent plot going on. Correct me if I'm wrong, but games are just beginning to try out having deep stories. I am curious to see how far the industry can take it in that format. As for gameplay, I see. One of the main things I wanted to do with this discussion, was find out how I could incorporate the strengths of each format into Roleplay online. I was iffy and what made video games appealing, so I thank you for shedding some light on that. It's clearer =P. Much.

When you say "explain," all I have to say to that is: A good game doesn't tell. It shows.

When you say, "Do you think a game could properly explore any one of those concepts in the way a book can?"
My answer: It can properly explore these ideas, yes. In the way that a book can? No, because they are two very different forms of media and so they will approach and present the concept in different ways. The book is not superior although it does allow more words at the expense of visuals and interactivity. The game is not superior although it allows for more visuals at the expense of words. If you're talking about books being turned into games, that's a whole different story. And I don't think books-to-games should even be a point to be argued about, honestly.

Last question: Yes, definitely.

Thank you for this as well. I was looking for how exactly it got your attention over the other formats, but I think I can start to imagine. The challenge, struggle, and skills needed to "pass" to the end of it? I can see how that'd be appealing for sure if true.