Troperiffic Tuesday!: Stuff Blowing Up

Chick 1 says:

In continuing to explore my friend’s own personal genre of Men of Honor Blowing Stuff Up, this week we look at … Stuff Blowing Up. Explosions are such a staple of movies that they are basically a subgenre of tropes. And the reason for their rampant use isn’t nearly so deep or complicated; explosions are cool and people, especially men, like them. They’re an awesome way to anchor an action set piece and they look great visually. Should you put explosions in your movie? Unless you’re working on a Jane Austen adaptation the answer is yes! And even then you should at least consider it. (I think I just invented my own genre.) Read more

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Chick 1 in Tropes 7,369 Comments

Troperiffic Tuesday!: Deconstruction

Chick 1 says:

I have a friend who is an engineer. When he was a child, he took apart a telephone just to see how it worked. That is a great example of what the Deconstruction trope is all about. We take apart a trope, a character, a genre, or even a series to see what makes it tick. Or what would happen if we did…this?

Deconstruction is an idea that is used in many disciplines besides storytelling but the goal is the same; to gain a better understanding of something by disassembling it. One of the most popular types of narrative Deconstruction is to ask what would happen to this trope, character or plot device if the rules of Real Life applied to it. As Deconstruction often, not always, comes across as darker it can sometimes be interpreted as an attack on whatever is being deconstructed. But it can give us a better understanding of how things work and an even bigger appreciation for tropes, characters, and stories we already love. Read more

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Chick 1 in Tropes 108 Comments

Randomness: Oscar Notes

Chick 1 says:

I wasn’t going to start this rundown of the telecast until it actually started at 7:30 CST. But after what just happened on the red carpet, it’s time to start.

5:50 pm: All six children from the cast of Slumdog Millionaire being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest. Was that not the most adorable thing ever?! I could have eaten them all for dessert. Closely followed by the other cast members from Slumdog, all humble, excited, and a little giddy. And they seem to handling the whirlwind surrounding their film quite well. I hope this movie wins Best Picture! Read more

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Chick 1 in Randomness 2,256 Comments