Greetings,
So, have you heard of this new movie coming out called True Story starring James Franco and Jonah Hill? I have, and I'm actually interested in seeing it. Why? Well, it's certainly not because of who is in it, since certain people in said film are ones I avoid like the plague. No, it's because I know this story, and I know it because I've heard it at least three times on the Investigation Discovery Channel. To be fair, those might have been 20/20, 48 Hours or Dateline reruns, but still. My point is that this channel has exposed me to several riveting stories. Stories that might give some people, like screenwriters, some good ideas.
Now, I have talked on this blog before about how much I enjoy the shows on ID. Okay, maybe "enjoy" is not the best word considering all the murder and mayhem. Let's say I'm intrigued instead. And until I heard about this upcoming film, I didn't realize how inspiring all of these stories can be. Again, "inspiring", maybe not the best word as people tend to associate that with uplifting things...for some reason. But I speak from personal experience when I say that one can be inspired by good as well as bad things. Heck, a lot of my new book came to be thanks to the horrific and/or moronic behavior that I've been forced to witness. So, right there, on the ID channel, are so many tales that can encourage some great writing. Of course, one can only go so far in telling a story that actually happened without some permission. At least, I think that's how it works with true crime incidents. Still, even if one does not tell the exact events by way of a new book or some other medium, a writer could certainly be motivated to do some great fiction. Maybe even taking bits and pieces from several different circumstances to create a really original story. Oh, there's the word I love so much and for which I long - originality.
Yeah, I don't know if anyone has noticed this, but, for the last several years, we have been inundated with films that are either remakes or reboots or sequels. Enough! Okay, look, I'm not saying that they are ALL bad, I'm just saying I wish people could come up with their own ideas. AND I wish even more that the studios would be willing to take risks on those new ideas, instead of just pushing out more crap that they know will make money because they, themselves, have fooled people into thinking that stuff is good. Of course, I'm not about to say there is no original material out there. In fact, as much as I criticize the Oscars, they do manage to expose me to things I would not have known about otherwise. Money in advertising, you understand. I'm just saying that what gets put at the forefront, most of the time, are the things that we've seen again and again. I just feel like many people, especially writers, have stopped trying. And this goes for screenplays AND books. Why write well when you can make millions writing Fifty Shades of Grey? The writing in that was terrible, by the way. But I digress.
Back to my point at hand. Pretty much every time I watch one of the many shows on Investigation Discovery, I think "Hey, that story would make a great movie!" So, I'm hoping that, if any screenwriters, or writers in general, can't come up with any good, original ideas, they will turn to channels like this for inspiration. And, yes, I know that copying a story that has already happened in real life might not be considered original. But it can be considered extremely good. Look at All the President's Men or Apollo 13 or Titanic. Okay, maybe not that last one. Not that last one, at all. Like I said, though, there is also an art to hearing all these different stories, taking parts from all of them, and building a tale of your own. It's a good idea. One that I hope is legal.
And if all else fails, someone can just write a biopic about the awesome Lt. Joe Kenda! I'd watch the crap out of that!
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
