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Is the mini-series best for great storytelling?
Posted on 9/29/14 at 4:19 pm
Posted on 9/29/14 at 4:19 pm
It seems that great stories are difficult to tell in a 2 hour movie so good content often ends up on the cutting room floor.
TV series either get cancelled and never complete the story or they are popular and become more filler than quality content.
Mini-series have a set timeframe within which to work, but it is extended enough to properly tell the story. That's why we get masterpieces like Band of Brothers and Lonesome Dove.
Obviously, we can name great tv series and movies. We can also name some terrible mini-series. Length of play cannot remedy bad acting, directing, and writing. However, I think the mini-series takes away some of the inherent problems with movies and tv series.
Just a random though I had as I was deciding whether to watch Gracepoint.
TV series either get cancelled and never complete the story or they are popular and become more filler than quality content.
Mini-series have a set timeframe within which to work, but it is extended enough to properly tell the story. That's why we get masterpieces like Band of Brothers and Lonesome Dove.
Obviously, we can name great tv series and movies. We can also name some terrible mini-series. Length of play cannot remedy bad acting, directing, and writing. However, I think the mini-series takes away some of the inherent problems with movies and tv series.
Just a random though I had as I was deciding whether to watch Gracepoint.
5
Posted on 9/29/14 at 4:22 pm to BhamTigah
I think the limited-run series is best-a full season or half season. Long enough to be complex, but short enough so it doesn't get stale.
Or like Fargo and True Detective, reboot the whole thing every season.
Or like Fargo and True Detective, reboot the whole thing every season.
Posted on 9/29/14 at 4:26 pm to Jim Rockford
I can see that. As long as the run is predefined so the writers know what they have to work with. Otherwise you end up with an awesome beginning like Lost, followed by seasons of fluff and then a rush to wrap it up.
Posted on 9/29/14 at 4:44 pm to BhamTigah
quote:
That's why we get masterpieces like Band of Brothers and Lonesome Dove.
Yep, and From The Earth To The Moon was really good as well.
No way you can tell those stories over the course of a 2 to 3 hour movie.
Posted on 9/29/14 at 4:54 pm to BhamTigah
It's definitely an effective entertainment medium when executed well. In addition to the two you mentioned (which are among my favorites of any movie/tv productions) I've enjoyed min-series all the way back to Rich Man Poor Man, Roots and The Stand. Some good actor have gotten their starts in them - Nick Nolte, Gary Sinese, and a lot more.
The funny thing is there has been kind of a blending of forms. Movies like The Godfather, Lord of the Rings, etc. have stretched out to multiple movies and longer run times while tv shows like True Detective which you mentioned seem to be leaning towards one season "stories". Heck, even stuff like Battlestar Galactica and Breaking Bad, while they run more than one season, have the a specific narrative to tell.
The funny thing is there has been kind of a blending of forms. Movies like The Godfather, Lord of the Rings, etc. have stretched out to multiple movies and longer run times while tv shows like True Detective which you mentioned seem to be leaning towards one season "stories". Heck, even stuff like Battlestar Galactica and Breaking Bad, while they run more than one season, have the a specific narrative to tell.
Posted on 9/29/14 at 4:58 pm to BhamTigah
quote:
Is the mini-series best for great storytelling?
You mean mini-series or limited run show correct?
Much like the short story is to writing, the answer is yes. With all due respect to Proust, the Short Story is the pinnacle of writing and skill. As much as we want to spend time with characters or narratives we like, there's something about efficiency of storytelling that can make those styles far more powerful. With a book, unless you can shorten the time you consume the book, it can lose a significant amount of power. Even if it's great.
This is also the basic human reaction to binge watching. Getting to the end of something more quickly enhances the impact. But there is a limit.
For film, there isn't a set form, but 1 hour and 45 minutes is about the perfect length of a film. The closer you get to that time, either by adding or subtracting, the better your film is. It's science.
--Looks at the running time for The Thing... 1h49m, yeah perfect film.--
This post was edited on 9/29/14 at 4:59 pm
Posted on 9/29/14 at 5:14 pm to BhamTigah
Yes and no.
Yes: a story should have a main arc with a beginning middle and end, and it should not be dragged on until it dies before it reaches the climax and denouement. This means that a mini-series is a better form of story telling because it necessarily contemplates a beginning, middle and end without the TV executives needing the writers to come up with more filler. The story is told with the understanding that one season or a given amount of episodes will be done, and the characters grow and fall in the manner that is most organic to the story.
No: just because that principle applies most readily to mini-series does not mean that it cannot apply to a series. I think the best examples of this are actually found in anime. Anime series like Wolf's Rain know where they will begin and end from the time they are conceived. 2 seasons is what was needed to tell the story, so they did 2 seasons. Very rarely do you see that in American television, but Breaking Bad was very close.
Yes: a story should have a main arc with a beginning middle and end, and it should not be dragged on until it dies before it reaches the climax and denouement. This means that a mini-series is a better form of story telling because it necessarily contemplates a beginning, middle and end without the TV executives needing the writers to come up with more filler. The story is told with the understanding that one season or a given amount of episodes will be done, and the characters grow and fall in the manner that is most organic to the story.
No: just because that principle applies most readily to mini-series does not mean that it cannot apply to a series. I think the best examples of this are actually found in anime. Anime series like Wolf's Rain know where they will begin and end from the time they are conceived. 2 seasons is what was needed to tell the story, so they did 2 seasons. Very rarely do you see that in American television, but Breaking Bad was very close.
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