• Inside Entertainment,  Media Rants

    Shallow Foundations

     Note: Although this blog references The Rise of Skywalker, at this point I still haven’t seen it. When you sit down to write a story, you create characters who’ll serve that story. They each have a unique function. Once that function is complete, the character is done. They exit the story. James Bond movies illustrate how characters function in self-contained stories. Bond’s boss, M, briefs Bond about his mission. Q will provide Bond with weapons and gadgets. Once M and Q have fulfilled their roles, their jobs are complete. In a few Bonds, M and Q might reappear, but usually never with any great depth, necessity, or regularity. There’ll be…

  • Inside Entertainment,  Media Rants

    Relating to Characters: Part II

    Last week, I looked at the first six of twelve characters that I felt I could relate to. I should clarify that the twelve characters aren’t the only characters I feel I can relate to But for the purposes of these blogs, I’ve tried to make my selections eclectic, and also focused on more extraordinary stories to illustrate that you can create relatability anywhere and with anybody if you put enough thought into how that character is portrayed, the journey they’re going to take, and how they’re going to deal with the obstacles they face. So, continuing on from last week …   Buffy Summers – Buffy: The Vampire Slayer…