tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23438334.post6707882996039946608..comments2024-03-09T04:25:17.908-08:00Comments on Temple of the Seven Golden Camels: "I've Got a Plan..."mark kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11953166248647413142noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23438334.post-70827162093571934442012-01-09T06:14:52.109-08:002012-01-09T06:14:52.109-08:00I think Mission Impossible 4 is a particularly gre...I think Mission Impossible 4 is a particularly great example of telegraphing the right amount of information at the right time. I also think this is one of Brad Bird's strong points as The Incredibles and Ratatouille both also do a great job at this. I didn't think MI4 was a genius film, but Im certainly going to watch it again just to see when and how setups and exposition is paid off.<br /><br />Sherlock Holmes (at least the 1st one, not going to watch the 2nd for exactly this reason) Ive found to be a good example of failure at telegraphing the right amount of info at the right time. As I watched the film push on like a steam train and sat there as Sherlock explained one fantastical thing after another of which I as an audience never was in the loop, I noticed I started to care less and less where this was going. After all, at this point anything could happen and Sherlock would have a perfect explanation for it.<br /><br />The trick of a good detective is keeping the audience in the loop. Sometimes the audience knows more than the investigator, sometimes the investigator discovers something we didnt know before. Keeping up with the protagonist makes you root for him. And when he uncovers something that we already had all the pieces of the puzzle for but didnt see ourselves, we'll think he's brilliant. Rather than being told he's brilliant by showcasing random stuff we never had a chance of understanding ourselves in the first place.Daannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23438334.post-50134509008024104192011-12-29T08:24:32.961-08:002011-12-29T08:24:32.961-08:00SPOILERS FOR MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4:
While you'...SPOILERS FOR MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4:<br /><br />While you're right that MI:4 largely uses the technique of explaining the plans beforehand, there are notable points when they don't. Actually there's a clear transition, the first 2 plans (the jailbreak and the Kremlin) certainly don't explain to the audience beforehand. The jailbreak in particular is meant to intrigue the audience at first with just how much we don't know about the plan (why are the opening someone ELSE's cell first? Why play the Dean Martin song? etc).<br /><br />What's interesting about that in particular is that it's a plan we know no details of, but at one point Ethan is subverting the plan by taking a detour and freeing someone else. This is made very clear to the audience by Simon Pegg's character refusing to cooperate with what Ethan is doing for a good 30 seconds, and then the significance of the digression is communicated in his dialogue to another agent with "As long as he's in the right place when the music stops." Once you have those 2 pieces of information (Ethan is going off of the plan, and the music is a timing cue for some final part of the scheme) then the tension is no longer in trying to figure out the brilliant plan, but will the plan succeed despite an unexpected development.<br /><br />And with the Kremlin infiltration, all we're told beforehand is that he's going to be in disguise. The balloon transmitter thing, and the hallway screen and noise broadcaster are all wordlessly introduced to us as they're used.<br /><br />It's cool to note that they gradually move from this approach to the explain-a-plan-that-goes-wrong approach as the film progresses.Daniel Philip Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01065611527627233269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23438334.post-55831262719562268762011-12-26T15:42:13.529-08:002011-12-26T15:42:13.529-08:00The Oceans movies are (I think) a good example of ...The Oceans movies are (I think) a good example of a cross between the two, the plan is explained as it happens and every things happens properly. the same thing happens at the beginning of The A-Team.b.coxonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14615111135138635973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23438334.post-50614163066746327442011-12-26T07:12:11.935-08:002011-12-26T07:12:11.935-08:00Very interesting!
Have you seen the first Sherloc...Very interesting!<br /><br />Have you seen the first Sherlock Holmes?<br />http://youtu.be/BGCMfprPJoA<br />It's starts at 1:35<br /><br />He tells his plan completely, and it works great!<br />But in this case, the action done at slow speed (in his head) while explaining the plan is in fact a great way to let the viever understand an action that would have been to fast to be understand, and that woudn't be impressive at all if only seen in slow speed.<br /><br />so I think that it is very interesting to see some rules movies/stories use, and to understand why, and then, to see some not completely follow thoses rules, and why it can work without spoiling everything.<br /><br />In fact, in this case, I think it kind of do the same thing the rule is ment for: it built anticipation, and the viewer want to be «flabergasted» (impressed), and he is!Katleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027337688444689936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23438334.post-20240285136274139322011-12-26T02:37:11.672-08:002011-12-26T02:37:11.672-08:00The original "Gone in 60 Seconds" had a ...The original "Gone in 60 Seconds" had a detailed plan for stealing all the cars and it went off without a hitch, all except for that pesky 1973 Mustang Mach 1. In the end they still got away with it via a switch of the trashed Mustang for a perfect one.<br /><br />The original used only one Mustang for all the stunts, and they were performed in the order seen in the film so there would be no "magic" vanishing and re-appearing damage as seen in so many other movies where stuff is filmed out of order.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004429807828474634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23438334.post-30108342130246662012011-12-24T02:56:43.215-08:002011-12-24T02:56:43.215-08:00There are movies where you get a bit of both. I...There are movies where you get a bit of both. I'm thinking <i>The Italian Job</i> (the real one, not the fake one), for example.Pseudonymhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04272326070593532463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23438334.post-86047783949203525952011-12-21T12:25:01.672-08:002011-12-21T12:25:01.672-08:00TV Tropes describes the former as "The Unspok...TV Tropes describes the former as "The Unspoken Plan Guarantee"<br /><br />http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UnspokenPlanGuarantee<br /><br />The later comes up frequently in Heist movies were the plan is the bulk of the first act. <br /><br />The only time I can remember a spoken plan going right is in "A Few Good Men" when they plan to coax a confession out of Jack Nicholason, and it works. Roger Ebert even said "Where's the fun in a plan that goes off without a hitch?" Mind you they had plenty of hiccups before this plan, so its not a complete cop out.Erik Johnson Illustratorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11184274387021011687noreply@blogger.com