differences between textual and visual
Aug. 7th, 2006 06:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedlamsbardYou ever have one of those moments when you really, really wish you were writing for the screen, not the...other screen? I'm having that right now, writing Schrodinger's Nightmare.
See, the season-long plot arc revolves around a mistaken identity. Specifically, Flack's. Now, I'm trying to set that up in SN, but I'm not entirely sure it's working. For one thing, I can't actually go out and say "Flack" or "Not-Flack" (okay, granted, it's a Flack from another universe, but still); I have to say "him" or "he." Which makes it pretty obvious that Something Is Up. Now, granted, I could leave out the scenes in question, although I do like them, and think they give away some cool hints, and hey, if this was a TV show or a movie, they would be shown. The thing is, text isn't visual, it's textual, so something that wouldn't necessarily work on screen works in text, and something that doesn't work on text works on screen. Including mistaken identities. A viewer -- especially one watching the pilot for the first time -- wouldn't be able to pick up the differences in a character shown for a few minutes in the first scene of the show and a character who's next seen in, basically, a dark cell trying to escape. A reader almost certainly could, because you've gotta tell the story from someone's POV and they're not going to be referring to themselves the same way.
Now, granted, with the characters in question, I could get around it, but I don't particularly want to use that particular loophole. That particular loophole in question being the name thing. Captain Flack refers to himself as "Flack" in the first scene. I could refer to other-Flack (just Flack, from here on out; he's a main character, not original Flack) as "Don" -- but it would feel off to me, as well as to the readers. As well as, you know, giving away plot points which are not supposed to be given away until a later date (ep 1.10, currently unnamed).
The main problem with this particular solution comes in with the fact that in most universes, Flack is Flack is Flack, be it Detective Flack, Captain Flack, or superhero Angel Flack. This specific Flack isn't one of those Flacks. This Flack doesn't have a name, he has a number: X6-697336635225 (make my day. Translate it into letters). So clearly, he wouldn't refer to himself as either "Don" or "Flack" -- at least, not until later. So a story or so later, I can get to a point where I can use Flack as a POV, because he'll refer to himself as Flack -- but right now, I can't.
Now, if we were watching this on the silver screen, it wouldn't be from any specific character's POV. We'd see the character, and probably be unable to tell Flack and original Flack apart. Same with the rest of the season. (Plus, you know, the action scenes would totally be cooler. But I digress.) There are differences, which should be picked up in the stories between 1.01 and 1.10. Well, differences in the sense that something's definitely off about that boy, because he don't act like a normal soldier. But most of the characters don't notice, because, with the exception of Stella, they didn't know original Flack all that well, and she's seeing him in such a different situation than she's used to that it's hard to compare (research assistant versus active combat mode). But we're trying to get a feel for this Flack, not the original Flack; we never see him again (well, he'd show up in season three if I wrote a season three, but I'm not, so). It's an attempt to set things up for the second season, where you'd see a completely different Flack (well, if you check out this, you'll see it's an amnesiac, "reprogrammed" Flack), but that's not all it is. It's simply about the character himself, the same way I'm trying to develope Danny, Mac, and Stella. They're not our Danny, Mac, Stella, and Flack -- they're Dr. Danny Messer, Colonel Mac Taylor, Major Doctor Stella Bonasera, and whateverthefuckheis fake-Captain Don Flack. Very different people, but very similar at the same time).
Thoughts are appreciated, if you feel so inclined.
See, the season-long plot arc revolves around a mistaken identity. Specifically, Flack's. Now, I'm trying to set that up in SN, but I'm not entirely sure it's working. For one thing, I can't actually go out and say "Flack" or "Not-Flack" (okay, granted, it's a Flack from another universe, but still); I have to say "him" or "he." Which makes it pretty obvious that Something Is Up. Now, granted, I could leave out the scenes in question, although I do like them, and think they give away some cool hints, and hey, if this was a TV show or a movie, they would be shown. The thing is, text isn't visual, it's textual, so something that wouldn't necessarily work on screen works in text, and something that doesn't work on text works on screen. Including mistaken identities. A viewer -- especially one watching the pilot for the first time -- wouldn't be able to pick up the differences in a character shown for a few minutes in the first scene of the show and a character who's next seen in, basically, a dark cell trying to escape. A reader almost certainly could, because you've gotta tell the story from someone's POV and they're not going to be referring to themselves the same way.
Now, granted, with the characters in question, I could get around it, but I don't particularly want to use that particular loophole. That particular loophole in question being the name thing. Captain Flack refers to himself as "Flack" in the first scene. I could refer to other-Flack (just Flack, from here on out; he's a main character, not original Flack) as "Don" -- but it would feel off to me, as well as to the readers. As well as, you know, giving away plot points which are not supposed to be given away until a later date (ep 1.10, currently unnamed).
The main problem with this particular solution comes in with the fact that in most universes, Flack is Flack is Flack, be it Detective Flack, Captain Flack, or superhero Angel Flack. This specific Flack isn't one of those Flacks. This Flack doesn't have a name, he has a number: X6-697336635225 (make my day. Translate it into letters). So clearly, he wouldn't refer to himself as either "Don" or "Flack" -- at least, not until later. So a story or so later, I can get to a point where I can use Flack as a POV, because he'll refer to himself as Flack -- but right now, I can't.
Now, if we were watching this on the silver screen, it wouldn't be from any specific character's POV. We'd see the character, and probably be unable to tell Flack and original Flack apart. Same with the rest of the season. (Plus, you know, the action scenes would totally be cooler. But I digress.) There are differences, which should be picked up in the stories between 1.01 and 1.10. Well, differences in the sense that something's definitely off about that boy, because he don't act like a normal soldier. But most of the characters don't notice, because, with the exception of Stella, they didn't know original Flack all that well, and she's seeing him in such a different situation than she's used to that it's hard to compare (research assistant versus active combat mode). But we're trying to get a feel for this Flack, not the original Flack; we never see him again (well, he'd show up in season three if I wrote a season three, but I'm not, so). It's an attempt to set things up for the second season, where you'd see a completely different Flack (well, if you check out this, you'll see it's an amnesiac, "reprogrammed" Flack), but that's not all it is. It's simply about the character himself, the same way I'm trying to develope Danny, Mac, and Stella. They're not our Danny, Mac, Stella, and Flack -- they're Dr. Danny Messer, Colonel Mac Taylor, Major Doctor Stella Bonasera, and whateverthefuckheis fake-Captain Don Flack. Very different people, but very similar at the same time).
Thoughts are appreciated, if you feel so inclined.
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Date: 2006-08-08 11:21 pm (UTC)You could use Flack-with-number as a POV, because as a Self, he's going to give himself some way of referencing who he is. Even if he just shortens his number to 'sixer' or something. Right?
Ah, but the point is the reader isn't supposed to know he's Flack-with-number until that pesky little DNA thing points it out. They're supposed to think he's the same old Flack shown in the first scene, while he's not. *sigh* I'm not sure how clear I'm being here. Right now I'm just trying to change everything into Danny's POV, so he's mostly just freaked out by the guy that just snapped creepy soldier's guy's neck through the bars of his cage.