Quantum Storytelling

One thing I love about being a media whore in my glutton of movie-watching, TV-watching, and game-playing is that I often find frames of reference for my own work. More often than not, examples I find of themes, characters, or settings I like are not useful to me because I want to copy their positive traits, but more because I want to avoid their negative ones.

It all goes back to Differentiate Or Die for me. Not just from a marketing standpoint, but a creative one as well. You do well to establish your creative properties not by figuring out how similar they should be to others in the same genre, but by figuring out how yours is going to be different.

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Dexter…

Can’t get enough. I figured out why it’s so addictive. I’m almost to the end of season 2 and they haven’t tread the same ground yet. I asked myself, “How did they do that?”

It didn’t take me long.

Dexter’s relationship with every other character on the show changes not just with each season, but often from episode to episode. Nothing stays the same. Whether it’s his girlfriend Rita, or the other crazy women in his life. The people he works with, his colleagues, and even those out to get him. Each episode brings a new dynamic. A shift in the conflicts & alliances.

If I could discern any one principle the writers follow in the show, it’s that change is inevitable — nothing stays the same.

I don’t know about you, but I’m taking notes.

Dexter

Everyone has been raving about Dexter. I finally got around to watching the first two episodes. I like it a lot. Being a huge fan of the film Mr. Brooks, Donald Westlake’s novel The Ax, and the video game Hitman, I have perhaps an unhealthy appreciation for anti-heroes of the darkest sense. I do recognize, however, that my sensibilities are subjectively mine — and only mine. Which is why I was curious how Dexter’s creators would make a serial killer sympathetic to a wider audience.

They’ve done a great job. Not just because he kills people who deserve it: other killers, rapists, pedophiles. But because they do a great job of also portraying his lack of proper social emotions and justifying his moral compass through flashbacks with his father. Dexter is an excellent example of making the extreme anti-hero into a likable and even humorous character. You might glean a few characterization tips from watching the show, and it’s just plain enjoyable viewing to boot. Give it a try.

New Amsterdam

John Amsterdam is an immortal. He cannot die unless he finds his true love. Oh, the tragic irony. Being a child of the 1980s, I can’t help the unavoidable comparisons to the movie and TV series Highlander. New Amsterdam holds a few interesting twists.

First though, let me be honest in saying I probably wouldn’t have moved forward on this concept without at least a few more unique elements. I’m much more fascinated to watch this series by finding out where and how the creators differentiate from Highlander or any number of vampire movies. Immortality is a pretty narrow theme to explore, and I think doing so without being immediately compared to the most obvious familiar works is downright impossible.

That said, New Amsterdam differentiates in some interesting ways. One of them is that the main character (also named Amsterdam) doesn’t seem to care all that much about keeping his immortality a secret. In fact, the world is so harsh and uncaring that nobody believes him anyway. This becomes a source of humor, with character interactions such as;

Amsterdam: “This nightclub used to be a speak-easy during the prohibition.”
Partner: “How do you know?”
Amsterdam: “I used to drink here.”

*Cue baffled reaction shot of partner.

There’s such a high level of plausible deniability in the idea of immortality, that the main character doesn’t have to hide his nature at all. This is a refreshing take, and avoids the obvious cliche of hiding a secret identity. It also adds a lot of humor.

It’s too early to say whether the show has legs, but I’ll keep watching for a little while out of creative interest alone.