Blue Collar Lit.: a story's rhythm and speed

Friday, October 8, 2021

a story's rhythm and speed

Then today I was watching something new on Netflix and ran into same problem I've encountered before.

Boredom.

And that's saying something because of two reasons:

1 is that the show was supposed to be suspenseful, with tension and action and mystery and detection; and the

2nd is the fact of personal taste -- my favorite movies and plays and TV shows might be deemed "boring" by some people who have different tastes. Like Joey Tribbiani on Friends when he says, "Hey, Shakespeare is great, but how 'bout a car chase once in a while...?"

It's sort of -- if I think it's boring, then -- Man -- it's boring...!

The one I started watching (listening to) today, it was just -- you started to get riveted by it, but then it kept repeating, going over the same "gripping moment" over and over again. With different words. But it was as if it was stuck, sort of. You wanted to get some chains, hook to the bumper, and pull it out....

It made you wonder: does the producer write two minutes of material, then put it on a table in the Writers' Room and direct them to, "Make this into a 30-minute episode" -- ?

It reminds me of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" when Lou Grant calls a meeting to figure out how to make their news show better. Someone suggests making it longer. Lou says, "It's not doing too great, now. That would just make it not doing too great -- stretched out."

Netflix producer to writers:

"Take this thin premise and -- stretch it to cover an hour...."

_______________________________

I remember reading a Comment under a You Tube video where the person said,

"I work in television, and in truth it's just like any other job.

People don't care, and they just want to get done and go home."

That was a little disillusioning to me!

I always want every show to be great.

__________________________________

♪♪ ♪♪♪♪ ♪

When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school

It's a wonder I can think at all

And though my lack of education hasn't hurt me none

I can read the writing on the wall

Kodachrome

They give us those nice bright colors

Give us the greens of summers

Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah

I got a Nikon camera

I love to take a photograph

So mama, don't take my Kodachrome away

If you took all the girls I knew when I was single

And brought 'em all together for one night

I know they'd never match my sweet imagination