Scott Pixello's Blog, page 7
January 17, 2014
Children's reading habits
There was a survey of the reading habits of 400,000 British children released this week, which confirmed my feelings about reading and film.
Rather than killing it off, film can act as a catalyst to explore often quite challebing texts, especially when they form part of a series. Top of the pile of favourite books, unsurprisingly was Harry Potter in various guises but there too was The Hobbit, The Hunger Games sequel and the latest Rick Riordan.
Maybe we should be following the advice of the late and very great JG Ballard: watch more TV.
Rather than killing it off, film can act as a catalyst to explore often quite challebing texts, especially when they form part of a series. Top of the pile of favourite books, unsurprisingly was Harry Potter in various guises but there too was The Hobbit, The Hunger Games sequel and the latest Rick Riordan.
Maybe we should be following the advice of the late and very great JG Ballard: watch more TV.
January 16, 2014
Licenced to Kill
A couple of days ago a hunter in Dallas purchased a licence at auction to shoot an endangered black rhino in Namibia.
Skipping over the bizarrely perverse purpose of the auction, which apparently was to raise money for conservation, I was struck by the string of adjectives used in the TV report of the event ('old, unproductive, aggressive') because I was genuinely confused if it was referring to the animal or the hunter in question.
Skipping over the bizarrely perverse purpose of the auction, which apparently was to raise money for conservation, I was struck by the string of adjectives used in the TV report of the event ('old, unproductive, aggressive') because I was genuinely confused if it was referring to the animal or the hunter in question.
January 15, 2014
Are descriptions of main characters always necessary?
Just been watching the film adaptation of Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Yes, it's hardly new but it reminded me about the lukewarm reaction to the casting of Nicholas Cage in the title role.
Now, any adaptation can produce a range of subjective responses and Cage's work can certainly be hit & miss but I wonder if there isn't something else at work here too.
Any film version of a written text challenges the mental image readers have of that character. However, in the case of Corelli, one reason for the mixed reaction may well be that in Louis de Bernieres' massively-bestselling and much-loved book, there is no detailed physical description of Corelli. More than usual, each of us rerally do have a different picture in our heads of what he might look like. This begs the question, do we really need detailed physical descriptions of protagonists?
Now, any adaptation can produce a range of subjective responses and Cage's work can certainly be hit & miss but I wonder if there isn't something else at work here too.
Any film version of a written text challenges the mental image readers have of that character. However, in the case of Corelli, one reason for the mixed reaction may well be that in Louis de Bernieres' massively-bestselling and much-loved book, there is no detailed physical description of Corelli. More than usual, each of us rerally do have a different picture in our heads of what he might look like. This begs the question, do we really need detailed physical descriptions of protagonists?
January 14, 2014
Should you write about cancer?
A word about the sh*tstorm between
Lisa Bonchek Adams who has been writing a blog about the cancer she has been suffering and Guardian writer Emma G Keller and her husband, New York Times columnist Bill Keller,who object to the levels of information given in the pieces Adams has written.
Approaches to death are very much an individual matter and any public pronouncememnts about this are likely to stir controversy but it's worth considering two facts: one, there are 8 million Americans with blogs. There are bound to be some expressions of opinion that rile others. If not, it's so much wasted pixellation. Two: these kinds of confessional blogs, while not to everyone's taste, do lead to a greater engagement and openness about a subject, which affects us ALL: mortality.
In the UK, the death of a former contestant on Big Brother lead to more women presenting themselves for examination and the long-running column of journalist John Diamond (then husband of Nigella Lawson)provoked much greater awareness of cancer in men.
Speaking as someone whose sister died of the disease last year and who has written (albeit tangentially) about this in Memoir of a Gothic Girl, I would say it's far better to speak/write than to be silent.
Best cancer joke I know goes back to times when people would not even mention the C-word:
a character mentions his father...
A: How did he die?
B: The Big C.
A: What, he drowned?
Lisa Bonchek Adams who has been writing a blog about the cancer she has been suffering and Guardian writer Emma G Keller and her husband, New York Times columnist Bill Keller,who object to the levels of information given in the pieces Adams has written.
Approaches to death are very much an individual matter and any public pronouncememnts about this are likely to stir controversy but it's worth considering two facts: one, there are 8 million Americans with blogs. There are bound to be some expressions of opinion that rile others. If not, it's so much wasted pixellation. Two: these kinds of confessional blogs, while not to everyone's taste, do lead to a greater engagement and openness about a subject, which affects us ALL: mortality.
In the UK, the death of a former contestant on Big Brother lead to more women presenting themselves for examination and the long-running column of journalist John Diamond (then husband of Nigella Lawson)provoked much greater awareness of cancer in men.
Speaking as someone whose sister died of the disease last year and who has written (albeit tangentially) about this in Memoir of a Gothic Girl, I would say it's far better to speak/write than to be silent.
Best cancer joke I know goes back to times when people would not even mention the C-word:
a character mentions his father...
A: How did he die?
B: The Big C.
A: What, he drowned?
January 13, 2014
The most dangerous place in the world
Been thinking about the most dangerous place to live. Damascus? Bogota? Baghdad? Nah. The small English village of Midsomer. Population: a couple of hundred. There has been a couple of violent murders there every week for the past 15-20 years. Per capita that means there have been five times as many murders as residents. People must be visiting there just to get murdered.
The clean-up rate is an impressive 100% but it's strange that no-one ever seems to refer to the ever-presence of murder in their midst.
It's almost as if it's not real.
It's certainly a warning to stay away from those gazebo things- people always seem to get murdered in one of those.
The clean-up rate is an impressive 100% but it's strange that no-one ever seems to refer to the ever-presence of murder in their midst.
It's almost as if it's not real.
It's certainly a warning to stay away from those gazebo things- people always seem to get murdered in one of those.
January 12, 2014
Beancounters v Those on the Lamb (sic.)
Every January, London Zoo (and I assume other zoos) do something that seems a bit strange to me: they count their animals. Once a year, they have a Noah-style stock-take.
The lesson of this? If you're planning a Madagasgar-style break-out, do it in mid to late January, then the powers-that-be may not notice for almost an entire year.
I think I may try the same principle with weighing myself as a once-a-year, frighten-yourself-silly exercise.
The lesson of this? If you're planning a Madagasgar-style break-out, do it in mid to late January, then the powers-that-be may not notice for almost an entire year.
I think I may try the same principle with weighing myself as a once-a-year, frighten-yourself-silly exercise.
Every Day is Like Sunday
Just been rediscovering The Smiths & in particular, the solo work of Morrissey. Great stuff. Also waded through his autobiography, laughably released as Penguin Modern Classic.
He can certainly write brilliant lyrics but extended prose? 70-80 pages getting back at the judge who decided against him in the acrimonious royalties row, railing against record companies and basically anyone who he feels has wronged him- it can make this a plodding read. Still, it brought me back to the man's music (and rediscovering Johnny Marr's solo stuff too) which remains fantastic, so it's not all bad news. Perhaps worth thinking about the difference between pithy thoughtful lyrics and literary prose- difficult to be a master of both.
He can certainly write brilliant lyrics but extended prose? 70-80 pages getting back at the judge who decided against him in the acrimonious royalties row, railing against record companies and basically anyone who he feels has wronged him- it can make this a plodding read. Still, it brought me back to the man's music (and rediscovering Johnny Marr's solo stuff too) which remains fantastic, so it's not all bad news. Perhaps worth thinking about the difference between pithy thoughtful lyrics and literary prose- difficult to be a master of both.
January 10, 2014
The Force is Strong in This One
Been wondering about the enduring appeal of the Star Wars films. Not everyone loves them of course but they still have a fascination nearly 30 years after they first hit our screens. I remember seeing the first one in 1976 and being physically shaken by the appearance of the giant space cruiser rumbling into the top right of the screen in the opening Scene. Such pleasures are almost unimaginable now. How often do we really see a special effect and think "Wow, that is special!" But despite our jaded palates, the Star Wars films still appeal and with The Clone Wars TV series and the Disney re-boot, the franchise continues to re-invent itself. Yes, it's a triunph of marketing but I think it also tells us something about the power of Story (with a captital S)and the enduring appeal of mythic battles between good & evil (even with some hokey philosophy thrown in). Let's face it, a franchise that can survive the awfulness of a character like Jar Jar Binks, has got to have something pretty special.
January 9, 2014
BAFTA nominations
Interesting, not just the number of British nominees for a change but the fact that so many of the films are 'based on' or 'inspired by a true story'.
Is this a reflection of a lack of imagination on the part of scriptwriters or more that readers like to feel a link with the real world.
The series I'm working on at the moment, based in Roman England, has made me feel there's a bit of both of these forces at work. It provides a ready cast of characters and situations, which we think we know but also the chance to stretch our understanding of our world/its history by looking at facts from a fresh angle. How was the British sense of humour affected by being occupied by a foreign power or indeed, was it this phase in British history which made us laugh at the things we do today?
Is this a reflection of a lack of imagination on the part of scriptwriters or more that readers like to feel a link with the real world.
The series I'm working on at the moment, based in Roman England, has made me feel there's a bit of both of these forces at work. It provides a ready cast of characters and situations, which we think we know but also the chance to stretch our understanding of our world/its history by looking at facts from a fresh angle. How was the British sense of humour affected by being occupied by a foreign power or indeed, was it this phase in British history which made us laugh at the things we do today?
January 8, 2014
Aldi- bananas a good source of vitamins
Anyone who has ever shopped at Aldi will know that it can be something of a magical mystery tour. However, the discovery yesterday at a number of stores around Berlin was still a surprise. Packed in amongst the bananas were not gangs of tarantulas but dozens of packages full of cocaine. That's one way to encourage people to get their five a day.
