12. Emotions

In much of our rational thinking, people treat emotions as though they are the ignorant sister of the mind. If there's one thing I really dislike about society today, it's that we devalue emotions while also constantly trying to shake up those around us for generally an unnecessary sake. There's too many I know of who think emotions are beneath them and also quite a handful who are consumed by their feelings. To neglect emotions is foolish, and to let them control yourself is just as bad.

I love film because I think it's still a safe place to explore emotions. I think I've learned a great deal about the people around me and the types of experiences they've had through visual storytelling. In fact, the best stories I can name have the best emotional pacing. It isn't so much about the lighting, the editing, even the writing (to be honest) it's about revenge, anger, sadness, joy, and everything in between. I think the writing, editing, and camera work are tools to help bring out emotions and thoughts. A blinking, glorious red light is nothing without the emotional heartbeat behind it. A well written murder is nothing if the characters and audience are unconnected to it. (I have no idea how you can write a well written murder and forsake the audience.) I think in a world that wants to suppress the human soul whether through legalistic actions or crazy amounts of license to the point of no longer knowing one's self, the United States in particular has the chance to show stories of freedom and really speak to those parts of the world that don't have the same tolerance, opportunities  or luxuries. Of course, in an ideal world luxury would be a human right; here in reality however, perhaps we should extend what we have in luxury to those who may be less fortunate. Storytelling in the United States is vital; it's one of the few mediums going out into the world to help display emotion and give us all the chance to have emotional awareness and the enlightenment emotions have for us all. Without creative expression, I think we've lost a big part of our souls.

With writing, any scene that does not strike an emotional beat should be removed. We don't need soulless scenes; everything needs to work together as a body and so we don't need extra legs, extra arms, or bodies without hearts or brains. In writing, it's an incredible balancing act. Stories should be where the audience with ease can pick up on the emotions of the characters even if that character is being newly introduced. We want to get inside their heads and their hearts and we should be going deeper with each step. There should be power in the depth of the movements, otherwise I dare to bargain that there are missed opportunities. The scenes need there beginning, middle, and end -- but what does that mean? It means we should see emotions being introduced, changing, and ending in a new place than when the scene began.

In rewriting, I think it's important to freeze frame each scene and ask the vital questions of: what emotion is being carried for these characters in this scene? Does this link to all the other scenes? Is this being carried out for the whole of the story? If not, then what is it's purpose? From there, either it needs to have life written into it or deleted. Action sequences need emotion. Some of the best action sequences will fall short if the emotions are not met. I love the Kill Bill films and after watching the confrontation of the Bride and O-Ren I have to say the scene is less about fancy action but more about the intense emotions that have built up inside the characters. Both are valiant. I find it difficult not to be wrapped up in them. But there's very little action at all. In fact, there's a ton of time spent on close ups of the characters faces, and even wide shots where there is little to any movement. Before this was a slice fest to get to the ultimate boss, but this scene at the end resonates deeper -- it's the true gold, not the fight with the crazy 88s (even though, that marks up a strong sense of emotion as well).

I hate senseless violence just as much as the next person. I hate senseless deaths in literature too. I think it's terrible if you've killed off a character and it's not felt. With the above Kill Bill scene, the death of O-Ren is sad. Earlier we received her origins story; she's really been built up as a strong character, and though we are fighting for the Bride all the way through -- I think there's a part of us that doesn't want her O-Ren to be finished. Yes, there's a time where the audience is on edge waiting for the hero to at last kill the beast, but when you can manipulate the audience to love the villain and wish to see more of the bad guy, you've done an expert job.

Emotions are really what you're writing and reading. Words are just there to help organize it; they bring out the subtext, rather, the real stuff that matters. As a species we have had times without writing systems, so we have to ask ourselves what was it in those orally passed down stories that mattered so dearly to our ancestors?

I think you should be able to pick any scene and describe it in one core emotion. Sure, there may be other competing emotions, but what is the strongest? What is the voice we need to hear? A good screenplay should have pieces of horror, humor, romance, tragedy, and action. The audience should be afraid, laughing, wooed, teared-up, and on an adrenaline high. It may be difficult to mix it altogether, but without one of those emotions it's like missing vegetables, fruits, grains, or meat in a diet.

I can't preach on it enough. Emotions have to be there. They separate the good scripts from the excellent scripts. Not knowing your emotional pacing lends itself to an unrendered disaster. And that's not just a truth for writing -- not knowing your emotional pace in life will lead to chaos.