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Do films need traditional love stories?

Just got back from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. It is an adaptation, not a replication of the source material I understand. I thought it was brilliant except the love triangle. It felt so tacky. I know PJ's Lord of the Rings lifted Aragorn and Arwen's love story out of the background. I think, since the success of Titanic and its tragic love story / epic approach to storytelling that it is expected to draw in a crowd?

I tried to show an ex-girlfriend Glory once and she didn't care for it. Why? Because it lacked a traditional love story between a man and a woman.

I'm working on a screenplay at the moment. The leading female character is idolised by her best friend, who lacks the courage to confess his feelings to her. Since seeing TDoS I'm starting to think that maybe it's becoming a cliche, I'm going to explore other avenues that aren't so traditional. Or perhaps its always been part of the main elements of making a crowd-pleasing movie and 'if you can't beat them, join them'

Any thoughts?
 
Mostly we all attend the University of Hard Knocks.

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I would want to drop the "traditional" part and substitute it with something like "conventional." If the OP wants a "traditional romance between a man and a woman" to appeal to his/her ex-girlfriend or a female audience, then that's easy enough. Put a traditional romance between a man and a woman in your story.

But I like Snyder's take on this. The love story does not need to be a "traditional" romance between a man and a woman. It can be a buddy (love) story. Or, he gives as an example the relationship between Sandra Bullock and the girl contestants in Miss Congeniality. Anyway, I'd recommend getting rid of this commitment to a "traditional man and a woman romance scenario." Think more broadly...like Snyder.


"Traditional" versus "Conventional" is just a battle of semantics. A TRADITIONAL or CONVENTIONAL LOVE STORY is when a MAN and WOMAN fall romantically in love with each other. This is the undisputed cornerstone of the motion picture industry. Probably the only point I'm agreeing with ANY of you wahckos on is that the LOVE and ROMANCE can be buried within a different type of movie other than a "Harry met Sally" type traditional romance.

Example: "The Terminator" was a traditional love story buried inside a Sci Fi in an NON-traditional way. ...Reece traveled across time for Sarah Conner. THIS is what the OP is looking for. Not someone loving their gun or their culture. But you're not going to see "The Terminator" listed under "Romance" anywhere movies are sold.

Once you venture out of the "Man and Woman" realm ...you cross the line into something else. Two guys getting it on is NOT a "Traditional Love Story". Now, before everyone starts whacking out "Homophobe!" replies on their keyboard, consider this:

I am a straight guy. I like women. Plain and simple! If I were being held prisoner in an enemy camp and they threatened to make me perform homosexual acts if I didn't start talking ...then I would probably be coughing up where my troops are hiding and when we were planning our attack.

I am NOT a big fan of "Traditional Romance Movies" ...but if the enemy was going to make me have sex with some hot girl if I didn't start talking ....I'm probably going to keep my mouth shut and do the girl.

My point is: In one situation I find it very PAINFUL to imagine. The other I could probably deal with fairly easily. So WHY would I pay money to go see something that I, in NO WAY, can relate with the characters? What the two guys in the movie are "enjoying" I would consider "torture"! The same goes for "Cheerleader Movies". "Drum Line" type movies. Anything like "Fast and Furious". I find these painful to watch because I absolutely cannot relate to them at all. They appeal to a narrow spectrum of people who like that kind of subject. EVERYONE likes when a man and woman fall in love. You can hate SciFi movies ...but if it has a man and woman falling in love in a SciFi ...at least you have that to cling to.

To suggest that the OP should use something other than the "Man and Woman" archetypal romantic reference is to suggest that the OP dramatically limit his viewership potential.





I like how these quotes from Chimp and Richy work together:


=======================================

It's been way too long since I saw Dirty Harry, so I won't even try to guess or speculate. And it's been a long time since I saw The Enforcer. But I'm pretty sure there was a buddy love story between him and Kate Moore (Tyne Daly). Right? Well, I can't remember for sure.


Why not? (oh, and by the way - I don't recall Pinhead eating the skinless body of an "unsuspecting disco bimbo" in the ORIGINAL FILM.

That's the third film, not the first. The first film did have some elements of romance in them. There was love between Frank and Julia. Strange circumstances and setting,

========================================


I point out that the original "Dirty Harry" movie didn't have a romance in it. So Richy points out that a LATER movie titled, "The Enforcer" did have a romance in it ...Therefore "Dirty Harry" has a romance buried within.

I point out that "Hellraiser III" didn't have a romance in it, and Chimp comes along and points out that the ORIGINAL "HellRasier" DID have a quasi-romance. ...Therefore "Hellraiser III" has a romance buried within.


...So on the IndieTalk Screenplay Forum, the only time an argument counts is if it's regarding the ORIGINAL movie in question ...(Unless you make a really good counter-point)... Then the only thing that counts is the SEQUEL in question.

Can't have it both ways, guys!



Okay. What's your point? Traditional love stories can be placed in untraditional settings or circumstances. Anyway, one of the main points I'm trying to make is that traditional is debatable.

NO!! ...Not at all! Traditional is Traditional. I'll agree with you that all you can do with a "Traditional Romance" is place it in NON-traditional situations. Anything else ...is just something else. Loving one's gun or their culture is NOT a "Traditional Romance". It's something completely different.

-Birdman
 
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My point is: In one situation I find it very PAINFUL to imagine. The other I could probably deal with fairly easily. So WHY would I pay money to go see something that I, in NO WAY, can relate with the characters? What the two guys in the movie are "enjoying" I would consider "torture"! The same goes for "Cheerleader Movies". "Drum Line" type movies. Anything like "Fast and Furious". I find these painful to watch because I absolutely cannot relate to them at all. They appeal to a narrow spectrum of people who like that kind of subject. EVERYONE likes when a man and woman fall in love. You can hate SciFi movies ...but if it has a man and woman falling in love in a SciFi ...at least you have that to cling to.

This is one of the strangest things you've written to me so far. How is forced sex "romance"? I think we have far different ideas of what romance is. A guy being forced to be with another guy doesn't necessarily mean they are going to enjoy it. Same goes with a man and a woman. One of them may find it painful because they dislike the other person. Fast and Furious films don't appeal to a narrow spectrum of audiences. They are popular films that make plenty of money at the box office. They are PROFITABLE and ENJOYED BY MANY. I disagree. Not everybody likes a man-woman relationship story. If it is executed poorly or unoriginal, it is not necessarily going to be liked by all. Also, are you saying you disliked the Fast and Furious films because of the lack of man-woman relationships in them? By that logic, then Dirty Harry isn't a good film to you either because there is no man-woman relationship. Although last time I checked, it was a PROFITABLE film that was ENJOYED BY MANY.

To suggest that the OP should use something other than the "Man and Woman" archetypal romantic reference is to suggest that the OP dramatically limit his viewership potential.

You've made statements about films that have not had the man&woman romance, and how you disliked them. But yet those some of those films have been incredibly successful and enjoyed.




I point out that the original "Dirty Harry" movie didn't have a romance in it. So Richy points out that a LATER movie titled, "The Enforcer" did have a romance in it ...Therefore "Dirty Harry" has a romance buried within.

Dirty Harry had a love of fighting crime throughout all the films. The Enforcer, part of the series, introduced a female love interest. What's your point?

I point out that "Hellraiser III" didn't have a romance in it, and Chimp comes along and points out that the ORIGINAL "HellRasier" DID have a quasi-romance. ...Therefore "Hellraiser III" has a romance buried within.

...So on the IndieTalk Screenplay Forum, the only time an argument counts is if it's regarding the ORIGINAL movie in question ...(Unless you make a really good counter-point)... Then the only thing that counts is the SEQUEL in question.

Can't have it both ways, guys!

Because Richy says something doesn't mean I automatically agree with him. I believe the point was that there was a romance set during untraditional circumstances for something such as a relationship to develop. It was a film similar to Dirty Harry, and wasn't marketed as a romance. But I can't speak for Richy.

You said that Hellraiser featured something that it did not, giving misinformation to the OP, and you were corrected for that. An example you gave of a film without a traditional romance was Hellraiser, which I said did feature a somewhat traditional romance.

NO!! ...Not at all! Traditional is Traditional. I'll agree with you that all you can do with a "Traditional Romance" is place it in NON-traditional situations. Anything else ...is just something else. Loving one's gun or their culture is NOT a "Traditional Romance". It's something completely different.

-Birdman

Loving objects that give you power, or loving your culture is traditional, is it not? Traditional is different for all people depending on how they were raised and who they identify themselves as today.
 
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...ANY of you wahckos...

Not appreciated.

"Traditional" versus "Conventional" is just a battle of semantics. A TRADITIONAL or CONVENTIONAL LOVE STORY is when a MAN and WOMAN fall romantically in love with each other. This is the undisputed cornerstone of the motion picture industry. Probably the only point I'm agreeing with ANY of you wahckos on is that the LOVE and ROMANCE can be buried within a different type of movie other than a "Harry met Sally" type traditional romance.

No. We do not agree.

By conventional, I merely mean the B stories, as described by Blake Snyder, that -conventionally- turn up, in fact, in the films we watch. That does include non-traditional relationships, if traditional romance in this discussion means only a hetero pairing of a man and a woman, as opposed to, for example, but not limited to, buddy-film romances, or so-called bromances. And I certainly do not mean to limit the scope to buddy romances. Therefore, it does not follow that "tradational" means the same as "conventional," at least as far as I intend, and within the context of this thread's discussion...so far.

Example: "The Terminator" was a traditional love story buried inside a Sci Fi in an NON-traditional way. ...Reece traveled across time for Sarah Conner. THIS is what the OP is looking for. Not someone loving their gun or their culture. But you're not going to see "The Terminator" listed under "Romance" anywhere movies are sold.

It's hardly buried. And, it's exactly what posters like myself and Rayw, if I may speak for him for a moment, have been recommending the OP go ahead and include.

Once you venture out of the "Man and Woman" realm ...you cross the line into something else. Two guys getting it on is NOT a "Traditional Love Story". Now, before everyone starts whacking out "Homophobe!" replies on their keyboard, consider this:


That's, at the very least, debatable. Yes, true, a romance between two males is not traditional. However, it is not as simple as that. Probably, any romance between a male and a male that actually makes it into the cinema is likely to take the conventional, and, we can also say, likely, the traditional form of: boy meets girl (boy), boy looses girl (boy), and boy gets girl (boy) back. In that sense, it's very likely to be very conventional, and also at least semi-traditional. It would only fail to be traditional in that it's a homosexual romance. But, clearly, it would still be a conventional trope.

...I am a straight guy. I like women. Plain and simple! If I were being held prisoner in an enemy camp and they threatened to make me perform homosexual acts if I didn't start talking ...then I would probably be coughing up where my troops are hiding and when we were planning our attack.

Uhyeah. I'll take your word for it. Anyway.

I am NOT a big fan of "Traditional Romance Movies" ...but if the enemy was going to make me have sex with some hot girl if I didn't start talking ....I'm probably going to keep my mouth shut and do the girl.

Charming.

...
EVERYONE likes when a man and woman fall in love. You can hate SciFi movies ...but if it has a man and woman falling in love in a SciFi ...at least you have that to cling to.

Well, actually, no. Not everyone does.

To suggest that the OP should use something other than the "Man and Woman" archetypal romantic reference is to suggest that the OP dramatically limit his viewership potential.

Huh? Does not follow. The opposite is true.



I like how these quotes from Chimp and Richy work together:


=======================================








========================================


I point out that the original "Dirty Harry" movie didn't have a romance in it. So Richy points out that a LATER movie titled, "The Enforcer" did have a romance in it ...Therefore "Dirty Harry" has a romance buried within.

I point out that "Hellraiser III" didn't have a romance in it, and Chimp comes along and points out that the ORIGINAL "HellRasier" DID have a quasi-romance. ...Therefore "Hellraiser III" has a romance buried within.


...So on the IndieTalk Screenplay Forum, the only time an argument counts is if it's regarding the ORIGINAL movie in question ...(Unless you make a really good counter-point)... Then the only thing that counts is the SEQUEL in question.
.

Can't have it both ways, guys!

Obfuscation.

It's been way too long since I saw Dirty Harry, so I won't even try to guess or speculate.


I guess you didn't read that statement. I plainly acknowledged that I couldn't say about Dirty Harry.

And I have complete confidence that mentioning The Enforcer had/has merit.

NO!! ...Not at all! Traditional is Traditional. I'll agree with you that all you can do with a "Traditional Romance" is place it in NON-traditional situations. Anything else ...is just something else. Loving one's gun or their culture is NOT a "Traditional Romance". It's something completely different.

'Kay. And also sort of irrelevant. I don't think any poster thus far has meant to champion the inclusion of a traditional romance, as defined by you, in exclusive terms. Yes, the OP asked about traditional romance. And I think at least some posters have addressed traditional romance.

But, this is not exclusively the OP's thread. Once you post a thread like this, open it up for discussion, and solicit the advice of other ITers, then it becomes everyone's thread, in my view. I hope that's also management's and the other regular ITers' view, as well.

So no, I don't think the discussion should be limited to, as you stated, a heterosexual romance between a man and a woman. This thread is not solely for the OP's benefit anymore than any of other threads should be exclusively for the benefit of their OPs.

Finally, I'm not a moderator, but I'd like to suggest you consider taking a more, if not professional tone, then at least a more cordial one with the rest of us. Perhaps you only meant to tease me, chimp, and whoever else you were addressing. But, for my part at least, it didn't translate well. I.T. is not the comments section of YouTube. There's no need for the adversarial approach. When I post on IT, I'm not out to make my fellow ITers look bad. We're not your enemies. At least, we don't want to be.
 
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Finally, I'm not a moderator, but I'd like to suggest you consider taking a more, if not professional tone, then at least a more cordial one with the rest of us. Perhaps you only meant to tease me, chimp, and whoever else you were addressing. But, for my part at least, it didn't translate well. I.T. is not the comments section of YouTube. There's no need for the adversarial approach. When I post on IT, I'm not out to make my fellow ITers look bad. We're not your enemies. At least, we don't want to be.

Richy, I really don't care how you choose to interpret what I write. That's completely up to you, bud. You can sort out your personal issues on your own time. ...I'll keep posting the facts as I see them on mine.

-Birdman
 
I think that if something in a story doesn't feel right and seems forced into it just for the sake of having it...don't include it. Find something else that will fit in with the story and the rules of the world you are setting up.

The way in which people view relationships in general has changed over time. What we as story tellers need to do is make sure that what we put into our stories make sense to the audience within the framework set up for the story.

On a side note: I really like this community because for me I like it that even if you start a thread others come into the discussion and it evolves, and in that evolution great things appear that are helpful for filmmakers.
 
It's hardly buried. And, it's exactly what posters like myself and Rayw, if I may speak for him for a moment, have been recommending the OP go ahead and include.
You may - Spot on.

Just include the GD love story.

I don't care if it's a traditional, non-traditional, or effed-up wacked-out looney toons relationship.
Sexual. Asexual. Quasi-sexual. Bromance. Terminal friend zone. Man & machine. Machine on machine simulacra. Cyber doinks for bit coins. Silverware that forks and spoons each other. Racy comments on diner napkins. What. Everrrrrrrrrr.

<1/100,000 chance any spec script's gonna get picked up.
Even slimmer that it'll get through the sausage machine of production h3ll and on screen.
Big fat whatever.

Write what you can direct and produce = 90% of getting something more meaningful than a 100kb file wasting space on your hard drive. :yes:
 
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