Friday, May 25, 2012

Remakes/Reboots/Reused

   Over the past century many stories have been told through Television.  There have been some great ones that have captivated audiences for years through its style, performances and its writting, creating a masterpiece that withstands the tests of time, becoming timeless.

   As much as I love media, It bothers me when nothing is done in Film or television, using the same plot points and elements to create the exact same thing!  Now, I know there is only so many ideas that can be done, original ideas are becoming harder to come up with these days.  So now what we're seeing is people recreating other projects to tell a different story about the same characters, the question i have is how to determine if the originals are better then the remakes?



   Some remakes I have seen recently have actually been better then the originals, but I cant say that for all of them either because the remake was just terrible or I hadn't seen the original and cant make a proper judgement call.  Some remakes I feel that were actually better then the original would be Oceans 11, The Fly, The Thing, Batman Begins, Dawn of the Dead, The Karate Kid and The Ring.  Now these are just a few that came to mind but that they all tried something different with leaving in a certian amount of the original concept which takes you through a different journey, some with twists and turns you never would have seen coming.

   Now some remakes that I feel didn't do the originals justice would be Friday the 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street, Planet Of The Apes, Psycho, Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Now these movies just went for over the top, upping the ante on body count...except Psycho which was the exact same movie, no changes at all!



   The point Im trying to make is we need to come up with some new original concepts instead reusing and rebooting everything.  Certian plot elements need to stop being used over again:  Heroes who never get hurt and seem invinciple, an average joe stumbles upon a big secret and has to save everyone, the guy who goes in for one last heist and everything goes wrong, even using constant action and violence without any reasoning to it .

   Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves seem to be the most recognizable horror villians that have been redone over the years and their stories have changed so many times to create new intriguing stories, some are good and some are bad renditions but thats trial and error for you.

    I've heard Batman is getting rebooted again after The Dark Knight Rises, I assume to go with the rebooted Superman to make The Justice League, which to be honest I'm ok with because I love hearing their stories.  A mashup like The Avengers could have went horribly wrong if done a certian way, but since it was actually well directed, written, performed, It makes me optimistic to see a new Batman and Superman with the Justice League.



   But enough of this random ass rant, maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe their is no new ideas out there that are original, but maybe there is.  Maybe originals are always better then the remakes, maybe with some remakes thats not always the case.  Should we continue to use the same story elements or is originality something we need to find more of?  What do you think?

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Media and Money

   Media is around us no matter where we go and whether we really see it or not.  Not all of it is bad, people just trying to make a decent living to entertain the world to make you feel better when you're not feeling your best; The ability to be in a bad state of mind and then put on show, movie or song and it brings you out into seeing the world from a better perspective.  That's what I inspire to do, trying to evoke emotion instead of making something 'only' for fame or fortune.

   What gets me now of days is the amount of people who are getting famous and rich by being infamous.  People creating what some would call art, others would call garbage and putting it out there only to be passed around to others by mentioning just how bad it really is;  With the Internet becoming so popular, people are getting recognition way easier, everybody is trying to get noticed somehow now of days, you just need to be cautious who you give attention too.


  It just really annoys me when someone actually tries to create art and doesn't get recognition, while someone makes crap they know is crap, only making it because they know its something that might put some cash in their pockets.

   I like people who actually have something to say; Musicians who perfect their craft in order to create a mood, Television shows that get you so into what they're showing you that when its over you cant wait for the next one, Films that captivate you with its stories, characters and other imaginative things that could never exsist in real life.  Out of all those, each and everyone of them has some sort of hidden message laid out for audiences to see and/or hear that can make you feel differently about something and maybe even give you a much needed push to be inspired so you too can help others any way you can imagine.


   The point Im getting at is for those who dont have anything to say with their art, how does the world react or respond to it?  Since the entertainment industry is making money right now, companies are trying to get their hands on any product they can, aka people, with some form of talent; Although in their blind persuit of money they didn't even notice that their product is crap, they dont notice because their eyes are on their bank accounts.

   First off, doing something just to get paid is not a good reason for doing something, either do something because your passionate about it or get out of the way and let those who actually want to help step up to the mic.

   Second thing, Stop paying for garbage!  If you keep spending on something bad that doesn't deserve to be out there then more of that bad thing is just going to keep coming back.

   Final note, Just because it worked once doesn't mean it will the next hundred.  I hate seeing something I liked get reused and recycled over and over again with nothing new coming from it, no originality or thought, just the exact same thing you saw before with a different name on it.

   I hope you enjoyed this rant, if you have any questions just ask, I'd be happy to answer them.

Also, coming soon, I plan to offer my services as a freelancer for Photography, Videography, Writter, and Editor.  I plan to get some ideas together for fun experiences of jokes, gags, short sketches, or whatever you want me to do for you, but of course not for free.

   Stay tuned for more next time.

   SypherD92
Aka Dylan Sypher