But I've noticed the copycat shows are starting to come out of the woodwork. Grimm; Mirror, Mirror; Snow White and the Huntsman...and there are probably more that will pop up like poison poppies in an Ozymandian meadow.
I don't understand the copycat syndrome. Has no one the ability or the desire to create an original story? "They" say there are no original ideas. I disagree. Yes, fairy tales have been around for ages, but the creators of "Once Upon a Time" have taken the genre to another level. That's what I'm talking about.
Here and now I challenge creative people everywhere to THINK! Go for a walk. Take a trip. Clear your head. Ride a horse. Wash a dog. Bake a pie. DO SOMETHING! Color outside the lines. Think outside the box. Don't worry about what everyone else says -- write what's in your heart. Believe in yourself. Believe in others.
Rant complete. Carry on.
10 comments:
Copycats are present because of the money. Creativity is still 'out there,' but the big distributors are out to make as much as they can, hence copying the latest successful formulas.
It stands true for other modes of business as well. Here in the Philippines where I am currently traveling, a successful entrepreneur will have duplicate vendors pop up overnight. Too, these businesses or vendors tend to clump together.
I long for new ideas in film and/or books. The trend in film these days, for the most part, is a plotless action flick heavy on CGI and SFX. Grrrr! Give me some originality!
Jeremy: My grandpa always said, "Everything boils down to money." And as time goes by I realize that he was right. Everything is about money. There's a whole other discussion about art vs. business. Woody Allen touched on this in Bullets Over Broadway. A humorous take on a serious subject.
Success breeds imitation - it's been going on for as long as I can remember back in television. I think its funny now that the original show will head off the imitators to some extent by simply cloning the show themselves - add one : and a new location name, and you can keep making the same series over and over and over again!
Craig: That's true. People do want to emulate success. I think there's a difference between being inspired by an idea and copying the idea with only "MONEY MAKING" in mind. I guess I wish people were more passionate about their work and that Art ruled over Money. But Groucho was right...we need the eggs.
I LOVE Once Upon a Time! I haven't watched Grimm because it looks scary. I feel that if the whole fairytale thing leads to work that is (if not wholly original) at least well done and artfully executed then I don't have so much of a problem with it.
Marjorie: I agree. It's all about "how you tell the story."
It's the latest fad. Like vampires. I'm all for being creative - start a new trend!
It's all about what the networks want. Producers need to spot trends and duplicate them or networks will not buy it. This is more evident with reality TV, but as you have pointed out, it happens in traditional storytelling.
Also, I love "Once" and think that Mr. Gold is one of the most fascinating characters ever.
Sherry: Yes, the Vampire trend comes and goes. I remember back in the 70s the TV show Dark Shadows inspired a vampire trend. Now with the Twilight series, Vamps are back with a vengeance. I do think Twilight is an original take on it. The books are good but the films are amazing.
Tara: I totally agree with you about Mr. Gold. There's something about him that draws you in. I'm sure it's the skill of the actor, but the character is so well-drawn. You have sympathy for him (he lost his true love), but you also hate him for what he does. I like him better than the Queen who has absolutely no redeeming qualities.
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