Genre in Storytelling
and the Adventures of Lil King David
I was traveling this week… in Toronto, Canada. The first screenplay I ever got paid to write is getting made into a movie, so I was invited to come do some consulting on what needs to change in the script before they actually enter production. It was a really fun time together with some other filmmakers. Getting paid to hang out with your friends and talk about movies and writing is pretty much the best!
One of the first questions you have to ask yourself when telling a story is HOW you want to tell it. What genre is it? What will the tone be?
This is a more important question than you might think. For instance, what if you wanted to tell the story of a child taken from his family as an infant who finds them as an adult, but… something is wrong with the boy? You might write the psychological thriller we all know as ELF.
You can tell the same story a lot of different ways, right?
Here’s another “for instance.” The #2 show on Amazon right now is HOUSE OF DAVID, a sort of Game of Thrones style political/action retelling of the Biblical story of King David.
Looks pretty good!
BUT we have to acknowledge that the story of David in scripture *isn’t* a political thriller or an action story, it’s a history book. In fact, many David stories come out of the book of the Chronicles, which are straight up historical narratives about the kings of Israel.
So the way the filmmakers frame the story (CAN ONE STONE CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY) and the way they shoot it (insert slow motion dramatic scene of little David running toward a giant!) is going to be different than the sort of matter-of-fact way that a historical document tells it (“Goliath was this tall, here’s how heavy his armor was. Here is what he said. Here is what David said. This is what happened on the battlefield”).
You can tell most stories in a new and different genre.
For instance, here’s my retelling of the David and Goliath story from GOD WITH US (releasing in about ten days!). This involves my recurring character Lil King David.
You can see in my version what we have is a kind of quick-moving comedy for kids, so we’re going to make some different choices than an “action” retelling like HOUSE OF DAVID. We’re certainly not going to show a gory head lifted up toward the audience. Instead we have a quick, cute little sequence (even Goliath’s look on his face as he’s falling is pretty hilarious), complete with a punchline in the final panel.
Again, compare this to the ACTION BIBLE:
Without even seeing the rest of the story, we can already see some differences in the storytelling between this and both GOD WITH US and HOUSE OF DAVID. Even the sound effects, right? Like in Lil King David you see Goliath take one to the noggin, be kind of surprised, and then fall out of panel. In the ACTION BIBLE we get a disturbing KRAK and hear Goliath say “Ungh.” And also, speaking of storytelling choices, David has pale skin and red hair because he’s maybe Irish? Weird!
Let’s look at one more, because I am having fun.
In the KINGSTONE BIBLE, another graphic novel adaptation, we see yet another version. Kingstone is targeting a little older kids than GOD WITH US or the ACTION BIBLE. Take a look:
Note the similarity to the storytelling choices in GOD WITH US: Three panels to show Goliath getting nailed with a rock. In mine it goes 1) the hit, 2) HEY THAT IS SURPRISING and 3) I am falling down because I am dead now. In this version we get 1) UH OH THIS SEEMS BAD, 2) THIS IS REALLY BAD GUYS, and then 3) I am falling over backward and have broken my neck and possibly back and blood is spraying out. ARGHHH
So again, slightly different audience means different approach, we add a little blood and bingo bango the story is done.
Oh yeah and then:
He did it! Our little blonde hero David chopped off his head (note the blood on the sword!).
Three different takes on the same Bible story:
These retellings emphasize different parts of the same story. Is this the story of a passionate Irish kid passing through Israel who wants to kill a giant? A blonde warrior who murder bears by grabbing them by the hair and sticking them with spears? Or a naive kid who likes to hear a CHOP while chopping?
Me? I like my King David as tiny as possible.
Anyway, all that to say you should probably pick up a copy or three of GOD WITH US. Go on. You know you want to!
What snack will you choose?
One of the things I love about traveling is the unexpected foods you find. Here were two snacks I debated giving a shot in Toronto.
So if you had to choose a new snack to try, which one would it be?
My favorite thing on the internet this week
See Bruce Run
In addition to his hutch, Bruce has a number of hidey holes outside for when it rains. One of them is this one I made out of a plastic bin. I cut a hole in the side, then put a cardboard box and some hay in it. When it’s cold out, he can huddle up in there and his body heat quickly warms the space (normal body temperature for a rabbit is around 102 degrees Fahrenheit). It’s also completely waterproof when it rains!
Bonus this week… when someone in the family travels for a few days, Bruce gets really happy when they come home and often does “happy hops” around the living room. Here’s a video of his reaction when he saw that Krista and Zoey had returned from a trip.
It’s officially Spring in the northern hemisphere! Enjoy the flowers, rain showers, and longer days, just like Bruce is!
Peace to you,
Matt
Which snack did you buy, Matt?
“ Is this the story of a passionate Irish kid passing through Israel who wants to kill a giant?” I’m cackling lol