What is it about the use of simple poetic techniques that appeal so much to a reader? Is it the rhythmic simplicity that reminds us of our past oral traditions? It might be as storytellers, bards, and oral lore-keepers often learnt their stories in a ballad/poetic form that helped ensure they remembered the story based not only on narrative progression, but also on the rhythmic systems of the form. Could it then be memory based? Many studies cite the use of mnemonic devices to help memorise details – so are we already pre-designed to engage mentally with rhythmic sounds? Or is it the nostalgic appeal of childhood? A recollection of nursery rhymes and foolish riddles that coloured our childhood books and memories, perhaps?
Alliteration is only one such commonly used poetic device. Many are exercised in today's literature for children and adults alike. We still see the use of imagery, allegories, metaphors, similes, personification, and so much more. So how about a discussion of these simple, yet effective poetic devices and what they can add to a developing writer's repertoire.
A fascinating topic suggestion. What immediately leapt into my mind upon reading this is the oral tradition of story telling, still in use amongst the so-called 'primitive' peoples of the world. An oral tradition helps to discipline and train the mind, as well as being a memory aid. I often try to find a rhythm in the lines I learn for a role as it helps to get into the mindset of the character I play. I'm also fascinated by the Australian Aboriginal tradition of 'singing' their way across a landscape - the song acts as both a representation of a physical realm and the metaphysical realm - and since I've never heard of an Aborigine getting lost in the outback then it obviously works! – Amyus6 years ago
Analyse how music has helped paved the way for the success of films. Without music, a lot of films would be missing emotions from the audience, and characters as well.
Love this topic. Music is so important to so many films, music has become a crucial element to so many movies. This topic could explore why and how this happens... – Sean Gadus6 years ago
Like this topic, would love to see what examples you would use for it! – CatBeeny6 years ago
I also approve of this topic. Perhaps you could focus on one or two major composers or specific films to illustrate your point, such as the music of John Williams or Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings." Another possibility is to explore specific scenes from important films, such as the powerful bar singing scene from Casablanca. – drmatteri6 years ago
Good topic, I think one good addition would be to consider periods of silence in film. The proper use of music and silence in conjunction with each other can help make a good soundtrack even better (i.e. cowboy bebop, samurai jack) – Alacrian7866 years ago
An old saying is that a "picture paints a thousand words." Anyone who has had the luck to see the work of Shaun Tan will agree, art can be used to tell intricate visual stories. His picture books such as 'The Red Tree' and ' Rules of Summer' are visual masterpieces that speak more than the few small words that accompany them.
Often in society today we still privilege the written word to the exclusion of all else. I think it would be interesting to discuss the use of symbolism, allegory and imagery in "silent" graphic novels and picture books to tell a wordless story that is much deeper than any written version could have been. It might be nice to have a discussion of various picture books, graphic novels or even full size mural art pieces that are designed to tell a visual (wordless) story, and what this means for the viewer.
This could be absorbed into your Adult Picture Books topic suggestion, but I still like it so thumbs up from me :) – Amyus6 years ago
@Amyus, I agree, I did write this one and then thought about it and wrote the other. I think there is a lot to discuss so it could easily be two separate pieces, but it absolutely could be incorporated into the other. I suppose one of the elements here could be to discuss the "universal/international" interpretations of these silent books and how different cultures would interpret the visual cues? – SaraiMW6 years ago
Fair point, Sarai. I stand corrected. :) – Amyus6 years ago
Whether it be competitive shows such as The Bachelor or simply watching people live their lives like on The Real Housewives, audiences are drawn to watching people live under surveillance. From a production point of view, the gravitation to these shows is obvious: they are inexpensive to make and draw in a large audience. But why are they so popular and when did this trend of reality TV start? What does it say about society that we are so obsessed with these shows? Are the actions of the members on the shows a good representation of society, or are their actions a response to being under constant surveillance?
Hi Maddy. Just a quick suggestion. It might be worth looking at the articles and topic suggestions already available at The Artifice, some of which have a theme similar to your suggestion. Perhaps these could be combined in a single analysis. I'd also recommend reading Neil Sanders's 'Your Thoughts Are Not Your Own: Volume 2: Marketing, Movies and Music', as an insight into mass media programming. – Amyus6 years ago
Hi I am not huge a fan of reality television but my Mum is a big fan of reality show so it dd get me thinking how now in early 2000's we are getting bombarded with more and more reality television shows and when I was growing up I do not remember seeing so many (I wonder if I just did not notice it or was there less on in the late 1900s). Even though as I said reality television is not my thing it would still be interesting to see why we are seeing so many of them now. – Melver6 years ago
Firstly, I am not using "adult" as an innuendo for pornography or erotica, I actually mean adult as in the state of being over 18. Picture books are often relegated to being considered only of value to very young children. Although recent artists and writers have been producing work that fits into the young adult category, there is very little that would be categorised as an adult picture book that does not then become a graphic novel. Largely this is a matter of categorisation, as publishers are uncomfortable with the idea of an adult picture book, and that many people too would not be comfortable purchasing one. Yet those picture books that end up categorised as young adult are usually very mature in their subject matter, dealing with issues as diverse as mental health, sexuality, grief and death, love and social responsibility. A prime example of this is Shaun Tan's 'The Red Tree' shows the journey of a girl through a myriad of situations in a dark world that we would recognise: isolation in a crowd, depression and anxiety, feeling trapped by a situation, loneliness, a loss of direction, a loss of self, all without engaging in any writing and yet this is still considered as only a children's book. Another example is 'Meh' by Deborah Malcolm about a boys experience of depression, and then there is 'Michael Rosen's Sad Book' by Michael Rosen and Quentin Blake that depicts a father's grief and mourning for his son, it even comes with a warning about the serious and realistic depiction of grief. Graphic novels and comics used to suffer from this assumption of immaturity, but many are now comfortably accepted as being adult-only.
So why is it that we still cannot accept that a book that is primarily full of pictures can be for adults, and by extension may actually have something very real and important to say?
I love the take you're having with picture books. You may add how parents tend to read picture books for their child's benefit, yet they can also benefit from it. Also, there has to be adults that go back to the picture books they used to read. Perhaps you can find articles on that. – Yvonne T.6 years ago
If you're a regular anime watcher, or have seen a couple of anime series, then you'll probably have come across a feature-lenght anime film. Important to note is that I'm specifically talking about films based on already established series, instead of stand-alone movies like Akira, Ninja Scroll, Perfect Blue and others.
Many popular anime series such as Naruto, Dragon Ball, Pokémon, Digimon and One Piece have over the years built such a financial success that production companies are able to invest in films dealing with, in most cases, sidestories insular to the main plot, but with a much more complex and detailed animation process, which really shows. The animation level in these movies is simply incredible and full with mind-warping sequences and gorgeous backgrounds.
However, I've found that, to my own arbitrary sensibilities, the screenplay doesn't always match the genius animation these movies have. Stories tend to feel like regular episodes flattened and spread out like dough. Sure, the cake comes out beautiful, but there's something missing in the flavor.
Do you agree with this? Why do you think this happens? Do you got any examples of a tightly written anime movie based on a series?
Good suggestion. Makoto Shinkai's 'Kimi no Na wa', whilst beautifully executed visually, still lacks something in it's storytelling, although I've read that Makoto isn't satisfied with it either. I think one of the problems comes from whether the anime film is production driven (by the money men) or creatively driven. – Amyus6 years ago
There's definitely something to that observation. Just remembering my time watching the Bleach movies and thinking "Nothing is really happening here, right?". Not to say that Bleach was a series known for narrative quality. But you were capable of grasping the stakes of the conflict. You could occasionally empathize with every party in the conflict. However, the characters introduced in the films are given to time to develop beyond being easily-understandable archetypes. Furthermore, the main cast isn't allowed to develop in any significant way; probably because the films canon standing is dubious at best. They always come off as cash-in side-stories; meant to capitalize on the popularity of the franchise before the fanbase jumps to the next one (slight shade thrown at My Hero Acadamia: Two Heroes). It never seems as though anyone on any of these production teams said "let's make a movie good enough to stand on its own". The only two I can think of, off the bat, with any lasting impact are Castle of Cagliostro (based on Lupin the Third) and Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven's Door. Cagliostro is primarily a Gibli film first; that's why I believe it endures. Lupin the Third is legend, similar to Sherlock Holmes and Batman; so long as you keep fundamental aspects of the character intact, you can do whatever you want with the narrative, style, tone, etc.
Heaven's Door is less enduring a work than Caliostro (and significantly less enduring than Bebop proper). The film was beautiful and had some of the best action I've seen animated. The story was simple but well executed; it channeled Noir-era films in a much stronger way than Bebop proper did. If the connection to its parent series didn't exist, it would probably (definitely) be less relevant than it already is. However, that film is worth watching on its own. It's a decent work; worth your time even if you don't know Bebop from Rocksteady. Nowadays, it seems like most anime don't reach the level of prominence to justify a feature film. That said, broadly speaking, the anime that do still reach that level of popularity were never really narrative powerhouses to begin with (Hero Aca being the exception). – OtisPickett6 years ago
A good observation. I think it comes down to either or in a lot of cases. Production companies can invest time and effort into visual affects and cosmetics, but the narrative quality suffers. Is it just them being lazy? Maybe, in the case of Bleach, or One Piece they just simply ran out of material. I think Bleach ran out of material during the anime but... yea different topic... lol. Do they production companies value or money or full effort creativity? I think the answer is obvious for most of the mega mainstream animes, despite stories like One Piece and Dragon Ball being considered classics. Great Entry! – Kibishii5 years ago
Determine whether you believe the exaggerated physical differences between genders in World of Warcraft is innocent and is due to the company's herculean style, or they choose to depict men as much stronger than women and women much thinner than men. For instance, the female pandaren is not as fat as the male pandaren.
An interesting topic. If you break down all the comparisons into a systematic discussion it would be really interesting to look at the trends. For instance to see if they have made any real racial substantive changes or just used stereotypical forms every single time. I'd would be interesting to know if the designers have ever commented on this also. – SaraiMW6 years ago
Excuse my ignorance, but I'm completely clueless about World of Warcraft, although I comprehend the gist of your statement. I suppose the difference in stature between the men and women in WOW really comes down to the marketing angle; what the money men think will sell, which is ironic when we consider how often 'gamers' are portrayed in films as overweight males who seem to live on pizza! Stereotypes be damned! It's an interesting topic suggestion and you have my vote. – Amyus6 years ago
Why can't Oda, the master storyteller and plot artist of One Piece write good female characters? Eiichiro Oda is one of my favorite mangaka of all time and the proclaimed writer of the epic over 900 chapter-long, continuing manga, One Piece, the current top-selling manga. He continually astounds readers with his beautifully interwoven story arcs, character development, and unique artistic style and yet one aspect of his work persistently falls short of the mark — his writing and designing of female characters.
Oda has displayed an immense array of designing abilities, drawing influence from artistic and regional styles from all over the world and yet all of his female characters have the same face and body shape. Vivi, Nami, Robin, Rebecca, Shirahoshi, etc. All of these unique characters would look the same if you gave them the same hair and eyes, something that would not work for the male characters who display many different kinds of eye shapes, hair styles, body types, nose shapes, etc.
In terms of writing as well, even characters who are supposedly "strong" like Rebecca (a freaking gladiator), are swept up and saved by male heroes. Oda doesn’t seem to like to give his female characters proper adversaries to fight, a necessary component to completing a character arc in the world of One Piece – all plots lead to a final showdown of some sort. And yet the female characters only face off against other villainous female characters of the same caliber (Nami vs Kalifa/Miss Doublefinger) whereas Luffy and Zoro are always given stronger and better challenges.
Oda doesn’t seem to respect a woman’s ability to battle a man on equal footing; its a logic that doesn’t seem to exist in the narrative. Throughout the series Oda betrays a serious awareness of historical and political issues regarding human injustice, inequality, authoritarianism, colonialism, etc. And yet why is it that he utterly fails in turning this critical eye to gender?
"Oda doesn’t seem to respect a woman’s ability to battle a man on equal footing" Because it doesn't really exist. It can happen, given some circumstantial factors, but overall its a fallacy created by the more moden concept of equality. Of course the concept itself is righteous and necesary, as both men and women should be respected equally and given the same opportunities. But like with many other things, this causes a large part of the masses to confuse and misunderstand some aspects. And before this possibly devolves into me getting called sexist (because it tends to be the "easy rebuttal" button for some people), for pointing this out, lets clarify one thing: I AM a woman, but that doesn't make me blind to some very obvious facts that a lot of people seem to be intent on forcibly denying no matter how clear they are. Men and women are equals, but they're not "the same". We are fundamentally different in many aspects, which includes the physical one, and no amount of self-righteous denial will change this. It has been proved time and time again that in all disciplines involving physical strength and speed, even the top female athletes tend to fall far behind their male counterparts. The same can be said from women in military combat positions, who always get outperformed by men in similar circumstances (meaning, with similar amounts of experience and training). This is an undeniable fact. Oda doesn't often put female characters fighting on par with male characters, because in the real world that IS how it works 99% of the time. Of course a woman with extensive fitness and combat training can beat a man with much less of both, which gets represented in scenes like Kalifa steamrolling through countless strong male fighters from the Galley-La company, but the point is, when both men and women have a similar level of preparation, the intrinsic physical advantage men hold over women comes to play in full force, greatly tilting the balance in their favour. Again, it has nothing to do with sexism, but with being realistic.
– CarmenDia6 years ago
Many modern movies that are marketed to kids like Pirates of the Caribbean and Maleficent try to portray the villain in a more positive light. I think an interesting article would talk about the genre of kids' films and how villains have changed over the years. For example, Goonies and Disney's Little Mermaid have clear, evil villains.
Thank you for the help! I ended up clarifying the genre (removing the 80's reference) and focusing it a bit more. – tclaytor6 years ago
Are they "modern villains," or are they villains in "modern kids' movies"? Also might be nice to explore the apparent sanitization of movies targeted towards children over the last several decades. Do any characters ever die (murder, etc.) anymore, or does everyone end up talking about feelings by the end? – LaPlant06 years ago
it's also interesting to explore how villains may change with demographic. For example, it might be easier to present a villain in a child's movie as inherently evil, to better teach morals. Versus, villains for older audiences are presented as morally ambiguous and complicated, which makes them relatable to us. – vmainella6 years ago
Such a cool topic! It might be interesting to see if this shift was due to any real world events that may have influenced society's opinion on how to portray villains. – MaddyKellas6 years ago
I have thought about this so much. I would also like to add the villains in the my little pony movies from the 80s/90s were really dark. The TV film called Rescue from Midnight Castle had a villian named Tirek and Scorpan who are dark and very creepy. Modern adaptations of these two were much less frightening. – ivyskiss6 years ago
The modernist period in literature saw a massive shift not only in the structural and generic elements of literature, but also in the thematic foci. One area that began to gain greater representation was the discussion of mental illness, especially through the lens of female authors. Great examples of this are Virginia Woolf's 'Mrs. Dalloway', Janet Frame's 'Intensive Care' and much more, Charlotte Gilman Perkins 'The Yellow Wallpaper' and more. We are almost 100 years on from these breaking edge works that helped shape a greater understanding of experiences of mental illness. The prompt I would suggest would be to look now at examples of contemporary fictional works that deal with mental illness and how those experiences and stories are creating new conversations.
I think this is a fantastic idea, and does a great job carrying through the tradition that found a strong expression in modernism. What also may be useful - at least in my opinion - would be to also venture beyond Freudian psychoanalysis that was en vogue during that time, and see rather the interconnection between contemporary psychology and literature. Maybe an obvious point, so forgive me if this doesn't help. But, given what we know about schizoaffective disorders and neurodivergences today, I would think many authors would touch on this. Is your focus mainly here on female authors? – KevinP6 years ago
Analyse why the byronic hero trope continues to be popular and "sexy" male characters are still often depicted as arrogant, proud, brooding, unemotional on the surface and somewhat antagonistic to the female protagonist in the beginning to create sexual chemistry. Why haven't we moved past the Mr.Darcy fantasy- now the Mr.Grey/Edward Cullen fantasy? Why do male characters, especially those in YA such as Jace Herondale in the City of Bones series for example, continue to be by far one dimensional leather-jacket-wearing, smouldering "bad boys". There are SO MANY examples that could be discussed and explored here!!
I think that, largely, it has to do with toxic masculinity. We’ve been programmed to view men who don’t express outward emotion (except in very intimate settings) as “strong”, when in reality that isn’t the case at all. In the case of Edward Cullen/Christian Grey specifically, I think these characters romanticize relationships where there is an unhealthy balance of power. In any other context but a book, controlling who you see or don’t see would be considered abusive. Twilight and 50 Shades, however, paint these behaviors as “he just cares about you”. It also really doesn’t help that Bella Swan and Anastasia Steele seem completely oblivious to how problematic these behaviors are. – RebaZatz7 years ago
Nice topic. Don't forget Jane Eyre's Mr. Rochester. Other examples might include the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera, or even Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter series is said to qualify too, although he's not considered completely Byronic. – Stephanie M.7 years ago
And don't forget Deadpool! Also worth considering is Dallas from "The Outsiders." Dally was the ultimate byronic hero. Throughout the novel, Dally is represented as the uncaring bad boy, but at the end it is revealed that he was the character that truly cared the most. – EmskitheNerd7 years ago
They appear in shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. See the link: https://the-artifice.com/byronic-hero – L:Freire7 years ago
i feel like men are shamed for being vulnerable by showing compassion etc. – Glimmerkill6 years ago
Feminism created an entire genre called YA for young adult women to enjoy the strength, independence and power we aren't given in a patriarchal society. In these novels, young women are constantly undermining structures of power and are given a wide range of character types and depths. And yet YA has failed in many ways to provide the same feminist message to men by giving them characters who are emotionally vulnerable and sensitive. – sonyaya6 years ago
My understanding was that a big motive for writing original "Byronic heroes" was so that female authors could have male characters who were a little more like themselves--privileged by being male but still "lesser" in some way (for instance, Mr. Rochester is a younger son and so not first in line to inherit an estate). Probably the closest thing to this I've seen in a modern work is, interestingly enough, the male lead in Me Before You--a rich and powerful man who's held back by having a profound disability (or so he thinks). So, in a strange way, I think they are more "relatable" to the female audience than a lot of male characters who are targeted toward men, even if they treat women badly in general. – Debs6 years ago
So the other day, I'm surfing the Internet looking at Harry Potter writings (I'm a recent Potterhead and enjoying the addiction). I came across someone complaining about The Cursed Child and the Deathly Hallows epilogue, saying that they were too "heteronormative." In other words, this person wanted to know why it was always necessary for our favorite characters to get married (to a heterosexual, but I guess really to a person of any gender) and have kids to be happy.
Now, I'm a sucker for what TV Tropes calls Babies Ever After, but that post made me wonder. Why is marriage/babies held up as the ultimate happy ending? Is it the only one? What works can you name where this didn't happen, but the characters were still happy and fulfilled? How has the concept of "happily ever after" evolved? Discuss.
I would say read Madame Bovary as it works as an antithesis to the traditional happily ever after. The character of Emma Bovary originally wanted nothing more than to get married, but soon starts desiring other things in life and becomes frustrated with the mundanity of married life. I don't want to give away too much here as it may spoil the story, but the idea of marriage and being a parent as the ultimate form of happiness is challenged in that story. You may also consider different gender perspectives in the happily ever after or "Babie ever after" trope as a lot of feminist literature likes to point out how what makes a female happy in marriage may vary for males. And for the LGBTQ community, it may because marriage and adoption is something that is legally denied to them in many countries. This theory has a lot of layers to it that need qualifications. I personally like stories that end with this trope as well, but I'm also aware of how it was used to keep females in a secondary position and treated them as a prize to be won. Though it is not to say that males did not desire as well. A good example of a male protagonist that wants desires this trope is Sanosuke Harada from the Hakuori Shinsengumi visual novels. – Blackcat1307 years ago
A couple of things to consider: The happy ever after (babies ever after) is a pacifier that stems from an industry pushing an 'aspirational' social value. Keep the status quo rolling along by showing us what we should want. Secondly, the romance novel industry dictates a happy ever after ending as it is expected. Queer romance sells best when it is HEA, but there is also a place for happy for now. – sheena7 years ago
I definitely don't think marriage/babies is the only type of happy ending. I love movies like Waitress, where the protagonist is able to get out of the abuse she may be in and leave any other baggage in order to do something for herself or coming of age movies where you see the protagonist really become an adult in a positive way. I hope that makes sense! – CatBeeny7 years ago
Biologically speaking, the goal of an organism is to pass its genes on to another generation. That said, I think humans are intelligent enough to make their lives meaningful in other ways. One of Eriksen's stages of development is "generatively vs stagnation". I look at it as one of the things people need for a fulfilling life is to contribute to the next generation, but that doesn't mean everyone needs to have children. You can contribute by being a good aunt or uncle, a writer, or through other careers. Society and the media bombards us with the idea that a happy life entails marriage and children even though that isn't a happy life for everybody. One reason I think marriage is sought after is people see the majority doing it and fear loneliness if they do not do the same. I think the media needs to start pushing more of a narrative that happiness is in self-fulfilment, achieving career and personal goals, being healthy, being independent, and other components to a happy ending besides romance and children. – Dawe6 years ago
I believe 'happily ever after' could be open to interpretation where the characters in a story are content at the end. It could mean them achieving what they aspired to at the beginning or something else they least expected but will have come to terms with said achievement.
Society has long created the norm that only romantic love equates to 'happily ever after.' While it is true in some occasions, it is not necessarily the only cause for a happy ending. Achieving one's heart's desire can truly bring happiness to the soul. Unfortunately, popular culture doesn't emphasize this enough. An example is how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote Sherlock Holmes. His happily ever after was fulfilling his mission in life by being the best sleuth he could be, thereby gratifying is soul. Doyle did create a happily ever after for Holmes's sidekick Dr. Watson in the form of romance (however short-lived). Either way both characters were content with where their lives were by the last book Doyle wrote. – mfernando6 years ago
This article could explore the popularity of a particular character in a fandom, even when the appearances have been limited. A good comparison maybe someone like Boba Fett from Star Wars. This piece could take a look back at the history Broly, why he has remained so popular, and predictions on his role in Dragon Ball Super.
Yeah, that sounds really interesting. – patelrushi226 years ago
Todays professional sports have now created their own storylines within the games, and are publicized enough in the media, that sports have become more intriguing and entertaining than reality television. With sports not being scripted, and available across the globe no matter the language, they are more accessible.
What exactly would be the prompt for this post? Would it be talk about why sports are more entertaining and how it came to be? OR would it be more along the lines of trying to actually determine if such a statement is true, which by the way I don't believe is true. I think it would also be important to maybe pick one sport and talk about how specifically that sport might or might not be more popular than reality television. – tmtonji6 years ago
I think there's something here but if the focus is on how sports on TV has changed in how it is being presented from the past (exactly when that was should be made clear)? Storylines in sports is a good idea. Do we see it more clearly in, say, the Olympics more so than in football or baseball? What type of storyline? Are there studies showing certain storylines appeal to TV audiences and in what ways? – Joseph Cernik6 years ago
This could be interesting, but I think you would need to specify the particular elements of "reality television" which you are referring to. I think the point here is the competition element of some reality television, and how audiences prefer the supportive communities around sports teams. However you have mentioned how sports are not scripted, leading me to think of the rise of scripted reality such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians, etc. I think you need to specify what area of reality television you think this change refers to. It may also be worthwhile making a comparison or considering the massive current popularity of scripted wrestling franchises as this seems to be an exception to the trend. – Kayleigh Hall6 years ago
Keeping in mind the other suggestions, it would be interesting to analyse the recent trend of premier leagues taking India and the cricketing world by storm. Celebrity Cricket League and Box Cricket League are few leagues which tried to combine the glamour of celebrities and reality television with competitive sports. Leagues have also sprung up for badminton, tennis and plenty of other sports. Are advertisers able to target a specific audience easily, thus raising sponsorship and money needed for running these leagues in specific long-winded formats? – Dr. Vishnu Unnithan5 years ago
Take the recent 48 minute gameplay video of Cyberpunk 2077 as a starting point or even an exemplar in explaining how the gameplay demo should be undertaken. Compare CD Project Red's open and self aware approach to marketing their games versus perhaps some contrasting examples of other promotional campaigns that leave much to be desired. For example discuss the limitations of the 'cinematic trailer' that a lot of games use nowadays. Ultimately, discuss cosumer vs anti consumer marketing practices and that raw unfiltered gameplay is far more consumer orientated compared to heavily edited and scripted demos and videos whose sole purpose is to create shallow hype. Perhaps you could also trace the history of how triple A companies have marketed their games in order to provide some useful context.
Are there any words or inventions that we use today that once only existed in movies and books? For example, the word "muggle" is now understood by people who might not have ever read the Harry Potter series. I also heard that Star Trek was the inspiration behind many of the new technology that we have today.
From a language point of view one that must be discussed is Shakespeare who introduced a number of words to the common English language, including gossip and swagger! – SaraiMW6 years ago
The article should take a single writer and analyse all his predictions/creations in depth and multiple articles could be undertaken to cover more fandoms. For example, there are plenty of concepts that have since turned into reality in science fiction like that of Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke. Jack London is another writer noted for his eerily accurate novels set in future times we now actually live in. – Dr. Vishnu Unnithan5 years ago
There are hundreds of those in each category you mention. But what would be the endgame here? – T. Palomino2 years ago
With Better Call Saul entering it's fourth season, it may be a good time for discussion on how well the show works. Specifically, how does it compare to the main show it evolved from. The writer could look at narrative and character similarities, stylistic choices and maybe even potential flaw if any are noticed.
With El Camino being released, the article could also focus and derive from it. – Dr. Vishnu Unnithan5 years ago
Analyse what causes people to view products with celebrity names on them more enticing to buy. What difference does it make whether a product is made/sponsored by Ariana Grande, Jenner, Vanessa Hudgens, etc.? Also, do these buyers know that there is a difference between the product having the celebrity's name on it just to sell more, and that the actual celebrity makes the product? It's important to know the distinction, and which age range is affected the most.
Also consider the thematic or iconic connections that are attached to celebrities - what do they represent etc. and how is their association connected through their popular culture personas. – SaraiMW6 years ago
Hip hop/rap music is often associated with thugs and those "on the wrong side of the law". The whole genre is thought to be filled with angry artists who have a bad temper and it's stereotyped that it encourages negative attitudes in those who listen to it (dis tracks, rants etc.) Meanwhile, the disco music that filled the 70's with fun and dance, is seen to be much more innocent. If hip hop/rap is simply an evolution of disco – a spin off of the adored genre – why are the reputations of the two so different?
The answer seems pretty obvious, whoever picks this topic would have to talk about how black people are represented in the media and how they are constructed to be received. The media made it so that rap would be a taboo, did they do that because it was mostly black people in the genre or really because of the content. As for content it would be super important to show that not all hiphop/rap music was bad, doing a historical analyses as to how the genre came to be would also be crucial. – tmtonji6 years ago
Non-conventional episodic formats have been growing in popularity for a number of years now. With streaming services and premium cable lifting restrictions on how episodic content is made and consumed (doing away with standard 21/46 minute programs forced by advertising) how will this shape the way programs are made? BBC series have had this sort of format for years and now even shows like Game of Thrones have changed the way they shoot their episodes (originally opting for a more conventional structure but now ending the series with 6 approx. 2 hour episodes) Will this be more alluring for creatives?
I think this topic has a lot of potential. You could contrast the stylistic choices made by series that no longer have to facilitate advertisements versus ones that do. Traditionally series will be forced to incorperate an ad break at the 15, 30 and 40 minute mark depending on the length of the show and so will tailor certain tantalizing plot points to keep people watching after the break but the long form serial drama on certain SVOD services is free from such a creative restraint. Therefore you could compare say Game of Thrones or a Netflix series like Daredevil or Mindhunter in contrast to a conventional show in order to examine how these textual differences affects televisual flow- realting to the interplay between reception (viewing habits) and aesthetics. – OmegaReviews6 years ago
With streaming, OTT and other premium VOD services exploding like never before, it would be very interesting to assess how episodes of any length can now befit a series with numerous examples where a single season had successive episodes of totally different lengths based on the need of the script. What additional freedoms does easing of this restriction provide to screenplay and dialogue writers? – Dr. Vishnu Unnithan5 years ago