Besides the technical aspects of making story a multimedia event–and the time consumed in learning them, I might add–there is a host of natural, normal everyday occurrences that must be kept in mind when words are enhanced by visuals and sound.
I do enjoy CSI–all three of ’em–but since its inception there is one thing that bothers me about the presentation. It could be high noon sunny day outside, but the interior of the house they’re going over is dark. The windows can be bright white, but the room is dark. This doesn’t happen much in real life. The other thing that bothers me, perhaps even more that this, is that the crew goes through the whole house with their flashlights. They never ever flick on a light switch, maybe because they know that this is a staged scene and the electricity doesn’t work.
Law and Order, SVU just had a situation that was unreal as well, but in watching the ending, I forgot what it was.
Anyhow, in working with Flash8 and in learning how to use the program which in turn creates ideas of how to apply them to story, I am learning as well what needs to be real, what can be played with. You can tell a story and have the wildest scenario such as a person just fading into the skyline or turning into a bush, and people will believe the story. But if you have the silverware laid out incorrectly on the table, you’ll lose them.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology