The Eye of the Director

Growing up, I spent a great deal of time reading the tales of Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators.  It chronicled the adventures of Jupiter Jones, Peter Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews.  Looking back at the run of stories this evening as I began to write this post, I decided that one of my favorites was The Mystery of the Green Ghost.

I offer this up for two reasons as the lead this week.  The first is the use of Occam’s Razor principle by the main character Jupiter throughout much of the series.  In the simplest terms, Occam’s Razor basically states that when presented with a problem, the solution would be the most rational one that contains the least amount of assumptions.  The characters in The Stockings Were Hung employ this technique as they work to solve the murders in the novel.  It was one of the main reasons I set the story in 1954.  I wanted the characters to work out the crime themselves.  No cell phones, computers, or Googling to assist.  A simple, good ol’ fashioned mystery with no gimmicks. 

What sort of a gimmick?  Well, nothing spoils a story more than a character having an easy out.  I’ll be a Doctor Who fan until the day I die, but his trusty sonic screwdriver would either open – or not open – a door, force field, or random yard gate depending on the need of the story.  To me, that’s lazy.  Never venture down a road you aren’t willing to completely write your way through.

The 4th Doctor and his sonic screwdriver

  

The second reason I teed off with Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators is…well…Alfred Hitchcock himself!  Say what you will about his personality, he was one hell of director.  I had the pleasure of watching The Lady Vanishes this past week.  It ranks as one of my favorite Hitchcock films because it incorporates so much humor into a rather serious series of events.

Michael Redgrave, Dame May Whitty, and Margaret Lockwood in The Lady Vanishes

I try to attack each scene I write with the same gusto that Hitchcock did directing.  Breaking it down piece by piece.  It makes the entire process feel far less daunting.  As you work through revisions, you can strip away anything extra using that keen directors eye to keep the pace steady and writing tight.  Include what you need to see, leave behind anything you don't.

Writing any version of a draft is a bit like being out on a film shoot.  You could spend two hours taping and only end up with five minutes of usable footage.  It’s exactly the same with writing.  You can write for several hours or fill several pages, but during the editing process be left with little more than a few paragraphs – and that’s okay.  

The editing room floor

Think about the last movie you watched.  There were plenty of shots that never made it into the final project.  The difference?  In most cases, they were incredibly expensive shots.  It costs you nothing more than time for the words that don’t make it into your final version.

What do you think of approaching your work with the eye of a movie director?  Let me know in the comments section below.