Night Dreams…
“I see dead people” -- The Sixth Sense
“The scariest thing is not knowing your place in the world” -- Unbreakable
“It’s happening.” -- Signs.
“In this ordinary place, something extraordinary will happen.” – Lady in the Water
I’ve been reading THE MAN WHO HEARD VOICES: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale, by Michael Bamberger (Gotham Books), an in-depth biography of the writer/director M. Night Shyamalan based upon two years of intimate interviews and observations with Night, focusing on the release of his new film Lady in the Water.
Night’s movies fascinate me on a number of levels. In addition to holding a BA in English, as well as working in the book publishing industry, I’ve also studied film (I have a film minor as well), particularly science-fiction and thrillers. Essentially, however, I am simply a huge fan of his work.
Much like a well executed novel, Night’s movies are designed to work on many different levels both thematically and structurally. At once thrilling, spooky and supernatural, Night’s work challenges the viewer to think beyond the cookie-cutter definitions of traditional movie genres. Each movie is structured and executed in such a way that once you know the “payoff”, the film offers different meanings upon a second or even third screening. To me, a good book should be the same way – I keep my favorite books and reread them periodically, pulling new things from the story each time.
Take, for example, The Sixth Sense. There is hardly a movie fan out there who doesn’t know the payoff of the film (“I see dead people.”). Going back and watching it a second time, knowing that Bruce Willis is a ghost, turns it into an entirely different movie. Look again at the early scenes in which Cole is being visited by Bruce Willis at his home. The first time around we believe the boy is troubled (and of course haunted) and is being visited by a psychiatrist. Subsequent viewings reveal further layers – the viewer is now watching the film from the boy’s viewpoint. (Look particularly at the scene in which Cole comes home from school and finds his mother sitting across from Willis’ character, seemingly before an “appointment”.) Also look at the scene in which Willis shows up late for an “anniversary” dinner with his wife.
The media blitz around Lady in the Water, and the focus of Bamberger’s book, also interests me from a marketing viewpoint. As a publicist, I’ve followed the media campaigns for Night’s work with great interest. Just as with book publicity, a movie campaign must reveal enough about the plot and theme of a book or movie to excite people, but not so much that it over-targets the movie or blows the premise. The campaign for his latest novel, however, fails for me on many different levels, and I believe ultimately sacrificed its box-office success on the big screen.
For years, Night was backed by Disney – for whom Night had made a number of hit movies and billions of dollars (literally). To make a long story short, Disney did not want to make Lady in the Water the way he envisioned it. The studio did not “get it”; they did not trust his vision of the movie. What they wanted, they explained, was something which was like his earlier movies – something tried and true. Something they could make and promote with their eyes closed.
Unsettled, Night knew he could never make the movie he wanted to if he stayed with Disney, and he went to another studio. Much as in publishing, things like this happen all the time. Authors switch publishers, directors and actors switch studios frequently. Author writes book. Publisher expects a different book. Publisher tells author to rewrite book to fit their mold. Author wrestles with polarity of whether to write the book they envisioned or write the one someone else is telling them to. Will their idea be the same, will it succeed if they sacrifice their vision? One of the greatest conflicts for an author, or anyone in a creative industry, is how to continue to create something which breaks molds while keeping their current “audience”.
Just as with a new book by a favorite author, I was really looking forward to the release of Lady in the Water. I knew the movie was coming out, I had seen the commercials and my interest was piqued. Then I read two major pieces (one in USA Today, the other in Entertainment Weekly) about Night and his struggles with getting the film to fruition. These articles were so negative, not so much about the film itself, but about the director’s feelings about his struggles to get it made, that I deliberately stopped reading reviews and articles about the movie. The media coverage was spoiling my anticipation of the movie. After seeing the movie, I then went back and read articles I had set aside.
Far from inspiring a viewer to want to see the film, the coverage of Night’s decision to switch studios, as well as the subsequent doubts he had about the film itself, worked against the movie.
A USA Today article states in an opening sentence that Night is now wondering if he has “lost his touch”. Another article focuses on his thematic doubts. How is any of this going to inspire a consumer to shell-out money to see the film? Who really wants to see a movie portrayed as being written and directed by someone who is not confident in the work they have created? (I don’t believe that Night did this intentionally, of course.)
A good marketing campaign – whether for books or movies – should inspire excitement and interest. Not doubt and negativity. I’ve always believed that articles present a greater potential for positive marketing than reviews. The campaign I’ve followed for Lady in the Water reaffirms my belief. I enjoyed the movie greatly, and have liked reading Bamberger’s book on Night. But negative articles breed negative feedback.
When doing publicity, stay focused, stay positive – and show you believe in your work. Night’s early campaigns bred interest, sparked imagination. While Night’s troubles to get Lady in the Water to the big screen do make for interesting reading, they do nothing to inspire us to look at Night’s creative dreams for the movie.
NOTE:
To view some of the articles discussed in this column, please go to the following links:
USA Today article on Shyamalan
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-07-18-shyamalan_x.htm
USA Today review of movie
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2006-07-20-lady-water-review_x.htm
VARIETY article on Lady in the Water http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931086?categoryid=31&cs=1
VARIETY quote on Lady in the Water http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117947216?categoryid=1019&cs=1
"Suddenly, he knew. The problem was not Nina Jacobson or Dick Cook or Oren Aviv. He wasn't looking at three individuals. They had morphed into one, the embodiment of the company they worked for, and that company, the great Walt Disney Co. ... no longer valued individualism. It no longer valued fighters. Nina and Cook and Aviv wanted Night to be a cog." -- M. Night Shyamalan's epiphany during a meeting to discuss his "sale" script of "Lady in the Water," as related in "The Man Who Heard Voices."
*****
“The scariest thing is not knowing your place in the world” -- Unbreakable
“It’s happening.” -- Signs.
“In this ordinary place, something extraordinary will happen.” – Lady in the Water
I’ve been reading THE MAN WHO HEARD VOICES: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale, by Michael Bamberger (Gotham Books), an in-depth biography of the writer/director M. Night Shyamalan based upon two years of intimate interviews and observations with Night, focusing on the release of his new film Lady in the Water.
Night’s movies fascinate me on a number of levels. In addition to holding a BA in English, as well as working in the book publishing industry, I’ve also studied film (I have a film minor as well), particularly science-fiction and thrillers. Essentially, however, I am simply a huge fan of his work.
Much like a well executed novel, Night’s movies are designed to work on many different levels both thematically and structurally. At once thrilling, spooky and supernatural, Night’s work challenges the viewer to think beyond the cookie-cutter definitions of traditional movie genres. Each movie is structured and executed in such a way that once you know the “payoff”, the film offers different meanings upon a second or even third screening. To me, a good book should be the same way – I keep my favorite books and reread them periodically, pulling new things from the story each time.
Take, for example, The Sixth Sense. There is hardly a movie fan out there who doesn’t know the payoff of the film (“I see dead people.”). Going back and watching it a second time, knowing that Bruce Willis is a ghost, turns it into an entirely different movie. Look again at the early scenes in which Cole is being visited by Bruce Willis at his home. The first time around we believe the boy is troubled (and of course haunted) and is being visited by a psychiatrist. Subsequent viewings reveal further layers – the viewer is now watching the film from the boy’s viewpoint. (Look particularly at the scene in which Cole comes home from school and finds his mother sitting across from Willis’ character, seemingly before an “appointment”.) Also look at the scene in which Willis shows up late for an “anniversary” dinner with his wife.
The media blitz around Lady in the Water, and the focus of Bamberger’s book, also interests me from a marketing viewpoint. As a publicist, I’ve followed the media campaigns for Night’s work with great interest. Just as with book publicity, a movie campaign must reveal enough about the plot and theme of a book or movie to excite people, but not so much that it over-targets the movie or blows the premise. The campaign for his latest novel, however, fails for me on many different levels, and I believe ultimately sacrificed its box-office success on the big screen.
For years, Night was backed by Disney – for whom Night had made a number of hit movies and billions of dollars (literally). To make a long story short, Disney did not want to make Lady in the Water the way he envisioned it. The studio did not “get it”; they did not trust his vision of the movie. What they wanted, they explained, was something which was like his earlier movies – something tried and true. Something they could make and promote with their eyes closed.
Unsettled, Night knew he could never make the movie he wanted to if he stayed with Disney, and he went to another studio. Much as in publishing, things like this happen all the time. Authors switch publishers, directors and actors switch studios frequently. Author writes book. Publisher expects a different book. Publisher tells author to rewrite book to fit their mold. Author wrestles with polarity of whether to write the book they envisioned or write the one someone else is telling them to. Will their idea be the same, will it succeed if they sacrifice their vision? One of the greatest conflicts for an author, or anyone in a creative industry, is how to continue to create something which breaks molds while keeping their current “audience”.
Just as with a new book by a favorite author, I was really looking forward to the release of Lady in the Water. I knew the movie was coming out, I had seen the commercials and my interest was piqued. Then I read two major pieces (one in USA Today, the other in Entertainment Weekly) about Night and his struggles with getting the film to fruition. These articles were so negative, not so much about the film itself, but about the director’s feelings about his struggles to get it made, that I deliberately stopped reading reviews and articles about the movie. The media coverage was spoiling my anticipation of the movie. After seeing the movie, I then went back and read articles I had set aside.
Far from inspiring a viewer to want to see the film, the coverage of Night’s decision to switch studios, as well as the subsequent doubts he had about the film itself, worked against the movie.
A USA Today article states in an opening sentence that Night is now wondering if he has “lost his touch”. Another article focuses on his thematic doubts. How is any of this going to inspire a consumer to shell-out money to see the film? Who really wants to see a movie portrayed as being written and directed by someone who is not confident in the work they have created? (I don’t believe that Night did this intentionally, of course.)
A good marketing campaign – whether for books or movies – should inspire excitement and interest. Not doubt and negativity. I’ve always believed that articles present a greater potential for positive marketing than reviews. The campaign I’ve followed for Lady in the Water reaffirms my belief. I enjoyed the movie greatly, and have liked reading Bamberger’s book on Night. But negative articles breed negative feedback.
When doing publicity, stay focused, stay positive – and show you believe in your work. Night’s early campaigns bred interest, sparked imagination. While Night’s troubles to get Lady in the Water to the big screen do make for interesting reading, they do nothing to inspire us to look at Night’s creative dreams for the movie.
NOTE:
To view some of the articles discussed in this column, please go to the following links:
USA Today article on Shyamalan
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-07-18-shyamalan_x.htm
USA Today review of movie
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2006-07-20-lady-water-review_x.htm
VARIETY article on Lady in the Water http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931086?categoryid=31&cs=1
VARIETY quote on Lady in the Water http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117947216?categoryid=1019&cs=1
"Suddenly, he knew. The problem was not Nina Jacobson or Dick Cook or Oren Aviv. He wasn't looking at three individuals. They had morphed into one, the embodiment of the company they worked for, and that company, the great Walt Disney Co. ... no longer valued individualism. It no longer valued fighters. Nina and Cook and Aviv wanted Night to be a cog." -- M. Night Shyamalan's epiphany during a meeting to discuss his "sale" script of "Lady in the Water," as related in "The Man Who Heard Voices."
*****
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