Intersection

Chapter 117 Intersection

The Douban ratings also reveal the clues: "Stone" and "Racing" scored 8.6 and 8.4 respectively, while "Breakup Buddies" only scored 7.2. Although it can still be considered a high-quality film, it is quite a significant step down compared to its predecessors.

"Multi-character storylines can avoid the monotony of focusing on a single character's perspective for a long time. Moreover, by complementing each other's story perspectives, information gaps within the same time period can be filled, making the worldview of the whole story more complete and three-dimensional."

Looking at Kevin Spacey performing not far away, David quietly explained the question that Catherine, who was standing next to him, had just raised.

She had just asked, "Why can't we finish telling Jack's story before starting Bud's? What's the point of switching to someone else's story halfway through?"

"Is there anything else? Is that all there is to it?"

Well, of course, that's not the only reason.

In fact, when directors make movies, they use this "let's put it aside for now" narrative style to create a sense of anticipation and suspense.

Switching between different characters' storylines within a single linear timeframe, with one storyline temporarily ending just as it reaches a crucial turning point, and then moving on to another, keeps the audience constantly interested in the subsequent development of the previous storyline. Even if there is no strong conflict in a single storyline at the moment, this "breakpoint connection" can maintain the reading appeal.

Moreover, when multiple parallel storylines converge at predetermined points on the same timeline, the fates and choices of different characters will create intertextuality and reflection, greatly enriching the layers of the story and making the thematic expression more profound than a single-line narrative, achieving a narrative effect similar to musical "harmony".

The most typical example that David could recall was the ending of Johnnie To's "PTU," where various groups of people converged at an intersection by a series of coincidences, and then a chaotic gunfight broke out, resolving all the conflicts that had accumulated in the film all at once.

The extreme emotional release and the sense of destiny that comes from the unseen forces are simply exhilarating.

"Intersection?" Catherine emphasized this word. "Is any intersection enough? Regardless of when it happens?"

David thought about the question for a moment before answering: "Generally speaking, we should arrange for the characters to meet as early as possible in the film. If it's too late, it can easily lead to a disjointed plot and a loose main storyline."

Because after seeing multiple independent characters at the beginning of a multi-narrative story, the audience will naturally have expectations of "what kind of connection these people will have later". Arranging the characters' interactions in advance can respond to this expectation in a timely manner, avoid the audience's aesthetic fatigue due to not seeing them for a long time, and keep them engaged in the plot.

Moreover, early interactions allow characters from different storylines to continuously develop entanglements as the story progresses, gradually building a complex and multi-dimensional network of interpersonal relationships. This makes the characters more vivid through interaction and collision, rather than waiting until the end to hastily complete the characters' encounter, which would lose the space for laying the groundwork for the characters' relationships.

"If you don't believe me, just watch Kevin Spacey's next performance." David gestured for Catherine to look at the filming situation in the center of the set.

“After I come out, I’ll walk over here,” Kevin Spacey said to the editor-in-chief, pointing to the movie theater not far away. “You can take a picture with the premiere venue as the background.”

""

"I like it—" The editor-in-chief readily agreed; the other party's penchant for showing off suited him perfectly. "At the premiere, a superstar was arrested for smoking marijuana—"

"Don't shine your flash on me when I come out."

"No problem! Did you hear me?" the editor-in-chief shouted to the person in charge of taking photos.

Inside, the two celebrities were about to have a passionate encounter under the influence of marijuana when someone burst in with an exposing light. Kevin Spacey caught them red-handed and, in high spirits, went to their pre-arranged spot, allowing reporters to take a nice photo of them together.

"Superstar arrested for smoking marijuana at premiere." The editor-in-chief has already decided on tomorrow's front-page headline.

"Take them to the Hollywood precinct," Kevin Spacey added. "I'll go gather evidence."

The next part is a scene where he accidentally discovers a membership card called "The French Dynasty," which is an indoor scene.

"So, any discoveries?"

"Hollywood Precinct?" Catherine turned her head and asked, "Jack said he brought the person to the Hollywood Precinct, which means he is also an officer under his command there. It would be natural for him to meet the other two main characters next, would you mean that?"

'

"Yes, you are very smart, and you are absolutely right."

The opening chapter binds all the core characters to the same strongly related space, which is the most reliable and efficient underlying logic for the convergence of multiple character storylines. This is called a spatial anchor point.

Spatial anchor points are the easiest to implement and have the highest tolerance for error in multi-line narratives. Essentially, they pre-define a physical stage where all the core characters "see each other every day," allowing the trajectories of different characters to collide naturally without relying on coincidences.

"Besides spatial anchor points, there should be other anchor points as well," Catherine laughed. "I think the next thing we'll be filming will be event anchor points, right?"

'

"Yes, that's right," David replied, fiddling with the camera beside him. "You can also apply what you've learned to other situations, which is great. A deeper understanding of the principles behind scriptwriting can help you grasp the character more perfectly. I'm looking forward to acting with you, and I hope you can give me a surprise."

"Why do you seem so invested in this movie?" Catherine asked curiously. "Do you really like the story?"

"certainly,"

David corrected, "However, I am very invested in every film I direct myself, so there is no such thing as being particularly invested in this one."

Filmmaking is a long-term project that can last for months. Without a genuine passion for it, it is difficult for a director to endure the long creative cycle and produce a continuous output of content.

It is said that after the success of Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino rejected offers from major Hollywood studios for popular projects such as Speed.

Perhaps because he was accused of plagiarism and felt frustrated, he flew to Amsterdam alone with a suitcase full of crime novels. He secluded himself in a single-room apartment without a telephone or fax machine to write, drinking more than a dozen cups of coffee every day, and spent nearly three months polishing the script.

He filled more than a dozen notebooks with his writing and spent nearly a year completing the final draft. He was completely focused and immersed in the creative process, which is how he wrote the script for "Pulp Fiction".

Writing the script alone took so much effort, you can imagine how much work it took during the actual filming. No wonder this guy's output is so low, only slightly more than James Cameron's.

"Audiences are very perceptive; they can sense the director's emotional investment and passion for the film."

David explained, "There are many things that require attention to detail in filmmaking, such as composition, cinematography, lighting, music, and camera movement. If any one of these aspects is neglected, it will be easily noticeable."

However, this is aimed at attentive moviegoers; those who watch movies while eating popcorn certainly won't be this attentive.

After Kevin Spacey finished filming this scene, the identities, backgrounds, and personalities of the three male leads were basically established, leaving the audience with at least some initial impressions and memorable moments.

Next comes the time when the three main characters' paths cross and collide.

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