Oppenheimer

[Pamela Jo]

Three hours. Ok there were lots in the theatre who had the giant coke combo and had to sprint for the toilets, but for the most part the audience stayed in their seats. Christopher Nolan comes from my old town of Leighton Buzzard, Beds. He made an indie student film, Memento and on the basis of that he got a feature film-Batman. That never happens, but he hit the jackpot. How and why he got that break shows here. He pulls out every trick of visual storytelling there is.
To get people to understand the drama the first half is really a history lesson. But with flashbacks. A huge info dump, but he mostly pulls it off by making his characters vivid. Then he's got so many mystery plates in the air you dont have time to think too much about one before the next pops off. All leading to a satisfying conclusion that left the audience with that epiphany known as catharsis.
It's probably not a movie I would watch again. A bit like Schindler's List in that way. But definitely one I will remember.

 

[James Charles]

Three hours. Ok there were lots in the theatre who had the giant coke combo and had to sprint for the toilets, but for the most part the audience stayed in their seats. Christopher Nolan comes from my old town of Leighton Buzzard, Beds. He made an indie student film, Memento and on the basis of that he got a feature film-Batman. That never happens, but he hit the jackpot. How and why he got that break shows here. He pulls out every trick of visual storytelling there is.
To get people to understand the drama the first half is really a history lesson. But with flashbacks. A huge info dump, but he mostly pulls it off by making his characters vivid. Then he's got so many mystery plates in the air you dont have time to think too much about one before the next pops off. All leading to a satisfying conclusion that left the audience with that epiphany known as catharsis.
It's probably not a movie I would watch again. A bit like Schindler's List in that way. But definitely one I will remember.

Yeah. I loved it.

With the flashbacks: I see them used a lot in movies and novels. I have them in my manuscript, but only four to see the backstory, all within the first 50 pages. I had a consult last November at the Kauai conf and the agent, who read my "old" opening, kept harping on: "Why do they love each other... we have to know why…" I said you will see in the flashbacks or remembrances, which is what my developmental editor called them. Some people (agents?) don’t have patience..

 

[RK Wallis]

Yeah. I loved it.

With the flashbacks: I see them used a lot in movies and novels. I have them in my manuscript, but only four to see the backstory, all within the first 50 pages. I had a consult last November at the Kauai conf and the agent, who read my "old" opening, kept harping on: "Why do they love each other... we have to know why…" I said you will see in the flashbacks or remembrances, which is what my developmental editor called them. Some people (agents?) don’t have patience..

I believe well-placed back story can strengthen a book/movie...

 

[Pamela Jo]

Yeah. I loved it.

With the flashbacks: I see them used a lot in movies and novels. I have them in my manuscript, but only four to see the backstory, all within the first 50 pages. I had a consult last November at the Kauai conf and the agent, who read my "old" opening, kept harping on: "Why do they love each other... we have to know why…" I said you will see in the flashbacks or remembrances, which is what my developmental editor called them. Some people (agents?) don’t have patience..

I think we have to take the advice that it means something is off , but not how to fix it. RK posted a video from a writer who teaches, but I think is very hands on about everything to do w the process. It is a craft to learn how to do this. She gives examples n the Hobbit how to keep the reader interested while not dumping info before the reader needs it. I don't think anyone can tell you how to do that in your story. For me that's what made it so interesting that he managed to keep the audience engaged. My one note would be that costumes and settings could have been used more to make it clear this was a flashback to the 20's, not the 30's-and then the 30's. The 40's and WW2 obviously oriented it in the end. It would have been easier, I think if the hairstyles , dress and set furnishing blared those decades. But when making a film-budget rules all. As a watcher I did sort it in the end.

The lady is very Pete-like in her no nonsense advice.