tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post2892904274479697542..comments2023-11-03T06:32:28.410-04:00Comments on Staring At Empty Pages: Everybody’s got something to hide, except for me and my monkeyBarry Leibahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-29265292532028112792009-11-01T12:29:09.032-05:002009-11-01T12:29:09.032-05:00Whenever I write a screenplay (or any story, for t...Whenever I write a screenplay (or any story, for that matter), I struggle with whether I should write for how I think the character would say something, or if I should write what's correct.<br /><br />The problem is that life imitates art, and in cases where I know better (monkey vs. chimp is a good example), I want to help people learn what is correct. At the same time, if it's not believable that the character would know what's correct, that weakens my story.<br /><br />I would say that, more often than not, the character wins. That said, I do like to have "throw away" dialogue where a wiser character corrects them.<br /><br />"Nice monkey."<br />"Actually, he's a chimp."<br />"Whatever."<br /><br />I've seen Wes Anderson do that a few times.<br /><br />I saw a funny (if erroneous) example of this in a comic book one time (although I can't remember which comic it was or where it is now. In a box, most likely). The three main characters were arguing. One of them was the leader of a rebel army, while the other two were subordinates of his.<br /><br />Sub 1: "I've had enough!"<br />Leader: "What are you saying?"<br />Sub 1: "This is a mutiny!"<br />Sub 2: "Mutiny is on a ship."<br />Sub 1: "Fine. This is a strike!"Thomas J. Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04969763988007667949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-50884477996315829712009-11-01T11:51:51.746-05:002009-11-01T11:51:51.746-05:00Good point, Michelle. The IMDB's "goofs&...Good point, Michelle. The IMDB's "goofs" section has a category for "goofs that aren't really goofs, but part of the character." And I'll note that the character of the chimp's handler never refers to the chimp as a monkey.Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-83134172416500449302009-11-01T11:24:24.376-05:002009-11-01T11:24:24.376-05:00Well, to be fair to the makers of the show, it'...Well, to be fair to the makers of the show, it's the characters who are calling the chimp a monkey, and perhaps they felt that these people would be the sort to make that mistake... of course I didn't see the episode, so if it plainly wasn't the case, correct me. And of course, it's poss that the makers themselves might just not know the diff.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01639879112148818986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-53079580819912228872009-11-01T10:38:02.357-05:002009-11-01T10:38:02.357-05:00If it helps, I too confess to the vicarious thrill...If it helps, I too confess to the vicarious thrill of following that show, for the sheer absurdity of it.Frisky070802https://www.blogger.com/profile/02366971082815298119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-57162041608466752132009-11-01T09:39:59.449-05:002009-11-01T09:39:59.449-05:00Thank you, Thomas. It's always good to have c...Thank you, Thomas. It's always good to have confirmation that I'm not the only one out there. Sometimes, I'm not sure.Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-38055135651499700502009-11-01T09:36:02.535-05:002009-11-01T09:36:02.535-05:00Wow, I'm a huge dork.
My first thought when I...Wow, I'm a huge dork.<br /><br />My first thought when I saw the picture and the repeated references to "monkey," was, "that's not a monkey, that's a chimpanzee!"<br /><br />I feel your... Pain?Thomas J. Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04969763988007667949noreply@blogger.com