What Makes a Cliché?

A cliché is basically a stereotype for words; a pithy or cute saying. And for writers, this advice is often given: Don't use clichés!

But sometimes, that's like trying to avoid the plague. (Although, in our day and age, it's not like we have a lot plague going around. Unless you count the hazardous Swine Flu pandemic of 2009-2010. But that's water under the bridge.)

While clichés are here, there, and everywhere, here's something to think about:

Clichés usually begin as brilliant insights.

That's why we repeat them. They really only become clichéd through overuse.

Well, that's all, folks! We're busy as beavers. But now it's your turn. Do you have a favorite cliché? Or the cliché you most love to hate? (Tell us in the comments below. Remember, there's no time like the present.)

By the way, in preparing for this post we came across a cliché-finding website. Try it: http://www.westegg.com/cliche/

P.S. See the photo above? Bonus points to anyone who can guess the cliché it represents!

[Photo courtesy of tripleman]

Tell an Old Joke Day

It's Tell an Old Joke Day...

Here's a joke to go with the Soviet theme (because of our upcoming movie Under Jakob's Ladder).

A flock of sheep are stopped by frontier guards at the Russo-Finnish border. "Why do you wish to leave Russia?" the guards ask them. "It's the Secret Police," reply the terrified sheep. "The order has come to arrest all elephants."

"But you aren't elephants!" the guards point out.

"Try telling that to the Secret Police!"

The Essence of Cinema...

Just a quick editing quote for this week's blog post...

"The essence of cinema is editing. It's the combination of what can be extraordinary images of people during emotional moments, or images in a general sense, put together in a kind of alchemy."
-- Francis Ford Coppola

Nightmare at the Movies

You sit down in a crowded movie theatre. You've paid your money. You've been anticipating this movie and you can't wait for it to begin. The previews are finally over and you settle into your seat when...

A cell phone rings.

It's not your cell phone. It belongs to the guy next to you. How do you know this? Because he actually answers the phone. And then proceeds to talk. All the while, you are trying to concentrate on the movie!

Finally, he hangs up. But, unfortunately, the "nightmare at the movies" has begun. As the couple behind you begin a running commentary on the entire movie, the teen in front of you begins texting. While it's true that she's not saying a word, that bright little screen can be very distracting.

What do you do?

However, this kind of behavior from some moviegoers isn't all that new... Even back in the 1920s, during the heyday of silent films, they had problems! Okay, so they didn't have cell phones back then. But, they did have to deal with different issues.

Since silent films are, well, silent. No sound means no dialogue. Okay, there was a little dialogue, but it was all on title cards. Nothing audible. Still, moviegoers complained about the patron who decided they would read each title as it came on screen.

In fact, in Kansas City, the theatre owners thought this was such a problem that they asked a young Walt Disney -- before the days of Mickey -- to create short cartoons to address this issue. Disney created several of his Laugh-O-Grams to feature a comical professor who would slam a mallet on the head of title readers; or would release a trapdoor that would chute them to the street.

Do you have any nightmare stories that you've endured at the movies? Share your experiences in the comments below...

Summer Reading

What's on our summer reading list?

Well, the photo is giving it away. But, just in case you can't see the photo, it's of Barry Hampe's Making Documentary Films and Videos. (Which really is a "practical guide" to planning, filming, and editing documentaries.)

What's on your list?