Troperiffic Tuesday!: Chekhov’s Gun

Chick 1 says:

Welcome back to Troperiffic Tuesday! This week we’re looking at one of the basic tenets of storytelling, Chekhov’s Gun. The trope is based on a principle espoused by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Chekhov said it a variety of ways but it comes down to this, “If you have a gun on stage, it better go off before the end of the play.”

Chekhov’s Gun falls under the Law of Conservation of Detail which teaches writers to make every word, every bit of dialogue count. If it doesn’t drive the story, don’t waste your precious time with it. In movies you only have 90-120 minutes to tell a story, on TV only 22-43 minutes so every detail has to count. Don’t introduce any element that distracts from the story. Read more

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Chick 1 in Tropes 312 Comments

Troperiffic Tuesday: Lampshade Hanging

Chick 1 says:

What does this week’s trope have in common with your crazy Uncle Irwin? Both wear a lampshade! The trope this week is a trope about tropes. Confused yet? Then let’s learn about Lampshade Hanging.

Lampshade Hanging is sometimes used when a particular trope is glaringly obvious and threatens to distract from the story. A trope is standing in the middle of the room in all it’s naked glory and the writer thinks that if he puts a lampshade on it, the audience will simply think it’s part of the scenery. How does he do this? By addressing the trope directly and calling it out. Does it work? If done correctly it does. Read more

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Chick 1 in Tropes 81 Comments

Troperiffic Tuesday: No OSHA Compliance

Chick 1 says:

Because most spaceships have rickety walkways over their nuclear core.

Welcome back to Trope of the Week or as it shall henceforth be called, Troperiffic Tuesday!

Ever seen a movie where the cap is knocked off a pipe joint with very little effort and blinding hot steam comes spraying out? Or someone has to cross a narrow walkway high above some flesh-grinding machinery with no guardrails? Or a character falls into an easily accessible vat of acid? Then you, my friend, are familiar with this week’s trope, No OSHA Compliance. As always, SPOILERS FOLLOW. Read more

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Chick 1 in Tropes 20 Comments