Alan Moore - Finding Your Moral Standpoint - Storytelling - BBC Maestro
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- Alan Moore explains why every writer must understand their own moral standpoint, and the great importance of compassion and empathy.
This lesson is taken from Alan Moore’s BBC Maestro online storytelling course. For the first time, take a peek behind the scenes at this illustrious writer’s process and approach.
🎥 Stream the full course here: bbcm.co/amyt
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BBC Maestro | Let The Greatest Be Your Teacher
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I like that Alan Moore respects the readers enough to go "You make your own choices. Just don't talk down to the reader."
Tales of the Black Freighter felt like talking down to the audience to me.
Except if they're adults and enjoy comic books. He talked down to those readers a lot.
@@alephmale3171 😂😂😂😂
@Michael Aronson there are still people who still buy those shit ass sjw comic, so yes, they should be talked down
Part of being a writer is sometimes you must put yourself into the shoes of someone you may find repugnant.
Alan Moore totally gets that.
THat's how a writer writes something that is so true that it is smarter than their own moral view. Moore doesn't like Rorschack and disagrees with him but he wrote it so well that Rorschack actually looks like the best moral point of view to many. Moore wrote a book that sort of promotes globalism, but since he's a type of anarchist he was able to resist the globalist Ozmadious, thereby making Rorschack, the character that repulses Moore the HERO! He allowed his story to find its own truth even when it conflicts with his own politics. Too many writers try to fight their story to inject their own politics nowadays.. so much the Netflix and Disney just seem like propaganda mills.
@Michael Aronson people that attack spelling are the lowest form of debaters. Imagine how smart all the people with spell check appear to these critical minds! Do you actually have a non spelling criticism of what I wrote? Perhaps you believe there is only one take and one perspective to hold?
@Michael Aronson Wow, I think it's time to examine your environment and upbringing to determine how you became so useless in discourse. You would make a good reference for any author trying to portray the neighbourhood dolt.
@Michael Aronson when you have to tell someone you're mocking them and you don't present an intelligent reason for your opinion poi just sound like a fan that deifies your hero. Moore is dour. I like him but he's too much of a bummer to be ave;le to craft jokes for joy. I like him a lot but he's not the master of all forms you think he is. He's a specialized talent. that's maybe the best type.. someone that is unique can't do everything. YOu're worshipping and losing all your intelligence through the process. YOu're mocking strangers now for not worshipping Alan Moore as well.
@Michael Aronson You're posing instead of giving a logical reason for your opinion.. Try logic instead of a passive aggressive tact that doesn't work on a stranger you will never meet. People that use, "I'm mocking you. I'm laughing LOL" are always low witted people that act out a pose instead of defending themselves.
These Alan Moore videos are a goldmine. I don't believe I've ever read any of his work as of yet, but I like the way he thinks.
Oh, you have to read some. As great as these videos are, it's a whole other beast to see the man in action. His work is breathtaking.
Comics-wise: the Saga of the Swamp Thing, Watchmen, and Promothea are my top faves.
Jerusalem is a massive tome (and I haven't finished it yet) but it's so good.
@@rawalshadab3812 his work is more than worthwhile. the watchmen comic changed my life forever in hs lol
Start with the killing joke
@@paprica672 Alan Moore doesn't even like The Killing Joke
@@Th3DarkKnight95 He doesn't like something he wrote?
This is lesson speaks a lot to the heart of Watchmen. Moore doesn't invite you to agree with the actions of Ozzymandias, Rorshach or Manhattan, but rather to clue you into their world-view and what got them there. Like Moore said himself, it's an exercise on empathy. Not to condone or condemn, but to understand, without prejudice. To write such things, demands honesty in portraying even world-views you despise personally.
@Michael Aronson while this is true, and I agree with you on this I think there's still a way to be "honest" in writing perspective, especially If it's a moral or political opinion like Rorshach and Ozzymandias. You can easily fall into the pit of caricature and lose the reader on the drama, i.e., be too black and white. There are writers that do this and do it well (Frank Miller used a lot of satirical caricatures for the public opinion on Batman in TDKR) but Watchmen isn't about that so I digress.
This is way more than just a writing tip... This is wisdom.
This man is my straight up hero, his perspective is probably one of the most valuable for the next generation of writers, whether that be novelists or comic writers.
Now, this is just evergreen life advice right here. This was a succinct lesson in empathy.
I could watch Alan Moore talk about writing for hour, he is a gold mine of good advice !
Compassion for people who think differently than you do is an unbelievably rare trait these days. Alan Moore is still bringing the wisdom after all these years.
Prespective ladies and gentlemen.
Useful in writing and needed more than ever in life
@Michael Aronson You pointed out a minor mistake. Thank you for your service for the internet community.
I don't write novels but as a musician or any artist this is invaluable
When you play an instrument solo on stage you don't think about the audience, you think about your expression of yourself in the piece of music you are playing. If you are a song writer or film score composer then thinking about interpersonal dynamics and the road people took to get there would be helpful in constructing themes and beats. If you are a still life artist who paints bowls of fruit for a living, this is not applicable. What it is, is life advice for creating empathy and improving your interactions in the world, or writing about realistic people and not flat characters. The more real and fleshed out your characters in your mind, the easier it is to write them around your story in a free flowing believable style.
these Alan Moore snippets are basically life lessons, gotta love the bloke
I'm in the middle of this video course and it's so good. Tons of valuable insights and information, compellingly and entertainingly presented. I jot down some of his literary and cultural references as I go along, lots of additional rabbit holes to check out. Plus there are downloadable transcripts and exercises. I'm primarily a visual artist who also writes; this course applies to all kinds of artmaking. It's like sitting at the feet of a mystic master, like drinking from a fountain of wisdom. I'm definitely getting my money's worth-- thanks Alan Moore!
I am bamboozled by the fact that he looks exactly how I thought he would sound
The world needs more of this
I've always admired Alan Moore, but this cements him as of the greatest writers
A stance that's served him well in his work.
This course isn't just a blessing to writers, it is a gift to humanity.
Brilliantly said. This applies to life, as well.
You want to write great works of art? Have compassion and empathy.
ALAN MOORE KNOWS THE SCORE
At this point these little snippets of Alan Moore are all that I have to keep sane
this is a great advise. Empathy is very valuable - as well as just devoloping yourself, growing and understanding
this is just good advice to follow even outside of writing. Having a moral framework for the world and trying to understand what led people to theirs is helpful in general
I’ve never been into AMSR but between Alan Moore and Marco Pierre White, I could listen to them interchangeable forever.
He's a master of this very thing. Look at the character of Rorschach, whom he imbues with vastly different world views than his own, and yet he is treated with sympathy and some form of understanding of how and why he feels the way he feels. Moore may well feel his belief system is totally flawed, but he understands the circumstances which produced that system and conveys the real humanity of the character.
This is a tip that many people in general could use nowadays.
Too few people listen without judging to each other.
Most don't want to be the the bad guy, though those might exist as well. Generally we should all be able to disagree on specific topics and still get along fine, maybe even find common ground on other topics.
Learn your perspective, but also learn about other's perspectives to understand and validate your own opinion, because just like everybody else you may be wrong!
Of course I'm no author, but in stories by some authors you get the feeling that they develop figures with a world view they do not share and still act in a convincing manner in the frame of the story and the character's perspective.
Be nice all of you.
This is probably his best advice yet. I was kind of already trying to do this to understand Steve Ditko by planning to read some of the work that influenced him, hopefully it works
As a huge fan of Ditko's work, the man's political stances were unusual even among his closest political peers. He was so committed to his ideals that he was willing to smash through hypocrisies that other libertarians and objectivists would rather leave unexamined, like the inherent unfairness of market dynamics. There's almost a beautiful purity to his worldview, even though I think every inch of it is wrong.
@@Lurdiak yeah I'm aware of his politics being of that objectivist crap
"I would suggest you develop a moral standpoint. For example, my moral standpoint is to never deal with DC"
I liked this. On one hand, it's very characteristic of a person with either a socialist or an anarchist perspective, at least in the 20th century, to assume strongly and argue that everything is political and this is the essential mental framework through which to look at everything, so my first reaction might have been to resist and try to advocate for some sphere of non-political life and art. BUT, framed the way he put it, and starting with the moral before the political, there is a lot of truth. And I was especially impressed that he takes a human and empathetic, not a textual and systematic, approach to it, using it much more as a way to first understand oneself, then to understand the other, and then to understand situation, character and motivation.
A voice of reason
This man is amazing. The guy that made watchmen giving me writing tips? i’m listening
Never mind writing, just obtain this kind of thinking in any portion for life itself. Hence, why everyone who knows anything about writing is going to tell you, "Don't waste your time trying to learn how to write in a University. Take that ~$80,000 and travel, see the world, get in trouble, meet interesting people, humiliate yourself, embarrass yourself, live stories... then come home and pick up a pen."
that advice is absolutely genius, although people probably learn how to avoid trouble instead of seeking it XD it teaches them how their protagonist could possibly do the same...or do the opposite depending on the story lol
-$80,000 for uni
America moment
plenty of amazing writers have lived sedentary, unremarkable lives and plenty of starry-eyed travellers write like dogshit. take that 80k and live somewhere nice for a while, so you HAVE a home in which you can pick up a pen
get in fights and arguments, get girlfriends and get your heart broken.
@@davidguyette2586 I think that's an unfair generalization. Think Hemingway.
Not just great writing advice, but great life advice.
This is what made him the Greatest Comic Book writer in the English Language. He gave so much depths to politics and philosophies he despised, that the characters felt humans rather than carricutures. This is what lacking in the comics recently made that hide behind their qualities with political causes.
Spectacular advice.
Such a good advice for writers - your stories need a political viewpoint, and they also need to understand other people's political standpoints. It's not about creating apolitical stories, and it's not about creating political propaganda - it's about having a political ideology while also being able to understand psychology and drama.
I always thought Shakespeare and Tolstoy were great at moral standpoints. The moral center always arises from the plot of the story and naturally arises from the interactions of the characters. But in every situation, the characters are able to explain their worldview in ways that make them right from their perspective
Alan Moore helped me graduate uni studying English Lit with his advice!
Really good advice.
this makes me think of Rorschach - awful guy, but went through a particular set of circumstances that made him so
The thing is that violent weirdo Rorschach is the only one in Watchmen who is consistently trying to do the right thing. He's just bad at it.
@@Sousabird everyone is doing the "right thing" in their own point of view
This is how one should look at people in general. But as a writer, it is intrinsic to creating realistic, believable characters.
Wise words that apply to life in general.
Yes, yes and YES!
I love this anarchist book wizard
The mud on his left boot is the icing on the cake for a maestro on storytelling.
The bottom is to have your priorities straight (organized and articulate).
I love being an anarchist, such good company.
Fantastic
now here is a very good piece of information.
this is gold. wisdom of the highest quality.
I better write this shit down somewhere cuz I bet I'll forget it.
😋
"Perhaps to understand that you yourself brouht up in slightly different circumstances may have had exactly those ideas." I wish that majority of people work in creative fields and call themselves artists had this attitude. At least writers. I felt devestated when I met people who have been successful in their careers in acting, writing, etc. only to find that haven't an ounce of curiosity for perspectives outside of their own. It boggles my mind.
Brilliant
Sabias palabras
The words of a very wise person.
I like how he nods for emphasis.
Alan is looking great for a guy his age. He's got to be up there nowadays.
@Michael Aronsongood point
Jesus, he really is looking more like Rasputin every day. I love it.
Is there no long-form interview with him from these encounters?
wish I had an iota of this guy’s writing talent
Legend
TRUTH.
I fucking love this man
This is great advice, but I would say you can go one step further and use this for all kinds of things. A moral/political lens is important in understanding why the world is one way or another, but you can use all manners of other lenses to parse the world and its many perspectives. For example a spiritual lens to understand certain religion perspectives that exist in this world, or a philosophical lens to understand conflicting beliefs. Without a lens through which to view and understand the world, most works of art just end up being flat and believing in nothing.
Mr Moore? I LOVE your socks :3
This should not be marketed as a writing course but as a thinking course.
Absolutely. Isn't writing thinking?
@Michael Aronson Haha good point.
This man looks like books
What? No he doesn't.
Alan Moore: i.pinimg.com/originals/f1/bc/3a/f1bc3a2986bbe802f235b137c5d9017b.jpg
* double take *
Weird Alan Moore fact: After being married for a while, him and his wife brought another woman into the relationship. In the early 90s, the 2 women left, taking his daughters with them.
He makes me want to read books
I mean, you should always read books. They hold this world's information, legacies, fables and epics by which every modern institution is based on, including our current entertainment.
@@paranoidplane9799 it was always hard for me to read and understand but I agree many people have written their lives in books which is literally like a cheat code for your life and experience
@@juansamudio1171 Well put!
@Michael Aronson you’re overthinking it bro lol. The amount of experience a person who suffered a lot can write in a book is a amazing and will teach you so much before you might have to suffer the same problem
@Michael Aronson Ok… try finding a family member who fought in WW2 and killed somebody and lived whole life through depression. You may have one but I don’t so reading a book written by someone who has suffered through that I learn what they learn without going through it myself, maybe I have a family member who’s a successful billionaire and you don’t so you read a book about success from a billionaires perspective and let’s say who have a family member of both I can promise you the perspective they have and the lessons they learned is not identical to someone else’s. You should never gain perspective or learn something from just one source you just limit yourself
the only time Alan Moore had sufficient belief in a politician to say he'd vote for him was when Jeremy Corbyn was in the running. Quite a remarkable endorsement from someone who has no faith in the current political system, and who can blame him given the mess we're in now?!
theresa may or corbyn, british ppl?
british ppl: i could do wif a spot of cruella fank you, now where's me saucer of tea? Shropfordstershire shall be playing North Cromberland at Savile Stadium in 4 minutes !! Am I to be wiffout moi tea for such an occasion!?!
*Anyone else remember how thrilling it was to find a really trashy novel at the airport news stand? I read thrillers, spy novels, romantic mysteries. It was generously called ''beach reading'' and there was always some sex, some violence and intrigue!!😉
Don't worry, Mr. Moore. I already have a moral and political standpoint. Wanna know why? I have a dream! That one day, every person in this nation will control their OWN destiny. A land of the TRULY free, dammit. A nation of ACTION, not words. Ruled by STRENGTH, not committee. Where the law changes to suit the individual, not the other way around. Where power and justice are back where they belong: in the hands of the people! Where every man is free to think -- to act -- for himself!
1. You will need to develop a moral standpoint (which may entail any political opinion) ie. A PERSPECTIVE OF YOUR OWN.
2. By the way, I'm an anarchist.
3. You should have a moral platform (or political platform) from which you can look at the world and hopefully understand it.
4. Actual understanding requires compassion and empathy (seeing things from a perspective which IS NOT YOUR OWN.)
5. In conclusion, nevermind the first bit...
Anarchy
Everyone beliefs , ideals and choices are not about truth or false but rejecting something having power in thier life and authority over them
Sort of. When I think back to a time when I might have called myself an anarchist, I was most concerned with not having anyone else's views pushed upon me, because, particularly when you're growing up, people tend to see you as repositories for their beliefs. (I now this to be true in even more respects now thanks to Jung.)
So the main focus of the anarchism I may or may not have imbibed was less about tearing down structures and more about preserving my agency and providing as much of it as possible to there people. This will never not be important. Too much anarchism is clearly bad, but just enough can help reminds us all of the importance of freedom of speech and importance of personal integrity.
0:21 nice Lithuanian socks 😂
Alan Moore - ""Now personally speaking I tried to destroy the world with Chaos Magic".
I wonder how many people agree with his opinion here, but at the same time they have the double standard to ask for characters not thinking like them to be portrayed as simpleton villains.
@Michael Aronson Simpleton villains make simpleton heroes. Devaluates the story. Alan Moore villains are far from being simpletons.
@Michael Aronson you have good and bad stories. Good have a higher value, bad stories a lower value. Bad characters devalues a story. The things that you believe have an intrinsic worth or value are simply conventions, nothing has an intrinsic value per se.
@Michael Aronson you talked about value. Right now you yourself are saying that good stories are always valued and therefore in constant demand.. Bad stories are stock that doesn't sell. You contradict so much, buddy.
@Michael Aronson by the way, I checked your other comments here. It gets displayed when you tap the avatar of anybody in the app for android. Somewhere else you say you want to be a writer, all this alrwady should be known by you. If you get to write something don't forget to not sell it because you ourself said stories have no intrinsic value 😂
@Michael Aronson you have never been a professional writer. Your other comment said that you wanted to learn to be one.
I think this is why so-called modern "woke" writing turns so many people off. It's coming from a place of moral certainty and judgment that really does not make for good writing. People are to convinced they are on the "right" side these days and they don't need to learn from or understand others.
I mean people that hate wokeness usually goes from people hating other characters being gay and black not necessarily from the writing
As someone who is very very left leaning and in those circles I couldn't agree more. There's also the issue of marketable "wokeness" like how disney includes diversity but only in such a way that they think it'll make them money, not in such a way that shows the writers or producers or even the actors are trying to understand the viewpoints of the token characters.
@@maluse227 exactly
we talking about storytelling right?
Not "The World", but "The Human Race". The world isn't to blame for our politics.
you can understand the reason people believe a certain things...and still think that point of view is shit
If you understand others' opinions without judgement, you will quickly lose your own
If that's true then you clearly never understood your own position in the first place.
His wisdom is ignored at your own peril.
This is literally the opposite mentality of every political commentator in this current system.
How to write a bad character: Make them a self insert.
Not sure he’s the best to ask
He constantly says his stories are misinterpreted
Even though they weren’t, he just changed his mind over the years
Also, what was the moral standpoint in Watchmen? Don't reveal genocidal conspiracies to the public?
@@gelidsoul not sure anymore
He wants you to hate rorshach despite making him 80 percent of the story and the only one trying to stand for truth
He gives him the best lines and has him give an honest and heartfelt apology and grow, and actually trying to stop ozy, so Moores approach is rather confusing
So does he view ozy as the hero? Does he advocate towards bending or breaking moral codes for comfort or for standing your ground?
Are the others supposed to be the rational ones despite being inept and even kinda unheroic?
It's a weird story
It's great and all, especially the motion comic version, because the guy performs well, but it doesn't have a clear meaning, and yet years later he says one thing and than another.
I'm not sure he even knows the themes or messages of his own stories anymore. Probably has moved on past his works and doesn't care all that much. Some of them he even hates, like the killing joke. Not sure why he hates it. It's just a fun short story
It's not any worse than what else he puts out
@@spenserfarthing3898 Good points. He seemed to do something similar with V for Vendetta - making the good guy a bit crazy, violent and unethical. Years later in an interview he said something like the graphic novel asks, "is it ok for V to act so violently? No, it's not."
@@spenserfarthing3898 “The whole point of the book is to say that none of these characters are right or wrong. They are all humans or former humans who are doing the best according to their lives and according to the circumstances.
I didn’t want to make any character the one whose viewpoint is the right viewpoint, the one who’s the hero, the one who readers are supposed to identify with, because that’s not how life is. Ultimately it’s the reader who has to make the choice.
As I say in the last panel, I leave it entirely in your hands. That it’s up to the reader to formulate their own response to the world and not be told what to do by a superhero or a political leader, or a comic-book writer, for that matter.”
‘Alan Moore: Storyteller’
I am surprised BBC is the one uploading this since I can't quite remember the last time they were anything but hostile towards people who don't think like them.
It's just a little bit patronizing though. Basically: "They only think that way because of their upbringings, poor things."
Guys gandalf has escaped again
You know I like Alan Moore but this:
Lesson 24 Screen Gems. "If you're looking up at someone they are in a position of power psychologically over you."
In stories it's more like someone who thinks that is true is in for a rude awakening.
Lmao there's some kind of voodoo nutter convention going on in this comment thread 😂😂
Copy that
But I'm inherently amoral...
@Michael Aronson Unnecessarily mean.
@Michael Aronson Why?
@Michael Aronson It's not dumb to know oneself, rather wise. Equally amorality is the ultimate morality without pretence. What will impede good writing is moral grandstanding and self-deception. You clearly need some Russian lit in your library.
@Michael Aronson As weak and ineffectual a response as I expected. You've nothing potent to you, have you?
@Michael Aronson You are being needlessly pedantic and obtuse. For a writer, this is exceptionally bad.
I wanna be pretentious when I grow up. Everyone’s ideas are great to hear? How about HBO?
I feel like he's talking about Rorschach here. Many of his characters actually, but Rorschach has a very right wing, aggressive attitude to drug users, criminals, rioters, and shitheads who don't want to work. There's a lot wrong with the man, but he is written with a full life, and someone who, under the similar conditions you yourself could have ended up as.
Moore has spoken about Rorschach multiple times and said that he basically embodies extreme ideology's as a whole. Moore has a quote about people who are absolutely set in their political or morale beliefs with no room for compromise have the "Mental capacity of a 14 year old child, that's the kind of black and white thinking that appeals to literal children. Never compromising your beliefs? That's the kind of stupid rhetoric a young boy thinks is deep and inspiring."
Not saying you should be a moderate. Just try not to be immoderate.
Wondering if Mr Moore understood where crazy Steve Ditko was coming from? 😂🤣
tl;dr version: be a pretentious cultist with a perpetual persecution complex.
Alan Moore should've played Dumbledore.
Oh i understand, i just dont accept.
@@Dimitris_Half I try to adjust but i would not call that acceptance. Its more like compromising in a opportunistic way.
Very cryptic i know but i dont wanna write an essay here ^^.
However, i am not trying to make the point that i never had or have to accept something. There are just some things we cannot compromise, right?
@@Dimitris_Half Yes i agree with all that. But what if i cant respect the persons view? Actually, its not even the view that upsets me that much, its the behaviour. I think people can believe what they want, as long as they keep their distance.
@@Dimitris_Half If their behaviour does not conflict with what i care about then i have no problem i suppose. Its somewhat pragmatic. I am not sure about respecting their view though. Its more like tolerating it.
Now what i care about might be unreasonable and i do not claim to know all the answers. But some things seem so clear to me now that i cant imagine ever changing my views on it or having much room for compromise.
@Michael Aronson I guess i was not talking in the context of storytelling. I honestly missed the fact that it says "Storytelling" in the title :P
Yes i saw the Godfather films, although i dont remember too much, i am not a big movie watcher. But as compelling as Michael Corleones or any other villains story may be, i often have a hard time accepting the conclusions they make along their way.
They often seem to become what they hate instead of fighting it.
Edit: Well i guess thats why they are villains :P
We already live in an anarchy.
It's simply that people choose, as individuals, to organise
How about get some laces