@@zionleach3001 imo action should be used only when absolutely necessary. Barry does this very well. Don’t build your story around action setpieces. When you find yourself about to write an action scene, ask “is there ANY other way this would logically go?”
@@localscriptman Thanks. I've been looking at Resident Evil (video games) & Dog Soldiers for inspiration. The atmosphere is like that of a horror movie. But the characters aren't completely helpless, and they both have fast paced action.
First episode of Night Country was good imo! I don’t ‘get’ what Jodi Foster’s character is up to (which is intriguing) but Kali Reis has the beginning of a solid arc (a classic ‘can’t let that one case go’). The vibes are spooky and interesting. Some of the effects work is a little rough, but the sets are great! More ambitious than S3 and there is no WAY it’ll be as bad as S2. Unless they really Dont deliver on the central mystery.
Literally binge watched the first season of True Detective because I saw he dropped this video and I wanted all the context. It’s now one of my favorite shows
I sometimes give my mom your advice on structure when she's tutoring English students without telling her that you're a random film student and not an entire group of scholars and it's gone good so far.
@@localscriptman No, you are not underqualified! I'm a serious series fan, just the good one's, lol, and I watched True Detective when it aired, and it wowed me! I couldn't wait for the next episode! Season 1 was a superb show in many aspects, one of the best ever, and I can say you are top on everything that matters, including the techniques, I ended up learning a lot with you and an preparing myself to watch it again! Oh, btw I'm 61, so I've been watching series long before you were born😅 (I guess). Believe me, it shows your good character being humble but you are great on it, so earn it! Thank you very much for giving us this amazing work of yours! Congrats! Now I'm gonna watch all your other videos!
I always interpreted Marty saying “we got ours” not as him being truly content with letting the other Tuttle cultists off, but rather a reaction to being welcomed back into the structure and order he’s lost, walked away from, or been unsure of his place in during his rogue quest with Russ, the law through the arrests by the cops and them thanking him, his family by Maggie and his daughters visiting him, his friendship with Rust, he derives much of his identity from the systems he’s a part of, and while there is a part of him driven absolutely by justice, such as when he executes Ledoux or goes rogue with Rust, I think the return to normalcy, which he craves, pushes him to accept that there will be some who get off, even if he’s not happy about it, a return in a small sense to his adherence to “chain of command” in the earlier episodes, when he didn’t understand why Rust kept going after Tuttle. He says that not because he believes that’s moral, but out of a sense of self-preservation, not wanting to risk the sense of normalcy that solving the case has brought, choosing his family and friendship with Rust over the job, the hunt for evil, and by saying that, is trying in some way to encourage Rust to do the same. A moral compromise for the sake of being a “family man” in some sense again, being viewed as someone stopping the bad men from the door.
or the more simpler point, made more apparent by him stating "that's not how the world works". They're literally just 2 state investigators assigned to a homicide. They're not part of some big task force (they fought hard to avoid the whole serial killings to go to a task force) and ultimately, the whale the 2 detectives were hunting was the killer of the girl in the first scene of the series. Them uncovering a big tangled conspiracy plot that reaches up to some of the highest powers in state and federal government is only the bonus. But again, it's way out of their scope to handle, and ultimately, they did get their original suspect. They're not rescuing the world, they're not stopping some high powered politician, they're not single-handedly halting sex trafficking trade, they are 2 detectives from state police hunting for a homicide suspect who turned out to be a serial killer. That serial killer being a part of something much bigger was never really going to be in their jurisdiction.
So much time has passed in Marty's life since he was hotheaded and fueled by revenge against child diddlers. He's at peace with a ruined marriage, recognizes he destroyed it and his golden years with his kids. He even left a potential shot at a political career because he didn't want to see meth heads putting kids in microwaves anymore. In short, he understands who he is and how the world works much better in the later timeline. I saw his acceptance of 'getting theirs' instead of the entire pedophile ring as part of his change and maturity with age. He understands how the world works much better now. It's that simple. Did not find it out of character at all at that point in his growth.
I'm not even kidding, this is the best writing channel out there. My writing was pretty stagnate for a while, but I've improved so much after watching your videos, keep up the brilliant work!
This channel really does just give you knowledge on how to do stuff without doing to much of 'should' and 'shouldn't'. Very pragmatic, gives you the tools and let's you go bonkers
I swear the only thing I don't like about your videos is that everytime I watch them I just want to pause and start writing again lol, great vid as always!
i just blew through the whole thing at your recommendation. I knew the writing was genius when marty asked rust, "do you ever wonder if you're a bad man" and rust responds with "no, I don't wonder, the world needs bad men". To me, this nuance separates good from great. Marty didn't ask Rust if whether it was okay for Marty to be who he is with the terrible things he's done, but that was the question in his heart and the one Rust chose to answer. That's how people really communicate, they constantly ask the wrong questions but still get the answer they need to hear. Too often we get stuck writing ping pong scripts.
45:27 Very true. In my writing, I've often come to scenes where I'm trying to find 'something for the characters to do' often by resorting to worldbuilding/lore to fill the pages. Issue was that then, for some reason I couldn't put my finger on, I lost motivation and interest to continue the story even though it was meant to be some cool lore that was relevant to the plot. It was only then that I realised my issue was that there was lack of character focus, development, and testing of their beliefs. So then I doused all that lore and worldbuilding in emotional connection that would resonate with my main character and give further insight into his worldview and mindset.
I feel like this goes without saying, but this really is one of your best videos ever and you continue to improve your content with each video. There may not be a singular huge essay style message here, but you can boil down, teach and visualize information so well brother inspirational. keep it up
I think Maggies leaving the circle moment was sleeping with Rust so that the cycle of infidelity with Marty would be broken and they would be seperated permanently.
I think my favorite moment in your abridged feature film edit is at 1:33:14. The whole Rust/Marty fight is basically condensed to Marty being thrown into the truck. I laughed so hard.
As someone who tried for so long to make prose work and just couldn’t crack it, discovering you channel was the push that made me realize screenwriting and filmmaking was really what I was trying to do all along. Perfect time for this to drop while I’m going on my regularly scheduled background video binging.
Your videos have encouraged me to go back to that sort of golden age of serialized TV (The Wire, True Detective, and others like it), but not only for new pieces of content to consume mindlessly and never actually get to writing my own work, but instead subjects to analyze what made them so compelling in the first place for the purpose of applicable improvement. It’s been refreshing, to say the least, a YTer objectively critiquing media in this way. Can’t wait to see how you grow, and hope to work with ya brother!
This is one of my favourite videos of yours (and the competition is tough) As someone who's working on a series proposition, it's got some great additions to the toolbox, and even tools you don't end up picking up still make you re-examine your existing tools and develop a deeper understanding of your own writing Your work is excellent!
Damn good video, a lot to chew on. This might be the best video on True Detective S1 that I've seen. The halfpipe analogy puts a lot of puzzle pieces together for me. I agree, True Detective S1 is one of the best templates for a serialized tv show and it honestly hasn't been topped imo. It's stuck with me for a decade. But yeah, really good job man. Looking forward to what you've got cookin up next
Been meaning to watch this show for ages. This was the final push I needed and I'm very grateful I did before watching the video. Great follow up immediately after finishing the season.
Bojack horseman is a show that came to mind when you were talking about second to last episode climaxes and last episode aftermaths. It's a whole thing in almost every season of it.
This might just be one of my new favourite videos from you. When it comes to storytelling, I tend to find structure the most fascinating component of it, as that's the skeletal structure of the plot and the road through which characters transform.
Change through time constitutes theme and structure in True Detective season 1 so the pacing requires that we spend more time with the characters than what fits in a feature film. It also makes the character arcs better by showing how they react to similar situations at a certain point in the story. I think the audience needs the time to get closer to the central mistery of the show too. The existential questions, cult plots and cosmic horrors of it all, more atmospheric segments that slow down the action but keep tension help create that dread and curiousity.
I love when I can tell you’re telling us stuff as soon as you figure it out. It’s exhilarating! Yeah I genuinely get excited when you upload. As a character focused pantser I don’t work even remotely the same way you do but I still have to wrangle my stories into shape after I write it and your insight into structure is hella valuable.
I have watched this season maybe half a dozen times. I have longed to get closer to it & understand why it works for me to the degree it does. Finally someone (you) has scratched that itch. Thank you
I forgot to comment on this when it dropped, but it's a fantastic deep-dive on a piece of work that really deserves it... I kinda want to leave a more eloquent review here, but I think i'll just keep it short and sweet; these videos are such a good time, and I always walk away from them having learned something new. Doesn't get much better than that.
Damn, what a video. This is immensely insightful and helps me loads with learning and understanding writing/media - Thanks LocalScriptMan, keep up the great work!
I like how you’re demystifying the creative process. No sarcasm I swear. Your writing can’t become a capital A “Art” if you don’t treat it like a craft. There’s rules for storytelling for a reason and you can only break them, seemingly, when you understand why they are there.
This is the best storytelling video i've seen i think. It's clear and concise, plus i love true detective. You quantified and laid it out brilliantly, i learned a lot. Saved to rewatch later as i'm writing. Thank you so much for this, great resources!
i think marty being ok at the end isn’t him being happy they didn’t catch everyone but rather content with what he has, as you said he has learned to let go of control and be vulnerable, while it may not have been executed perfectly i do like the idea that while they didn’t get everyone, “we got ours” and not just the material threat of the bad guys, but there personal and emotional demons have been vanquished as well, marty gets to be with his family again and gets recognition from the two cops, he gets to see “the safety net” and rhust learns to hope and be open, he looks away from the abyss, both of their mistakes and pains still happened, nothing can change that, but they can move on and grow, the cycle has ended for them, and they have broken out the circle, to connect this with the final saying about the starts, while the sun will always set eventually, the night is still illuminated by stars.
As usual, brilliant stuff!! You helped me reignite my passion for writing and I’m really grateful for how high quality your videos are. Cheers to your growth!
Oh my goodness. What a treat to discover this on the 2nd half of a two hour journey. I am truly delighted by my discovery. Finding a terrific channel is really just the best.
Okay, this is absolutely fantastic. I can see how the three act structure can be observed through these 8 episodes, which gives a great guide for how to view and show plot progression.
So I'm working on an interactive fiction novel, and will be releasing it sort of on a chapter to chapter basis and this video(so far, only halfway through) is so valuable. The episode to episode format has a lot of overlap and studying screenplays has taught me a lot about how to get information across in the most natural and efficient way. Anyways, point is, thanks for the work you put into these videos, I love them
ah what a treat :P another video from the best hidden gem YT channel ever, which is my best source for "how to write" in my recent new writing journey to make "good" media content and detective stuff is gonna be great to learn and study for my animated series im planning, about a detective in a cosmic horror Victorian era world discovering magic is real, i'd like to see some insight on mystery to how to slowly reveal something and keep it in the dark or just keep it in the dark the whole time
"I'm basically the Michael Jordan of reductionism."-- Lucas I chuckled most heartily, but it's so true also it's why I love your writing advise so much. By my nature I'm not a: speedy, efficient, or a comprehending of the passage of time person, so I've been really nervous about the quickly approaching need to do a first self edit my novel, but your advise really helps me feel better. I'm looking forward to trying your techniques to really get to the core of the key components of my story. You're so good at breaking down the elements that are central to how a story is doing something well. This video is a fantastic example right off the bat you break down that True Detective has two plotlines, two character arcs, and three relationships. It's so helpful to start from having those core pieces, it makes the overall story and what it's doing so much more digestible, just chef's kiss! I also really love how you plotted out the relationships, character arcs, and plotlines. I'm actually excited about the idea of looking at parting out the relationships, character arcs and plotlines of my novel. Doing this first draft is great, but the story feels like such a big thing and it's been written over multiple years at this point, so visually showing my self the key components plotted out on the graph feels like it will be so helpful to get a lay of the land and a plan of attack for the editing. Also the character halfpipe is genius! I've read and listened to discussions of characters shifting throughout the story, if it's not an arc though, it's usually in the form of moral alignment of the character. Say a hero becomes an anti-hero or a villain an anti-villain. I haven't actually seen the shift in a character's use by the author or involvement in the events of the story discussed, that is fascinating! Thank-you for the hard work and another great video Lucas! I will definitely be make to this video to try these techniques. Hayley ^_^
23:10 this makes sense for Marty’s development, you can argue him letting go of his controlling nature made him more mellow and willing to accept they can’t catch them all
ive been in the whole writing stuff for around 6 months now, your videos have really helped! despite never entering film school i have helped film students fix their rejected projects which i think is pretty funny working on my first feature length movie now, i plan to get it animated so i may have to look into the consulting when im done 👀
Hey, does anyone know the song at 49:19? I didn't see it in the description, or any of the comments While I'm here, I hope the kind of directness in these videos becomes more common on youtube, or even outside of it
I think there's a general confusion in any story with a clear goal or external physical conflict, where the triumph of achieving the goal or "beating the bad guy" is seen as the true climax, while the triumph of achieving the inner goal, catharsis, or change is seen as sort of a cherry on top of the cake. To my mind, that relationship is reversed. And even if, as you pointed out, the two happen at the same time, or are are two sides of the same climax, I feel like the true story isn't ever the "winning," but transforming. The problem is that "winning" is considered the point of most stories, especially in American cinema and storytelling. But the meat of True Detective season 1 is the damaged characters confronting their inner wounds, and coming out the other side healed. If it was just two guys trying to find and kill a serial murderer, without that other stuff, it'd be just another forgettable detective story, no matter how atmospheric. Without Rust and Marty's internal conflicts, the powerful atmosphere would have been nothing but pretentious window dressing. Consider one of the most misunderstood blockbusters in cinema, Raiders of the Lost Ark. A couple decades ago, I had a lively discussion about this on a panel with Marv Wolfman, comics writer extraordinaire, who pointed out that, in his words, Indiana Jones doesn't affect the "plot." Of course, this never occurred to me at the time, but I've since thought a lot about it. It's undeniably true that, had Indiana Jones sat out the whole story, the end would have been the same. The Nazis would have been wiped out by the ark, and it would probably have somehow ended up in the hands of the CIA. But now my question is, what the hell do you think a plot actually is? Is it what happens to the ark? Is the ark the hero of the story? No, the only thing that matters is what happens to Indiana Jones. So what is Raiders of the Lost Ark really about? It's about Indiana Jones, ultimate adventurer, who sets goals and stops at nothing achieve them, defying death, physics, common sense, and sometimes, personal morality. He'd rather leave his partner, Marion, to face God knows what kind of abuse at the hands of LITERAL NAZIS, rather than lose ground on his quest to find the ark. And yet, he still doesn't get it. He's one guy, and they're a whole army with boundless resources. He has no chance. He only ends up with the ark because, instead of dismissing any transcendental power it might hold as he did at the beginning of the film, he acknowledges that power and looks away. It's this act of humility before unknowable forces that saves him. And he learns that humility through losing, and ending up at the mercy of nazis, just like Marion. And that's why the ark being taken out of his hands is so important to the end of the film. It was never going to be his trophy. That's not what it is. He begins the story as a classic pulp hero who's inflated enough to believe brains and daring do can win any battle, with his reward being the treasures of the world. He ends it accepting his place as a small man in a world of enormously powerful forces. That's the story of Raiders. It's a deconstruction of the grandiose fantasy of the action hero. Its climax isn't watching the ark clean house, but reforming a bond with his old flame. His triumph isn't beating the nazis, it's having the humility to see that the real treasure worth pursuing is the love of a great gal. (Especially now she's not fifteen years old, and they're on equal footing. Which is a whole topic in itself worth getting into, but not here.) So now, when anyone tells me that Indiana Jones doesn't affect the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark, I remind them that the plot is what happens to him, not it. They're focusing on the wrong thing.
really glad you critiqued the ending episodes a little bit because most people get so caught up with how good the first 6 were that they overlook the flaws of the last two
Hi there, ive seen your recent apperance on schnees channel where you talked about kishotenketsu. I would be very interested in a more in depth comparison between eastern and western storytelling philosophies, as I could not find anything in depth about this topic. Are there any plans for a video on that?
Ok thanks for the answer. Its quite Impressive how much you answer to comments. To me your one of the very best writing youtubers out there, just by how condensed you get everything across.
That's super interesting, did your brain just not register there potentially being a lot of information skipped over? From a writing perspective that's really valuable, what made the ending of ep 4 and the start of ep 6 do that made you not feel out of the loop?
If anyone is using the enneagram to help them find motivations for their characters then it may help to know that Marty would fit an 8; and Rust would fit a 4.
I question where on that scale Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex would fall, because it is an animated series with an ensemble, but a clear leader, it has an overarching plot, but some episodes are disconnected from the main story. It would be, by my guess, almost in the middle, but leaning a little upwards (solo protagonist), since the leader has more screen time than the rest of the crew. Especially the serial episodes do deserve an analysis, it is such a magnificent little series (albeit it doesn't come close to the marvellous, outstanding two films).
From everything ive watched from you it seems like the worst thing a story can do is meander like an ameoba. Stagnant, no stakes, things happen just to happen, characters with no real impact, etc.
I feel the movie length format works best on stories that focus on a moment in time. Something that only happens over a couple of days and is resolved. The Nice Guys only covers a couple of days and works in feature length format. Where as True Detective covers decades.
I’m 10 years late to the True Detective party, but whew. Season 1 was brilliant. I’m not sure why I didn’t know about the existential horror element, otherwise I’d have been watched
Ok but how do we feel about Night Country? ❄
How do I balance action and horror? Without making it a action story with monsters.
@@zionleach3001 imo action should be used only when absolutely necessary. Barry does this very well. Don’t build your story around action setpieces. When you find yourself about to write an action scene, ask “is there ANY other way this would logically go?”
@@localscriptman Thanks. I've been looking at Resident Evil (video games) & Dog Soldiers for inspiration. The atmosphere is like that of a horror movie. But the characters aren't completely helpless, and they both have fast paced action.
Waiting for someone to say Night Country is worthwhile, but I do like the sound of the setup
First episode of Night Country was good imo! I don’t ‘get’ what Jodi Foster’s character is up to (which is intriguing) but Kali Reis has the beginning of a solid arc (a classic ‘can’t let that one case go’).
The vibes are spooky and interesting. Some of the effects work is a little rough, but the sets are great! More ambitious than S3 and there is no WAY it’ll be as bad as S2. Unless they really Dont deliver on the central mystery.
Imagine being a channel so good that you have people (me) literally binging an entire season just to better watch your stuff.
Thank you, means a lot!
Omg same
Literally binge watched the first season of True Detective because I saw he dropped this video and I wanted all the context. It’s now one of my favorite shows
It’s one of my favorite shows, thoughts?
He did you a favour, didn't he? It's one of the greatest shows ever made.
I sometimes give my mom your advice on structure when she's tutoring English students without telling her that you're a random film student and not an entire group of scholars and it's gone good so far.
Not even a film student, my major was media & marketing 💀 I’m afraid I’m deeply underqualified
That works too 👍 whatever is funniest if I tell her
@@localscriptman That's probably why you're good.
@@localscriptman No, you are not underqualified! I'm a serious series fan, just the good one's, lol, and I watched True Detective when it aired, and it wowed me! I couldn't wait for the next episode! Season 1 was a superb show in many aspects, one of the best ever, and I can say you are top on everything that matters, including the techniques, I ended up learning a lot with you and an preparing myself to watch it again! Oh, btw I'm 61, so I've been watching series long before you were born😅 (I guess).
Believe me, it shows your good character being humble but you are great on it, so earn it! Thank you very much for giving us this amazing work of yours! Congrats! Now I'm gonna watch all your other videos!
I always interpreted Marty saying “we got ours” not as him being truly content with letting the other Tuttle cultists off, but rather a reaction to being welcomed back into the structure and order he’s lost, walked away from, or been unsure of his place in during his rogue quest with Russ, the law through the arrests by the cops and them thanking him, his family by Maggie and his daughters visiting him, his friendship with Rust, he derives much of his identity from the systems he’s a part of, and while there is a part of him driven absolutely by justice, such as when he executes Ledoux or goes rogue with Rust, I think the return to normalcy, which he craves, pushes him to accept that there will be some who get off, even if he’s not happy about it, a return in a small sense to his adherence to “chain of command” in the earlier episodes, when he didn’t understand why Rust kept going after Tuttle. He says that not because he believes that’s moral, but out of a sense of self-preservation, not wanting to risk the sense of normalcy that solving the case has brought, choosing his family and friendship with Rust over the job, the hunt for evil, and by saying that, is trying in some way to encourage Rust to do the same. A moral compromise for the sake of being a “family man” in some sense again, being viewed as someone stopping the bad men from the door.
or the more simpler point, made more apparent by him stating "that's not how the world works". They're literally just 2 state investigators assigned to a homicide. They're not part of some big task force (they fought hard to avoid the whole serial killings to go to a task force) and ultimately, the whale the 2 detectives were hunting was the killer of the girl in the first scene of the series.
Them uncovering a big tangled conspiracy plot that reaches up to some of the highest powers in state and federal government is only the bonus. But again, it's way out of their scope to handle, and ultimately, they did get their original suspect. They're not rescuing the world, they're not stopping some high powered politician, they're not single-handedly halting sex trafficking trade, they are 2 detectives from state police hunting for a homicide suspect who turned out to be a serial killer. That serial killer being a part of something much bigger was never really going to be in their jurisdiction.
So much time has passed in Marty's life since he was hotheaded and fueled by revenge against child diddlers. He's at peace with a ruined marriage, recognizes he destroyed it and his golden years with his kids. He even left a potential shot at a political career because he didn't want to see meth heads putting kids in microwaves anymore. In short, he understands who he is and how the world works much better in the later timeline. I saw his acceptance of 'getting theirs' instead of the entire pedophile ring as part of his change and maturity with age. He understands how the world works much better now. It's that simple. Did not find it out of character at all at that point in his growth.
I'm not even kidding, this is the best writing channel out there. My writing was pretty stagnate for a while, but I've improved so much after watching your videos, keep up the brilliant work!
Good to hear & thank you 🫡
This channel really does just give you knowledge on how to do stuff without doing to much of 'should' and 'shouldn't'. Very pragmatic, gives you the tools and let's you go bonkers
I swear the only thing I don't like about your videos is that everytime I watch them I just want to pause and start writing again lol, great vid as always!
i just blew through the whole thing at your recommendation. I knew the writing was genius when marty asked rust, "do you ever wonder if you're a bad man" and rust responds with "no, I don't wonder, the world needs bad men". To me, this nuance separates good from great. Marty didn't ask Rust if whether it was okay for Marty to be who he is with the terrible things he's done, but that was the question in his heart and the one Rust chose to answer. That's how people really communicate, they constantly ask the wrong questions but still get the answer they need to hear. Too often we get stuck writing ping pong scripts.
45:27 Very true. In my writing, I've often come to scenes where I'm trying to find 'something for the characters to do' often by resorting to worldbuilding/lore to fill the pages.
Issue was that then, for some reason I couldn't put my finger on, I lost motivation and interest to continue the story even though it was meant to be some cool lore that was relevant to the plot.
It was only then that I realised my issue was that there was lack of character focus, development, and testing of their beliefs. So then I doused all that lore and worldbuilding in emotional connection that would resonate with my main character and give further insight into his worldview and mindset.
I feel like this goes without saying, but this really is one of your best videos ever and you continue to improve your content with each video. There may not be a singular huge essay style message here, but you can boil down, teach and visualize information so well brother
inspirational. keep it up
Yeah I’m very proud of this one, especially the second half. Thank you so much for your support!
you're noot really a 'pepsicorpse'
Rust: "Marty is a flat circle."
Marty: "I want you to stop saying odd shit!"
I think Maggies leaving the circle moment was sleeping with Rust so that the cycle of infidelity with Marty would be broken and they would be seperated permanently.
I think my favorite moment in your abridged feature film edit is at 1:33:14. The whole Rust/Marty fight is basically condensed to Marty being thrown into the truck. I laughed so hard.
As someone who tried for so long to make prose work and just couldn’t crack it, discovering you channel was the push that made me realize screenwriting and filmmaking was really what I was trying to do all along. Perfect time for this to drop while I’m going on my regularly scheduled background video binging.
The dracula flow jump scare was everything
The way episode 4 ended shook me. I had to pause and go back. I could not believe that it was one take
Your videos have encouraged me to go back to that sort of golden age of serialized TV (The Wire, True Detective, and others like it), but not only for new pieces of content to consume mindlessly and never actually get to writing my own work, but instead subjects to analyze what made them so compelling in the first place for the purpose of applicable improvement.
It’s been refreshing, to say the least, a YTer objectively critiquing media in this way. Can’t wait to see how you grow, and hope to work with ya brother!
This is one of my favourite videos of yours (and the competition is tough)
As someone who's working on a series proposition, it's got some great additions to the toolbox, and even tools you don't end up picking up still make you re-examine your existing tools and develop a deeper understanding of your own writing
Your work is excellent!
Big thank you, glad you got some value out of it!
on a quick glance, I thought the title of this videos was "Serial Killer That Writes Can Learn From True Detective Season 1"
That too
Thanks for the jumpscare at 16:48 lol
Damn good video, a lot to chew on. This might be the best video on True Detective S1 that I've seen. The halfpipe analogy puts a lot of puzzle pieces together for me. I agree, True Detective S1 is one of the best templates for a serialized tv show and it honestly hasn't been topped imo. It's stuck with me for a decade. But yeah, really good job man. Looking forward to what you've got cookin up next
Thx coomstick
Oh yeah. Time to learn some more useful lessons! Your videos never cease to educate me.
I hope I can be of service
Man, your channel is a treasure trove.
Even though I'm writing a novel and not a screenplay, I'm still learning a lot from your videos.
Been meaning to watch this show for ages. This was the final push I needed and I'm very grateful I did before watching the video. Great follow up immediately after finishing the season.
I loved the time is s flat circle paper man skateboard outro to a degree that I can't quite explain the reason for.
I still can’t believe the whole projects side-quest sequence.
Bojack horseman is a show that came to mind when you were talking about second to last episode climaxes and last episode aftermaths. It's a whole thing in almost every season of it.
This might just be one of my new favourite videos from you. When it comes to storytelling, I tend to find structure the most fascinating component of it, as that's the skeletal structure of the plot and the road through which characters transform.
Yeah it’s like 75% of the battle for me
Change through time constitutes theme and structure in True Detective season 1 so the pacing requires that we spend more time with the characters than what fits in a feature film. It also makes the character arcs better by showing how they react to similar situations at a certain point in the story. I think the audience needs the time to get closer to the central mistery of the show too. The existential questions, cult plots and cosmic horrors of it all, more atmospheric segments that slow down the action but keep tension help create that dread and curiousity.
I love when I can tell you’re telling us stuff as soon as you figure it out. It’s exhilarating!
Yeah I genuinely get excited when you upload. As a character focused pantser I don’t work even remotely the same way you do but I still have to wrangle my stories into shape after I write it and your insight into structure is hella valuable.
I have watched this season maybe half a dozen times. I have longed to get closer to it & understand why it works for me to the degree it does. Finally someone (you) has scratched that itch. Thank you
I forgot to comment on this when it dropped, but it's a fantastic deep-dive on a piece of work that really deserves it... I kinda want to leave a more eloquent review here, but I think i'll just keep it short and sweet; these videos are such a good time, and I always walk away from them having learned something new. Doesn't get much better than that.
Damn, what a video. This is immensely insightful and helps me loads with learning and understanding writing/media - Thanks LocalScriptMan, keep up the great work!
He hardly ever refers to real movies/shows as examples - but when he does, the ones he chooses are always top quality.
Literally just finished True Detective S1 yesterday and the universe blesses me with this video
This video was really helpful. Not just informative but demonstrative also.
It's criminal that this channel gets so few attention for its quality you deserve at least 1mil in subs
Yeah this video isn’t doing as well as I’d hoped, but it’s ok my growth has already been astronomical. Just gotta try some new strategies
The video starts with "The fragrance of dark coffee" in the background. I'm sold.
I'm so glad I discovered your channel. I'm not a writer but I really admire the craft. Thank you for sharing your insights!
I like how you’re demystifying the creative process. No sarcasm I swear. Your writing can’t become a capital A “Art” if you don’t treat it like a craft. There’s rules for storytelling for a reason and you can only break them, seemingly, when you understand why they are there.
This is the best storytelling video i've seen i think. It's clear and concise, plus i love true detective. You quantified and laid it out brilliantly, i learned a lot. Saved to rewatch later as i'm writing. Thank you so much for this, great resources!
i think marty being ok at the end isn’t him being happy they didn’t catch everyone but rather content with what he has, as you said he has learned to let go of control and be vulnerable, while it may not have been executed perfectly i do like the idea that while they didn’t get everyone, “we got ours” and not just the material threat of the bad guys, but there personal and emotional demons have been vanquished as well, marty gets to be with his family again and gets recognition from the two cops, he gets to see “the safety net” and rhust learns to hope and be open, he looks away from the abyss, both of their mistakes and pains still happened, nothing can change that, but they can move on and grow, the cycle has ended for them, and they have broken out the circle, to connect this with the final saying about the starts, while the sun will always set eventually, the night is still illuminated by stars.
As usual, brilliant stuff!! You helped me reignite my passion for writing and I’m really grateful for how high quality your videos are. Cheers to your growth!
Oh my goodness. What a treat to discover this on the 2nd half of a two hour journey. I am truly delighted by my discovery. Finding a terrific channel is really just the best.
Thank you!
Okay, this is absolutely fantastic. I can see how the three act structure can be observed through these 8 episodes, which gives a great guide for how to view and show plot progression.
I just want to say that this channel inspires me a lot and helps me grow as a writer, thanks to our local script man for these incredible video essays
The Everest analogy is especially elegant. This is beautifully crafted, thoughtful work.
So I'm working on an interactive fiction novel, and will be releasing it sort of on a chapter to chapter basis and this video(so far, only halfway through) is so valuable. The episode to episode format has a lot of overlap and studying screenplays has taught me a lot about how to get information across in the most natural and efficient way. Anyways, point is, thanks for the work you put into these videos, I love them
Interactive whoa, sounds daunting, glad I could help!
@@localscriptman There are alot of moving parts so to speak 😅
Interactive fiction novel? Damn, that sounds unique as hell!
Sound interesting, hope you get it all done!
Every episode you publish is like a wizard in a cave, giving me the right weapon. setting me on my journey. So impressed keep up the stellar work.
ah what a treat :P another video from the best hidden gem YT channel ever, which is my best source for "how to write" in my recent new writing journey to make "good" media content and detective stuff is gonna be great to learn and study for my animated series im planning, about a detective in a cosmic horror Victorian era world discovering magic is real, i'd like to see some insight on mystery to how to slowly reveal something and keep it in the dark or just keep it in the dark the whole time
"I'm basically the Michael Jordan of reductionism."-- Lucas
I chuckled most heartily, but it's so true also it's why I love your writing advise so much. By my nature I'm not a: speedy, efficient, or a comprehending of the passage of time person, so I've been really nervous about the quickly approaching need to do a first self edit my novel, but your advise really helps me feel better. I'm looking forward to trying your techniques to really get to the core of the key components of my story.
You're so good at breaking down the elements that are central to how a story is doing something well. This video is a fantastic example right off the bat you break down that True Detective has two plotlines, two character arcs, and three relationships. It's so helpful to start from having those core pieces, it makes the overall story and what it's doing so much more digestible, just chef's kiss! I also really love how you plotted out the relationships, character arcs, and plotlines. I'm actually excited about the idea of looking at parting out the relationships, character arcs and plotlines of my novel. Doing this first draft is great, but the story feels like such a big thing and it's been written over multiple years at this point, so visually showing my self the key components plotted out on the graph feels like it will be so helpful to get a lay of the land and a plan of attack for the editing.
Also the character halfpipe is genius! I've read and listened to discussions of characters shifting throughout the story, if it's not an arc though, it's usually in the form of moral alignment of the character. Say a hero becomes an anti-hero or a villain an anti-villain. I haven't actually seen the shift in a character's use by the author or involvement in the events of the story discussed, that is fascinating!
Thank-you for the hard work and another great video Lucas! I will definitely be make to this video to try these techniques.
Hayley ^_^
Man that Dracula Flow line came out like a jump scare and I loved it lol
23:10 this makes sense for Marty’s development, you can argue him letting go of his controlling nature made him more mellow and willing to accept they can’t catch them all
The only writing channel worth watching. The. Only. One.
ive been in the whole writing stuff for around 6 months now, your videos have really helped! despite never entering film school i have helped film students fix their rejected projects which i think is pretty funny
working on my first feature length movie now, i plan to get it animated so i may have to look into the consulting when im done 👀
Hey, does anyone know the song at 49:19? I didn't see it in the description, or any of the comments
While I'm here, I hope the kind of directness in these videos becomes more common on youtube, or even outside of it
It is just a little thingy I made for this video
0:45 This is the last place I expected to get a blast of K.R.I.T., but I am absolutely here for it
"it was love, tars"
lol
Another incredible and helpful video! Thanks for making these. I always look forward to watching these while working on my comics.
Just watched the first season for the first time last week. Excited to see this analysis!
Woody Harrelson's "skullf*ck" line sounds like a bar from Dracula Flow. Time truly is a flat circle
Great video btw
I think there's a general confusion in any story with a clear goal or external physical conflict, where the triumph of achieving the goal or "beating the bad guy" is seen as the true climax, while the triumph of achieving the inner goal, catharsis, or change is seen as sort of a cherry on top of the cake. To my mind, that relationship is reversed. And even if, as you pointed out, the two happen at the same time, or are are two sides of the same climax, I feel like the true story isn't ever the "winning," but transforming.
The problem is that "winning" is considered the point of most stories, especially in American cinema and storytelling. But the meat of True Detective season 1 is the damaged characters confronting their inner wounds, and coming out the other side healed. If it was just two guys trying to find and kill a serial murderer, without that other stuff, it'd be just another forgettable detective story, no matter how atmospheric. Without Rust and Marty's internal conflicts, the powerful atmosphere would have been nothing but pretentious window dressing.
Consider one of the most misunderstood blockbusters in cinema, Raiders of the Lost Ark. A couple decades ago, I had a lively discussion about this on a panel with Marv Wolfman, comics writer extraordinaire, who pointed out that, in his words, Indiana Jones doesn't affect the "plot." Of course, this never occurred to me at the time, but I've since thought a lot about it. It's undeniably true that, had Indiana Jones sat out the whole story, the end would have been the same. The Nazis would have been wiped out by the ark, and it would probably have somehow ended up in the hands of the CIA.
But now my question is, what the hell do you think a plot actually is? Is it what happens to the ark? Is the ark the hero of the story? No, the only thing that matters is what happens to Indiana Jones.
So what is Raiders of the Lost Ark really about? It's about Indiana Jones, ultimate adventurer, who sets goals and stops at nothing achieve them, defying death, physics, common sense, and sometimes, personal morality. He'd rather leave his partner, Marion, to face God knows what kind of abuse at the hands of LITERAL NAZIS, rather than lose ground on his quest to find the ark.
And yet, he still doesn't get it. He's one guy, and they're a whole army with boundless resources. He has no chance. He only ends up with the ark because, instead of dismissing any transcendental power it might hold as he did at the beginning of the film, he acknowledges that power and looks away. It's this act of humility before unknowable forces that saves him. And he learns that humility through losing, and ending up at the mercy of nazis, just like Marion.
And that's why the ark being taken out of his hands is so important to the end of the film. It was never going to be his trophy. That's not what it is. He begins the story as a classic pulp hero who's inflated enough to believe brains and daring do can win any battle, with his reward being the treasures of the world. He ends it accepting his place as a small man in a world of enormously powerful forces.
That's the story of Raiders. It's a deconstruction of the grandiose fantasy of the action hero. Its climax isn't watching the ark clean house, but reforming a bond with his old flame. His triumph isn't beating the nazis, it's having the humility to see that the real treasure worth pursuing is the love of a great gal. (Especially now she's not fifteen years old, and they're on equal footing. Which is a whole topic in itself worth getting into, but not here.)
So now, when anyone tells me that Indiana Jones doesn't affect the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark, I remind them that the plot is what happens to him, not it. They're focusing on the wrong thing.
already loving it, glad you’re making videos like this 💙
My new definitive video for True Detective. Been waiting on one like this.
really glad you critiqued the ending episodes a little bit because most people get so caught up with how good the first 6 were that they overlook the flaws of the last two
Could u do this for season 4? I do not know much about writing but ur insight would be cool 2 see, especially comparing the writing of the 2 seasons
37:50
Exactly. Make something yourself if you want something from media.
I barley see knife representation in film.
42:40 - Succession also really likes to do location-specific episodes
Never heard of this show, write sparingly, and yet have never clicked a video faster
So, did you watch the show?
I have to pee, but I'm just going to wait 52 minutes
When I take a walk after watching your videos, I get a breakthrough in my storytelling process
38:55 sounds like parents
Hi there, ive seen your recent apperance on schnees channel where you talked about kishotenketsu.
I would be very interested in a more in depth comparison between eastern and western storytelling philosophies, as I could not find anything in depth about this topic.
Are there any plans for a video on that?
Hmm in truth I don’t know enough, but it’s certainly on the table. Just needs more research
Ok thanks for the answer. Its quite Impressive how much you answer to comments. To me your one of the very best writing youtubers out there, just by how condensed you get everything across.
@@zapp770 Thank you, I try
A week ago I had not seen the first season of true detective
Now I’ve seen it twice. Thanks localscriptman
great video on a great season of TV 👍🏽 also you should watch Black Sails, if you haven't already
Your videos are peak, as well as sound design and music, respect
you are my comfort tuber lol
1 minute in Local asks his viewers if they need to use the restroom, as if half of them aren’t watching the video on the toilet anyway
I was like, “Please, God, let local post by now!” I typed your name in and, BOOM, ONE HOUR AGO
I spotted Local at 3 AM on the "David Attenborough Dracula Flow 3" video
This shit ain’t nothin to me man
Hey mate you do consulting or script reviews anymore?
I do, my site is linked at the bottom of this video’s description
I literally binged this series just 2 days ago when you uploaded. This video was how I found out that I somehow completely skipped Episode 5 😭
That's super interesting, did your brain just not register there potentially being a lot of information skipped over? From a writing perspective that's really valuable, what made the ending of ep 4 and the start of ep 6 do that made you not feel out of the loop?
I was having a bad week, kept checking your account for updates. Today I got lucky, thank you
37:56 For some reason my mind immediately went to Carmela Soprano from the Sopranos even though the clip was from the Godfather lol
25:20 The 'energy' is the rate of change in your second graph
Ohhh I think I have to try that graph thing out. It's pretty. It's pretty informative. I like it.
He's back!
This was amazing! That was spot on. Love that show!!
If anyone is using the enneagram to help them find motivations for their characters then it may help to know that Marty would fit an 8; and Rust would fit a 4.
Uh oh 4 overdiagnosis strikes again
Goran this is great physical comedy of you
binged the entire season for this!
The Local Script Man strikes again 🔥
I question where on that scale Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex would fall, because it is an animated series with an ensemble, but a clear leader, it has an overarching plot, but some episodes are disconnected from the main story. It would be, by my guess, almost in the middle, but leaning a little upwards (solo protagonist), since the leader has more screen time than the rest of the crew. Especially the serial episodes do deserve an analysis, it is such a magnificent little series (albeit it doesn't come close to the marvellous, outstanding two films).
Holy sh*t dude! So informative and captivating!!! Like dayum!
Great work my man!!!
From everything ive watched from you it seems like the worst thing a story can do is meander like an ameoba. Stagnant, no stakes, things happen just to happen, characters with no real impact, etc.
Yeah that about sums it up, but maybe someday someone will drop an amoebacore story that changes my mind
I feel the movie length format works best on stories that focus on a moment in time. Something that only happens over a couple of days and is resolved.
The Nice Guys only covers a couple of days and works in feature length format. Where as True Detective covers decades.
I’m 10 years late to the True Detective party, but whew. Season 1 was brilliant. I’m not sure why I didn’t know about the existential horror element, otherwise I’d have been watched
I mean, you could say "we got ours" is a part of him letting go of his need for control.
Rick and Morty's episodic stuff is it's best. You got another one here
Amazing video. What’s the song/remix at the end?