View topic - [Spec] The characters are idiots

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Forum index » Archive » Archive: Cloverfield (1-18-08) » Cloverfield: General / Updates

[Spec] The characters are idiots

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dontlookmyage
Unfettered

Joined: 14 Aug 2007
Posts: 302
Location: A Parasite/MGP-Free Zone in Piscataway, NJ

From what I recalll....

..and someone else mentioned it, was that FLAMING chunks of debris hit the building they were in. FLAMES=FIRE=BAD TIMES. You don't stay in the Towering Inferno - you go to where there's no fire - in this case, out on the street, then haul ass in the opposite direction of the danger. I, too, am all for survival of the fittest. My brother was living in Edison Woods during the gas explosion (the one where there was only ONE WAY OUT - PAST THE FLAMES), and he said his first thought was "get everyone and myself out of there ASAP!). He lived to tell the story, but perhaps not so much, our friends in this movie.....

Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:59 am

lcamino
Greenhorn

Joined: 06 Sep 2007
Posts: 7

You obviously have never been to NY

I work in Manhattan every day and let me tell you, when something happens... your first thoughts are of getting out of the city. Fast. I have seen it a couple of times already. Everyone files out of their buildings, tries to see what is happening and then they all march north. Except in the case of the area close to Rob's apartment, people usually head east to the Brooklyn Bridge. At least, that is what smart people do.

Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:19 am

Nighthawk
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee

Joined: 14 Jul 2007
Posts: 4751
Location: Miami, Florida, USA, Earth

I just love how some of you are trying to rationally describe how you would react if a 600' tall monster was attacking your city... In a situation like that, rationale is out the window.

Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:29 am

officespacejk
Veteran

Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 116

think about it....

rule number one about fight club, don't talk about fight club.

rule number one about breaking down a movie...ITS A FARKIN' MOVIE. it'd be a short, and shitty, story if our charecters stay'd inside until the building collapsed.

just like when a movie starts in on a new charecter, in the spotlight...something is going to happen w/ said charecter. its how movies go...they are written so that we can understand them, think they kinda make sense, and still fit into a 2 hr time frame.

Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 6:25 pm

pegassissy
Unfettered

Joined: 14 Aug 2007
Posts: 552

Re: think about it....

officespacejk wrote:

rule number one about fight club, don't talk about fight club.

Yeah and the eighth and final rule is, if this is your first night at unfiction, you have to fight

_________________
And then the nurse comes round and everyone will lift their heads
But I'm thinking of what Sarah said, "Love is watching someone die"
So who's going to watch you die?...

Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:12 pm

Melampus
Unfettered

Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Posts: 653

I've got it: the monster is Godzilla's Tyler Durden.

Godzilla Durden.

That's our monster, and movie title. There, finished. On to the next mystery...

Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 8:26 pm

Jenive
Veteran

Joined: 31 Jul 2007
Posts: 127
Location: New York

Nighthawk wrote:

I just love how some of you are trying to rationally describe how you would react if a 600' tall monster was attacking your city... In a situation like that, rationale is out the window.

I concur.
No one can predict a reaction
to something like that...
even the most calm collected person
would become a pile of mush
in a situation like that.
But, its hilarious that people are like
"oh I'd totally stay indoors."
-_-
yeah, sure.

Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:13 pm

tinag222
Unfettered

Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Posts: 521
Location: Here, Now

Quote:

In a situation like that, rationale is out the window.

Which is why we're all equipped with auto reactionary dictate....

Actually all reactions are predictable because they're hard wired. And there are two primary reactions to any perceived threat: fight or flight.

When an animal (us included) perceives a threat, and if it was already equipped to confrontation, it is guaranteed the reaction will be fight. If it is illequipped for confrontation, it is guaranteed the reaction will be flight. It's hardwired and will not change. It's primal reaction.

There is also the period required for processing before a reaction signal ever takes place in the brain, and that is immobilize. The animal is wired to cease movement while it processes the situation and whether or not it is a threat and if so, whether it is one it is equipped to handle. If so, automatic reaction: fight. If not, take flight. Two levels of reaction are compulsive and impulsive.

Compulsory is unconscious - that'd be the case you slam the cabinet door and your cat lurches 3 feet in the air in a split second.

By the time its feet hits the floor, compulsory reaction has transited to impulsive reaction and since compulsory reaction sent him leaping into the air, you can guarantee the entire wealth of Ft knox that when its paws hit the floor he's going to haul ass. (flight).

It's survival dictate and is 100% predictable for every living creature.

Response is not the same as reaction. Response is governed by the higher brain faculties and is there by the grace of a capacity called forethought. Response happens long after the processing and reaction events. Responses are also predictable as much as they are flexible and circumstantial. The rule of thumb is that how they already perceive their environment will remain consistent with what response they select to handle the situation. It takes reading people correctly to figure that out ahead of time but it's reasonably simple to do.

On that note, the characters did react correctly and consistently, and their responses were reasonable before they went to the roof, and even considering going to the roof. They didn't perceive their personal situation to be immediately threatening, so going to the roof to look (response, forethought) is within the bounds of rationale.

On the roof, when the explosion happened, consistent compulsory reaction - and then immobilizing to process...it was in the distance and not immediately threatening.

Once the flying flaming shit slammed into the ground just offside of them, consistent reaction of hauling ass. It wasn't a monster that was the threat, it was flaming firebomb things exploding all around them, so going inside was reasonable.

Insta threat - scramble. Take flight, then process.

Going outside to the street is consistent in reaction but irrational, so they were reacting, it wasn't reasoned out to go out (unless they left out some stuff between both scenes). They still don't know what it is, they are confused, moreso at the panic in the street, and reasonably focused on their group...explosion and whirring sound, chick turns and immobilizes - consistent WTF? processing moment. As the flying SOL head comes into view, they bolt.

That *is* what any of us would do in that situation. Immobilization isn't a reasoning out process....it's hard wired suspension of signalling to get perceptual signals from one place to another and spit out the output of *this is bigger than me/can eat me RUUUUN* or *I can handle this/attack*. Animal behavior is extraordinarily predictable...and this might come as a shock to some people but

Spoiler (Rollover to View):

pssst....we, too, are animals...human mammals are what we are...bipedal creatures... *gasp! noooo* Yep.

We're really not complex. So sorry about that but it's a peeve of mine, when people continue to erroneously assume we're all complex and unpredictable. We're no such thing. That's a myth of humanity and always was one, and only those without a firm understanding of how humans work continue to embrace the myth as a truth of mankind....and then wonder why everybody's so screwed up in the head.

/ending now to prevent the inevitable follow up rant entitled: " For a species who so arrogantly fancies itself Masters of the Universe, all special and chosen, it's the only one that ever existed that lives entirely on its knees, cowaring in fear, shame, confusion, helplessness, ignorance, misery and futility, always at the mercy of some one or some thing always beyond its control."

Sorry, but at least this one has far more substance than goatse...plus it can come in handy as a little reality based heads up for character creation in yer next arg Wink

/done

Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:52 am

BobAlhazred
Veteran

Joined: 01 Aug 2007
Posts: 92

Re: think about it....

officespacejk wrote:

Whoa buddy...did you swipe my avatar? :/

Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:33 pm

AfterDystopia
Decorated

Joined: 21 Jul 2007
Posts: 170

Re: stay inside?

Jester1525 wrote:

New York is being attacked by something, but at the time they wouldn't really think monster. We, as spectators in a movie theatre, are already prepared to suspend disbelief, but if you place yourself in that position, you probable wouldn't say 'oh my god it's a giant Godzilla-like creature attacking New York!' Best you might hear would be something like, 'wow, that sounded like an animal roar... I wonder what it is?'

I think in the event of an attack like that, I'd probably assume it was terrorist...

Woohoo! Someone with similar ideals to myself. Awesome.

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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:24 pm

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