unforum

[gottagofast]

Concerning Originality.

[Lumine]

Kind of reminds me of how people either Love or Hate Prometheus for its plot and connections to Alien.

[KrisTrauma]

Speaking of originality, I think I've seen this thread before...

[Illuminant]

Beginning any story with a desire to be original is going to lead you into trouble sooner rather than later. Stories are compelling because they have an internal integrity, emotional consistency and respect for their characters and for their audience. Originality will come when you tell an honest story, not by coming up with a big-picture idea that no-one has ever had before.

Consider Tribe Twelve. It began as a conscious imitation of Marble Hornets, but because Adam is a natural storyteller, it quickly became its own thing. The story is unique because the storyteller is unique, and his perspective, proclivities and personality (damn alliteration) transformed the story into something that no-one else could tell.

I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't value originality, but originality should arise organically from your story, rather than being the first bullet-point on your story outline. That's not to say I want more white-text-caption series full of Operator symbols and video distortion, but there are ways to take those tropes, treat them honestly, and come to awesome new stories.

[gottagofast]

[UnreadierLizard]

To me, it doesn't matter what you do, it's how you do it.