Screenwriting : Originality, hmmm? by Ami Brown

But thank goodness the eccentrics persevere and give us such unusual gems as "Little Miss Sunshine" every now and then! The fact is now that it's much easier to find original writing on television. It's very hard for studios to get people out to actual movie theaters except for action blockbusters which look better on big screen. I, like many people, am perfectly willing to wait until most films come to TV or Netflix. Even Oscar winners sometimes leave me feeling, "boy, this was unoriginal, and hyped for no apparent reason." I'm rarely "dying to see" anything the first weekend out. Most moviegoers are teenagers because they're too young to hit the bars. I need something like "Star Wars" or "Captain America" to motivate me to go to the theaters, for the big-screen pageantry (as Chelsea Clinton calls it). (And actually "Winter Soldier" ended up having a very surprising plot twist....) And I've been super disappointed in the last couple of drama films I went to with friends on Christmas Day. TV shows have a ton of originality. Especially in the supernatural genre--there is some really wacky stuff going on! TV writers also have time to develop characters, which makes them richer and more complex. One new television character, John Constantine, actually has his own Linked In account--which is brilliant, and quite original, I believe. Anyway, that's my two cents--you'll still find originality on TV. Originality in the movies is still out there, but pretty tough to find it.