I love the research stage of writing. For both Singing and Then and Chaotic Water, I did seven months of research followed by four months of writing. Since this story isn’t going to be so esoteric, I am allowing myself a week to putter around and research, and then add in more research as needed (a la “Gravedigger’s Daughter,” which involved periodic pauses to look up flower meanings and windmill architecture).
Today: read up on cliches. Since I’ve seen lots of crime drama and suspense, I’m looking for tropes and cliches to avoid.
Today’s gems come from http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/2007/12/100-movie-clichs.html:
15) Archivist Killer Syndrome
Many serial killers could also find employment as the authors of
double-acrostics and conundrums. In searching for such killers, hero
detectives invariably find an abandoned apartment with newspaper clippings
and photos on the wall showing the killers a) victims b) pursuer c) next victim
and d) a message to his pursuers. See “In the Line Of Fire,” “Seven.”
DAVID T. G. RICHES Etobicoke, Ontario
24) Bad Guy Credentials Demo
In any movie where the villain is a really, really bad guy,
whose dysfunction and malice transcend that of the ordinary evildoer, he
establishes that fact early in the film by coldly killing one of his own men.
(See Darth Vader, many Bond villains, Russian Mafia leader in “The
Jackal,” etc.) DIRK KNEMEYER, Bowling Green, Ohio
33) Brass Ring Rule
Any time you overhear incidental dialogue from minor
characters about some impossible feat, occasionally attempted but never
achieved, someone, usually the hero, will accomplish the feat within the last
ten minutes of the movie. BRANNON MOORE Seattle, WA
34) Breaking Bad News
Anyone holding a vase or other glass object will drop that
object upon hearing bad news. Usually the object will fall and shatter in slow
motion, typically from multiple angles. TERRY MCMANUS, Chicago
41) C.P.S Rule
When a character drives somewhere in an overcrowded,
gridlocked city such as L.A. or New York, there is always a Convenient Parking
Space directly in front of his destination. JOHN JAKES
59) Climbing Villain Syndrome
Villains being chased at the end of a movie inevitably
disregard all common sense and begin climbing up something – a staircase, a
church tower, a mountain – thereby trapping themselves at the top. Tony
Whitehouse, Verbier, Switzerland
60) Clothes Make the Impostor
Whenever a hit man has to kill someone in a guarded hospital
room, he will duck into a linen closet, emerge wearing a lab coat and carrying
a clip board, and walk around the hospital as if invisible. None of the other
doctors or nurses will notice that this guy has never worked there before.
MICHAEL FURL, Kankakee, IL
61) COFKeyType (Computer Operation by Frenetic Keyboard
Typing)
In almost all movies involving the operation of computers,
the user operates the machine by incongruent and frenetic banging on the
keyboard, ignoring the mouse and system graphic interface elements. This
results in instantaneous, nanosecond access and downloading of data. (See
“Jurassic Park,” “Disclosure.”) CARLOS GREENE, Mexico City
69) Crystal Sideboard Rule
In any movie featuring an older businessman married to a
younger woman, if his home or office contains a sideboard with cut-crystal
decanters of dark spirits, there is a 50 percent chance the wife will be dead
or in jeopardy by the end of the movie. These odds increase to 75 percent if
the husband is played by William Devane, and to 100 percent if the movie is a
“cable original.”
72) Dead for Sure, No Doubt About It
In a movie, the absolute proof of the death of a character
is when blood drips slowly from the corner of the mouth. This is in too many
movies to document. An interesting variation was the dripping of liquid metal
from the evil mutants mouth in “X-Men 2.” As a physician, I can tell
you that blood coming from the mouth after a fight is either, 1) a sign of a
communication of the esophagus with a major blood vessel, which would be fatal,
or 2) a cut.
76) Delta H Of Crania
The factor in modern probability theory which accounts for
the tendency of movie slot machines to pay off when smashed into head-first by
someone in a brawl. Can also be applied to actuarial systems involving
jukeboxes which start playing appropriately ironic songs under similar
conditions. ANDY IHNATKO, Westwood, MA.
81) Disconnection
Any character who says, “I cant tell you over the
phone…” doesn’t have long to live, and will die at the rendezvous: (a)
without uttering a word, (b) mumbling a red herring, or (c) giving an obtuse
clue (e.g., “Beware of the dwarf” in “Foul Play”). DON
HOWARD, San Jose, CA.
84) Doing Radio
A characters lines describe what we can see happening on the
screen. Critic Rich Elias tags an all-time classic when he observes that Jack,
in “Titanic,” says, “Lets get out of here! This place is
flooded!” Tom Norris, Braintree, Mass.
89) Dr. Exposition, I Presume
All movie scientists who are neither the hero nor working
for the bad guy are always doctors, and are, without fail, in the story only to
present a crucial bit of information or explain some scientific concept to the
hero, following which they are killed while doing further research on the problem.
BRANNON MOORE Seattle, WA
90) Dramatic Desk Sweep
In a fit of anger or frustration, main character
dramatically sweeps everything off desk. We never see anyone replace items, but
surface is in perfect order in later scenes. Only exception: If one item was a
framed photo of a dead lover or family member, the glass will be cracked,
giving photo deeper meaning. Kim Costello, Downers Grove
What are some of your favorite & least favorite cliches?
