What are common types of characters that reoccur in zombie media? What might drive these characters actions? Which are most likely to survive and why? An example might be the driven father figure such as in The Walking Dead and World War Z.
I think that creating interesting and "new" character action/motivation is challenging in this genre as survivalism is the main motive and focus and the interest comes in how the writer can comes up with inventive ways for characters to survive and kill zombies. Perhaps a way to combat stereotype in central characters is to create a more complex conflict with zombies than just kill or be killed. What else does the central character want, and how do the zombies become a new kind of conflict in preventing the character from getting what he/or she wants? Perhaps in a way that causes the main character multiple conflicts: inner and outer. – RJWolfe10 years ago
I recently finished a novel (publishing in May) that uses a failure of computer chips in human brains to create a zombie apocalypse. If someone wants to write an article on this that cites my book (good or bad), I'll send you a free copy. You can find me at www.orenhammerquist.com – orenhammerquist10 years ago
With this the line between good/evil characters gets blurred because of what each character has to do to survive. You could look at this as an interesting factor that almost always appears in zombie media. – Tyler McPherson10 years ago
Disney has turned some of the most well-known fairy tales into films. What are some lesser known tales that might make successful films? How might some of the more "grim" of the tales be adapted for young audiences?
I'd like to see Disney work with more Greek Myths. Specifically Psyche and Cupid. The "hero" i female, which is rare to Greek Mythology, and obviously a female Hero would find appeal to the Disney Princess brigade. – RJWolfe10 years ago
Maybe you could analyse how Studio Ghibli managed to deal with "grim" themes, for example Princess Kaguya, and suggest what Disney could learn from this. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
Personally I would like to see Disney do something edgy and avant-garde like Fantasia, but that can only happen if the corporate aspect of Disney is dismantled. – Travis Kane10 years ago
Some settings or physical locations play such a strong role in a film that they can be considered a character in their own right. There are a lot of ways to develop this into an article — you could focus on a genre (John Ford's westerns come to mind), or do it as a top ten best, or look at a particular director's use of settings (Stephen King movies tend to take place in cramped, trapped, isolated settings which add to the horror and unraveling of the MC's sanity). Lots of opportunities for striking or visually interesting images in the article as well.
Great idea. Perhaps a list of films that use setting as character that exemplify contrasting use of setting. You listed John Ford westerns and Stephen King movies. One idea might be to stick with a genre and compare and contrast: Westerns, or Horror, or SciFi etc. Another idea might be to pick ten very different films to compare and contrast: 300, Life of Pi, The Grey, etc – RJWolfe10 years ago
You should definitely include Alfred Hitchcock into this. Psycho is an excellent example. Also worth considering are his less known works Rope and Lifeboat. – orenhammerquist10 years ago
American Horror Story does this really well especially in the first season with the murder house, it would definitely be worth a mention. – Tyler McPherson10 years ago
Analyze how films have played an escapist role over the decades, and what factors of the respective times influence this phenomenon (such as economy).
A great film worth mentioning would be "The Purple Rose of Cairo." The movie itself is about escapism in film. – Cagney10 years ago
This is really interesting. Perhaps it would be beneficial to extend this to other art forms as well and maybe reflect on the idea of art in general as an escape? It can't only be limited to cinema - this title can be applied to literature, music, art too...
Looking at how cinema treats the theme of escapist desires would also be interesting to study – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
That would be a looong article. I suggest anyone who decide that they want to write about this to divide the topic into a series. Or go do a PhD on it at university. – Arlinka Larissa10 years ago
Titanic. Colossal. Decentralized. Neverending. – T. Palomino1 year ago
Often, Disney soundtracks are even more famous than the films themselves. Most of the songs have become emblematic and cult , they have crossed generations to become universal anthems. Famous singers cover them. There are a lot of songs we do not know about and that have been cut out of the films. Music also plays a significant part in Disney theme parks. How does the music work in Disney films? How do they correspond to the film's aesthetic? How do they add to our appreciation of the film? How aware was Walt Disney and his collaborators of the importance of soundtrack? How do the songs work now and what are they aiming for? Become hits? What kind of values and messages do they transmit?
This is a great topic idea. It would be interesting to look at the most famous songs or movies to narrow down the wide selection out there. It would also be good to look at how Disney songs have been integrated into childhood and how they effect the children as they grow. – RachelLMcIntyre10 years ago
In regards to the question of "How aware was Walt Disney," the answer is a resounding "Very aware." Walt Disney World has an attraction titled "One Man's Dream" which discusses some of the initial ideas and attitudes Walt Disney held during his tenure as Founder, and includes a section dedicated to specifically this question. When he released his early sound cartoons, Walt Disney decided on several occasions ("Steamboat Willy" being the most famous) that he would prefer little to no dialogue, since he believed music could convey much more succintly that which he wanted said. So, perhaps as research for this article, someone could visit WDW! – Christopher Vance10 years ago
Who are some of the most underrated actors in film? These are actors who do not get a lot of publicity or many accolades but are great actors. This is a subjective topic, but who are a few that have really stood out in certain films that viewers should know by name? Stanley Tucci, Sam Rockwell, Gary Oldman, Laura Linney, Catherine Keener, Emily Mortimer, to name a few.
As you have said, this is a subjective topic. So you would have to explain why these actors are unjustly underrated in terms of the type of characters they play, etc. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
I doubt that Gary Oldman is underrated. I've seen way too many online comments of how great he is. I agree with Sam Rockwell though. Dude needs more recognition! – Arlinka Larissa10 years ago
What are some of the best films that center around food? Ratatouille, Julie and Julia, Chocolat, and Fried Green Tomatoes to name a few. How does the cooking/food influence the themes of the film and the actions of the characters?
This is an interesting topic. Maybe think about the symbolism of food and its different appreciation throughout the films and in different countries. What is the significance of food? Does it relate or generate any socio-cultural debates? Gender issues? This would make the article richer instead of treating food just as a theme or in relation to characters. – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
A wonderful film involving food is Babette's Feast. It is Swedish, I believe, in subtitles, but it addresses the issues of food as being the basis of human bonding, the correlation of food and spiritual nurturing, community building, food as transcendence. – RJWolfe10 years ago
What are some of the best, not to be missed, foreign films of the last fifteen years? It would be best to see a variety of countries and not just the usual Britain, France, Mexico, etc.
This is an interesting theme but very broad. I would suggest limiting it to a country or a continent or a genre. There are so many films released each day across the globe, it is hard to contain them in one single article, especially in the scale of fifteen years. – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
I would like to see someone write about maybe one must see film for some of the big film making countries. Films that would introduce an audience to what that country has to offer in film making and draw in reluctant foreign film viewers. – Liz Watkins10 years ago
If you just google this, you will surely find several lists focused on genres, countries, directors, actors, topics, languages, etc. – T. Palomino2 years ago
