The Xmedia Screen Show, Xpression FM’s film and TV show, run by your Exeposé Screen editors, is still broadcasting every Thursday between 5 and 6pm. The last couple of shows have covered everything from government influence in the film industry to Jason Statham wearing a big hat in his new film, Parker. You can listen to both of these episodes via links to Mixcloud at the bottom of this article.
Image Credit: Daily Mail
Regular listeners will know that they can test their film knowledge in the Quiz at the end. In the first of these two episodes, Owen and Louis continue their ongoing brain battle. In the second episode, newly elected Exeposé Screen editor, Rob, attempts to challenge Louis, a Trivia Tussle veteran. Surely it will end in tears for the newbie? Or maybe not, tune in to witness an incredible answer from Rob!
The first episode looks at the innovative techniques used in horror films, such as sustained point of view shots, which are utilised in Elijah Wood’s new film, Maniac. There’s also a discussion of Zero Dark Thirty controversy and an Oscars debrief (we promise this is the last time the persistent statuettes will be mentioned).
In the second episode linked to here, topics include possible directors for Bond 24, Iron Man 3’s latest trailer, the ‘real’ Mila Kunis and Jason Statham’s emotional state.
That’s right, we really do care and go for the deep subjects on the show.
Senior Reviewer, Thomas Barr examines the final in our series of comic book franchises – the X Men. Is there more to this crime-fighting team than cool powers and team dynamics? Barr unveils an interesting social commentary within the comic…
If you’re ever struggling to come up with an idea, but don’t really feel creative or innovative at that moment, take heart from the X-Men. They are a great example of how sometimes laziness is the solution. In 1963 Stan Lee had come up with some of the all time great comic book series; Spider-man, The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and The Fantastic Four. When it came to ideas for a new group of superheroes he was running on empty and basically said “F**k it, how ‘bout they’re just born with powers. Lets call ‘um, I dunno, ‘Mutants’. I’m hungry, I’m off to lunch.” So from humble beginnings they’ve gone on to be one of the most successful and well loved super-heroes of all time. Why?
Well for a start the X-Men are logistically sound. You can see that they were created with a team dynamic in mind. Each member has a unique skill set that makes the team better for having them in it. No member is significantly stronger than the others and the variety of powers helps them deal with a variety of situations. You don’t get the embarrassing gulf in abilities that undermines so many of the other superhero team-ups. There must be some sort of pro-diversity, union regulation making it compulsory to have an archer in every team. Other than that I can’t see what Superman gains from having Green Arrow nearby. Green Arrow is undeniably really really good at hitting far away things with a bow and arrow, but that becomes kind of insignificant when the guy next to you can level buildings with a single punch.
For me the biggest strength of the X-Men is their ability to reflect social issues to a greater extent than other mainstream comics; racism, religion and LGBT struggles are all represented. As super-powers are a commonly occurring natural phenomenon, the Mutants become the model of an alienated community through which issues such as civil rights and societal acceptance can be explored. These themes would be wasted if the characters weren’t sympathetic. Luckily, when you have awkward characters in their teens experiencing strange and mysterious changes to their bodies, they’re not going to have a problem relating to the alienation of the X-men.
So whilst I admit that comic books don’t have a reputation that screams ‘positive social interaction’, I think the X-Men should be praised for presenting young people with important real-world conflicts in an entertaining and non-patronising form.
Carrying on our Comic Week feature, Senior Reviewer, Thomas Barr, takes a look at the Superman comic-book series. A character so handsome it hurts, Barr is trying desperately to hate him…
So there’s this guy at school. He’s tall, handsome, athletic, and is never seen with a hair out of place. Every fibre of your cerebral cortex is begging you to hate him. Yet on the odd moments of shared social interaction you begrudgingly find him to be infuriatingly charming and frustratingly likeable. Well, now you know how I feel about Superman. He’s the main man. Numero Uno. You ask the man on the street who his favourite superhero is and chances are he’s going to pay lip service to the Man of Steel. So how is it that what is essentially a pro-American, anti-Fascism propaganda weapon has gone on to become the poster boy for superheroes?
When you ask the question ‘What is it that’s so special about Superman?’ its turns out to be a harder question than it seems. I mean he was the first, the archetype, but that’s not really saying much. Being first doesn’t mean that you’re the best. If I’m on my way to Costa Blanca, I’ll take cramped economy class in a Boeing 737 any day over an admittedly roomier journey in something knocked up by the Wright brothers. He may have been the trailblazer, introducing tropes like superpowers, villains and secret identities, but if you look at Superman’s world now it all seems kind of, well, stupid.
“I’m power hungry and I’m going to defeat you!”
“Well thats embarrassing for you because I’m Superman, lol”
“Yeah well I’m using this [Kryptonite/Magic/Sunblock] to weaken you”
“Oh no that’ll bother me for like 20 minutes while you gloat, then something will happen, I’ll be back to normal and I’ll punch you, really hard, in the face.”
This is what most Superman stories simply boil down to. This is problematic as readers become engaged with characters during their moments of struggle and Superman is just too damn powerful to be interesting. That’s the problem with a character whose power is physicall; the demonstration of it is just not enough to hold the attention of anyone who is older than ten. Maybe back in the 30’s the sight of a man leaping over a tall building in a single bound was mind-blowing, but our modern-day superheroes are three-dimensional with elements of pathos and innovative powers.
Despite all this I just can’t help but have a sizable amount of affection for the big guy. He’s just so epic.
I suspect author Gary Collinson and I could have discussed The Dark Knight Rises all day (see Part Two), but eventually I steer my questions towards Gary’s book, Holy Franchise, Batman! How did it come about?
“I’ve always been a big fan of Batman and thought that the character’s rich screen history would make for an interesting article, so in 2010 I put something together for Flickering Myth. As I was writing, the article started to get longer and longer, and despite ending up around 8000 words, there was so much more I could have written that I thought a book would be the only way to do it justice. I’d never thought about writing a non-fiction book before and wasn’t convinced I’d be able to do it, never mind find a publisher interested in releasing it, so I sat on the idea for about a year until I decided to give it a go.”
Not surprisingly, with such a rich subject matter, the hardest thing about writing the book for Gary was writing “about a thousand words per day plus revisions, which was tough to manage alongside full-time employment and editorial duties on Flickering Myth, and took a lot of late nights to achieve!” Fortunately though, “the final product turned out much the way I planned, albeit considerably longer.”
I confess my almost total ignorance of the details of the publishing process, and ask Gary to summarise his journey from idea to printed book.
“The first step in writing a non-fiction book is to put together an outline, which serves as a sales pitch to potential publishers and includes a general overview of the book, its target audience etc., along with a detailed breakdown of each chapter. After sending this to publishers, if you’re fortunate enough to get an offer the next step is to discuss the contract, which covers everything from advance payments, royalties and rights through to final word count and deadline for submission. Once the contract has been agreed and signed it’s then down to the author to produce the manuscript, which is then sent off to the publisher for approval.”
I was intrigued to know if dealing with a publisher was an ordeal as well as an enormous opportunity. Were there any problems with the manuscript? It seems the editing process wasn’t too distressing in Gary’s case. “The publisher may then request rewrites or alterations to the manuscript (which fortunately wasn’t the case with Holy Franchise, Batman!) and then the editing process begins, during which the book is edited and proofread before being sent back to the author to approve any changes. Once the manuscript is finalised, a typesetter then lays out the manuscript ready for printing, with the author then making a final check before it goes off to the printers. During this time, the sales department also gets involved and begins to approach prospective buyers, as well as exploring various ways to promote the book, and then finally a finished copy arrives through the letterbox!”
That is the moment many students will dream of, seeing their own book in the flesh. How did it feel for Gary, who had written stories in his youth and long had an interest in writing before tackling Batman in non-fiction form? “Seeing your name in print on your own book is certainly a strange feeling. It’s quite hard to put into words, but it did give me an enormous sense of achievement and made all those long nights seem worthwhile.”
Gary’s modesty, despite his impressive achievement and incredible subject knowledge, is clear. It shines through too in his practical advice to Exeter students with writing aspirations. “Fiction or non-fiction, I’d advise spending considerable time on the planning stage, particularly if a large amount of research is required, and don’t underestimate the amount of time you’ll need to devote to the editing process once the actual manuscript is written. Apart from that, my only advice would be to write as often as possible in order to develop your skills, and if you do come up with an idea for a book, just go for it.”
Does he plan to continue writing? Is there another book in the pipeline? “I’m working on a few different projects at the moment, including an outline for another non-fiction book and a graphic novel, as well as a couple of TV show ideas. One is a documentary with a humorous slant, and the other a kind of fantasy comedy-drama that I’d like to write as a miniseries. There’s also a couple of feature film scripts that I’ve been writing on and off for a couple of years – I should probably go back and complete the first drafts at some point!”
Holy Franchise, Batman! by Gary Collinson is available now viaAmazon.
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