| As you might recall from Chapter 1.8, "Where Screenwriting Leaves Off and Emotioneering Begins," Deepening Techniques fall into many categories. And in this book we've looked at many ways that dialogue, individual characters, and groups can be given depth. Adding depth into a game (or film) can help gain an older demographic without losing a younger one. By way of a case study, let's take a look at 15 of the Deepening Techniques that were woven into the first two Lord of the Rings films (the only ones out at the time of this book was completed), helping them become such huge cross-demographic hits.[3] [3] Remember, Deepening Techniques are usually designed to operate outside the audience's or game player's conscious awareness. How many of these Deepening Techniques did you spot in the films? If you missed many or all of them, don't worry most were intentionally designed to affect the audience without being consciously noticed.
Character Deepening: Strider's (Aragorn's) guilt. Character Deepening: Gandalf's mysterious abilities. Character Deepening: The Elves' mysterious abilities. Character Deepening: Any time a character puts aside selfish desires to fulfill a grander duty. This happens repeatedly, with many characters and groups, such as the Ents and the Elves, and even, at times, Gollum. Character Deepening: Internal conflict in many characters, such as in Gollum, as discussed earlier. Gollum is torn apart by his self interest, conflicting with a tenuous sense of what's right. He's torn between what he once was and what he has become. He's torn between being human and being an animal. And he's torn between sanity and insanity. Character Deepening: Many characters have Character Arcs. For instance, Frodo and Sam learn to be heroes. The Ents learn to take responsibility for their world. The Elves overcome their insular self-interest. Gandalf evolves spiritually. Scene Deepening: An example is the moment of utter desolation when Gandalf and the Fellowship are almost destroyed on a snowy mountain ledge in Fellowship of the Ring. There are many other such moments of desolation, such as when all seems lost at the battle that ends The Two Towers. Relationship Deepening: The relationship between Gandalf and Frodo is complex. On one hand, Gandalf feels protective, almost fatherly, toward Frodo. On the other hand, in some ways Frodo is his superior, in that he has the purity to carry the ring. Plot Deepening: The ring is a symbol that takes on increasing emotional associations as the film goes on (see Chapter 2.23, "Enhancing Emotional Depth Through Symbols"). Plot Deepening: The use of symbols for good and evil. The symbols of good are light, trees, and water. The symbols of evil are dark, machinery, and fire. I call any symbol like this a symbol of a concept. Plot Deepening: Another symbol of a concept is the pendant Arwen gives Aragorn, which symbolizes her love. Plot Deepening: The rich world of the film, discussed earlier. Plot Deepening: Parallel plot-lines. Frodo, who is small, turns out to be incredibly powerful. The ring, which is small, turns out to be incredibly powerful. Plot Deepening: Opposite plot-lines. Gandalf and Saruman are both wizards. However, Gandalf chooses good, and Saruman chooses evil. Plot Deepening: A theme is woven into the Fellowship of the Rings. The theme is "power." We see power explored from many different angles: The power of evil to corrupt the good, such as Gandalf's teacher, Sauranon. The power of a team working in concert (the Fellowship). The power of innocence (Frodo). The power of magic (Gandalf). The power of an army (Sauron's and Saruman's forces). In the second film, the theme changes to duty.
The films use many, many other Deepening Techniques (such as Dialogue Deepening Techniques) in addition to the 15 mentioned here. Together they contributed to the film's emotional depth, and they're a big part of why the film appealed to adults as well as kids. |
