Deluxis Entertainment: The Blog

There’s no denying it. Twilight (and consequently vampires) are hot right now. With the upcoming theatrical release of the much-anticipated Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, we take some time with a true fan to explore why the Twilight Saga is so popular with so many people. For storytellers, there are plenty of insights here regarding creating a compelling story for a target audience. (Mild spoiler warning with the last question.)

Why do you love Twilight and what got you reading/watching it?

I’ve always been interested in vampire novels ever since I read the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles. I had not heard of Twilight until a friend of mine recommended it to me. What I love about Twilight is that it’s a classic “boy loves girl, girl loves boy but something is keeping them apart” kind of novel. This theme harkens back hundreds of years, but a classic example is Romeo and Juliet (no I’m not comparing the two ;-)), but there’s a twist because the male protagonist is a vampire. As soon as I started reading the novels, I was completely immersed in Stephanie Meyer’s setting. These books are geared for teenagers (specifically female teenagers), so the writing is very easy to read and the storyline moves quickly. I wouldn’t say I love these books but I’m definitely a fan of the stories.

What are some noticeable attributes of Stephanie Meyer’s writing style?

As stated above, her audience is a typical teenage girl. The writing is easy to read with a lot of dialogue and it moves quickly. I think this appeals to anyone looking to escape into a book that has a good story and is an “easy read.” She’s very good at describing the emotions of the characters as well as developing a scene. She thinks of every aspect which helps create a full picture in the mind of the reader.

How do you think the writing could be improved?

This is a hard question to answer. I have no issues with her writing style. I think those who claim to not like these novels dislike it because of the storyline, not because of the writing.

How does the Twilight experience differ on paper than on screen?

I think the directors have done an excellent job of recreating the stories so far. It’s challenging to bring a story to film when so many people have already read the books. They imagine certain characters and scenes as being a specific way. There’s also always way more information in a book than there can be in a film. And the film is really the director and screenwriter interpretation.

Are you looking forward to Breaking Dawn?

Of course. It’ll be interesting to see how the deal with a half vampire child that ages rapidly. ;-)

Films and shows, as outrageous as they can be, still operate under believable human motivations. If a character’s reasons for acting don’t translate understandably to the viewer, the story could be disregarded as unbelievable, even if it’s set in a galaxy far, far away. 

But what can a screenwriter do to compel the audience that a character’s motivations are strong enough to motivate momentous action? What could make our hero leap off cliffs, face dragons and take down space tyrants?

In Robert McKee’s Story, the established screenwriter describes this subject as “the principle of antagonism”:

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No one knows more about the art of storytelling than those writing and producing stories for a living. The first in a continuing series, we’ll be picking the minds of talented storymakers around the world to collect some of the best practices and tips associated with creation. If you’d like to be featured in a future post, please send a hello email to keane(at)deluxis.com. And be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more exciting Deluxis news.

Who is Stephanie Watanabe?

I am an independent film producer. I teach film production at Berkeley Digital Film Institute and consult with and advise creative entrepreneurs on their projects from Development through Distribution. And yes, filmmakers are most definitely entrepreneurs!

My love of storytelling goes as far back as age six when I declared to my parents that I was going to “be in the movies.” Little did they know, I was actually serious. I attended many filmmaking workshops across the country throughout high school and majored in TV/Film during my undergraduate studies. From there, I got accepted into the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles for my M.F.A. in Producing. After that, everything else just fell into place.

What are five things you wish you knew when you first started working as a producer?

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