Deluxis Entertainment: The Blog

Neil Gaiman’s American Gods follows the exploits of Shadow, a man recently released from prison to find his world gone. A mysterious stranger offers him a job that ultimately leads him down a path straight between a war brewing in the heart of America between two very old and mythic groups.

Following the success of Game of Thrones, the story was recently picked up by HBO and is in the process of becoming a six-season show produced by Tom Hanks’ production company. 

Gaiman, no stranger to incorporating mythology into modern settings, is known best for his work on the Sandman graphic novel series, Neverwhere, Stardust, Smoke and Mirrors, Coraline and Anansi Boys. Below, we gather some writing tips from Gaiman himself in his thoughts behind creating American Gods.

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As we continue our examination on effective storytelling, we cannot overlook the phenomenon that is Harry Potter. First published in 1997, the robust series of young adult books has transcended itself into the hands of old adults and onto the big screen, becoming the highest grossing film franchise of all time. 

Author J.K. Rowling’s manner of writing aids the digestibility of her stories. Like the pop music of literature, she utilizes carefully produced and interwoven plot lines. Sentences are flowing — almost poetic — and thus lend themselves to silver screen transfer. The books, in and of themselves, were already cinematic.

Of course, one could write a complete volume on writing style. Here, we share some of the more outstanding elements.

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QUESTION: What makes one film score more effective than others?

The above live performance of Hans Zimmer’s “Mombasa” off the Inception soundtrack is an excellent example of a piece taken from an effective soundtrack. Utilizing clever techniques, such as slowing down an Édith Piaf’s tune, elements of the overall score seem to transcend time as much as the characters in the film.

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