Pitching A Boy's Life would not be a terribly difficult task at all. There are several reasons for this. One, the movie follows the Hero's Journey formula fairly well, and everyone knows this is a pretty standard Hollywood method. The producers wont have to fear an abstract or confusing storyline that will throw audiences off. Already they can rightly assume that the story will consist of a satisfying beginning, middle, and end.
Second, the story's theme is very tempting to a studio. A Boy's Life in its core is a boy-dog film, almost in the likes of lassie, and that means high revenues from the family and child audiences. One should be quick though to also mention how through well written characters and dialogue that A Boy's Life is not antiquated in any form and is very modern. The boys play Dungeons and Dragons, while Elliot's mother Mary is recently divorced. But even these can't take away from one of the story's most lasting features, that being the obvious, E.T.'s alien character.
Anything different or unusual will always draw a bit of audience curiosity and E.T.s character certainly accomplishes this. Aliens are of course not new in the cinematic world, but a lovable and utterly sympathetic character like E.T. is a first of its kind (minus of course Star War's Ewoks, but even they could be warlike). In A Boy's Life every child's dream is lived out, that is finding a completely loyal and sympathetic friend to which one could relate, and this makes children, as well as adults, find an easy connection with the film. And if all else fails, inform them you plan as casting Spieldberg as director.
-Matthew Ballinger
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think E.T. worked because of the time, or do you think that A Boy's Life would have repeated its successes if pitched in either one of the last two decades, or even earlier ones?
2. McKee states that in comedy's no one is ever harmed and that even in Black Comedies the audience feels "sharp, but not unbearable pain". Do you think films such a Fargo contradict this?
Second, the story's theme is very tempting to a studio. A Boy's Life in its core is a boy-dog film, almost in the likes of lassie, and that means high revenues from the family and child audiences. One should be quick though to also mention how through well written characters and dialogue that A Boy's Life is not antiquated in any form and is very modern. The boys play Dungeons and Dragons, while Elliot's mother Mary is recently divorced. But even these can't take away from one of the story's most lasting features, that being the obvious, E.T.'s alien character.
Anything different or unusual will always draw a bit of audience curiosity and E.T.s character certainly accomplishes this. Aliens are of course not new in the cinematic world, but a lovable and utterly sympathetic character like E.T. is a first of its kind (minus of course Star War's Ewoks, but even they could be warlike). In A Boy's Life every child's dream is lived out, that is finding a completely loyal and sympathetic friend to which one could relate, and this makes children, as well as adults, find an easy connection with the film. And if all else fails, inform them you plan as casting Spieldberg as director.
-Matthew Ballinger
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think E.T. worked because of the time, or do you think that A Boy's Life would have repeated its successes if pitched in either one of the last two decades, or even earlier ones?
2. McKee states that in comedy's no one is ever harmed and that even in Black Comedies the audience feels "sharp, but not unbearable pain". Do you think films such a Fargo contradict this?
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