You can order John Bucher and Jeremy Casper's book from Michael Wiese Productions here.
Dave Watson: How did this book come about?
John Bucher: Jeremy (Casper), who is teaching over in Jordan right now, and I have been teaching together at the L.A. Film Studies Center for ten years and we came across a few story principles that played out in all the rising mediums in culture. We started talking about these ideas and before we knew it, we had this book.
DW: Your career has cut a pretty wide swath. What is your favorite part of the filmmaking process?
JB: (Laughs) I am addicted to story in every form: comic books, film, TV, any form. At the end of the day, I’m all about story and producing great content.
DW: You’re also a teacher.
JB: I am, and teaching allows me to workshop with people in the trenches. There’s a saying, to learn something well, you have to teach others how to do it. That solidifies the storytelling in me.
DW: Your book discusses Webisodes. What kind of impact have they had on storytelling? Filmmaking?
JB: It’s incredibly important in modern storytelling. They’ve democratized the storytelling form and can have longer story arcs.
DW: Right, just about everybody can connect to the Internet.
JB: They’re similar to TV shows but more accessible, first with content distribution.
DW: That’s big in this era of, well, Netflix.
JB: Absolutely, and the longer arc gives you time to develop characters.
DW: Now TV shows started doing this twelve or so years ago with Lost and 24.
JB: And people don’t care where the story comes from: Netflix, WB, if you engage them, they’ll watch.
DW: Your book also discusses short films. Do you agree with the adage less is more?
JB: I do. When Jeremy and I teach, we encourage our students to make their short films fifteen minutes or less. If the short is more than fifteen minutes, something could’ve been changed. Most of the time we have them aim for ten minutes or less. I always think of that Mark Twain quote, “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.”
DW: I always think of that! Especially when a movie runs an hour and forty minutes and achieves so much more than one that exceeds two hours. Psycho runs about an hour-forty and I think of that as the example of less is more.
JB: Absolutely.
DW: That ties back to story, and that movie tells a little story that had such a huge impact. Sometimes big summer, tentpole action movies come and go versus some action movies linger, and the latter will have a better story. You also talk about interactive videos in your book and, something I hadn’t heard of, kinetic text videos. What are they and where are they headed?
JB: Interactive videos are really interesting because they capture the viewer in a more immersive way. One can engage and make choices like those Choose Your Own Adventure books growing up. Kinetic Text videos utilize text and simple graphics and animate them in an engaging way to music. They communicate differently than traditional image-based media.
DW: And not always obsolete.
JB: Yes.
DW: New technologies will emerge but the older tech. Sticks around, yet story seems to stand out in all the mediums and platforms your book discusses, which is why I think it’s so important. What’s next for you?
JB: We’re exploring virtual reality technology and how story can be used to improve the lives of individuals, cultures, companies, and countries. Jeremy and I will speak at the National Association of Broadcasters in Vegas, the Broadcast Education Association of America, also in Vegas. And I’ll be speaking at the Great American Pitchfest, Scriptfest, and the San Francisco Book Festival. We’ll also hit the University Film and Video Association.
DW: What is your favorite cinematic moment? Can you speak for Jeremy?
JB: Well, my favorite would have to be when Indiana Jones walks into the cave and picks up the golden idol. That cave had such mystery and it ignited a passion in me and gave me something to crave after. For Jeremy, it was in Jurassic Park when the kids are hiding in the lab, under the table from the dinosaur.
DW: We can only hope kids today have those kinds of cinema moments in the theater. You chose two works by Spielberg! What I like about artists like him, who will turn seventy this year, Scorsese is seventy-three, and De Palma seventy-five, is those filmmakers could’ve retired decades ago.
JB: Yes! They continue to create.
Clip: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Clip: Jurassic Park
Dave Watson is a writer and educator. He lives in Madison, WI.
Dave Watson: How did this book come about?
John Bucher: Jeremy (Casper), who is teaching over in Jordan right now, and I have been teaching together at the L.A. Film Studies Center for ten years and we came across a few story principles that played out in all the rising mediums in culture. We started talking about these ideas and before we knew it, we had this book.
DW: Your career has cut a pretty wide swath. What is your favorite part of the filmmaking process?
JB: (Laughs) I am addicted to story in every form: comic books, film, TV, any form. At the end of the day, I’m all about story and producing great content.
DW: You’re also a teacher.
JB: I am, and teaching allows me to workshop with people in the trenches. There’s a saying, to learn something well, you have to teach others how to do it. That solidifies the storytelling in me.
DW: Your book discusses Webisodes. What kind of impact have they had on storytelling? Filmmaking?
JB: It’s incredibly important in modern storytelling. They’ve democratized the storytelling form and can have longer story arcs.
DW: Right, just about everybody can connect to the Internet.
JB: They’re similar to TV shows but more accessible, first with content distribution.
DW: That’s big in this era of, well, Netflix.
JB: Absolutely, and the longer arc gives you time to develop characters.
DW: Now TV shows started doing this twelve or so years ago with Lost and 24.
JB: And people don’t care where the story comes from: Netflix, WB, if you engage them, they’ll watch.
DW: Your book also discusses short films. Do you agree with the adage less is more?
JB: I do. When Jeremy and I teach, we encourage our students to make their short films fifteen minutes or less. If the short is more than fifteen minutes, something could’ve been changed. Most of the time we have them aim for ten minutes or less. I always think of that Mark Twain quote, “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.”
DW: I always think of that! Especially when a movie runs an hour and forty minutes and achieves so much more than one that exceeds two hours. Psycho runs about an hour-forty and I think of that as the example of less is more.
JB: Absolutely.
DW: That ties back to story, and that movie tells a little story that had such a huge impact. Sometimes big summer, tentpole action movies come and go versus some action movies linger, and the latter will have a better story. You also talk about interactive videos in your book and, something I hadn’t heard of, kinetic text videos. What are they and where are they headed?
JB: Interactive videos are really interesting because they capture the viewer in a more immersive way. One can engage and make choices like those Choose Your Own Adventure books growing up. Kinetic Text videos utilize text and simple graphics and animate them in an engaging way to music. They communicate differently than traditional image-based media.
DW: And not always obsolete.
JB: Yes.
DW: New technologies will emerge but the older tech. Sticks around, yet story seems to stand out in all the mediums and platforms your book discusses, which is why I think it’s so important. What’s next for you?
JB: We’re exploring virtual reality technology and how story can be used to improve the lives of individuals, cultures, companies, and countries. Jeremy and I will speak at the National Association of Broadcasters in Vegas, the Broadcast Education Association of America, also in Vegas. And I’ll be speaking at the Great American Pitchfest, Scriptfest, and the San Francisco Book Festival. We’ll also hit the University Film and Video Association.
DW: What is your favorite cinematic moment? Can you speak for Jeremy?
JB: Well, my favorite would have to be when Indiana Jones walks into the cave and picks up the golden idol. That cave had such mystery and it ignited a passion in me and gave me something to crave after. For Jeremy, it was in Jurassic Park when the kids are hiding in the lab, under the table from the dinosaur.
DW: We can only hope kids today have those kinds of cinema moments in the theater. You chose two works by Spielberg! What I like about artists like him, who will turn seventy this year, Scorsese is seventy-three, and De Palma seventy-five, is those filmmakers could’ve retired decades ago.
JB: Yes! They continue to create.
Clip: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Clip: Jurassic Park
Dave Watson is a writer and educator. He lives in Madison, WI.
