In Hot Fuzz Danny shows us that he uses his notebook for a little stop motion cartoon.
Danny also says ‘you should see the other side!’ but we never get to see it in the movie.
But when I bought the DVD, there it was, in the DVD extras, the other side of the notebook and it was great!
But a movie needn’t have DVD extras.
Filmmakers can be so precise in their creations that they never create extras.
In terms of bare minimum requirements a movie just has to be 90 minutes long with a 3 act structure, that’s all.
And yet you’ll find artists going above and beyond the bare minimum to try and provide the audience with the best experience possible.
Take Pottermore for example. An absolute treasure trove of surplus information about the world of Harry Potter that didn’t make it into the books, given away for free. So those who love Harry Potter can revel in learning more about their favourite fantasy world.
Or how about ‘The Dark Knight’? One might marvel at how many great lines can come from one movie (lines such as: some men just want to watch the world burn, why so serious?, the night is darkest just before the dawn).
One might say to Christopher Nolan ‘Hey, you know you’re making a trilogy here, you might want to hold back some of those great lines for the next movie’.
But holding back would be counterproductive.
At the back of some copies of The Lord of the Rings you will find a comprehensive genealogy of each hobbit. It doesn’t add to the story but it’s cool to see.
How much do you think Banksy charges for his street art?
Or how about the end credits of movies?
The movie is over, the story has been told and yet some films use it as an opportunity to entertain.
For example 22 Jump Street provided us with a preview of all the fictional sequels to come, Tropic Thunder delighted us with Tom Cruise giving us his all in a fat suit and Toy Story 2 showcased bloopers.
Bloopers!
From an animated film!
That means they weren’t actually mistakes but made specifically for the end credits.
So the point I’m trying to make is that the resonance of your art could benefit if it stemmed from a place of generosity.
Thomas Duggan 