Before I get hate-mail, note that franchising everything isn’t good. Not every story needs serialization to be done properly, we’ve seen that with the short-lived trend following Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It’s also a money pit that doesn’t always yield results. So I get some of the pushback. But anyway…
The first benefit to serialized storytelling is, of course, room for a longer narrative. One of the downfalls of some stories being adapted in one go, especially grander ones, is that they can’t be done justice. We’ve seen it before: a big, ambitious story gets crammed into a 3-and-a-half-hour film, losing a lot of the substance of the source material in the process. It happened with David Lynch and Dune, and it’s happened with other properties since. Simply put, some stories need longer methods of storytelling.
This is what serialization does well. Because one of the advantages is that it’s ongoing, allowing for the grander arc to be told in smaller, more segmented arcs that intertwine. It’s a way for the audience to become more invested, as it means that if it’s “incomplete” one day, assuming it continues, then it’ll be finished later down the road. This works especially well with world-building, as it allows everything to expanded slowly.
The second benefit of serialized storytelling, especially compared to condensed storytelling, is generating hype for the next entries. Let’s face it, serialization’s designed to get you to come back. We want to know what happens next, see what happens next, even live what happens next! And by serializing a story, especially if it’s given a teaser for the next instalment, you can do that.
Think about it: what’s the most-anticipated part of the end credits in an MCU movie? It’s the clips that tease the upcoming film(s). We’re so invested in what we’ve watched that, simply put, we want more. By giving us these “sneak peaks”, that’s what we’re getting. Some might call these “franchise IOUs”, and I can see that, but there’s no denying its effectiveness.
Perhaps the biggest advantage to serialized storytelling is getting more invested in characters’ plights. There’s a reason why, despite being telegraphed, Han Solo’s death at the hands of Kylo Ren is shocking. Similarly, there’s a reason why Iron Man’s death in The Avengers: Endgame hits me so hard. With the former, we had 4 movies to get to know him. With the latter, he kicked off The MCU in 2008, and we’ve gotten to see him grow and mature over the next 11 years.
Think about it: what’s the most-anticipated part of the end credits in an MCU movie? It’s the clips that tease the upcoming film(s). We’re so invested in what we’ve watched that, simply put, we want more. By giving us these “sneak peaks”, that’s what we’re getting. Some might call these “franchise IOUs”, and I can see that, but there’s no denying its effectiveness.
Perhaps the biggest advantage to serialized storytelling is getting more invested in characters’ plights. There’s a reason why, despite being telegraphed, Han Solo’s death at the hands of Kylo Ren is shocking. Similarly, there’s a reason why Iron Man’s death in The Avengers: Endgame hits me so hard. With the former, we had 4 movies to get to know him. With the latter, he kicked off The MCU in 2008, and we’ve gotten to see him grow and mature over the next 11 years.
This last point can’t be overstated. Martin Scorsese bemoaned the theme park ride nature of superhero movies, but he misunderstood the power of spending several, interconnected films about getting to know specific characters in the process. Like the plays of Ancient Greece, swapping out old characters in place of new ones lets audiences switch their sympathies over time. Seeing Hawkeye pass the torch to Kate Bishop means something because we’ve grown attached to him.
But this isn’t news. TV shows, particularly dramas, have been doing serialization for decades. So why is it an issue now? Why is it bad that films are following in their footsteps? And why is that inherently “ruining cinema”, so to speak?
I think part of it could be resentment. After all, while serialized, pulpy entertainment existed in the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, it was largely in small chunks and cheaply-made. You had characters like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon before movies played, and they were fun, but they were cheap, campy and only took up a few minutes of the audience’s time. They were fluff entertainment, essentially.
But this isn’t news. TV shows, particularly dramas, have been doing serialization for decades. So why is it an issue now? Why is it bad that films are following in their footsteps? And why is that inherently “ruining cinema”, so to speak?
I think part of it could be resentment. After all, while serialized, pulpy entertainment existed in the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, it was largely in small chunks and cheaply-made. You had characters like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon before movies played, and they were fun, but they were cheap, campy and only took up a few minutes of the audience’s time. They were fluff entertainment, essentially.
In contrast, the modern-day versions of these serials are big-budget, full-feature affairs. What’s more, they dominate the market shares in box-office revenue. And while I won’t deny the issues of action-heavy serials crowding out smaller, more independent features, that’s not automatically the fault of these movies. If anything, it’s the fault of the studios making them. But that’s for another day…
I know some people will never be happy with serialized storytelling; after all, it forces you to “do homework” to stay invested. But if it can make me excited for a movie about a talking tree, or bring me back to a world about magical, sword-wielding space wizards, then who am I to complain? As long as I’m engrossed in your storytelling, then does it matter if it’s part 30 of an ongoing narrative? Not really!
I know some people will never be happy with serialized storytelling; after all, it forces you to “do homework” to stay invested. But if it can make me excited for a movie about a talking tree, or bring me back to a world about magical, sword-wielding space wizards, then who am I to complain? As long as I’m engrossed in your storytelling, then does it matter if it’s part 30 of an ongoing narrative? Not really!
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