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sweetprinceI'm going to tell you a story...I got into Supernatural in August. Yes, that's right, August of 2006. I always seem to arrive late to the party (if there's still a party going on by the time I get there). It's a long and convoluted story involving many mishaps and coincidences and excellent fiction that basically resulted with me saying, "Holy Smokes, Batman, these two boys are hot and so fucking queer I can't see straight, I must check out this TV show at once." <---and really, I never intended a pun with that statement.
I didn't foresee a world of rabid, amazing, talented fans who are quite possibly the largest collection of good writers I have ever encountered in any fandom (and I'm including Harry Potter in this). I didn't foresee tying myself to my computer to finish fiction, or staying up into the AM the very first week of college just so I could finish the next episode. I certainly never imagined being odd by it's cinematic savvy and it's well blended one-liners and angsty moments. I didn't expect it to own my heart so totally.
I never expected to have to worry about something so hard, to hope, with everything I have, to pray even to a God I certainly have never believed in, that they would not take this show off the air.
Usually I hate discrepencies and bad research and continuity mistakes with a fucking passion (to the point that I will tell you I love Harry Potter, but have little respect for J.K. Rowling--all of you out there, don't hiss at me, I shall unleash more Horace quotes at you, untranslated). Stanford is probably the best example I have. Many of you already know that Palo Alto is my hometown and that I love it with a fiery passion, hell, many of you are from there with me. And we know our town, we know that the cemetary that Jess is buried in is across from the high school we graduated from. We know that Sam would've taken my father's introductory torts class if he'd gone to law school. We know where the typical college hang outs are, we know that Sam and Jess could never have afforded off campus housing unless Jess was freakin' loaded. We know that there are no such things as full rides to law school.
And yeah, little things like this still trip me up occasionally, make me laugh, make me think, come on, Kripke, use wikipedia. But mostly they don't. Because you know what, Supernatural defines its own reality. My cousin Alison is probably plotting ways to kill me for saying this because she still hasn't forgiven Supernatural for getting Wendigos wrong. But that's irrelevent, the fact is, I don't mind it. I'm not sitting there going, oh, give me a break. I'm like "Bring It, On, Supernatural." Even though I know Sam and Dean can't die, I'm still biting my nails for them, breaking my heart out over them, laughing with them, cheering to god when the "Deus Ex Machina" shows up to save the day (and usually it's Dean, hah, what an apt description).
I'm a film geek, I have been since my dad first dragged me off to watch Gabriel Byrne in "Into The West" and I noticed the way the steam rose around the little boys face was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. For the record, I was five. Today, I'm majoring in both History and film, with an emphasis on production and sound. Something being shot well is important to me, it's why Buffy and Angel failed to capture me the way they did with some of my friends. Supernatural blows me away. Each director brings something else to it, whether it's filters and tints (like in both "Wendigo" and "Dead in the Water") to fun with mirrors that are intensely reminiscent of the climactic scene in Lady From Shanghai (like in "Bloody Mary".) There's a certain smoothness to the camera in Supernatural that a lot of shows don't use not to mention a mobility.
I don't know, maybe Kripke said to the guest directors, make free with the close up and the long shot, don't be afraid to use off-screen space, and stray from the usual shot reverse shot pattern (although I have yet to see Supernatural cross the 180 degree line, I don't know, maybe some fan of Dreyer will pop up in the next episode and make extensive use of 360 degree editing), and bladdy blah blah, I certainly can't figure it out. Whatever it is, they're doin' it. And while Supernatural is just a TV show and probably will never rise to the artistic shot by shot editing level of films like Run Lola Run or gasp that HORRIFIC film Old Boy, as I metioned, it's holding it's own.
So tell me, why is it that shows like Smallville and Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill that allow them to stay on the air for what feels like ever and always. Ignoring the problems within the script and dialogue (because fuck yeah, SPN is smarter than they are), why are these shows that are visually so uninspiring granted such long inexorable runs? I don't know. I don't watch them, so perhaps I'm not actually the expert.
I feel like the CW has got to do something, because it's not grabbing the spotlight. None of its shows are in the top rated on a single site I've been to. So I would say to them, you've got solid gold with Supernatural. A show about demon hunting that's critically acclaimed and well rated by it's fanbase alike? Why are you pushing things like Smallville and Gilmore Girls? They're old hat, it's time to push a new gimmick, and honey, you've got one, so stop wasting your time. I certainly don't think you should put it on the chopping block, especially after you've cemented my soul to it (and damn you, Krikpe, I will NEVER forgive you for that).
So, in the tradition of Dziga Vertov and Kino-Eye, This is my Manifesto.
We reject crappy acting and bloated plot lines. We deny boring three-point lighting and film processing. We refuse show mythologies that require you to watch every damn episode to get what the fuck is going on. We negate the need for permament or semi-permanent love interests to keep the show interesting for the "female demographic". And we say, we are Supernatural fans, we are here, and with Supernatural, we are ushering in something different.
I didn't foresee a world of rabid, amazing, talented fans who are quite possibly the largest collection of good writers I have ever encountered in any fandom (and I'm including Harry Potter in this). I didn't foresee tying myself to my computer to finish fiction, or staying up into the AM the very first week of college just so I could finish the next episode. I certainly never imagined being odd by it's cinematic savvy and it's well blended one-liners and angsty moments. I didn't expect it to own my heart so totally.
I never expected to have to worry about something so hard, to hope, with everything I have, to pray even to a God I certainly have never believed in, that they would not take this show off the air.
Usually I hate discrepencies and bad research and continuity mistakes with a fucking passion (to the point that I will tell you I love Harry Potter, but have little respect for J.K. Rowling--all of you out there, don't hiss at me, I shall unleash more Horace quotes at you, untranslated). Stanford is probably the best example I have. Many of you already know that Palo Alto is my hometown and that I love it with a fiery passion, hell, many of you are from there with me. And we know our town, we know that the cemetary that Jess is buried in is across from the high school we graduated from. We know that Sam would've taken my father's introductory torts class if he'd gone to law school. We know where the typical college hang outs are, we know that Sam and Jess could never have afforded off campus housing unless Jess was freakin' loaded. We know that there are no such things as full rides to law school.
And yeah, little things like this still trip me up occasionally, make me laugh, make me think, come on, Kripke, use wikipedia. But mostly they don't. Because you know what, Supernatural defines its own reality. My cousin Alison is probably plotting ways to kill me for saying this because she still hasn't forgiven Supernatural for getting Wendigos wrong. But that's irrelevent, the fact is, I don't mind it. I'm not sitting there going, oh, give me a break. I'm like "Bring It, On, Supernatural." Even though I know Sam and Dean can't die, I'm still biting my nails for them, breaking my heart out over them, laughing with them, cheering to god when the "Deus Ex Machina" shows up to save the day (and usually it's Dean, hah, what an apt description).
I'm a film geek, I have been since my dad first dragged me off to watch Gabriel Byrne in "Into The West" and I noticed the way the steam rose around the little boys face was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. For the record, I was five. Today, I'm majoring in both History and film, with an emphasis on production and sound. Something being shot well is important to me, it's why Buffy and Angel failed to capture me the way they did with some of my friends. Supernatural blows me away. Each director brings something else to it, whether it's filters and tints (like in both "Wendigo" and "Dead in the Water") to fun with mirrors that are intensely reminiscent of the climactic scene in Lady From Shanghai (like in "Bloody Mary".) There's a certain smoothness to the camera in Supernatural that a lot of shows don't use not to mention a mobility.
I don't know, maybe Kripke said to the guest directors, make free with the close up and the long shot, don't be afraid to use off-screen space, and stray from the usual shot reverse shot pattern (although I have yet to see Supernatural cross the 180 degree line, I don't know, maybe some fan of Dreyer will pop up in the next episode and make extensive use of 360 degree editing), and bladdy blah blah, I certainly can't figure it out. Whatever it is, they're doin' it. And while Supernatural is just a TV show and probably will never rise to the artistic shot by shot editing level of films like Run Lola Run or gasp that HORRIFIC film Old Boy, as I metioned, it's holding it's own.
So tell me, why is it that shows like Smallville and Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill that allow them to stay on the air for what feels like ever and always. Ignoring the problems within the script and dialogue (because fuck yeah, SPN is smarter than they are), why are these shows that are visually so uninspiring granted such long inexorable runs? I don't know. I don't watch them, so perhaps I'm not actually the expert.
I feel like the CW has got to do something, because it's not grabbing the spotlight. None of its shows are in the top rated on a single site I've been to. So I would say to them, you've got solid gold with Supernatural. A show about demon hunting that's critically acclaimed and well rated by it's fanbase alike? Why are you pushing things like Smallville and Gilmore Girls? They're old hat, it's time to push a new gimmick, and honey, you've got one, so stop wasting your time. I certainly don't think you should put it on the chopping block, especially after you've cemented my soul to it (and damn you, Krikpe, I will NEVER forgive you for that).
So, in the tradition of Dziga Vertov and Kino-Eye, This is my Manifesto.
We reject crappy acting and bloated plot lines. We deny boring three-point lighting and film processing. We refuse show mythologies that require you to watch every damn episode to get what the fuck is going on. We negate the need for permament or semi-permanent love interests to keep the show interesting for the "female demographic". And we say, we are Supernatural fans, we are here, and with Supernatural, we are ushering in something different.
