Truth in the Age of Growing Transparency

In an age of growing transparency, truth is not fixed to fact. While  facts play an important role in reaching the truth, and in the case of mathematics certainly have stood the test of time, in all other arts and sciences facts are in the realm of proofs, and can change with an evolution of knowledge. I believe facts are showing their fragility, and their reliance on power structures that are falling away is making them shakier. Perspective, or point of view, then takes precedence over facts in conveying what is true. 


This makes the job of writing a movie based on facts challenging, especially contemporary stories, because point of view can be fluid. As social taboos, political polarization and analysis explode like colored balloons, we have to understand that the audience is not going to be interested in "fantasy" because reality is so much more interesting. I don't mean "fantasy" in terms of genre. I mean "fantasy" in terms with how characters resolve their moments of change and confrontation. The solutions of yesterday's stories aren’t reliable unless they contain that nugget of timeless truth, the kind of truth that Aristotle spoke of in Poetics, the truth that is greater than history. 

How do we find that nugget of timeless truth?

Yesterday's story of a gay person excluded becomes today's story of a gay couple raising teenaged children. Yesterday's story of an evil witch becomes today's story of a misunderstood magical woman. Yesterday's story of monsters out of control becomes today's story of humanity out of control needing to be secretly controlled by monsters. Does that mean that there are no stories about alienation, evil, or unvarnished fear? No! It means that we have to figure out what tomorrow's story is about and how it addresses these basic human experiences. Moreover, this is not a case of screenwriters being ahead of the curve of knowledge. The only writers interested in this, write science-fiction; again a genre.  This means we are required to be ahead of the curve of comprehension of change. We must see the bend in the road ahead before we’re actually taking that turn. A screenwriter must look for the thread of truth that survives the collapse of taboos, and the throws of transformation.

As I sit down to write my story, I consider the truths that I see today. There are changes taking place on a global scale because of the greater degree of interconnectivity you and I enjoy. My own self-awareness in this environment grows rapidly. Schism freezes me in place one moment and dissolves the next, leaving me feeling often bewildered by the pace of change. My investment in self-evident truths either pays off, or turns out to be misplaced. Yes, I will have to dig a little deeper to test my theories. It is possible that the solution I originally thought up for my hero is based upon yesterday’s news and I may have to redouble my efforts to understand my subject matter. I trust this will take me closer to the real meaning I seek as a writer.

It comes down to a willingness to analyze and discern where I’m being too opaque, too squarely solid with an easy way out for my story’s characters. By opaque, I mean to suggest a surface rather than a layered depth of meaning. Because scripts are limited by time, and thus by page number, it is always tempting to get to the point quickly, but does that serve the deeper meaning?  What I hope for is something like sinking down through that opacity, and from the inside out making the emotional, mental and moral movements of my character transparent. Then, I have to know the heart of my character. Then, I have to trust that the truth within my stories will be told through perspectives gained by my character, and tying down details is all about supporting that point of view.