WRITING THE

FANTASY FILM
HEROES AND JOURNEYS
IN ALTERNATE REALITIES

SABLE JAK
 vii

table of contents
Acknowledgements ........................................................ xiii
Foreword ........................................................................ xv
Introduction ................................................................... xvii
Preface ........................................................................... xix
Disclaimer ............................................................... xx

Chapter 1: What is Fantasy? ......................................... 1

The Varieties ........................................................... 3
Origins ..................................................................... 19
What They Say ......................................................... 19
An Exercise .............................................................. 22

Chapter 2: Research, or, It’s Not All in Your Head .......... 23

Subject Matter ......................................................... 23
How Much Information Do You Need? .................... 30
How Much Time Can You Spend on Research? –
How Much You Do, or Don’t, Love Doing
the Research ........................................................ 32
What They Say ......................................................... 33
An Exercise .............................................................. 34

Chapter 3: The Story – Part One ................................... 35

An Exercise .............................................................. 36

Chapter 4: Characters .................................................... 37

The Hero’s Hero(ines) ............................................. 38
The Everyman Hero(ines) ....................................... 42
The Reluctant Hero(ines) ........................................ 45
The Anti-Hero(ines) ................................................ 47
viii WRITING THE FANTASY FILM ! JAK

The Buddy ............................................................... 49

The Magic Person as Mentor .................................. 51
The Witch (Bad & Good) ......................................... 53
The Hero’s Love Interest ......................................... 55
True Love ..................................................... 56
Evil Love ...................................................... 57
Pure Love ..................................................... 58
Reluctant Love ............................................ 58
The Friendly Antagonist .......................................... 59
The Temptation-prone Friend ................................. 60
The Evil One ........................................................... 60
The Evil One Wannabe ........................................... 62
The Captive Magic Maker ....................................... 65
The Evil One’s Love Interest (Willing and Unwilling).. 66
The Prod .................................................................. 68
The Evil Friend ........................................................ 69
The Comic Relief (Sometimes NOT!) ...................... 71
The Kid .................................................................... 72
What They Say ......................................................... 73
Two Exercises .......................................................... 75

Chapter 5: Beasties, Magic Beings and Fantastic Races ... 77

Beasties ................................................................... 77
Beasties as Comic Relief ............................. 83
Beasties Tugging at Heart Strings ................ 84
Magic Beings ........................................................... 85
Fantastic Races ....................................................... 86
An Exercise ............................................................. 89
 TABLE OF CONTENTS ix

Chapter 6: Magic ............................................................ 91

On the Subject of Magic .......................................... 91
What Purpose Does Magic Have in Your Script? ...... 96
Types of Magic ......................................................... 100
Magic’s Limitations .................................................. 102
Magic Is Neutral ....................................................... 103
Magic for Personal Gain ........................................... 104
Tools of the Trade .................................................... 105
Who Handles Magic? .............................................. 107
Who Shouldn’t Handle Magic? ................................ 107
What They Say & an Exercise, All in One! ............... 109

Chapter 7: Location ....................................................... 111

Why Central Europe? .............................................. 111
An Exercise .............................................................. 113

Chapter 8: Battles - Within and Without ....................... 115

Movies with Big Bloody Battles ............................... 116
Are Big Battles Necessary? ...................................... 120
Movies without Big Bloody Battles .......................... 121
Comments by Dameon Willich, Fight Instructor ..... 122
An Exercise .............................................................. 126
A Recommendation .................................................. 127

Chapter 9: Religion – if You Have a Monk, There Should

Be a Church .............................................................. 129
The Sorcerer and Religion ........................................ 133
Separation of Church and State .............................. 133
The Sacrifice ........................................................... 134
Purpose of Religion .................................................. 135
Never Include a Religion if… ................................... 135
An Exercise .............................................................. 136
x WRITING THE FANTASY FILM ! JAK

Chapter 10: Politics, You Can’t Have Political Upheaval

without Political Dissent ............................................ 137
Climate and Geology .............................................. 138
Era .......................................................................... 138
Culture .................................................................... 138
Political Incentives .................................................. 139
Power ...................................................................... 139
Greed ...................................................................... 141
Jealousy .................................................................. 142
Lust ......................................................................... 144
Love ........................................................................ 144
Hate ........................................................................ 145
An Exercise .............................................................. 146

Chapter 11: Romance, and Maybe a Little Sex? .............. 147

An Exercise .............................................................. 152

Chapter 12: Family, the People from Whom Many

Conflicts Arise ........................................................... 153
An Exercise .............................................................. 157

Chapter 13: Languages, Or, Is Bippity Boppity Boo

Necessary? ................................................................ 159
Different Languages ................................................. 159
Quality of Language ................................................. 163
An Exercise .............................................................. 166

Chapter 14: Music and Poetry ....................................... 167

Music ...................................................................... 167
Poetry ..................................................................... 167
An Exercise .............................................................. 170
 TABLE OF CONTENTS xi

Chapter 15: Details ........................................................ . 171

An Exercise ............................................................... 174

Chapter 16: Descriptions ................................................ 175

An Exercise .............................................................. 179

Chapter 17: The Story – Part Two ................................... 181

The Prophecy ........................................................... 181
The Object ................................................................. 182
The Quest .................................................................. 182
What They Say ..........................................................183

Chapter 18: Putting It All Together ................................... 185

What They Say ..........................................................190

About the Author ............................................................ 193

Bibliography ................................................................... 195

 chapter 1

what is fantasy?
!
Fantasy stories have been around for a long, long time.
They’re also called Myths, Fairy Tales, Legends, and even Tall
Tales. Around the mid 1800s, the term “Science Fiction” came
into general use. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Fantasy
stories began to be published in magazines that featured
Science Fiction, thus the term “Sci-Fi/Fantasy” was born. I
don’t know who first used it, or the exact date of its birth, but
it continues to be used today, although not always by Fantasy
and Science Fiction fans. This is because Fantasy fans are not
always Science Fiction fans, and vice versa. I like Science
Fiction, but I love Fantasy, I’ve loved it ever since the first
time, as a child, I heard the words “Once upon a time.” (Note:
The term “Speculative Fiction” is often used today by people
who do not want to type-cast an author as a writer of only
Fantasy or only Science Fiction.)

Obviously, if I love written Fantasy stories, I feel the same

about the movies, whether they’re based on old tales or are
new ones written specifically for the screen. I am only one of
millions of people who love this genre. It’s my opinion that the
film industry has not capitalized on Fantasy as much as other
genres. Yes, there are many movies produced and distributed
on a regular basis, but on a whole, good Fantasy is not done
as often as its fans would like. However, that may change.
2 WRITING THE FANTASY FILM " JAK

The current financial, critical, and major award-winning films

such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter sto-
ries ensure that filmmakers will take a more serious look at the
Fantasy genre as a viable cash generator. The success of these
movies will also result in the following:

1. There will be many rip-offs.

2. Many of the rip-offs will be bad.
3. Writers unfamiliar with the genre, and eager to cash in
on the trend, will say to themselves, “Gee, I can write
that.”

Unfortunately the majority of those writers who are unfamiliar

with the genre and who think they can write Fantasy, can’t.
Why? Because they haven’t got a clue what good Fantasy is, or
how good it can be. They don’t realize that good Fantasy, let
alone great Fantasy, is as hard to write as good comedy, drama,
or romance. They think all they need to do is include an hour
of special effects, a physically strong hero, and a wizard and
Viola! They’ve written a Fantasy. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Fantasy stories – as most devotees will tell you – are NOT just
about special effects, strange people, and flying beasties. The
stories are about fully developed characters with human traits
(even if they’re not human) involved in human dilemmas.
Sometimes the stories take place in imaginary realms such as
Middle Earth and sometimes they occur in unremarkable neigh-
borhoods down the street, like Josh’s in the movie Big.

How do you write a good Fantasy script? It’s not much different
than other good scripts. It should come from your heart. There
 WHAT IS FANTASY ? 3

should be characters the audience can feel for and relate to.
Dialogue should be believable. And there should be magic, but
not only the fantastic kind. It should be the kind that touches
the audience, right down to the toes of their inner child.

In the movie Legend the Prince of Darkness is told to woo the

heroine, Lily. As writers, you should do the same to your
prospective audiences. Woo them, make them want to be part
of the story, captivate them to the point where they can feel
what the characters are feeling.

What captivates a Fantasy fan? My personal thought on this

is: The “More” factor. For me the heroes in Fantasies are
always more heroic (although they don’t always start out that
way), heroines are more beautiful, quests more noble, odds
more horrific, creatures (if there are creatures in the story)
more wild and, well, love is more pure and the end usually
boils down to “happily every after,” with no one worrying
about who’s going to take out the garbage or feed the dragon.
In Fantasy, the impossible exists. And for those of us who
aspire to the impossible, Fantasy offers us the chance to obtain
it, if only for an hour and a half in a darkened theater or a few
hours spent curled up with a good book.

Before you try to woo your willing audience, let’s take a closer
look at the many different types of Fantasy:

The Varieties
To many people the term “Fantasy Fiction” encompasses
Fantasy (High Fantasy and Sword & Sorcery), Science Fiction,
Horror, Paranormal, and Ghost stories, plus all the sub-genres
4 WRITING THE FANTASY FILM " JAK

therein. I repeat what I said in the beginning of this chapter: To

its multitude of fans, Fantasy is Fantasy, Science Fiction is
Science Fiction and Horror is Horror. End of subject. Devoted
fans of the Paranormal inform me that that, too, is a genre unto
itself. These different styles often crisscross paths, run parallel
to each other and co-mingle easily into the hybrid stories avail-
able today. Obviously there is no lack of opinions on what
makes each style unique.

Why is one story a Fantasy and another Science Fiction? The

simple explanation is that Fantasy fiction relies on organic magic.
Beings (human and otherwise) fabricate something “out of thin
air” by speaking a spell, waving a wand, or mixing substances
such as plants or animal parts, while chanting over them. Also,
strange happenings occur (the boy Josh growing into a man in Big
after making a wish) for no scientifically provable reason. Fantasy
is often based on old legends, myths, and fairy tales.

Science Fiction relies on scientific or technical/mechanical

means to create something fantastic; such as time or space trav-
el. Beings (human and alien) create machines from raw materi-
als, not by speaking spells or mixing Earth elements while
chanting. Science fiction can also take place in ancient times, in
the present, on other worlds, or in the future.

Horror is that which terrifies. It can be psychological, organic,

or even scientific, but mostly it just makes you want to scream
and run, if you weren’t having so much fun.

The main focus of this book is writing the Fantasy script. It may
touch on other scripts that cross over or mingle, but will always
come back to its roots.
 WHAT IS FANTASY ? 5

Within the Fantasy genre there are many sub-genres. These

often hook unsuspecting “I don’t like Fantasy” audience mem-
bers into liking a movie, despite their supposed disdain. Here
are a few of the subs-genres and their corresponding films that
captured audiences’ hearts. You’ll find that I’ve tried to be spe-
cific instead of using more general terms such as “High
Fantasy” and “Sword and Sorcery.”

Romantic: Ladyhawke, The Princess Bride, Splash,

Practical Magic.

Epic: The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Crouching

Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Scorpion King.

Dramatic: Legend, Highlander, It’s a Wonderful Life,

Field of Dreams, Into the West, The Secret
of Roan Inish.

Comedy/Parody: Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Princess

Bride, The Witches, The Addams Family,
Harvey, Hook.

Adventure: Conan, Dark Crystal, The Lord of the Rings

et al, Willow, the remake (with Brendan
Fraser) of The Mummy, and The Mummy
Returns, the latest (2004) version of
Peter Pan.

Mythic: Hercules, The Thief of Baghdad, Clash of

the Titans.
6 WRITING THE FANTASY FILM " JAK

Fairytales: Many of the Disney Cartoons, Jean

Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast, Snow
White, A Tale of Terror (starring Sigourney
Weaver.)

Futuristic: Star Wars, The Matrix (a Science

Fiction/Fantasy hybrid.)

Coming of Age/
Children: The Indian in the Closet, The Never
Ending Story, Big, Mary Poppins,
The Borrowers.

Crime/Mystery: The Shadow, Highlander,

Pirates of the Caribbean,
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
(current remake.)

Christmas: All versions of Miracle on 34th Street,

and A Christmas Carol, It’s A Wonderful
Life, Bernard and The Genie.

Romantic Fantasy
This is your classic “boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-gets-girl-
back” type of story. Of course magical situations are what keep
them apart.

Ladyhawke (1985, Story by Edward Khmara, Screenplay by

Edward Khmara, Michael Thomas, Tom Mankiewicz, and
David Peoples, and directed by Richard Donner with Rutger
Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer starring). A corrupt bishop falls in
 WHAT IS FANTASY ? 7

love with the lovely Isabeau. Isabeau, however, is in love with

Captain Etienne Navarre. Jealousy drives the bishop to curse
the lovers, forcing her to be a hawk by day and human by night
and Navarre to be human by day and a wolf by night. Thus they
are doomed to never be together as lovers again, until someone
finds a way for a day to exist without a night and a night to exist
without a day.

Set in 13th century Aquila, Ladyhawke has a handsome hero, a

courageous heroine, and an evil man misusing his power, plus
a couple of fun sidekicks who help them sort everything out.

The Princess Bride (1987, story and screenplay by William

Goldman, directed by Rob Reiner and starring Cary Elwes and
Robin Wright Penn). A greedy, nasty prince tries to marry the
young heroine, Buttercup, against her will. Her long absent,
childhood sweetheart Westley comes to rescue her, disguised as
a notorious pirate. The two true lovers encounter magic potions,
strange beasts, and gentle giants in their struggle to be together.

Ladyhawke has some humor, but the love story is played seri-
ously, while The Princess Bride uses a great deal of humor and
is more of a romantic comedy. The message of both films, how-
ever, is the same: Love conquers all.

Two good reasons for writing Romance Fantasies are:

1. They make good date movies (which can translate into

good box office).
2. They can be more intimate and therefore need fewer
effects, which means smaller production budgets.
8 WRITING THE FANTASY FILM " JAK

Epic Fantasy
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring; The Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of
the King, (2001, 2002, 2003, story by J. R. R. Tolkien, screen-
play adaptations by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter
Jackson, and Stephen Sinclair (on Two Towers), Directed by
Peter Jackson, starring Elijah Wood and Viggo Mortensen).
These movies, to today’s audiences, epitomize the Epic Fantasy.
Taken as a whole, the trilogy is a tale of evil spreading across
the land, engulfing everyone and everything in its path. The evil
is stalled by the lack of one small ring of incredible power. It
must be destroyed or the world will be destroyed.

As big and as sweeping as they are, Epic Fantasies have the same
basic story – the little guy against the big guy. Overwhelming odds
threaten to overpower all that is good and decent and it is up to
a small band of unwavering – and oftentimes uncertain – heroes
to step forward and save the world.

Epic Fantasies, like action films, tend to attract a male crowd,

but if the heroes are handsome and the story compelling (and if
there’s the spice of a little romance with a handsome prince),
women gladly go.

Do be aware, should you choose to write an Epic Fantasy, that

it has a built-in drawback: Expense. Despite cost-cutting CGI
effects, Epic Fantasies still can be very expensive, since they
generally utilize several locations. Further, the casts are large,
which exponentially escalates production expenses with more
costumes, weapons, props, etc. Well-known Epic Fantasies like
The Lord of the Rings already have an audience because of the
 WHAT IS FANTASY ? 9

popularity of the books on which they’re based. Don’t let this

stop you from creating your own Epic Fantasy spec script, just
understand what you’re up against and use that knowledge for
inspiration.

Dramatic Fantasies
These Fantasies are played straight and concern the human ele-
ment. Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946, short story The
Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern, screenplay by Frances
Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra, Jo Swerling [additional
scenes] with uncredited contributions by Michael Wilson,
directed by Frank Capra, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna
Reed) has delighted audiences for generations. Although not a
hit when it was first released, Wonderful Life has become a sta-
ple of holiday viewing for many families. Its theme of “one man
can make a difference” resonates with people today, especially
when the world seems so out of whack.

Legend (1985, story and screenplay by William Hjortsberg,

directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise, Tim Curry,
and Mia Sara). In this mix of love story and drama, a young
man must thwart the Prince of Darkness from plunging the
world into darkness. The story conveys the message that love
conquers all, but its underlying theme is: Trust. Trust in your-
self, trust in your feelings, and trust in others. Again, a powerful
message for all mankind.

Field of Dreams (1989, book Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella,

screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson, directed by Phil Alden
Robinson, starring Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan). This
story of a man whose personal – and unspoken – agony over
10 WRITING THE FANTASY FILM " JAK

never reconciling with his father leads him on a magical journey

to peace. Very few people haven’t experienced the feeling of “if
only I’d done such-and-such” when they think of a friend or rel-
ative who has passed away.

Dramatic Fantasies, as I said, are about being human. No mat-

ter what type of magic exists in the story, a unicorn, a whisper
on the wind or a bumbling angel, the reality of the human con-
dition is what moves the story along. These are good date
movies, but the stories are strong enough that men can relate to
them, and touchy-feely enough for women to enjoy. Because
they are somewhat intimate, the budgets can be smaller and the
stories often give actors a chance to do some solid work.

For a first-time Fantasy writer a little afraid of the genre, a

Dramatic Fantasy could be a good way to ease into it.

Parody/Comedy Fantasies
Comedy is magic in its own right, and movies that use magic as
the catalyst to comedy sparkle like the gems many of them are.
The Witches (1990, book by Roald Dahl, screenplay adaptation
by Allan Scott, directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Anjelica
Huston and Jasen Fisher) is a delightfully funny, and slyly
empowering film about one little boy’s fight against a group of
bad witches. Of course, that fight is hindered when he’s turned
into a very cute little mouse. For me the movie had a “yes, I can,
yes, I can” message to it. Lots of laughs, but lots to think about,
at the same time.

Harvey (1950, stage play by Mary Chase, screenplay adaptation

by Mary Chase, Oscar Brodney and Myles Connolly [uncredited],
 WHAT IS FANTASY ? 11

directed by Henry Koster, starring Jimmy Stewart and Harvey,

the invisible six-foot rabbit). It’s not hard to understand why the
play this delightful movie is based on was awarded a Pulitzer
Prize. Your main visible character is a man who tipples a little
and converses with a Puca (a mischievous Irish spirit/sprite)
who looks like a six-foot tall rabbit and is named Harvey. The
unseen Harvey makes folkloric, but astute, observations about
the people around him. The comments are then relayed by
Elwood (Stewart’s character.) There is some question as to
whether or not the observations are actually Harvey’s or
Elwood’s until the very end of the movie. It may seem that the
movie is a piece of fluff, but, as with all good comedy, there are
layers to be discovered.

Comedy is always good at the box office, whether it has magic

in it or not. If anything, magic gone wrong can heighten the
comedy. If you like writing Comedy, and you want to try
Fantasy, this might be the way to go. Comedies are also good
date movies and good family movies.

Adventure Fantasies
Who can resist a good action-adventure film with daring heroes
and plenty of action? When this type of film is done well it’s
worth every penny of its ticket price. Stories of heroic heroes,
gutsy gals, and sneaky villains are only heightened by the addi-
tion of magical machinations.

Although the 1932 version of The Mummy (story by Nina

Wilcox Putnam and Richard Schayer, screenplay by John
Balderston, directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff)
was meant as a horror film, the 1999 version (screenstory by
12 WRITING THE FANTASY FILM " JAK

Stephen Sommers, Lloyd Fonvielle, and Kevin Jarre, screenplay

by Stephen Sommers, directed by Stephen Sommers and star-
ring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz ) and the 2001 The
Mummy Returns (written and directed by Stephen Sommers,
starring Fraser and Weisz) are both balls-out action-adventure
movies that hearken back to the daring-do swashbuckling films
popularized by Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Errol Flynn.
Excellent CGI effects, fun stories, characters you like, and
actors obviously having a heck of a good time all contribute to
the movies’ ability to thrill. The Indiana Jones and Star Wars
series kicked off the return of this style and I, for one, can only
hope it continues for a long time. Of course I would put Pirates
of the Caribbean in the same category.

This type of Fantasy’s main purpose is to tell a darned good tale

and keep you entertained. It can be expensive, but it’s both a
good date and family movie. Single men will go for the CGI and
adventure and women will go for the hero and gutsy heroine.

Mythic Fantasies
From the Inuit story of the Raven to the Greek and Roman
Myths, Mythic Fantasies recount ancient stories. Every so often
these Fantasies are produced but the genre has not found a
huge following, unless you’re a fan the of Ray Harryhausen
films like Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts; which
are in a class of their own. I find it a shame that so many won-
derful myths from all over the world are rarely done. With the
present state of CGI, they could be quite spectacular.

Unfortunately “Toga” movies, as I’ve often heard Mythic

Fantasies called, have the bad rap of being stiffly acted (usually
 WHAT IS FANTASY ? 13

vehicles for busty, but-not-too-talented, actresses, or well-mus-

cled, but-not-too-talented, actors) with effects that are clunky
and lacking. These movies have their devotees (I consider them
a guilty pleasure) but rarely obtain “blockbuster” status.
However, the popularity of the TV series Hercules and Xena,
Princess Warrior may or may not see a revival. The TV shows
proved that the characters could have appeal if they were made
to cater to modern audiences.

Bollywood’s movies, although not in the mainstream of

American tastes, often recount ancient Myth.

Fairy Tale Fantasies

Of course, these films are based wholly, or loosely, on well-
known Fairy Tales from every culture in the world. What differ-
entiates them from Mythic Fantasies is that they generally con-
cern characters who are not god-like and are intended, most
often, to be morality tales. I once had a friend tell me she
refused to read Fairy Tales (especially the ones by the Brothers
Grimm) to her children because they were so frightening. I don’t
think she liked my “but that’s the point” answer. But, that is the
point to these stories — they are meant to teach the conse-
quences of bad behavior.

Fairy Tales, especially animated ones with music, have been

popular for a long time — that’s why they’re done over and over
again. Purists would prefer to see the stories told as they were
meant to be, but most of the time they’re “PCed.” The lesson
the story is telling remains, but it is not relayed quite so grue-
somely as the original tale. The live-action versions are often
musicals and star up-and-coming young singer/starlets.
14 WRITING THE FANTASY FILM " JAK

An excellent non-mainstream version of a classic Fairy Tale is

La Belle et la bête (1946, story adaptation of Jeanne-Marie
Leprince de Beaumont’s Beauty and the Beast by Jean Cocteau,
directed by Jean Cocteau and an uncredited René Clément, and
starring Jean Marais and Josette Day). The acting style is very
staged in contrast to today’s more natural film style and may
put a few people off. Also the subtitles leave a lot to be desired,
but the story is portrayed in a dark and surreal manner, making
it not only worthwhile to study, but quite interesting.

The 1997 version of Snow White, A Tale of Terror (story by the

Bros. Grimm, screenplay by Tom Szollosi and Deborah Serra,
directed by Michael Cohn, starring Sigourney Weaver and
Sam Neill) is one of the best warnings against jealousy and
vanity I’ve ever seen. The sequence of Ms. Weaver eating stew
she believes to be made from Snow White’s body will make
you squirm.

Adapting a Fairy Tale can be tricky because the stories are so

well known. If you’re determined to write a spec script based on
a famous Fairy Tale, you might want to consider approaching
the story in a different manner, such as doing Snow White from
the dwarves’ perspective. Fairy tales have built-in audiences
both with adults remembering the stories and movies of their
childhood, and children whose parents and teachers have read
the stories to them.

Futuristic Fantasies
Normally, you think of stories set in the future as being Science
Fiction, but they don’t have to be. As there are people actively
practicing magic today, why would anyone think there wouldn’t
 WHAT IS FANTASY ? 15

be practitioners in the future? I also doubt that stories about

long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night won’t
be around then, either. I might even go so far as to predict that
as long as there will be magical moments no one can explain,
there will always be oracles, spiritualists, astrologers, and
witches.

Star Wars (1977 written and directed by George Lucas, starring

Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher) and all its
sequels and prequels may be set in that futuristic-looking
galaxy far, far away but strip away the space travel and
machines and all the heroes really have to win their battles are
their determination, their wits, and the use of “The Force.”

“The Force,” as Ben Obi-Wan Kanobi tells young Luke

Skywalker, is in everything, from the rocks to all living things. It
is an energy source that can be manipulated by individuals and
can be used for good or evil. That’s about as organic a magic as
you can get, and it illustrates that magic is magic, no matter if
it’s used in ancient times, present times, or in the future.

Because there are not many Futuristic Fantasies (I certainly

haven’t seen many) the field is wide open for writers. These
films can be good date and family films, but very expensive to
produce. However, if you love futuristic stories and can find a
way to integrate elements of Fantasy, there’s no reason why you
shouldn’t give this genre a try.

Coming of Age/Children Fantasy

My favorite, for this sub-genre, is The Indian in the Cupboard
(1995, novel by Lynne Reid Banks, screenplay by Melissa
16 WRITING THE FANTASY FILM " JAK

Mathison, directed by Frank Oz, starring Hal Scardino and

Litefoot). A gentle story, it covers serious issues that all children
face at some point in their young lives: learning responsibility,
choosing what is right over what you want, and learning how to
understand another person.

Big (1988, written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg, directed

by Penny Marshall, starring Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Perkins)
albeit very funny, is also an excellent coming of age story, both
for the Tom Hanks character, Josh and the Elizabeth Perkins
character Susan.

This type of Fantasy makes an excellent date and family movie,

and can often be done on a smaller budget. An inherent danger
in the Coming of Age/Children’s Fantasy is that its charm can
get a little too sugary for some people’s tastes. But, we all can
do with a spoonful of sugar now and then, can’t we?

Crime/Mystery Fantasy
Fantasy partners well with Crime and Mystery. After all, what’s
more mysterious than a strange and unusual occurrence? The
characters immediately are in conflict, one trying to keep the
mysterious happening hidden and the other trying to find out
what’s going on. A simple concept, but with magic adding so
much more to it.

I’ve listed Highlander (1986, written by Gregory Widen, screen-

play by Gregory Widen, Peter Bellwood, and Larry Ferguson,
directed by Russell Mulcahy, starring Christopher Lambert and
Sean Connery) under this heading. People are being beheaded
and The Highlander, Connor MacLeod, knows what’s going on
and why. It’s up to a young policewoman to find out what he
 WHAT IS FANTASY ? 17

knows. In her investigation she gets drawn into a power struggle

between immortals.

The Shadow (1937, 1940, 1994, original stories by Walter B.

Gibson [under the name Maxwell Grant] 1994 screenplay by
David Koepp, directed by Russell Mulcahy, starring Alec
Baldwin, Penelope Ann Miller). I recently watched the 1994
version again and liked it as much this fourth or fifth time
around, as I did the first time in the theater. The main fantasy
aspect of this movie is Lamont Cranston’s (and the villain’s)
ability to use hypnosis on unsuspecting people near him.
Despite the fact that he could make people do anything he
wants them to, he only uses his unique powers to fight the bad
guys. In the meantime, the city buzzes around him, wondering
who this shadowy, mysterious figure is.

And lastly, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002, novels by J.K.
Rowling, screenplays by Steve Kloves, directed by Chris
Columbus, starring Daniel Radcliffe) are good, old-fashioned
children’s mysteries delightfully spiced with magic spells, float-
ing ghosts, and fierce beasties. Maybe it’s the mystery aspect of
the stories, but I find the books and movies are enjoyed equal-
ly by Fantasy and non-Fantasy fans.

Mystery Fantasies reach a wide audience and can be dark, or

just plain entertaining. The danger in this type of script is in
going too far with the magic. You need to focus on the mystery
part of the story, allowing the fantasy to add to, rather than
overpower, it. Depending on the subject of the mystery (and
how grisly or non-grisly it is) this can be a good date movie or a
good family film.