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For more "making of" information, there's a lot of material online about Eric Heisserer who wrote the script (based on Ted Chiang's story.) Heisserer did a rec

by theoh 10y ago

For more "making of" information, there's a lot of material online about Eric Heisserer who wrote the script (based on Ted Chiang's story.) Heisserer did a recent Reddit AMA: https://m.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5ay3h2/im_eric_heisserer_writerexec_producer_of_arrival/ https://m.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5ay3h2/im_eric_heissere... It's a bit unfortunate that Heisserer made the visual design choice of a circle as the basis of nonlinear writing. It's a little trite. Overall, I'm thinking that maybe this story didn't need to be visually realized, even if it's a good script. A radio play instead?

taliesinb 10y ago
When I came back from watching "Arrival" I immediately looked Heisserer up, thinking "this guy did his job well, he must be behind some other interesting movies". Yeah. "Final Destination 5", "The Thing" remake. Makes you wonder how many very talented people are stuck doing shitty things in any industry because things just didn't line up for them. At least they have for Heisserer, now. He's like the inverse of Lindelof, who turned out after all the hype to be a phony.
- dmarusic16 10y ago
  So much credit goes to Villeneuve, who elevates scripts that could easily go wrong into works of art. See Sicario if you haven't, for example—a script that would have been a pedestrian drug war film in lesser hands.
- bhauer 10y ago
  Hours (2013) with Paul Walker was quite good [1]. As far as I can tell, having followed this writer for a while, a lot comes down to opportunity and demonstrating talent within the spaces you are given opportunities. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hours_(2013_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hours_(2013_film)
StavrosK 10y ago
I don't know what the alien script in the movie looked like, but in the book (if I remember correctly) they started out from a point and spread outwards, drawing connectedly on the entire page.
- JohnStrange 10y ago
  It's similar in the movie, the writing is very beautiful and alien. Whoever invented it did a fantastic job.
- munchbunny 10y ago
  It's different, but it works. I think (pure speculation) they changed the visual process because watching it written the way it was done in the written story would have taken too long on film. In writing you can compress time easily. On film you really have to maximize usage of time.

by theoh 10y ago

taliesinb 10y ago

When I came back from watching "Arrival" I immediately looked Heisserer up, thinking "this guy did his job well, he must be behind some other interesting movies". Yeah. "Final Destination 5", "The Thing" remake. Makes you wonder how many very talented people are stuck doing shitty things in any industry because things just didn't line up for them. At least they have for Heisserer, now. He's like the inverse of Lindelof, who turned out after all the hype to be a phony.

dmarusic16 10y ago
So much credit goes to Villeneuve, who elevates scripts that could easily go wrong into works of art. See Sicario if you haven't, for example—a script that would have been a pedestrian drug war film in lesser hands.
bhauer 10y ago
Hours (2013) with Paul Walker was quite good [1]. As far as I can tell, having followed this writer for a while, a lot comes down to opportunity and demonstrating talent within the spaces you are given opportunities. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hours_(2013_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hours_(2013_film)

StavrosK 10y ago

I don't know what the alien script in the movie looked like, but in the book (if I remember correctly) they started out from a point and spread outwards, drawing connectedly on the entire page.

JohnStrange 10y ago
It's similar in the movie, the writing is very beautiful and alien. Whoever invented it did a fantastic job.
munchbunny 10y ago
It's different, but it works. I think (pure speculation) they changed the visual process because watching it written the way it was done in the written story would have taken too long on film. In writing you can compress time easily. On film you really have to maximize usage of time.