‘The Shining’ and the ‘Room 237′ Code

With the theatrical release of the movie Room 237 probing the many real and fantastical interpretations of The Shining, I couldnʼt resist doing some concept modeling on The Shining itself for two reasons: (1) The Shining is a good example of what concept is. (2) The Shining is a good example of what concept is not. And that contradiction is the key to the difference between concept structure and story

I was going to write a review of The Lone Ranger, but I am sure you have read enough of them. Perhaps we can do something a bit more positive: If it didnʼt succeed, how can we learn from that? After all, the team that made it are great at what they do, so is there anything we can all learn to simply make better films going forward? But before

Iʼll make you an offer you still canʼt refuse, even after 40 years. After reading this, go ahead: bet someone that they canʼt tell you the true concept at the core of The Godfather movies. Iʼve never lost this bet. Like drawing an innocent but ambitious young man into the inner circle of the Don himself, it is a little hard to resist, isnʼt it? Because we all kind of

What are Film Concept Models? Based on Winston Perezʼs Concept Modeling work, these are cutting edge analysis tools on the raw material or basic ideas that glue a film together; he assesses all the ideas that lie underneath the story, plot and character. He calls it the stuff the audience intuits within a story. Shakespeare was a concept guy. It is a big part of what made him great. Much

Kryptonite is what makes Superman, well, super! No, not just that green crystalline stuff that is a remnant from his dying planet. The concept of Kryptonite – the weakness it creates. The struggle it engenders. The mounds and tonnage of ill effects it unleashes faster than a speeding bullet. Kryptonite. In Supermanʼs world, itʼs the diamond-hard stuff — pressed into shape by granite forces deep inside the crust of the