My initial ideas for this project are based around the idea of two people meeting that have never met each other before. I want to create a story about two characters, that have never met before, who become trapped in one space together and begin to get to know one another. The idea that one of those people knows more than the other one does also interests me. Two scenes that came to mind were: When John Watson meets Sherlock and When Young Amy meets the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith).
Both of these shows have come from the same man: Steven Moffat.
And the episodes in question are:
- Sherlock "A Study in Pink"
- Doctor Who "The Eleventh Hour"
Who is Steven Moffat?
Steven is a British TV screenwriter and producer who is most well know for creating Sherlock (2010, with help from Mark Gatiss) and Doctor Who (as of 2010, taking over from Russell T Davies). In his time he has also created dramas such as Press Gang (1989) and sitcoms like Joking Apart (1993). As well as this he co-wrote The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011), a film directed by my favourite director Steven Spielberg!
So why have I chosen to look at Steven Moffat? Well, it's because I like the way he mixes serious drama with a little hint of comedy every now and then. He has a way of creating a great storyline that leaves time for humour and the occasional awkward meeting. Doctor Who and Sherlock both contain great examples of this. I like how he can pull the audience in and make them think like the characters he has created do. When it comes to mixing clever stories with dark themes, he's the man to go to.
Overall he is a brilliant writer and some of my favourite tv moments have come from his pen.
Sherlock: When John Watson meets Sherlock
I decided to watch this scene from Sherlock because it made me think about the awkwardness a conversation can have when you first meet someone, especially when they seem to know more about you than you think they do. The scene is question is this one from season 1, episode 1:
In this scene John meet Sherlock for the first time and is confused by the information he seems to know. Somehow Sherlock knows a lot of information about John, even though they've never met.
Sherlock does most of the talking in the scene and every line he says meaning, there is no wasted dialogue. At no point does he give John time to answer any questions or ask him anything about who he is or what he does. Sherlock does not acknowledge John when he walks into the room because he is still deciding whether he can be trusted or not. Although this is not said, it is made clear by the way he speaks to Mike first and then interacts with John after he offers him his phone.
I like the way this scene was written and the way the pace increases as it moves along. I like the way that Sherlock interacts with John, at no point does he explain how he knows everything, instead he leave the explaining until a future meeting. He avoids answering any of Johns questions until he eventually just tells John everything he knows about him and John is surprised. The scene is written in a brilliant manner. It perfectly sets up the two characters. We learn a lot about John's past and a lot about the awkward manner in which Sherlock interacts with people. There is a good mix of comedy, drama and awkwardness which I want to use in my story. I want my work to have a similar feel to it where one person knows more than the other, and even though the two characters are complete opposites, they actually fit together rather well.
Doctor Who: When Young Amy meets the Eleventh Doctor
This scene from Doctor who makes me think about the feeling you get when you meet someone you know who you feel like you already know, and again in this case they already know something about you. The scene is question is:
In this scene young Amy is trying to find something for the new Doctor (Matt Smith) to eat, but he hates everything she gives him, even though seconds before he said he liked it.
The scene perfectly mixes serious drama and comedy. It begins with the comedy element, The Doctor getting rid of every food he hates, and ends with a serious element, the audience discovering that Amy has no parents and Amy discovering that The Doctor knows about the crack in her wall. Again there is a moment when one character knows something about the other character and this other character is shocked by that. Matt Smith's performance is key to the scene because there is a sense of him not knowing much about himself (not knowing what food he likes) which is similar to the audience not knowing anything about him (as he was not a well known actor).
This scene has influenced my own thought process because it perfectly mixes comedy and drama and goes from one element to another in a really smooth manner. I like the way that Moffat has written enough dialogue to tell us something about the new doctor but also not give too much away. I also like the way that young Amy does everything The Doctor asks her to do even though she has never met him before; I guess in a way she feels like she has. As the two are sitting face to face, I like the way the comedic element has been put on top of a serious scene. The Doctor begins to ask young Amy about her life and we as an audience learn that she has no parents (a serious element). At the same time the audience is still chuckling at Matt who is eating fishfingers and custard (an odd but satisfying mix). The scene then takes a sudden turn when The Doctor mentions the crack in young Amy's wall and there is a clear look of shock on her face. At this point the dramatic part of the story overtakes the comedic element. This is similar to how John looks and feels when Sherlock asks him about the war. Both times the drama is created by the character asking a simple question:
"Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall?"- Doctor Who
"Afghanistan or Iraq?"- Sherlock
Conclusion
The two scenes I have looked at will heavily influence my final story in terms of the writing style and how comedy and drama are mixed, as well as the use of questions to shock or surprise other characters and create a feeling of awkwardness, something that Steven Moffat does very well.
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