Marc Bernardin, Treadstone; Star Trek: Picard, shares insights on world building, discussing the process and challenges of creating a strong narrative, understanding the rules and politics within the story's world, and the importance of simplicity in storytelling. The guest also explores the impact of world complexity on the audience and highlights the excitement for the Lazarus Project, a British show that incorporates time travel and spies.
Defining boundaries and establishing rules are crucial in world-building for coherence and engagement.
The world a character inhabits should be determined by their story, with world-building information revealed gradually and serving the story and characters.
Deep dives
Craft Conversations and World Building
Craft conversations and world building are the focus of this podcast episode. The host explains that during the WGA Strike, he wanted to have shorter and focused conversations with guests about their craft. Writer Mark Bernardin kicks off the conversation by discussing the joys of world building. He emphasizes the importance of defining the boundaries and fabric of a fictional universe, whether it's terrestrial, magical, science fiction, or horror. Bernardin shares his experiences working on shows like Castle Rock, where he and his colleagues delved into the world of Stephen King's storytelling. He highlights the significance of establishing rules and restrictions within a fictional world to maintain coherence and engage the audience. Bernardin also shares insights into his own world building process and the challenges and rewards of creating new and unique worlds.
Character as the Starting Point for World Building
The podcast delves into the relationship between character and world building. Bernardin emphasizes that a character's story often determines the kind of world they should inhabit. He shares examples from his own writing, including a pilot set in an alternate history where chattel slavery never occurred. He explains how the absence of slavery shaped the world and its implications for society, economics, and culture. Bernardin also discusses the importance of restricting the amount of world-building information revealed in a story, allowing the audience and the character to discover the world through the character's journey and interactions. He emphasizes that the world-building should serve the story and the characters, rather than becoming mere window dressing.
Lessons from Existing Worlds and Legacy Media
The podcast explores working on shows and properties with existing worlds, such as Star Trek and Star Wars. Bernardin discusses the challenges and opportunities of bending established worlds. He shares experiences with canonical restrictions and collaborating with licensors to define and expand the boundaries of the world. Bernardin highlights the importance of finding new angles and filling gaps within the lore, while still honoring the essence of the existing world. He also mentions the value of limitations in the creative process and how working within restrictions allows for unique problem-solving and storytelling.
Balancing World Complexity with Story Simplicity
The podcast concludes with a discussion on balancing the complexity of world-building with story simplicity. Bernardin emphasizes the importance of limiting the information presented to the audience, allowing them to absorb and engage with the story effectively. He draws examples from films like Mad Max: Fury Road and The Wizard of Oz, highlighting how simple storylines can thrive within intricate and expansive worlds. Bernardin encourages storytellers to focus on what the audience can absorb and how characters navigate and interact with the world, rather than overwhelming them with unnecessary details. He concludes by recommending the TV show The Lazarus Project, which combines time travel, spies, and personal investment as a compelling example of world-building in television.
In a craft-centered episode, Marc Bernardin (Treadstone; Star Trek: Picard) discusses world building.
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