Bitter Lake

[altivo]

Tonight we watched the DVD of Bitter Lake, the furry/fursuit movie that was released at EF this summer. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but overall I have to say it is well done. I'm sure the production had a tight budget and very limited shooting schedule, but on the whole it is professional and easy to watch. Some glitches in the fight scenes and a few lines delivered a bit too unrealistically can be forgiven in the context.

The story is almost Shakespeare-like in subject and character, if not in language. It's a tragedy that could have been developed a bit more given time, but the concept is whole and effective. Well worth seeing if you haven't yet done so. And if you see it on DVD, don't skip the "Behind the Scenes" selection.

I won't deliver any spoilers beyond saying that the furry nature of the characters didn't seem to stand for a lot. The story might as well have been told with humans in the same sort of medieval setting. This doesn't detract from the eye candy of the sets and backdrops or the fursuits themselves, however. Rating: three and a half apples. Higher on production values, lower on writing.

A typical Monday otherwise. Too long, too dull, and too much of a letdown from the weekend.

Gary has spotted a cat on the shelter website that just possibly might be our "disappeared" Rickitoo. He plans to run over tomorrow and see if he can find out. How the cat got picked up 20 miles from here is hard to fathom, though he was excessively friendly and bold and had in the past jumped right into people's cars. If he did that at some neighbor's place he might have gotten a free ride.

Comments

[avon_deer]

I was quite impressed with it as well. Though sometimes I found the story a bit hard to follow.

True the nature of their species had little to do with the plot, but it served it's purpose of transporting the viewer to another world.

[altivo]

The story wasn't adequately fleshed out. I find this to be a common problem with film, and especially films that are written for the screen. It's caused by the rush to get to the camera, before the whole idea has been laid out on paper, I think. (Happens in films that came from books too, but there it's because they trimmed too much material out.)

The underlying plot is sound, though depressing. In essence it tells us that in a furry world, human weaknesses, greed, and the lust for power will be no different than they are in a human-dominated environment. That disappoints me a great deal.

The story could be developed with more detail and background. I feel as if what we saw was an elaborately mounted story board for a longer and more detailed film. These characters need individual backgrounds and also need to develop and change in their interactions with each other. We see only the tiniest hint of that.

Was it another world? I wanted it to be, but in the end, I felt as if it really was just humans wearing costumes. And the reason? They acted just like humans do in such situations. Whether you observe modern politics or study medieval or classical history, you see the same scenarios acted out over and over again.

Production values were high for a brief, underfunded feature. I enjoyed seeing the fursuits in action and working against the backdrops. I just felt that the storyline needed more.

[avon_deer]

Well to me, the most interesting aspects of anthro stories is the discussions that arise concerning the differences and similarities between a society of evolved apes, and a society of evolved {insert your preference here}

What would seem alien to me as a human, and what would seem familiar, and indeed depressingly familiar. It is probably fair to say that any sufficiently evolved species has to go through an extended period of excessive competition brought on be the lust for power and influence. With this in mind, perhaps it is not so surprising that at a medieval level of development a race of evolved canines/felines/etc would suffer from the same evils that the human race suffered from, and continues to suffer from. Depressing as it may sound.

However I also feel that this is only a phase, and eventually any sufficiently developed culture WILL eventually grow out of it. Some quicker than others.

[altivo]

Well, if we look at Bitter Lake in terms of a society of evolved [insert species here] then we are missing some information to predict exactly what will happen. However, two of the four envoys were clearly wolves even though one of them seemed to have horns or antlers of some sort. Their social behavior ought to devolve from pack instinct, which should have resolved their conflict long before twelve years had passed. The other two were a fox and a goat/antelope of some sort. The herd behavior of the herbivore does largely fit with the historic background, what little of it we get, of her people's part in the bickering. A fox would usually be for himself, not even for the group of individuals that occupy his province. That the fox should be the minion of a wolf may fit furry sexual mythology, but it doesn't fit fox or wolf behavior very well.

I think the story could be made coherent based on species instinctive behaviors but there was no real attempt to do so that I could see. Making it more sensible might still lead to the same ending, but the interactions of the envoys would have been significantly changed in at least some cases.

Consider, as a better example I think, the way in which Kyell Gold's political characters, the various lords and nations in Argaea, interact. Species specific attitudes and responses often play an important role there.

[schnee]

I watched both the movie and the behind-the-scenes at EF (and bought the DVD). :) The plot was not the strongest, perhaps, but other than, it really was very enjoyable, wasn't it?

[altivo]

Yes, it was enjoyable, but rather disappointing in many respects. See my note to Avon above. Cinematography, music, and design were excellent for the budget, but the writing and delivery needs work. I also have to say that even with my aversion for scenes of violence, and my general lack of hand-to-hand combat knowledge, I saw any number of errors that characters with this level of proficiency simply would not have made. I have non-furry friends who take some interest in furry writing and art, but most of them will scoff at this film because of the combat depictions.

[songdogmi.livejournal.com]

I'm curious about Bitter Lake. If they come close to evoking the right atmosphere, that might be all I need to enjoy it even if I notice the writing issues.

Do you think any of your stories have the potential to be turned into a film on the scale of Bitter Lake? I am not asking to put you on the spot, by any means. It's just that I know your writing is good and explores themes that aren't necessarily so human (at least not so war-like).

[altivo]

I assume you've read my more detailed comments here. The DVD is available in the US from furplanet.com for $20. I doubt you'll see it on Netflix or in RedBox. ;p

There are a couple of trailers floating around on the web, and at least one of them is linked on the Furplanet site. I think most of the production crew are professional workers in the film field. I know the sound track composer is a pro, and he did a very fine job.

I'd say they evoke the atmosphere pretty well, there's just a tendency to rush the details. The costumes are good, the photography is very professional. The acting is sometimes a bit stiff. I expect we will see more from this team, and that they will improve over time.

The story is pretty basic. A king and his council are overturned by assassination, throwing the land into chaos. Four rival provinces have been fighting each other for twelve years, and at last their representatives meet at Bitter Lake to discuss peace and arrive at an agreement. Treachery is afoot, of course, and in true Shakespearean fashion, by the end "Everyone is bleeding and dying and dead... what fun they are having! Wouldn't you like to have fun like that?" My answer? "Uh, no, actually."

[songdogmi.livejournal.com]

I see the running time is 45 minutes, which seems as if it would force things to rush along in the story. It's good to hear there is some good quality aspects in the overall production and that it might lead to more.

"Wouldn't you like to have fun like that?" Not even at Halloween? :)

[altivo]

Oh, I'll get into the costuming and play-acting any time, not just at Halloween.

As for the weapons play, no. It's just not for me. Violence and sex are cheap attention getters, but like that tale told by an idiot, in the end they don't amount to much message.

[altivo]

Oh, and thanks for the compliments on my writing. I don't write with film in mind. and I would dislike the way film-making abridges things and would surely omit the details I feel are most important. But it's highly unlikely that my stories would ever get to film. I could imagine them as audiobook or even radio play format, though.

[songdogmi.livejournal.com]

It seems the ideal thing would be to write the story specifically for film, so the advantages and properties of film could be more naturally worked into the writing. I've seen stories turned into good films, but a lot of others get hacked to bits and outright changed in the process.

The only problem with an audio book or radio play is, you can't see the fursuits. :)

[altivo]

Ah, but in a book you can't see the fursuit either. I'll give you two reasons for that.

First, it isn't really a fursuit. It's the character's own skin, a part of him or her, and just one element in the overall story. Unlike Hollywood, the author doesn't have to spend millions on costumes and makeup that distract from the real message.

Second, it's the author's job to make you aware that the character looks different, thinks in other modes, and isn't really human. If the story is properly written, though you may well be "seeing" the character in your mind's eye, you won't be thinking of it as a costume.

Film succeeds best at this task when it's animated, I think. Only rarely do furry costumes in film succeed for me and become something other than a costume. One of the rare exceptions is Chewbacca in the original Star Wars series. And in spite of that, I would seriously dread a film version of C. J. Cherryh's Pride of Chanur and its sequels. The costuming would almost inevitably be a distraction from the reality of the alien races in the books, no matter how much they look like anthropomorphic lions, crocodiles, or apes.