Comments on: The “Oral History” format http://www.writingiscake.com/2008/05/27/the-oral-history-format/ That tasty, tasty hobby... Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:59:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Michael Avolio http://www.writingiscake.com/2008/05/27/the-oral-history-format/comment-page-1/#comment-1195 Michael Avolio Sun, 05 Jun 2011 09:10:32 +0000 http://www.writingiscake.com/?p=40#comment-1195 I realize this post is several years old, but I just read it and had something small to contribute... Scorsese's film Casino uses a complex narrative with voiceovers from two (well, three, but the third only has voiceover in one scene) different characters to adapt Pileggi's oral history non-fiction book. Actually, to be more accurate, I believe the film was actually based on Pileggi's research for the book (his tapes, notes, etc.), and he wound up finishing writing the book after he and Scorsese had finished writing the screenplay. But, regardless, Casino is a good example of a film made from oral history. (I haven't read Wiseguy, Pileggi's book that GoodFellas is based on, so I don't know if that, too, is an oral history, but the storytelling style for GoodFellas is basically the same, though a bit more linear narratively.) I realize this post is several years old, but I just read it and had something small to contribute… Scorsese’s film Casino uses a complex narrative with voiceovers from two (well, three, but the third only has voiceover in one scene) different characters to adapt Pileggi’s oral history non-fiction book. Actually, to be more accurate, I believe the film was actually based on Pileggi’s research for the book (his tapes, notes, etc.), and he wound up finishing writing the book after he and Scorsese had finished writing the screenplay. But, regardless, Casino is a good example of a film made from oral history. (I haven’t read Wiseguy, Pileggi’s book that GoodFellas is based on, so I don’t know if that, too, is an oral history, but the storytelling style for GoodFellas is basically the same, though a bit more linear narratively.)

]]> By: M. Jaynes http://www.writingiscake.com/2008/05/27/the-oral-history-format/comment-page-1/#comment-70 M. Jaynes Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:29:32 +0000 http://www.writingiscake.com/?p=40#comment-70 You know, I too like the oral history format but it reminds me of Italo Calvino's If On A Winter's Night where the reader can never really nail down the 'real' author because the writer keeps 'killing' him off. I was curious to know with which character Palahnuik most identified or most lent his 'voice' to and just when I thought I had found it...bam! it was gone again. It did make for very interesting reading though and I may try to play with the format a bit. You know, I too like the oral history format but it reminds me of Italo Calvino’s If On A Winter’s Night where the reader can never really nail down the ‘real’ author because the writer keeps ‘killing’ him off. I was curious to know with which character Palahnuik most identified or most lent his ‘voice’ to and just when I thought I had found it…bam! it was gone again. It did make for very interesting reading though and I may try to play with the format a bit.

]]> By: roger http://www.writingiscake.com/2008/05/27/the-oral-history-format/comment-page-1/#comment-61 roger Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:40:49 +0000 http://www.writingiscake.com/?p=40#comment-61 nice post. i started world war z last year but got distracted. i enjoyed the format very much, it is tough to do in movie format, usually it is used to get things started or minimally inserted, cannot think of a film that uses it from start to finish. nice post. i started world war z last year but got distracted. i enjoyed the format very much, it is tough to do in movie format, usually it is used to get things started or minimally inserted, cannot think of a film that uses it from start to finish.

]]> By: Jeff http://www.writingiscake.com/2008/05/27/the-oral-history-format/comment-page-1/#comment-60 Jeff Wed, 28 May 2008 04:22:31 +0000 http://www.writingiscake.com/?p=40#comment-60 The oral history format really intimidates me as a writer. I liked Rant quite a bit, and hear that Chuck Palahniuk's new book, Snuff, is in the same format but with even more characters. A few times in Rant I would think that maybe he was cheating in mushing characters together, but then I'd see the different dialect, cadence, or catch phrase that set them apart from the others. I wonder if they are written all at once then divided up later just to keep the author sane. The oral history format really intimidates me as a writer. I liked Rant quite a bit, and hear that Chuck Palahniuk’s new book, Snuff, is in the same format but with even more characters.

A few times in Rant I would think that maybe he was cheating in mushing characters together, but then I’d see the different dialect, cadence, or catch phrase that set them apart from the others. I wonder if they are written all at once then divided up later just to keep the author sane.

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