Interesting works usually have some pain

Hello, this is Reiji Kuga.

I feel that interesting works always have some kind of "pain" somewhere. Recently, while writing scripts, I have become more conscious of this than ever before.

I try to move the characters, but it doesn't go well, and even when I write dialogue, it feels thin somehow. The plot seems to develop as it should, but when I reread it, something bothers me. I find myself falling into this state more and more often.

Even though it should work as a story, the characters don't feel alive. This sense of discomfort is quite frightening from the perspective of someone writing the script.

I have come to think that what is missing in those moments is not the setting, but the pain within that person.

The moment a character suddenly feels fake in a script

When writing a script, there are moments when a character suddenly feels fake. This is because, as an author, I inevitably have my own agenda: "I want them to act this way in this scene," "I want them to say this line," or "I want to lead the plot in this direction."

However, if that agenda comes to the forefront too much, the character ceases to be human. They become a being forced to get angry to advance the story, forced to cry to evoke emotion, and forced to make convenient decisions for the sake of the next plot point.

That is why, even if things go smoothly while writing, a sense of discomfort remains when I reread it.

Especially in mysteries, the focus can shift too much toward logic, leaving the character's heart behind. While it is certainly necessary to place foreshadowing, eliminate contradictions, and organize information, that alone does not make a story.

When I feel that a story is not interesting even though the logic holds up, I think one of the reasons is that the "reason why they absolutely must head in that direction" is weak.

The "pain" in creative theory is not about tragic backstories

When you hear the word pain, you might imagine a dark past, trauma, or a great loss. However, what I want to talk about here is something much smaller.

It includes words that couldn't be said, paths that couldn't be chosen, memories of not being acknowledged, and the feeling of not being able to forgive oneself.All of these are included.

Experiences of swallowing one's true feelings, regrets about not trying a little harder, or memories of failing to meet someone's expectations—there are things that remain in the heart even if they aren't major events.

Such small pains cast a shadow over a character's actions. However, it is dangerous to misunderstand this point.

Adding pain doesn't automatically make a story deeper, and making things tragic doesn't automatically create emotional impact. A style of writing that hurts characters just to make the audience cry will be felt by the viewers.

The moment they think, "Oh, they want me to cry here," a distance is created from the story.

Pain is not a decoration; I feel that the essence of a story lies in those troublesome parts—why they stop, or why they cannot move forward.

Rather than character settings, the paths not taken remain in the work

When creating characters, we set their age, personality, job, preferences, and so on. However, even if you stack these up, they sometimes don't feel alive.

On the other hand, there are characters that stay in your heart even without knowing their detailed profiles.

I think the difference lies in whether or not you can see 'what they couldn't choose.' It is said that people are made of what they have chosen, but at the same time, they are bound by what they could not choose.

It is because they have a past—things they couldn't say, places they couldn't go, or someone they couldn't protect—that their current choices change.

Even with the same action, if the background is different, the temperature changes, and depth is born there.

You don't need to explain everything. In fact, if you explain too much, it becomes thin.

Even if you don't say it in dialogue, it is enough to let it seep into silence or small decisions, and the viewer will sense it. I think that is where the space for imagination is created.

Even in metaverse dramas, what I wanted to see in the end was humanity

Currently, I am producing a metaverse drama. The format of avatars performing in a virtual space certainly has potential, and there are new possibilities, such as places that cannot be created in reality and spaces that remain.

However, there is a danger that it will end as just an 'interesting experiment' if that is all there is.

Even if people are interested at first, it might not stay in their hearts. I realize that, in the end, what people want to see is humanity.

Even if it is an avatar, it only becomes a story when the hesitation, weakness, and lingering attachments behind it are visible.

During filming, there are moments when the atmosphere changes just by the avatar being silent for a moment, and that is where humanity appears.

In 'Crossroad,' we also focus on the theme of choice.

When standing at a crossroads, what does a person choose? I am drawn to that small tremor. I feel that whether or not you can capture that tremor is more important than flashy events, and if you cannot do that, no matter how new the expression is, the work will remain weak.

What should remain in scripts in the age of AI

With AI, it has become easy to create videos, images, music, and text. I am surprised by that evolution, and I also feel the convenience of expressions that were difficult for individuals to achieve becoming realistic.

On the other hand, even if you can create something polished or atmospheric, whether it stays in the heart is a different matter.

Being able to create and being able to leave a lasting impression are different. I think this difference will become important from now on.

As the gap in superficial quality narrows, what remains will likely be things like a sense of discomfort, a snag, or emotions that could not be ignored.

Which pain to keep, what to trim, how much to explain, and where to stay silent. These are decisions that should remain in human hands.

Even as the scope of what we leave to AI increases, if we let go of the core of the story, it loses its weight.

In the end, I believe a process of touching the wound yourself is necessary. If you avoid that trouble, I feel the work loses its warmth.

Interesting works depict choices, not misfortune.

Saying that works with pain are interesting doesn't mean you should just write heavy stories. Simply lining up misfortunes will tire out the audience, and the approach of thinking that piling up painful events will create emotional impact will eventually be met with indifference.

Depicting pain is not about making things look pitiful, but about depicting the process of choices, such as whether to recover or whether to forgive.

It doesn't have to recover cleanly, and it doesn't have to reach a positive answer. Within small choices, what that person has carried with them seeps through.

The creator's own pain also seeps into the work, just a little.

These kinds of stories eventually come back to me as well. If there were no pain, I don't think I would have clung to storytelling this much, and my regrets and desire for expression are related to choosing the path of metaverse drama.

The reality is never pretty, with things like creating a work but having it not reach anyone, or the difficulty of attracting an audience.

In a situation where just making something doesn't mean it will be seen, and passion alone doesn't mean it will reach people, there is a feeling of being worn down.

Even so, perhaps it is precisely because of those worn-down parts that I am trying to write stories.

Having pain alone is not enough, and if you are weak, it won't reach anyone. Still, I feel that I cannot write stories from a place that has no friction at all.

Stories that stay in your heart touch your own wounds just a little.

There are times when you can't find the words immediately after finishing a work that stays in your heart. It's a feeling like something inside you is being touched before you can even form an impression.

Even if you haven't had the same experience, other memories or regrets are evoked, and the pain reaches you in a different form.

That is why I think stories are troublesome, and at the same time, interesting.

After all, interesting works have pain. That is not to make the work dark, but to make the people in it appear as if they are alive.

People continue to make choices while carrying something, and not everything disappears after they have chosen.

There are still scenes I can't write well, but while facing them without running away, I will touch the pain of someone in the story, and also touch my own pain.

I would like to continue this kind of work in the future.

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