Commenting on Comments - Intentionally Blank Ep. 185

[@leifsilver]

Guys... Treasure Planet is made by Disney too.

[@thegrossmeyer]

Yeah! I was wondering why they let this one in, it absolutely was a Disney movie. I think it is MUCH better than Titan AE, as a simple comparison, and would put it low in my A-tier of Disney animated movies (it's certainly not S-tier).

[@Ryotsu2112]

Yep, Disney put out the classic 1950 Treasure Island live action film, so this was a return to home of sorts for them.

[@patrickboyle1135]

Wait, Treasure Planet is Disney too. It was the passion project of the guys responsible for most of the Disney Renaissance movies that they finally got to make, they'd been campaigning to get to do it for years, if I remember correctly.

[@wolfbrother-nu1pr]

Was going to say this, glad someone already did.

[@brentclouse7791]

A Cosmere LEGO series would ruin my bank account haha

[@FirstOfTheMagi]

Need that Urithiru lego set

[@TheMFromTheCosmere]

DESPICABLE ME AND MEGAMIND ARE FIRE! Also, as someone who isn’t really a fan of legos, I’d LOVE to see some Cosmere sets!

[@Vikrumm]

just on the off chance that you’ll see this! i’ve watched all of your lectures and the way you explain the craft of writing makes it so accessible! here’s the question: how do you balance description in prose? for example, if you have a room, and people in the room, how do you know how much to describe what you can “see” in the room, without overloading the reader, but still creating a picture in their mind. how much is too much description, basically. and if the answer is just “be good at writing” then… lie to me.

[@fairiegirl2992]

Not Brandon, but a fellow writer wanting to help! The first thing is probably not what you want to hear but: practice. You'll start to develop a sense of what's important and what isn't as you write. Aside from that, if you want to describe a room, make a list for yourself of everything that's in the room. Then cut that list down to three to four things of what the character would consider important. For instance, if a character goes to a party, are they going to look for the food table first? Or look for a friend? Or are they introverted and looking for the nearest corner to hide in? Ground settings in the character's perspective and what they consider important. Secondly, start with the overall vibes of the setting and how it makes a character feel. Is it a safe place? Dangerous? Neutral? Then introduce the various details that either challenge that initial feel, or reaffirm it. Doing this can also help the pacing since you're not frontloading the details all at once. Start small and as the character perceives more, you can introduce more details. Especially details that relate to the character's background or expertise. Moving in a massive hallway of a castle? An architect would admire the buttresses and the carvings, maybe even admire the materials used; an assassin would be looking at all the shadowy corners to hide in, or where someone else might hide. Also, be aware that sometimes characters omit details because it's normal for them. What would your character consider commonplace, and what things do they do that show that? It's okay to leave a few details out and let readers fill in the gaps with the rest. You don't need to be perfectly accurate in every setting. I also tend to underwrite settings so this advice is as much for me as it is for you. I hope this helps! Good luck!

[@YouWinILose]

Dan's philosophy, which he's explained on Writing Excuses (which hopefully you're also enjoying) is to focus on what's strange or interesting about the room/setting. The current season of Writing Excuses no longer has Brandon, but they're doing deep dives.

[@DavidThorMoses]

I recommend Writing Excuses! Brandon did that podcast for a while, and it’s got great writing advice.

[@Asathegoopy]

Highlight experience, not place. What does the character notice. Think of what you would notice, or what’s in your head to point out. I usually give mundane details one or two sentences, or stuff with significance (or that the POV character really appreciates) time to breathe. But it should all tell the story, tell the characters, tell important geography etc. If you add too much, go ahead and edit it down. Or up, if that’s what you need.

[@godminnette2]

El Paso and Big Iron absolutely count as narrative songs; they're ballads!

[@TheRASDEL83]

Not into Legos but... a set of Szeth runing along the walls of a corridor while leaving guards killed behind would be incredible... My favorite prologue of all time in Lego form. So everytime we look at it we can go like: "Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar, wore white on the day he was to kill a king." 🤣

[@watcherofthewest8597]

Lego set of Brian Jacques Red Wall. The Abbey, logalogs water shrew camp, Salamandastron with badger lord and long patrol.

[@thewookieemaestro]

BIIIIG IIIIIIRON... BIG IRON...

[@Jay-yr9oi]

Pratchett was a big part of me getting back into reading, multiple times. I'd read a few Discworld books when I was younger, and my college roommate recommended a few more when I decided to get back into reading for pleasure over a spring break trip with my family. I later got back into them again when I was in the Peace Corps and found a few on the shelf of the library of our office lounge. Given how many there are, and how daunting that can seem, I definitely think picking a sub-series is the best way to start, rather than publication order, just to get it into a more manageable chunk.

[@OldRod99]

Yay for a Rush shoutout! :) As for a song that tells a story, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" has to be on the list

[@brett_zesty]

Lego Urithiru scaled like the lego Burj Khalifa at Legoland would be majestic

[@aaronharvey5625]

"Artisonal Ding-Dongs" is a fantastic bandname.

[@SoyElDiabloRojo]

I don’t often find myself in 100% complete and total agreement with Dan, but when I do, it’s regarding chile rellenos!

[@MrAlanCristhian]

You both are way nerdier than I thought and I love it

[@KoreaWithKids]

Popcorn popped on the stove in ghee is fantastic.

[@jakesteimle9850]

Laughed out loud at homemade artisanal ding-dongs

[@alonzomuncy4659]

A Cosmere lego set (or three) would be awesome.

[@laurentbercot3465]

Dan. For he food heist perpetrator. You had "Tequila Mockingbird" *right there*.

[@kaimcdragonfist4803]

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one! It’s so obvious!

[@SamBoyne]

Adore this series! Also omg love the lego set :D

[@thegreyinitiate3680]

I think the biggest disservice to any Shakespeare that someone could possible do is have a bunch of highschoolers read it out loud on their own. They don’t know the language or how to get the meaning out of the meter. In my English lit class, we watched Ian Mckellen and Judi Dench’s Macbeth, and it was utterly terrifying. Seeing it actually performed is an entirely different level of context. Also, my character name for every video game I have played for the last decade or so is “Elsinore”, after the city in Denmark that Hamlet takes place in.

[@Nafoolio]

Rare Dan win on his assessment of Rescuers: Down Under

[@terryschmitt8050]

Bringing up the Romeo and Juliet movie that is now legally classified as CP

[@Ben_5]

As someone named Ben, the ending was a touch unnerving.

[@officerreptar7886]

I've been a huge fan of your work, but I'm frustrated with the delays on my Amazon pre-order of Wind and Truth. I placed my order just minutes after the link went live on December 18, 2023, with an expected delivery of December 6, 2024. Since then, the date was pushed to December 10th, then to December 17th, and now Amazon has informed me that it could arrive anywhere between January and June 2025. As I live in a neighboring state, it's disheartening to wait 6-7 months post-release. Unfortunately, I no longer have the funds to purchase a copy elsewhere.

[@aguy3129]

Tequilla mocking bird

[@L1ghtweaver]

Just west of Bordeaux, south of Champaign, lies the beautiful region of Ding Dong, France.

[@WeAreIndividuals]

Split between listening to this or Wind and Truth

[@fether666]

Came for his popcorn takes, stayed for his books

[@MasterJack2]

A The Last Battle Lego set with 80 000 pieces would be great.

[@myrojyn]

I'd love more episodes like this

[@chaoticpoodle]

100s of Beavers proves that indie film making is here

[@Eval999]

WITH A BIG IRON ON HIS HIP. BIG IRON ON HIS HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP

[@pyredynasty]

No one ever perfoms it but my favorite Shakespeare play is As You Like It.

[@jamcdonald120]

11:45 good good, this is an asynchronous media

[@mrnobody-unowen]

If I ever had a celebrity, artisanal food, it would be a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese where the noodles are shaped like my face.

[@lizmadden3008]

I need a LEGO White Tower!

[@fether666]

The movie would be called “tequila mocking bird”.

[@usdutchkitty]

Brandon is forgetting that Hollywood would rather overspend on IPs that are “proven” rather risk the money for a new original idea. And that a lot of our movies are being reshoots two, three, or four times, driving the movie costs also.

[@mrnobody-unowen]

I love Shakespeare! But I will say, part of the reason it’s been so popular is because really good, deep stories were fairly rare at the time. It was the 1500s, after all.

[@mattthomas4024]

Midsummer Nights Dream is my favorite..also because of an absolutely stellar performance

[@DavidThorMoses]

Sandercorn! Also Dan should endorse coffins. Well’s Coffins.

[@colterjohnson1525]

Hamlet is the best because it's based on an old norse story lol

[@p-j-y-d]

On the first comment, The Mandalorian used Unreal for the "volume" set backgrounds, but still they used minis for the ships. They say there's something about it that's irreproducible in Unreal. What exactly? No idea.

[@benstapleton5319]

I was screaming The Body Electric when they mentioned a Rush song about robots

[@doctorandrewlapray5769]

2112 by Rush fits the bill for the narrative song that is fantastic!

[@Rennies-World]

Treasure Planet is actually marvelous!

[@Nafoolio]

You laugh, but there’s a big difference between artesian Ding Dongs and generic sparkling snack cakes

[@OldRod99]

There's also a big difference between Ding Dongs today and the foil-wrapped delicacies of my youth

[@BubbleSet]

Brandy Sanderson is a celebrity alcohol in a different universe.

[@Corvus-Moon]

I went to an Opera that was set to the story of Dracula.

[@mosspoet6143]

On the subject of narrative songs, Fool for Love by Lord Huron is a gem.

[@arcadelinkauthor]

34:00 But... Treasure Planet is also Disney lol

[@Rennies-World]

I would argue that Romeo and Juliet is the most famous of Shakespeare's plays.

[@BiscuitHouseInSpace]

Idea for the popcorn name: Cosmere Corn

[@carolinthegarden6084]

Zeffirell's Hamlet is the one with Mel Gibson. So good

[@Chmo4414]

OMG please release Brandon Sanderson Non-Alcoholic Wine!

[@Taters7410]

My dream lego set came to be with the legend of zelda set! Sadly it is like $300 and I don’t have the space in my small room for it 😂. But it is super cool cuz you can build either the ocarina of time version or the breath of the wild version. It comes with 3 versions of link; botw, adult OOT link, and young OOT link, along with zelda. It even has the little deku tree that shows in the credit roll!

[@andrewberenson5717]

Brandon should brand his own salt.

[@philippenachtergal6077]

28:18 That list is sadly partly bogus. That is, from what I have heard, it was originally made with way to little efforts to look elsewhere. Shakespeare used lots of neologisms, but not all of them where created by him. It's just that finding the previous uses can be tricky or impossible.

[@TheLakinessMonster]

Big Iron by Marty Robbins is the best narrative song. Texas Red was a son of a gun that got what was coming to him.

[@shughes5778]

I immediately went to old country. Johnny Cash has a few contenders for me. I prefer Big Iron as a song, but Boy Named Sue is the better story imo.

[@eileensaveall1199]

Cosmere Crunch...

[@chaddaniels8430]

Smokey Scadriel popcorn.

[@benotto3689]

What’s up boys!

[@TheAndroidNextDoor]

Surprised Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet didn't get mentioned.

[@Eduardo_SA_de_CV]

I must be out of touch because I didn’t know that celebrity alcohol was a trend. It's funny that I learned about it here, of all places."

[@DavidGFalzarano]

I get all my news from this podcast

[@grantstratton2239]

​@DavidGFalzarano I at least learn a lot about what is trendy for rich people. Also, tequila and coffee makes sense for celebrity businesses. I totally believe Hollywood, at least, knows what all the best drugs are. These are just (some of) the legal ones.

[@pretty5793]

17:16 Stormlight legos Please!!!

[@nickbreaux2635]

Big Iron 100% counts!

[@SergioTheDrifter]

if Brandon Sanderson had his own shill company it should be salt.

[@jacobharper4501]

The original Land Before Time and Anastasia are up there

[@Vampbat-cv8gp]

Sammy Hagar started making tequila in 1996 when he launched the Cabo Wabo brand.

[@Parmandur]

I comment on these all the time, bit frankly I would much rather vet another Sanderson novel than a response lol

[@gavinmoss3653]

please make a chilly lime popcorn

[@xintrosi6829]

Dan Wells's Well Water and Brandon Sanderwiches.

[@ed01987]

Treasure Planet was a Disney movie

[@LBailey-np3eb]

AHHHH I NEED COSMERE LEGOS

[@StormBlessedxo]

Please think of doing a Stormlight adaptation with Animation similar to style or direction as Arcane (League of Legends) on Netflix. I believe Stormlight and the Cosmere could benefit greatly with Imaginative CGI over live action. Love you Brando Sando

[@RyanJohnson1374]

Tequila Mockingbirds

[@MartinMCade]

Many of the heavily marketed tequila brands are terrible (IMHO), but I like the George Clooney brand. Not that it matters much to me, most (if not all) of my drinking days are behind me.

[@editing_in_action]

Can't believe they didn't mention Albuquerque for narrative songs

[@Lord_Brocktree]

Noises off! Set front and back for a Lego set.

[@melodymcdermott6565]

Sammy Hagar started the tend in 1997 with Cabo Wabo

[@UncalibratedAimbot]

Brandon is a hydro homie: confirmed

[@b3n835]

Brandon Sanderson branded water filters

[@dhLord64]

I do live action filmmaking and 3D Animation work and it's still quite difficult to make anything with even a small scope. I hate to say it but AI will help in that regard. That said, I feel it's something that should be sparingly used and not to replace actors and artists. It's SO expensive to hire people when you have no money as an indie filmmaker.

[@JimothyB]

Treasure Planet is perfect how dare you

[@PyroOfZen]

B.E.N drops it to near-flawless for me. An annoying inclusion in an otherwise perfect movie.

[@brokenredflag]

Hmmm, idea! Sell rare salt in artisenal botles. They will look beutiful and magical. Grate decoration peace. 'Salt from roshar'

[@XamuselUzumaki]

Okay, a Ben joke that lands well. What do you know? Anyway, one minor nitpick about the last part of the video... Treasure Planet is a Disney film.

[@mitchellradspinner4491]

I feel like people woefully misunderstand how much effort it would take to remake a film in unreal with ANY kind of accuracy. I’m not saying that it’s not magic and you can do amazing things but original indie film making would be a much better use case if the goal is smaller crews and cheaper.

[@PyroOfZen]

Trouble with that is, if an indie filmmaker makes a big hit, which doesn't scream indie at a glance, the big studios will all scramble to emulate their methods. The bigger the company, the more willing they are to throw away their integrity in favour of saving money. We're seeing it now with Activision in the video game scene, who are currently using AI art in Black Ops 6, and are planning to transition to AI generated character voices in the future.

[@godminnette2]

Despicable Me does have a great screenplay; I'm just really not a big fan of the Illumination animation style. There's something about it that reads as cheap and synthetic to me; though perhaps that's just by association with the other kinds of films they produce.

[@nova6339]

19:36 I enjoyed pinball wizard, until my work played it twice a day for a year. It got less enjoyable really quickly

[@brokenredflag]

The most inespensive film to date is (hold your seats) my big fat greek weding. I dont remember well but i think the budget on that one was a 1,000 or 10,000 dollars. Everything was boroud. Actors volinteerd. Is very famous for this rezon, and is a very good movie. I quot it all the time😂 anita, dayan and nick😂😂😂

[@Lord_Brocktree]

Yeah but it's Utah Tap water. If Fiji Can bottle their's then you can bottle up Stormfather water from Utah.

[@wilhufftarkin5852]

Is there a lego kredik shaw moc?

[@SKJustDuckie]

Just in case you ever do one more of these, does it ever throw you guys off when other people pronounce your character names differently? In my head cannon for Mistborn it is Sah-Zed and I was very thrown off by the audio book.

[@zenthepoet.]

Adoooonalsium

[@hananmusovich]

Boop, early comment

[@ErratumCDIV]

Terry Pratchett is better than Shakespeare and it isn't even close. Not as influential, yet, but better.

[@giggleanthropisticon7061]

Discussing narrative songs. I recommend Fade In / Fade Out, by Nothing More. This song makes me tear up every time, thinking about my Dad and my daughter. music.kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5KVh6yriN2NsK8&si=wDyXB6EkEk1wxQyO