4. The Cut and Paste
Description: Wow...just wow. That first movie, it really took 'em by surprise, didn't it? I don't know if you re-invented the genre, or merely gave it a push in the right direction, but boy did you it well! So what's next? What? Really? You want to make another one, just like that? Surely you jest, I mean sequels are about growth and...so we're just going to take the first one and go somewhere new? And we're going to do the same thing we did before, only just a little amped up and outrageous? I see. And the studio gave you how much? Oh...apparently they want more of the same too. Well, I guess it's time to make the best out of a bad situation then. Let's see how we can spin this to our advantage, shall we?
The Right Way: The first formula worked so well, you want to make it again. Alright, but this time let's try and be a little looser about it. You can use the same template as you did with the first one, but instead we'll go ahead and just switch settings as planned. However, what if you switch genres? You know, if the first one was scary, we should probably do a comedy this time. After all, laughing and screaming are separated by a thin line, and that way we could still get some good scares in while making fun of ourselves. Self-imitation is killer if you poke enough fun at yourself.
(Example: Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Joe Dante took a studio mandated sequel and turned it on its head. Gone was the deadly serious tone, and replacing it was more of a B-Movie comic tone. You had Gremlins of different varieties, you had a running satirical commentary on business culture and the Trump dynasty of the day, and you even had Kate's somber speech about why she hates Christmas lampooned in her speech on why she hates Lincoln's Birthday. Boiled down to the bone, it did exactly as the first one did; but add the extra detail and satirical elements to it, and you have a fresh success.)The Wrong Way:The first formula worked so well, you want to make it again. Alright, but this time let's do exactly what we did the last time. You can use the same template as you did with the first one, but instead we'll go ahead and just switch settings as planned. That's it. The first one was funny, so we should probably stick to that formula. After all, it worked so well last time, and that way we could still get the same old gags in while making everyone remember what was so great about the first one. Self-imitation is a movie killer if you take yourself too seriously.
(Example: The Hangover: Part II. You literally could sit down and read both scripts in one sitting, and they'd be so identical you'd be correcting spelling and syntax errors from the first one on the draft for the second one. All it did was change who was getting married, change the locale, and took the opportunity to throw in a monkey and poke fun at local color in Bangkok. Not to mention their idea of original contribution is to add in a gag that took the city's name a little too literally, and made comedic hay out of that for a good two acts. When I say good, I mean dismally depressing and repetitive.)