|
|
|
|
Quick Navigation |
|
|
Okay, then. I'm assuming since you're reading this, you want some guidance on how to write your own MSTings. Well, duh! No need to be a wise ass. Sorry. S'alright. So tell me what you know about MSTings. I know that there's this there's this story I read that has Sailor Moon dumping Darien for Andrew, and we all know that's just plain wrong, and I just wanna rip that guy an new one, and I've read how you guys make fun of stuff like that and... Whoa, whoa, WHOA!!! Dial it back a notch. First of all, was the story really all that bad? Well, no... Bad charactization? No... Bad grammar? In spots, but not really. So all that's really wrong with that story is that you don't agree with the premise? Well, yeah, but isn't that what you guys do? No, it isn't. Not the best MSTers anyway. That's point one: MSTings are not a means to make fun of or attack something you don't like, just because you don't like it. It's satire. Or at least it's supposed to be. Now back to the first question: How much do you know about MSTings? Only what I've read: Bunch of people sitting around making fun of bad writings. And you know where all of that comes from? Some show... Mystery something... That's where to start. Watch some episodes of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. That will get you familiar with the MSTing format. If you don't get the Sci Fi Channel, you should be able to find some of the better episodes on video. That's a can do. What's next? Read MSTings. Lots of them. You'll get a feel as to what works and what doesn't. To start you'll want to concentrate on the better authors like Megane 6.7 or Bill Livingston. It just so happens that there's a list of said authors right here. If you want a full range of what works and what doesn't, do a Google search for "mistings" (or "MSTings" or "MSTed"). That should bring up a wide range of from the very best to the very worst. This sounds like a lot of work. You want to do it right don't you? I guess. So I get to rip on that Sailor Moon fic after I've done the prep work right? Maybe. But you may not want to once you get into it. A quick rule of thumb when selecting a target for MSTings is: Bad ≠ MSTable and MSTable ≠ Bad. .... Run that by me again. It means that a fic you choose may be horrible - bad grammar, horrible plot, the works - but it may be too far gone to get any real humor out of it. And on the flip side, something you may read may be well-written with good grammar and structure, but may have a fatal flaw - i.e. the entire story hinges on one plot contrivance, no real point to the story - that you can play on for consistent laughs. So assuming that I drop the Sailor Moon fic, where can I find other candidates? Assuming you don't want to go back to where you found that, the easiest place to go would be Fanfiction.net. It's got the widest selection of fanfics of every style and genre. But bear in mind that everybody else knows about Fanfiction.net, so you may want to go elsewhere. If you really want to dig, simple do a Google search for fiction and the name of whatever genre you're looking for (comics, X-Files, Star Trek, whatever). Don't those writers object to having their work picked on like that? Usually they don't. But you do get the occasional protest over someone besmirching his "work of art." So it's the safe and traditional route to ask for the author's permission. Be prepare to be turned down. If you don't ask, or get turned down and MST it anyway, be prepared to have your MSTing yanked. Okay. So I've chosen my target. What if someone writes a MSTing of my target first? Then you're SOL. (And I ain't talking Satellite Of Love). Actually, you could go ahead and MST it anyway, but that's considered rude in some circles. (Not to mention the embarrassment of having the first MSTing markedly better than yours.) To be on the safe side, check the MSTing Dibs List (http://www.masemware.com/mst3k/dibs.list). It'll give you a list of what items which MSTers have claimed for their own. To claim your own dibs, you'll need subscribe to the list. Go here to do that. Right. Got my target, got permission, put in my dibs on it. Let's get to work. Cool. Who's your cast? Cast? Yes. Who's going to the guys cracking on the fic? I thought I was limited to the guys on the show. That's usually the safer route for the new MSTer - choosing the TV cast their most familiar/comfortable with. (I choose the classic Comedy Central cast of Joel, Crow, Tom Servo, Dr. Forrester, TV's Frank and the rest) - that's considered the Standard Cast. Others like to use casts from their favorite shows (Frequent examples include the casts of "Tenchi Muyo!", "Sailor Moon", or "Digimon"), a combination of shows, or even original characters of their own (or their friends creation) - considered "non-standard". Sounds complicated. Not really. Like I said, it's a matter of preference. The thing is that most of the people reading your MSTing will be familiar with the MST3K cast, so they'll be more comfortable reading them. Not knowing who's talking or why they're joking the way they are can be off-putting. If you're determined to use a non-standard cast, you may want to explain who they are using a host segment. A what? You remember those parts of the show that took place outside of the theatre? Particularly at the beginning and end of the show? Those are called host segments. You'll want to use those to set the stage for the MSTing and introduce the cast. Or maybe just to tell a joke that's been floating around in your head. It's also a good way to break up a longer MSTing. Speaking of, what happens if the MSTing turns out longer than I thought it would? Do I push through or give up? You've got four choices: Continue as is, give up, break it into parts (MST some now, some later), or you can call for a Group MSTing. But I don't know any other MSTers. If you've signed on to the Dibs list, just post a message calling for a group MST of your story. It's guaranteed that you'll get at least two replies agreeing to help. Alright. Got my story, got my cast. Assuming I've gotten it written and ready to go, then what? You'll want to post it for others to read. The first and fastest place you should go are the MST3K newsgroups - specifically rec.arts.tv.mst3k and alt.tv.mst3k.mstings, (there's also alt.tv.mst3k and alt.fan.mst3k if you want to be thorough, but if you crosspost to too many groups, many people's newsreader will block it automatically as spam). These groups will be your best choice for C & C from other MSTers "C & C" Comments & Criticism. You won't always get feedback on thing you post, but generally if you've done something really right or really wrong, someone will let you know. After the newsgroups, your next options would be to submit your MSTing to the two biggest MSTing archives on the net: Web Site # 9 and Shinji's Vault of Anime MSTings (BKA SVAM). You'll want to go to the site's themselves for submission policies, but be aware of one major point. WS#9 has a policy against posting either professional works (things like movie scripts and web articles) due to potential copyright issues, and MSTings with heavy adult (read: sex) content. And if you'd like, there are plenty of sites out there that sprung up to repost the MSTings that Fanfiction.net jettisoned, in particular Fandomination. So you may want to look at one of those. Cool. Does that cover everything? Just a few common mistakes to avoid...
1. Watch The Language.
2. Avoid "The Crow
Syndrome" Crow: <Makes off-color comment> Joel/Mike and/or Tom: CROW! In non-standard MSTings, this often gets translated into any character making off-color comments getting punished (shocked, ejected from seat, hit with a giant mallet). It's accepted that on the show itself Crow does tend to make risqué comments, and there are times where that sequence is appropriate. But it's also been so overused over time that it's become a cliché that's best avoided unless the line fits perfectly. Not to mention that (especially in the Joel era episodes) Crow isn't the only one with the off-color commentary. A similar overused gag is having Tom Servo's head explode upon seeing something particularly wrong or stupid. Off-color riffs are fine - if not overused. Just try to spread them out among your characters.
3. Keep the obscure riffs
to a minimum.
4. Keep a wide variety of
riffs And finally...
5.
Riff the words, not the author. That's a lot to keep straight. Don't worry. Just keep practicing. You'll find your own style in no time. The more quality MSTers on the net the better
|
|
