More proof you should be thinking internationally

From a Variety article titled “Studios setting tales far, far away”:

With the exception of “Rango,” all of this year’s American-backed big-studio toons take place abroad, ranging from “Rio’s” beautiful Brazilian vistas to “Cars 2's” whirlwind tour of a world inhabited only by cars. Such exotic settings may not seem surprising when you consider animation’s long tradition of transporting auds to foreign worlds, though lately, there seems to be a new incentive for telling global stories.

First and foremost, while domestic box office remains relatively flat, international audiences — particularly those in the emerging markets of China, Brazil and Russia — are rapidly expanding, along with the number of screens.

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How a toon will play overseas affects everything from writing the script [emphasis added] to the casting of vocal talent. For DWA’s “Puss in Boots,” which is set in what Damashke calls a romanticized version of Spain, “It just made sense to put Salma Hayek opposite Antonio Banderas. She’s a great match and has the right Latin feel for the role,” he says. Similarly, “Kung Fu Panda 2” features Asian stars Jackie Chan and James Hong alongside Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman. “We wanted a very mixed, international cast,” he says.

Animation, live-action, it doesn’t matter as I’ve written several posts about this precise subject. In fact, as recently as this interview last week with screenwriter F. Scott Frazier, I asked:

The title “Autobahn” suggests the story is set in or at least has something to do with Germany. If that’s true, was your choice to set the story in an international location influenced at all by the increasing revenues from the foreign market? In other words, were you specifically attempting to target international audiences figuring that would help your story’s sales appeal given Hollywood’s increased focus on that market?

To which Scott replied:

It was definitely a consideration.

So from now on, I’m going to stop harping on this point as a theory and state it as a fact: Screenwriters must bring an international frame of reference to their scripts. This is especially relevant for any of you writing a spec script. Why? Because your choice of international locations and characters can add to the perceived marketability of your story.

In a perfect world, these decisions you make will be tied naturally to the story world you develop. If you lay them on top of your story, then in order for it not to feel like a cheap ploy, you will need to dig extra deep into your story to make them an organic part of the narrative.

Your best bet: Be thinking internationally in terms of location, cast, themes, and plot from the story concept stage, that is right at the beginning of your creative process.

For more of the Variety article, go here.

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