Opinion Piece- Style vs Substance
A simple question puzzles us this week. What is better, Style or Substance? It's a vaugely worded question but an important one in every single part of media. I want to take a look at it in it's various forms (video games, TV and movies) and then see if there is one that is more important than the other. Nothing complex, just talking about stuff looking cool or stuff being made cool.
I've started with video games because it's probably the easiest of the lot. Style is hugely important in games. I recently played a few snippets of two indie games called The Unfinished Swan and Flower. Both are simple, minimalisitic games with two key things in common: 1. They look gorgeous and 2. There isn't much traditional content. Now, don't get me wrong, of what I played, both games were phenomenal. They play amazingly and drew me into their delightful worlds with their stylistic choices. However, I can't see myself going for a second playthrough once I beat them. They're wonderful and I'd recommend them to anyone with a PS3 but they're content light. I will love them wholeheartedly and leave them. In contrast, a game like Broforce (while stylish) is so packed with content that I find myself consistently drawn back in, even when there isn't new content. There's just so much already there that I can play it in so many different ways for days on end. So while I think style is hugely important in games, it's only what sets them apart. First you've got to be good and that's what the substance does.
In TV however, I'd say it's pretty different. Sure, content is important because if you make a bad show, it's just bad. But content only gets you to one point. I'd say that for TV, content reaches a point of diminishing returns where no matter how well it's made, it won't get better, Where TV shows stand out is their style. Mad Men has it's 60s aesthetic and setting, Breaking Bad has it's grit and Dexter has it's pitch black content and dark humour slipped into it's neon Miami. The most important example of where style is king is Broadchurch. Season 2 was good but nowhere near as good as the first. What made it fantastic though was how gorgeous it looked. Without that, it would have been a fairly good soap opera but with it, it became great. So content is much less important in TV because when it looks great and feels great to watch, you'd be amazed how much you can forgive.
Movies are a strange beast though. It all depends on how stylish the movie is. For example, I didn't enjoy Drive that much for it's content but in terms of style, it's basically unbeatable. You'd struggle to find a cooler, more confident film with a fantastic soundtrack, knowing exactly what it wants to be. But personally, it wasn't that deep or at least, I didn't enjoy it for that. In direct contrast to that is Prisoners. While not a film without style, the main focus was it's content and I definitely enjoyed it. However, despite all the work and effort that went into it and how advanced it was from a technical standpoint, I don't think I'll ever watch it again. I guess that for films, it should be 50/50 or it'll always feel like it's missing something.
Yeah, I made another cop out didn't I. Because while both style and substance are important in their own rights, anything that is totally missing one, be it a game, TV or a film, you can't have substance without style or style without substance. Look, I promise next week's post will have a more thrilling conclusion, give me a break okay?
I've started with video games because it's probably the easiest of the lot. Style is hugely important in games. I recently played a few snippets of two indie games called The Unfinished Swan and Flower. Both are simple, minimalisitic games with two key things in common: 1. They look gorgeous and 2. There isn't much traditional content. Now, don't get me wrong, of what I played, both games were phenomenal. They play amazingly and drew me into their delightful worlds with their stylistic choices. However, I can't see myself going for a second playthrough once I beat them. They're wonderful and I'd recommend them to anyone with a PS3 but they're content light. I will love them wholeheartedly and leave them. In contrast, a game like Broforce (while stylish) is so packed with content that I find myself consistently drawn back in, even when there isn't new content. There's just so much already there that I can play it in so many different ways for days on end. So while I think style is hugely important in games, it's only what sets them apart. First you've got to be good and that's what the substance does.
In TV however, I'd say it's pretty different. Sure, content is important because if you make a bad show, it's just bad. But content only gets you to one point. I'd say that for TV, content reaches a point of diminishing returns where no matter how well it's made, it won't get better, Where TV shows stand out is their style. Mad Men has it's 60s aesthetic and setting, Breaking Bad has it's grit and Dexter has it's pitch black content and dark humour slipped into it's neon Miami. The most important example of where style is king is Broadchurch. Season 2 was good but nowhere near as good as the first. What made it fantastic though was how gorgeous it looked. Without that, it would have been a fairly good soap opera but with it, it became great. So content is much less important in TV because when it looks great and feels great to watch, you'd be amazed how much you can forgive.
Movies are a strange beast though. It all depends on how stylish the movie is. For example, I didn't enjoy Drive that much for it's content but in terms of style, it's basically unbeatable. You'd struggle to find a cooler, more confident film with a fantastic soundtrack, knowing exactly what it wants to be. But personally, it wasn't that deep or at least, I didn't enjoy it for that. In direct contrast to that is Prisoners. While not a film without style, the main focus was it's content and I definitely enjoyed it. However, despite all the work and effort that went into it and how advanced it was from a technical standpoint, I don't think I'll ever watch it again. I guess that for films, it should be 50/50 or it'll always feel like it's missing something.
Yeah, I made another cop out didn't I. Because while both style and substance are important in their own rights, anything that is totally missing one, be it a game, TV or a film, you can't have substance without style or style without substance. Look, I promise next week's post will have a more thrilling conclusion, give me a break okay?
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