Pirates of the Caribbean: Writing Across Game Platforms
Posted March 15 6:59 AM by Drew Sikora
Good writing transcends platforms, according to speakers on the “Writing Across Game Platforms: Pirates of the Caribbean” panel held March 9th at GDC and sponsored by the Writers Guild of America. Ted Elliott, co-writer of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie trilogy, joined with game writers Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner Entertainment, Matt Costello (Pirates of the Caribbean 3/Buena Vista Games), and developer Mike Goslin (Pirates of the Caribbean MMO) to discuss the challenges of writing for the Pirates property across multiple media platforms. WGA New Media Caucus member Sande Chen moderated the panel.
The session began with a sizzle trailer for the Pirates of the Caribbean MMO, slated to launch this summer. The Pirates franchise has been a phenomenon since its inception and its popularity is still going strong. The second Pirates of the Caribbean feature earned over $55 million on its opening day and broke over 19 box office records. It launched merchandise tie-ins, several novels, and naturally, games for console, handheld, and PC, including the upcoming MMO.
Ted Elliott and partner Terry Rossio developed the Pirates concept before linking it to the Disneyland ride. Elliott explained that pirates actually constitute a subgenre of the traditional romance, explaining why, despite the popularity of Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth is the main character in the films. When Elliott and Rossio first developed the concept, Disney initially expressed no interest, because they felt there wasn’t room in the market for moral ambiguity, especially the kind expressed by Jack Sparrow. Despite the independent development of the concept, Elliott indicated that ideas from the ride helped solve story problems in the first feature, such as the cursed gold and a skeleton with a sword in the back.
Elliott held that the reason Pirates became such a phenomenon involved the technique he called “distant mountains” from Tolkien or “Clone Wars” from Star Wars. Making passing references to distant mountains or unknown battles helps create rich, interesting worlds. If you tell the story of one distant mountain, you must then create more distant mountains. Ultimately, some stories will never be told. Furthermore, Elliott encouraged all writers to avoid too much detail, because they could tie themselves, and anyone else working on the property, down. For example, a line specifying the purpose of Jack Sparrow’s compass was cut from the original feature, allowing Elliott and Rossio to add the conceit that it pointed to one’s heart’s desire in the second. In addition, a line in the second movie, “Same story, different version,” gave game developers room to explore their storytelling skills.
Jeff Gomez, however, had the opposite task in creating the bible for the Pirates universe. He needed to flesh out details to ensure consistency between features, novels, and games and to create a robust universe. His inspiration came from Johnny Depp’s interpretation of the features. Depp felt his character Jack Sparrow ultimately wanted freedom from the conflict between nobility and savagery. In the past, companies have tried to milk the cow bone dry, but now they are learning to nurture franchises. This consistency across media is part of that strategy.
Matt Costello, working on the latest Pirates console game, derived more than inspiration from the original screenwriters. He tried to make the cut scenes as humorous as possible and was able to receive feedback from Elliott and Rossio themselves. He even inspired Elliott and Rossio to include a character of his in an upcoming movie installment, if it ever gets made.
Mike Goslin, VP of Disney’s VR Studios, explained how story and characters added richness to the Pirates of the Caribbean MMO. Players want to meet Jack Sparrow and visit the places in the movies. They can participate in an overarching story and play together, even at different points of the story. For example, a player in Chapter 14 can still play in the same party with a player in Chapter 2. This way, players are enticed to progress through the story.
All the developers had worked closely with Elliott and Rossio or their material, but the panelists were further united by an appreciation for Pirates popularity. “First thing I want a movie to be is entertaining,” said Elliott. The interest generated by his features suggests he was successful.
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