Hollywood screenwriter and television producer Craig Titley (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Scooby-Doo, Cheaper by the Dozen, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) has, for the first time, put together a collection of 24 essays written as part of his Phd program in Mythological Studies. These essays on pop culture and mythology contain his thought-provoking and often amusing reflections on topics such as: The Matrix, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Barton Fink and writing for Hollywood, Kung Fu cinema, Joseph Campbell, farting tricksters, zombies, comedy, fairy tales, screenwriting... and a complete Jungian analysis of Scooby-Doo. If you're interested in diving into the deep end of pop culture and mythology then Titley's unique perspective as a Hollywood screenwriter, television producer, mythologist, and self-described Trickster may be just what the doctor ordered.
"If you're interested in mythology or storytelling and, in particular, if you're involved in the movie storytelling business like I was, then [Joseph] Campbell is your guide... but not your savior. Ever since it was revealed that George Lucas used The Hero With a Thousand Face as a guide while crafting the story for Star Wars, screenwriters and executives thought they had discovered the Holy Grail, the key to turning every movie into a giant resonating hit. But it doesn't quite work that way. There's much more to storytelling then painting by numbers or plotting by Campbell. It's a skill and a craft born of hard work, sweat and tears. But there's also a magic ingredient involved that no one, not even Campbell, knows how to describe... or where it even comes from. Without it no story can resonate and endure the test of time. It has less to do with a secret structural formula and more to do with alchemy... and luck.
But if there IS an answer, or even a hint at a glimpse of a notion of an answer, it probably lies somewhere in the field of Mythological Studies...
I'm really proud of the work I did [in these essays[ and even though they are academic papers, they feel like they still have my voice. While I was preparing them for publication I noticed that right out of the gate I was gravitating toward the Jungian Shadow and the Trickster. I was also being a bit of a trickster myself, writing academic papers about The Matrix and Gene Simmons and doing a full-on Jungian analysis of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? My professor for that one, Dr. Glen Slater, wrote a note on the back: "I started reading this skeptically but ended somewhat of a convert... the Shaggy/Scooby 'fourth' thesis grew in strength as you went along." I was delighted. Not only did I convert him, I made him say "Shaggy/Scooby" academically and non-ironically! Score one for the trickster!
All of the papers in this anthology were written for classes at Pacifica Graduate Institute between the fall of 2004 and the summer of 2007. I'm presenting them in order so that, hopefully, there's some kind of evolution detectable. At the end of the book you can see what paper was written for what class.
Author Biography:
Craig Titley is a feature film and television writer/producer who began his film career in the Hollywood trenches as a production assistant for feature films and television movies. He spent three years in film development as an assistant story editor for director Joe Dante (Gremlins, Innerspace) and a creative executive for Nickelodeon Movies before going on to become a successful screenwriter, penning the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie (with James Gunn), Cheaper by the Dozen, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. His latest feature film projects include adaptations of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (with Sam Raimi producing), Arabian Nights, and Dean Koontz's Oddkins. Titley's films have grossed nearly a billion dollars in worldwide box office. In television, Titley worked with George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation, penning episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was a writer/producer on the NBC superhero series The Cape and an Executive Producer and Writer on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Titley is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University (with degrees in both English and Business Management), received his MFA from the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Program, and is currently completing a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies. He recently launched Discount Anarchy, an all-in entertainment company for film and television production, publishing, games, music, artist management, and concert promotion. Steven Samblis is the creator of the 1 Habit book series. He is the founder of 1 Habit Press. Before creating Samblis Press, Steven had a meteoric career in business that saw him go from being ranked among the top 50 rookie stockbrokers at Dean Witter, to speaking before 250,000 people for The Investors Institute. He has spoken before congress on shareholder's rights representing T Boone Pickens' "United Shares Holders Association." In 1989 he founded "The Reason For My Success". which grew into one of the largest sellers of self-improvement programs in North America. The Company expanded into production where Steve collaborated with Chicken Soup for the Soul co-creator Mark Victor Hansen on the audio program The program, called "The World's Greatest Marketing Tools". As a consultant, Steve created a new name brand for a struggling gym in Dover New Hampshire called Coastal Fitness. He then created a $9.95 a month business model which helped to turn the single gym into one of the most successful fitness franchises in the world, Planet Fitness. In November of 2015 Planet Fitness went public with a 1.6 billion dollar market valuation. For six years, before launching 1 Habit Press, Steve was the on-air host and Editor in chief for Cinema Buzz, a website and syndicated television show in North America and the UK. On the show, Steve has interviewed over 1000 of the biggest actors and directors in entertainment one on one on camera.
