TV Violence

A filmmaker friend of mine once conducted an informal screen-writing workshop for a few friends of ours, myself included. Such workshops, large or small, formal or informal, are peppered with adages and general sweeping statements that, to an extent, reflect the general state of the cinematic industries of film and TV. The first and most important rule for the medium of visual storytelling was to “show, not tell”, to let the images speak for themselves. To let the images be part of the narrative, rather than just explanatory pictures that accompany a piece of script.
This stuck with me long after the workshops had ended. The most effective TV shows and movies do not just show, not tell. The most effective ones do both. That is why when programmers complain that violence is necessary for story telling, I feel that they are either poor storytellers or lying. Apart from purposeful documentaries covering specifically violent issues (that too, not just for the violence factor, b...