Transcript
Writing
• What is the writers’ contribution?
• Can you name a screenwriter?
• How many writers work on a film?
• How much is the director and how much is the writer?
Writing
• Reading a screenplay - what is there and what is missing?
Writing• Classical Paradigm
– Dominant narrative structure in American Film
– Protagonist - initiates action
– Antagonist - resists action– Dramatic question - How
does the protagonist get what he/she wants
– Conflict/opposition– Patterns of action - cause
& effect until climax and resolution
Casablanca
Writing– Dramatic unity– Plausible motivations– Coherence– Deadlines help move the
action– Often Classical Narrative is
a journey, chase or search– Protagonist is goal-oriented
- passive characters are not deemed as interesting
Casablanca
Writing
• Screenplay Structure– Three Acts– Act I - Set up– First quarter of the movie– Premise defined– Obstacles laid out
Casablanca
Writing
• Screenplay Structure– Three Acts– Act II – Confrontation– Protagonist fights obstacles– Reversal of fortune in middle
Casablanca
Writing
• Screenplay Structure– Three Acts– Act III - Resolution– What happens as a result
of the climax
Casablanca
Writing• Point of View
– First person narrator– Omniscient point of
view– Third person narrator– Objective point of
view
Writing
• First person narrator– Tells his/her own story
or an objective observer
– Can be reliable or not– Can be the camera
A Clockwork Orange
Writing
• Omniscient point of view– Camera or narrator
is an all-knowing observer like in a novel
– Every time the camera is moved, you are given a new way to evaluate the scene
Writing
• Objective point of view– Variation of
omniscient– Records events
impartially - ideally suited to film
– More “realistic” as there is less distortion
The Passenger
Writing• Non-verbal or
figurative techniques
The Shining & Diane Arbus’ Twins
Writing
• Motifs– Integrated within the
realistic texture of a film
– Anything that is systematically repeated, yet does not call attention to itself - unduly…
Writing• Symbols
Being There
Writing• Symbols
Planet of the Apes & Godzilla
Writing• Metaphor
– A comparison that cannot “literally” be true
– Two items that are not normally together - “devoured be love”
Trainspotting
Writing• Allegory
– Avoidance of realism– Connection between
a character or situation and a symbolic idea or complex ideas
The Seventh Seal
Writing• Allegory
– Avoidance of realism– Connection between
a character or situation and a symbolic idea or complex ideas 8 & 1/2
Writing• Allusion
– Implied reference to a well-know person, event or work of art
Writing• Allusion
– Implied reference to a well-know person, event or work of art
Writing
• Homage– Like a quote or
tribute to a colleague or established master
Battleship Potemkin
Writing
• Homage– Like a quote or
tribute to a colleague or established master
The Untouchables
Writing
Psycho & “Halloween H20
Writing
• Literary adaptations– Loose– Faithful– Literal
Emma
Writing
• Loose
King Lear and Ran
Writing
• Faithful
Writing
• Literal - often reserved for stage plays
Proof - the film and the play
Writing• Some Like It Hot, 1959
– Written & Dir. by Billy Wilder w/Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon & George Raft
– Nominated for 6 Oscars, won 1 ( Best Costume Design)
– Considered one of the greatest comedies of all time
– Rated “Condemned” by the Catholic Legion of Decency & banned in Kansas
Writing
• Billy Wilder, 1906-2002– Started as a screenwriter– Films are very informed by
his European roots– Went on to become one of
the greatest Hollywood directors ever
– Films include: • The Apartment, Double
Indemnity, One, Two, Three, The Lost Weekend. Sabrina, Stalag 17, Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole, The Seven Year Itch, Love in the Afternoon, Witness for the Prosecution
Writing
• Tony Curtis, 1925-2010– Born Bernie Schwartz in
the Bronx– Stalled in costume dramas,
Burt Lancaster became a mentor and helped him break out of being just another pretty face
– Was married to Janet Leigh– Films include:
• The Defiant Ones, Houdini, The Sweet Smell of Success, The Boston Strangler, The Vikings, Spartacus, Operation Petticoat
Tony Curtis on Cary Grant
Writing
• Jack Lemmon, 1925-2001– 7 films with Billy Wilder– Started on Broadway– Best Supporting Actor (Mr.
Roberts) & Best Actor (Save the Tiger)
– Films include:• Mr. Roberts, The Apartment,
Days of Wine & Roses, The Odd Couple, The Out of Towners, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The China Syndrome, Missing, Glengarry Glen Ross, Grumpy Old Men
Writing
• Marilyn Monroe, 1926-1962– Began as a model which
got her a film contract– Married to Joe DiMaggio &
Arthur Miller– Later studied the Method” at
the Actor’s Studio– Films include:
• All About Eve, The Asphalt Jungle, Niagara, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch, Bus Stop, The Prince & The Showgirl, Let’s Make Love, The Misfits
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