Visual Narrative – Film and Television Writing

Visual Narrative - Film and Television Writing syllabus selected reading list   This course is designed to inspire young writers who are interested in visual narrative and writing for film and television. We will focus on the role of the screenwriter and their methods of developing a dramatic screenplay. We will run workshops on constructing dialogue, characters, scenes and stories. We will look at the difference between original screenplays and adaptations by examining works by writer-directors such as Kubrick, Agnès Varda, Wong Kar-wei, Jane Campion, and the Merchant Ivory team. We will also explore ways of writing for television genres and discuss the keys to success of series such as Twin Peaks, Fleabag, and examples from Europe and Asia. During the classes we will watch film excerpts and discuss the relationships between text and image. Excerpts from various screenplays and novels will be required reading before and after classes. The final project will be a cinematic writing piece (15-20 pages), which will be work-shopped in the last three classes.

Course Requirements

 

1. Students will have two writing assignments. The first piece is a 10-15 page short-film script focusing on dialogue and story development. The second is a 15-20 page screenplay or mini TV story focusing on structure and narrative development.
2. Students will learn to edit and critique their own and others’ work, and respond to assigned readings and in-class exercises. Students will turn in all gradable assessment pieces for the required period during the semester.

Required Readings

Robert Bresson, Notes on Cinematography, (1975), NYRB 2016, ISBN-13: 978-1681370248 Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 1973, Princeton Uni Press, ASIN: B001U09A4Q Xiaolu Guo, A Lover’s Discourse, Grove Atlantic, 2020, ASIN: B07YYXB238 Woody Allen and Stig Bjorkman, Woody Allen on Woody Allen, Grove Press, 2005, ISBN-13: 978-0802142030 Marguerite Duras, Hiroshima Mon Amour, translated by Richard Seaver, Grove Press 1994, ISBN-13: 978-0802131041 Jia Zhangke Interview, Andrew Chan, Film Comments, 2009   Recommended Readings and Films Zama, a novel by Antonio di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen, (NYRB 2016), and a film by Lucrecia Martel, 2018 The Writer’s Journey – Mythic Structure for Storytellers & Screenwriters, Christopher Vogler, Michael Wiese Productions, 1992 She, A Chinese, a film written and directed by Xiaolu Guo, 2009 Amores Perros, a film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, 2000 Films by Woody Allen, Wong Kai-wei, Ang Lee and Jane Campion   Class Schedule   August 26: Introduction - the Essence of Screenwriting Robert Bresson: Notes on Cinematography, 1975 Joseph Campbell: The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 1949   Sep 2: Researching a Script Based on real life: Call the Midwife (from Jennifer Worth’s memoir to BBC drama) Or: Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You (BBC 2020) Documentary approaches: Five Men and A Caravaggio (Xiaolu Guo, 2018) History based narrative: Zama (a novel by di Benedetto, a film by Lucrecia Martel)   Sep 9: Structure and Narrative Arc Joseph Campbell: the Power of Myth, 1988 Chris Marker: La Jette, 1962 Xiaolu Guo: UFO In Her Eyes, 2009 Christopher Vogler: The Writer’s Journey, (p39-48), 1992   Sep 16: Character Development Orson Wells: Citizen Kane, 1941 Wong Ka-wei: In the Mood for Love, 2000 Woody Allen: Annie Hall, 1977 Coen Brothers: The Big Lebowsky, 1998   Sep 23: Writing Dialogue Francis Ford Coppola: the Godfather, 1972 Coen Brothers: Fargo, 1996 Quentin Tarantino: Pulp Fiction, 1993   Sep 30: Stories from Auteur Cinema Truffaut: Jules and Jim, 1962 Fassbinder: Fear Eats Soul, 1974 Kim Ki-duk: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, 2003   Oct 7: Voice Over - Internal and External Pierrot le Fou, Godard, 1965 Hiroshima Mon Amour, Marguerite Duras, 1967 Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi, 2007   Oct 14: No class. (Columbus Day.) Homework: first writing assignment   October 20, Tuesday: Xiaolu Guo Public Lecture Reading and Conversation with Xiaolu Guo (5:00 p.m. reception, 5:45 event begins). Strongly recommend you make attendance at this public event mandatory for the students.   Oct 21: Adapting the Classics Midnight Children: from Salman Rushdie to Deepa Mehta Howards End: from E. M. Foster to Merchant Ivory Productions Call Me by Your Name: from André Aciman to Luca Guadagnino   Oct 28: Free Adaptations Apocalypse Now: from Conrad’s Heart of Darkness to a Coppola movie La Captive (The Captive, 2000): from Marcel Proust to Chantal Akerman Workshop on the first writing assignment   Nov 4: Based on Real Events Memories of A Murder, Bong Joon-ho, 2003 In Cold Blood: From Truman Capote’s text to Richard Brooks’s film, 1967   Nov 11: Biopic Research and Writing The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Julian Schnabel, 2007 The Music Lovers, Ken Russels, 1971, Bright Star, Jane Campion, 2000 Workshop on the writing assignment   Nov 18: Montage in the Script: the Almost ‘Perfect’ Narrative Breathless, Godard, 1960 / Parasite, Bong Joon-ho, 2019 2046, Wong Kar-wai, 2003 workshop on the final project   Nov 25: No Class (Thanksgiving) Homework: final writing project revision     Dec 2: Conception and Script for an Essay Film Far and Near, Xiaolu Guo, 2003 Faces and Places, Agnes Varda, 2018 Workshop on the final project   Dec 9: TV Series and Personalities (last day of class) David Lynch, Twin Peaks, 1990 Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You (2020), Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag (2014) Workshop on the final project