Introduction

There is no set way to adapt a novel to film: what makes a novel successful does not often succeed in movies. Feature-length screenplays have their own rules but also have several unique freedoms, such as the close-up, rapid changes of location, and digital effects. In this class we will read closely several novels and one memoir and the screenplays that were based on them. The screenplay will be treated as a literary form in its own right, and though viewing of the films is mandatory, this class will focus on the screenplay as a genre of writing. Some brief readings in the theory of genre and the development of the modern novel, as well as “how to” material on screenplay writing by Syd Field and Robert McKee, will also be assigned.

By the end of this class, students should be able to:
• isolate moments in movies and screenplays that highlight the structure of the film
• be able to identify plot points, the use of props and mise-en-scene, and other tropes of screenplay writing and film
• have a grounded sense of literary genre and how it is transformed in the adaptation
• have rudimentary mastery of the format of screenplay writing