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Mastering Point of View in Screenwriting: Problems and Solutions

Learn about the nuances of Point of View (POV) in screenwriting, understanding how it impacts storytelling and viewer engagement. Explore different angles, shifts, and adaptation challenges using examples from classic films. Dive into the importance of character empathy and the art of adaptation in transforming literary works into screenplays.

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Mastering Point of View in Screenwriting: Problems and Solutions

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  1. Lecture 11:Problems and Solutions Professor Daniel Cutrara

  2. Previous Lesson Peer Review A checklist to review the script Assignments Juno (1992) Written by Diablo Cody

  3. This Lesson Point of View Adaptation Assignments

  4. Point of View Lesson 11: Part I Dark Passage (1947) David Goodis (Novel) Delmer Daves (Screenplay)

  5. Point of View - Meanings • According to McKee POV has two meanings for the writer: • You may take the liberty of writing a characters POV in your script, e.g. JACK’S POV followed by a description of what Jack sees. • The second meaning refers to the Point of View that a scene is told from, and ultimately the entire story.

  6. POV Within a Scene • “The physical angle we take in order to describe the behavior of our characters, their interaction with one another and the environment.” --Robert McKee • We can describe the scene from any angle. • Each choice of POV can effect how the viewer understands and relates to the scene. 6

  7. Dark Passage • Pause the lecture to watch the first clip from Dark Passage. • Watch carefully for the establishment of the POV and how the major shift is built. 7

  8. Setting up the Shift • How the build is created. • The prison is established and we follow the truck. This is an omniscient point of view that will narrow down to our protagonist. • The protagonist is established in the barrel and as it rolls we get a brief glimpse of his POV. • We don’t see his face, but follow him into the tunnel. When he emerges we see from the protagonist’s POV. 8

  9. The First Person Problem • Pause the lecture and watch the second clip from Dark Passage. • How does this POV make you feel? 9

  10. The First Person Problem Most audiences would find this too uncomfortable to watch for any length of time. This was a brilliant experiment on the part of the director Delmer Daves, showing the strengths and limitations of this style. First Person video games now use this method successfully. 10

  11. POV Within the Story According to McKee: “The more time spent with a character, the more opportunity to witness his [her] choices. The result is more empathy and emotional involvement between audience and character.” 11

  12. POV Within the Story - 2 • Keep in mind that different genres come with different Story POV expectations. • For example, Romantic Comedies, Action, Thrillers and Westerns usually have some scenes with the Antagonist. • Whenever you depart from the Protagonist it should not be for convenience but because the story demands it. 12

  13. The Problem of Adaptation Lesson 11: Part II Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) J.R.R Tolkien (Novel) Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson (Screenplay) 13

  14. Adaptation • According to McKee: “The conceit of adaptation is that the hard work of story can be avoided by optioning a literary work and simply shifting it into a screenplay. That is almost never the case.” 14

  15. Three Media Strengths • Prose (novel, short story) • The dramatization of inner conflict • Stream of Consciousness • Theater (plays, musicals, opera, ballet) • The dramatization of personal conflict • Dialogue • Screen (film, television, internet) • The dramatization of extra-personal conflict • Larger than life images 15

  16. First Principle of Adaptation • According to McKee: “The purer the novel, the purer the play, the worse the film.” • If the original work is successful because it relies on the strength of its distinct medium, it makes a successful adaptation virtually impossible. 16

  17. Adaptable Works • According to McKee: • Look for stories where conflict is distributed on all three levels (inner, personal, extra-personal) with emphasis on the extra-personal. • Pierre Boulle’s novel The Bridge Over The River Kwai is an excellent example of this. • More recently J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy has been highly successful. 17

  18. Adaptable Works - 2 • Many of William Shakespeare’s plays have been adapted in various forms. • Romeo and Juliet • Hamlet • Much Ado About Nothing • Taming of the Shrew 18

  19. The Second Principle of Adaptation • According to McKee: “Be willing to reinvent.” • Tell the story in filmic rhythms while keeping the spirit of the original. • Turn what is mental into physical. • Be willing to cut scenes, and add new ones. • Don’t worry about critics saying it’s not like the original. 19

  20. Adaptation & Hollywood • Producers • Being true to the author may not be a concern • Profitable film 20

  21. Assignments Dark Passage (1947) David Goodis (Novel) Delmer Daves (Screenplay) Lesson 11: Part 3

  22. E-Board Post #1 Peer Brainstorming  Post any problems you face in your story. 22

  23. E-Board Post #2 Choose at least one of your peers to offer suggestions or ways to brainstorm solutions to their problems. 23

  24. End of Lecture 11 Next Lecture: Poetry of the Screenwriter Chinatown (1974) Written by Robert Towne

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