2.Main Content
Training
Adaptation for Distributors
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll - based on a true story
Supported by the Film Distributors' Association
Soho Theatre Studio
Tuesday 7 June
This is a FREE one-day training workshop designed exclusively for distributors. Please note that we also stage a sister programme throughout the year exploring Script Reading Training for Distributors.
The majority of feature films released today are adaptations of existing stories. Undoubtedly this means there’s a potential ready market for each movie, but at the same time, filmmakers and distributors alike need to negotiate through the expectations that audiences with prior knowledge of the material will be bringing with them. If the story’s source is a novel (Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader) or a play (Doubt) then fans of the original work inevitably have strong ideas about how it should be rendered on screen, often objecting to any changes, omissions or additions. And, if the source is real people and events (Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Hunger) - or even a combination of both a novel and real events (The Social Netwwork)
John Patrick Shanley's adaptation of Doubt then often some manipulation of the truth will be necessary to shape a satisfying story, and that again can be controversial for audiences. This new one-day workshop designed for distributors examines the way writers navigate through the problems of creating a screenplay from existing material, with the intention that this understanding will better equip those whose job it is to release the film to the public.
PROGRAMME CONTENT:
Interpreting the Real
Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction gives form and meaning to events. When working with true stories, how much freedom does the screenwriter have in interpreting the events that form the basis of the screenplay? This session examines different approaches to constructing the real in a range of recent films, from Steven Spielberg's Munich to Steve McQueen's Hunger.
Creating Character
A practical exercise in developing a dramatic story from a real historical event. The exercise illustrates how decisions about character and point-of-view ultimately determine the structure of story.
Lost in Translation
Adapting short stories or novels involves translating narratives intended for one medium into dramas that work on the big screen. How do you simplify and compress a novel without losing its essential meaning? At what point does "based on" become "inspired by"?
Picturing Emotion
Whether the source material is a true story or novel, a screenplay needs to develop visual images and metaphors to have impact. This session examines how identifying a controlling image for the story can provide the basis for structuring the screenplay and selling the movie.
The course is taught by Rob Ritchie.
Tuesday 7 June
10am-5pm
Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London W1
(lunch & refreshments included)
HOW TO BOOK
Script Reading Training for Distributors is generously supported by the Film Distributors’ Association. As a result of this support attendance on this course is FREE for anyone currently working in film distribution.
To secure a place please call Sheena on 07908 815 665 or email sheena@scriptfactory.co.uk.
If you are also interested in joining us for a sister programme exploring Script Reading for Distributors - click here for more details.
Back to Training