Adapting Literature to the Screen

A good film adaptation starts with an intimacy with the source material and an understanding of how to bring it to life as a screenplay for a visual medium.
This course will focus on studying several successful films adapted from literary sources with the goal of providing students with a blueprint for writing their own adapted screenplay as the final project.
The core of the course will be an examination of the principles and issues specific to adapting a range of types of literary works, including the short story, novella, novel, play, as well as biographical non-fiction. We will examine theories and principles of narrative, character, setting, theme and imagery in both literary and cinematic works, and the ways in which written works can be translated into visual stories for the screen. Students will also learn principles of film analysis that will equip them with a greater knowledge of the ways in which stories create meaning in a visual medium.
Finally, students will gain a greater competency in the skills necessary to create compelling and well-executed screenplays that exhibit clear and engaging plotlines, scenes, characters, themes and action