Essays on Screenplay

- Original Concept “Last Man” was inspired by Frederic Brown’s (1948) “Knock”, which Brown based on the three-sentence short-short story written by Thomas Bailey Aldrich and is about the last man on Earth following the Zan’s annihilation of living things in the planet. The “Last Man” follows Isaac as the last man on earth who refuses to forget about his family that was since long gone. Brown’s work was an inspiration because the plot narrative, although brief, offered an opportunity to create a different take of the story. Film, as a medium, works best in the project ...

Abstract

This report will discuss the varied, ever changing film industry with a motive of seeking a career path in the industry. Based upon primary and secondary research and first hand experiences of interviewed professionals from the industry, the job role and career path as a director will be explored. Considering economic, social and technological factors, film industry’s future trend will be assessed.

Key Aspects of Filmmaking

The film industry is largely a combination of institutions that educate about filmmaking and its allied areas, organizations, production companies, professionals with various skill sets like acting, screenplay, script writing, directing, etc. One common activity is making movies or motion ...

Films have developed out of dramatic and narrative tradition in which storytelling is used as a central concern. The filmmakers have challenged the manipulative and seductive power of narratives by using playful resistance to the convention of narratives, or by exploring other forms of medium. For example, filmmakers have used the interplays of gesture and rhythm, sound and image rather than relying on character psychology and plot mechanics. However, non-narrative film has a smaller audience than narrative films. A good example is aircraft passengers watching the direction of the nearest exit pointed out by flight attendants, which reminds the audience the ...

This paper discusses an episode (particularly episode 1 of season1) of the British TV series Downton Abbey. Downton Abbey is a period drama show which is set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate and follows the aristocratic lives of the residents living at Downton Abbey. Till date there are 5 seasons released in the UK each having 7 to 8 episodes. Each season can be viewed as a mini drama series. Structurally the series is quite similar to that of a drama presented in the theatre. There is a script (referred to as a screenplay as it is viewed on a TV screen) which ...

The Portrayal of Adulthood in The Chocolate War by Robert Comier and Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

The Chocolate War is about the bravery and steadfastness of Jerry, the protagonist, in refusing to engage in a depraved years-long tradition at Trinity High School carried out by The Vigils. The Vigils order students at the high school to complete various challenging tasks often with harrowing outcomes. The Vigils ordered Jerry to refuse helping out at the high school’s yearly chocolate auction despite the fact that they assured Brother Leon, the coordinator of the event, that they, including Jerry, would help sell chocolates. Jerry’s task was supposed to last for ten days, after which he would be ...

Secrets and Lies (1996) This movie focuses on the life and struggle of one woman in finding truths in her life. After her adoptive mama passes away; Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a triumphant black eye physician, searches for her birth mother. She is surprised when her investigation leads her to a plebeian white woman, Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn). Initially, Cynthia denies the claim, but she finally admits to birthing Hortense as an adolescent, and the pair begins to bond. Nevertheless, when Cynthia invites Hortense to a relative’s barbecue, Cynthia's already nervous relationship with her kin becomes even more complex. The film is ...

The film Boys N the Hood by all standards and merits is a film and movie that transcends the barriers and quality of good production. The above is true because the movie was organized and construed in a seamless and flawless manner. It is a principle fact and standards that the movie and film Boys N the Hood was intended to addresses some of the prevailing and current issues. These issues affected the society particularly the youths in the periods of the early nineties. It is important and worth to note and mention that the movie and film Boys N the Hood ...

Planet of the Apes (1968): A Parody of Its Time The film, Planet of the Apes was released in early 1968, based on the novel of the same title by a French author, Pierre Boulle. Michael Wilson and Rod Serling (who also wrote for Twilight Zone) wrote the film’s screenplay and Franklin J. Schaffner directed it. The film was regarded as notable for its makeup, as these effectively and believably made ape characters from the human actors. It was commercially successful and earned millions of dollars in its lifetime. Planet of the Apes was a creative discourse ...

Compare and contrast essay

- The day the Earth Stood Still

Producer decided to produce a film that demonstrated the suspicion and fears that penetrated the early Atomic Age and the Cold war. He decided that Science fiction was suitable for metaphorically discussing these grave issues. He reviewed various novels and short stories to get a storyline that he could use. Darryl F. Zanuck gave a green light to this project. The producer hired the service of screenplay writer Edmund North. The ideas were picked from Farewell to the Master, a short story written Harry Bate. Edmund completed the revised version of the screenplay on the 21st ...

While Michelle Gordon analyses the themes presented in Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”, Zachary emphasizes on the setting of the play and how it is presented to the audience. Both critiques have a common ground that although “A Raisin in the Sun” has a racism dimension, its success as a play which presents the prevailing Chicago conditions at that point in history. In the setting of a Chicago ghetto where a black family resides, the play reveals the level of poverty and suffering experienced by the large family with Beneatha’s shortage of school fees among other issues that unfold in ...

Introduction

Darren Aronofsky is considered to be among the best film directors of his time. Born in 12 February 1969, Darren went on to defy the odds to become a screenwriter, a film director and a film producer at the same time. Darren was born in Brooklyn, New York city to Charlotte and Abraham Aronofsky. His parents by the time he was born were all teachers in American public schools. They were also renowned conservative Jews. During his early life, Darren spent much of his time growing up in Manhattan Beach in the borough. For the fact that his parents were Conservative Jews, ...

The contemporary society relies so much on literary works such as comedies and fictions which range from plays, poems and drama. One of the most prevalent misapprehensions in the arts and entertainment arena is that playwright and screenwriting are almost tantamount in function if not substitutable. These literary works have some distinctive unique features that the writers try to incorporate while writing the scripts so as to differentiate the various categories. The media chosen to be used as a channel of conveying the message also has an inordinate upshot on any one exacting script. The screenplay “Ray’s Male Heterosexual ...

In the summer of 1974 a then 26 year old Steven Spielberg is going about his business of making sure that his movie about a shark that had overshot the expected $3.5 million budget does not sink his career in Hollywood. Everything that could go wrong had already gone wrong and it was hard to see the light at the end of this very dark tunnel. The movie he was making was Jaws, a movie that is today classed as a master piece in many circles and topping many greatest films lists while being one of the most commercially successful films in movie ...

Introduction

A great script full with twists and unpredictability influences the success of a film to a great extent. The 2003 award-winning film adaptation, a comedy drama written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze exemplifies creativity in filmmaking. It is wickedly playful in construction and records the torments of a screenwriter who is not adept at writing a movie about orchids. Ironically, the film manages to have the story effectively told in a captivating and exceptionally creative manner by incorporating two lines of stories into one. The film narrates the true story of Charlie Kaufman and his struggles to adapt the book The Orchid ...