Sources For The Fictional Film

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Chapter 5

• Sources For The Fictional Film

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Screenplays, Shooting Scripts, Storyboards

• A text is something that people produce to
  communicate meaning. Fictional films are based on
  one or more texts. A fictional film may be based
  on a screenplay which may be an original story
  but more often not. Screenplays are often based
  on historical events, fictional work (usually
  novel) a play, TV show or series, or other films.
• Texts including films are always intertextual,
  always influenced by earlier texts and by the
  culture(s) that helped bring them to light.

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Screenplays, Shooting Scripts, Storyboards

• Often screenplay writer determines settings,
  subjects (action/dialogue) and structure of a
  fictional film and directly/indirectly many of
  its meanings.
• Shooting script is a version used during shooting
  the film. Includes changes to screenplay and
  breaks scenes into shots, sometimes camera
  placement direction and use.
• Comparing screenplay or shooting script to the
  finish film wont reveal who contributed what
  -The film will be more concise with less dialogue
  but more visual than script.

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Individual Sources

• Any subject serves as source of fictional film
  but History, Fiction, Plays, TV, and other Films
  are the 5 most frequently used sources.
• History- Fictional movies based on history
  typically omit, change or fabricate events.
  --Historical movies (fictional films based on
  history) give drama and entertainment a priority,
  not the historical account
• Fiction- short stories, novellas and novels
  render characters mental activity well. More
  strengths descriptions of character backgrounds,
  analysis by author, figurative language and more
  or less consistent POV or means of perception

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Individual Sources

• The famous Film Theorist Dudly Andrew stated,
  Well over half of all commercial films have come
  from literary originals
• Fiction- Film is adept at presenting sights and
  sounds. Also nuances of faces and infinite
  flexibility and expressiveness of movement.
  Renders human voice and music near fullness. Also
  editing condenses time to present events and
  effectively transports the viewer through time
  and space instantaneously.
• Typically, admirers of a novel dislike a film
  because their vision is unlike that of the

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Individual Sources (continued)

• filmmaker. And a novel is too long to completely
  render on screen- so parts are omitted.A film
  based on a fictional source should be understood
  first as a film, not an adapted fiction

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Individual Sources (continued)

• Lets Look at Altmans The Player for some
  examples in translation differences.
• In both the 88 novel by Michael Tolkin and 92
  Altman Film there were similarities in character
  and plot.

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Player (continued)

• Both focus on a Thirtysomething Hollywood studio
  exec, Griffin Mill whos job is to listen to
  pitches and pass judgment on possible movies.
  Each has him romantically involved with Bonnie
  Sherow. In both he seeks the writer sending him
  postcards and finds him at the film, The Bicycle
  Theft and kills him in a fight. At the funeral he
  meets the writers girlfriend June who becomes a
  love interest. In each the head of security and
  the police treat him as a suspect, gets a pass in
  a lineup, a job promotion and the love of the
  murdered writers girlfriend, June.
• Many changes occurred transitioning from novel to
  a script and a film, the makers added, deleted
  and changed details.

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Player (continued)

• In the novel and film Mills hid his thoughts and
  reigns in his feelings throughout however at the
  conclusion of Chapter 14 in the book when he
  fears arrest is imminent he cries.
• The European filmmaker doesnt pitch his film as
  an independent with an unknown cast and a tragic
  ending in the novel.
• The desert hideaway weekend for Griffin and June
  was a Mexican seaside resort in the book and
  script but limited budget transformed it the
  desert where they consummated their relationship.
• Because of Mills reluctance in the book, it
  wasnt until the epilogue, actually 6 months
  later and imply they are married. In the film it
  was one year later that they were living together
  however unclear as to whether were married but
  June was pregnant.

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Player (continued)

• In the novel Griffin agrees to move onto another
  company in another line of work before the studio
  head is ousted , while near the end of the film
  he has mysteriously displaced the studio head.
• In the novels epilogue the card writer has quit
  writing, moved out of state and sends Mill 1,000
  to pay for the car windows he blew - while in the
  film he has sent another card indirectly
  blackmailing him.
• The female characters are quite different in
  Both- June is an Art Director for a bank and the
  readers get to know her better than the viewers.
• The Police Detective Sue Avery is sometime
  attracted to Mill in the novel -Goldberg invented
  the tampon- twirling scene and just as Goldberg
  Avery is more confident, forceful and ironic than
  the novel.

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Player (continued)

• In the novel Bonnie Sherow works for another
  studio and not as prominent a position but
  because Cynthia Stevenson is a charming, skilled
  actor Altman made her character more prominent
  and in a sympathetic light. Clearly film makers
  take liberty with characterization with their
  casting. You can see how it influences Altman
  with choosing Stevenson and Goldberg for their
  roles largely because he tends to improvise and
  works more collaboratively with his talent.

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Individual Sources

• Plays- Plays in general are a verbal medium,
  films are visual. Plays filmed with minimal
  camera movement and editing can be disappointing
  since they dont take advantage of films
  strengths and capabilities.
• -Fundamentally plays rely on audience
  give-and-take and live performer where film
  relies on audiences response to controlled
  moving images and typically a soundtrack

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Individual Sources- Hamlet 2000

• Directed by Michael Almereyda
• Writing credits (WGA) William Shakespeare
  (play)
• Michael Almereyda (screen adaptation)
• Cast (in credits order) Ethan Hawke.... Hamlet
• Kyle MacLachlan ....Claudius
• Sam Shepard ....Ghost
• Diane Venora ....Gertrude
• Bill Murray .... Polonius
• Liev Schreiber .... Laertes
• Julia Stiles .... Ophelia
• Karl Geary .... Horatio

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Individual Sources- Hamlet 2000

• Paula Malcomson ....Marcella
• Steve Zahn .... Rosencrantz
• Dechen Thurman .... Guildenstern
• Rome Neal .... Barnardo
• Jeffrey Wright .... Gravedigger
• Paul Bartel .... Osric
• Casey Affleck .... Fortinbras
• Robert Thurman .... Priest
• Tim Blake Nelson .... Flight Captain
• John Wills Martin .... Claudius' Bodyguard (as
  John Martin)
• Bernadette Jurkowski .... Blockbuster Clerk
• rest of cast listed alphabetically
• Larry Fessenden .... Kissing Man
• Robert McNeill .... Player King