Adapting a Scene for a Movie Script
Lesson Preparation
| Author: | Jeana Rock |
|---|---|
| Lesson Title: | Adapting a Scene for a Movie Script |
| Subject: | English (Language Arts) |
| Age Group: | High School |
| Unit: | Cyrano de Bergerac: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder |
| Objective: | The students will understand the complexities of the scene in a play and express it visually. The students will know screenplay format. The students will write a screenplay for their scene. The students will apply cinematic elements effectively.The students will consider audience in their film production. |
| Concepts: | Adaptation, medium specificity |
| Strategies/Modes: | Viewing analysis, discussion, inquiry, media adaptation exercise. |
| Curricular Goals: | Having the students make an adaptation of a scene from a play, short story, or novel is a great way for them to show their understanding of literature by using a story they already know. This gives the students an opportunity to practice screenwriting with a high quality story. |
| Lesson Overview: | Students will learn how to adapt a scene from a play into a scene for a film. It is assumed that the students already understand how the codes of film work. |
| Materials Needed: | Clips of movies adapted from stories the students are familiar with and have access to such as Romeo and Juliet, Cyrano de Bergerac, or short stories that have been adapted into film. Copies of a screenplay for a model (I have included one from The Offfice since most of the students are familiar with that sitcom, but several websites have scripts such as Daily Script http://www.dailyscript.com/movie_n-z.html) One from a film already adapted from a novel or story the students have read recently would be perfect. |
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Lesson Directions
Warm-up/Anticipatory Set:
Ask, “How many of you have read a book and then gone to see the movie version? How did you like the movie compared to the film?" Some students will think that the movie versions are not as good as the books.
Ask them why this is; How is film different from written literature? What are some of the advantages written literature has over film? What are some of the advantages film has over literature? What books would not make good films? Why? Has anyone ever seen several different movie adaptations? Did one follow the book more closely than the others? Why do you think that the filmmaker changed the story?
Instruction/Main Activity:
Explain that filmmakers have to make difficult decisions when adapting a book to film.
Ask, “What decisions could they be? (Suggestions: choice of actors, changing the ending, eliminating some of the plot and characters to fit into a short time limit, wanting to create something unique, trying to improve the story)
Say, “Let’s see exactly how one filmmaker adapted a piece of literature to film. Give the students a copy of a scene from a piece of literature they are familiar with.
Say, “Today we are going to see how a filmmaker adapts a story to film. Have the class read the excerpt from the story you will show the clip of.
Say, “Now we will watch the scene in the movie version. See what is the same and what is changed. Show the clip. Discuss what the filmmaker changed and why he changed it. Hand out a copy of the screenplay model. Assign students to read the various parts inthe script to see how it is formatted.
Ask, “How is this format different from a play?” Discuss the layout, the use of transitions, how action is described, headings, sets, etc.
Instruct students that they will be working with a partner to create a film adaptation for a scene in the play (novel, or short story). They will create a screenplay. Get the students into groups of two. (I think it is helpful to let them choose their own groups for this assignment since they will need to work outside of class.) Handout the assignment and discuss. The winning screenplay will be read aloud in class and get extra credit points.
Assignment:
Complete Screenplay.
Author's Notes:
Written by Jeana Rock
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