This week, we're going to look at the story "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, AZ" (download off Blackboard) by Sherman Alexie and the film Smoke Signals which he wrote the screenplay to, based on the story.
Before you watch the film:
I'm curious about what you expect. Most feature film scripts are about 80-120 pp. This story is about 16 pp. What had to happen in creating the screenplay to turn this story into an hour-and-a-half film? What do you expect to see in the film?
After you watch the film:
What were you surprised about? How were the characters different and/or the same as you had imagined them to be when you read the story? What decisions by Alexie and/or the director Chris Eyre do you agree w/? What would you have done differently if you had adapted the film yourself?
What questions do you still have?
Before the Film: I'm not sure what to expect. But I do expect all characters and events that I imagined in my head to be completely different from what's shown in film. I can expect that they may had to cut off some parts just for the sake of fitting the film's intended time slot, if that's the correct way to call it. Even editing if not cutting, if some wish to extend the audience so as to make it kid-friendly, which is quite common in many forms of entertainment like animes and movies.
ReplyDeleteWhat isn't "kid friendly" in the story? Why would they cut out parts of the considerably shorter story for the longer film? Rethink these ideas, please.
DeleteI believe that this film may have less characters and possibly less words. Or maybe they cut some scenes to make it short. I expect to see the same things I would expect in a normal screenplay. Maybe there are a few other changes. But I don't expect any drastic change. I seen other short films and they seemed like normal films.
ReplyDeletenormally in a longer piece of work you are able to see how the characters develop with no rush. im not saying you wont have that when it is shorter but i do feel like it will be rushed a bit. i also expect to see key plot points missed and the transition from one scene to the next to be a bit sloppy but i cannot say for sure because i dont think i have seen something like this in a while.
ReplyDeletecharacters were more or less the same, you cant deviate from the original piece very much so in that aspect no. i dont think i would have done anything differently it was a good movie through and through. i prefer visuals anyways
ReplyDeleteAfter the film, it was not what I was really expected because some parts were different from that of the story, like the fight between the two characters, traveling by bus,conversation with the gymnastic etc. But I guess that was to make the film longer even though it has the same idea and was conveying the same message. The narration also help to enhance the film. I think it was a good movie, and it conveys alot of messages about like in general.
ReplyDelete