Screen Training Ireland are to host a five day course on how to successfully adapt pre-existing material for the screen with tutor Beth Serlin in Dublin from February 29th until March 4th.
Since the earliest days of cinema, adaptations from novels and other source material have provided audiences with many of the world's greatest films. And with ‘Room’, ‘Brooklyn’ and many other successful films right now - adaptation is proving to be particularly popular at the box office.
The course is designed for experienced screen writers and development executives. Ideally participants will have an adaptation project currently in development. Applications from directors attached to adaptation projects will also be considered. Please note that the course is intensive - there will be preparation material in advance, and assignments throughout the week.
The goal of this course is to explore the process of successfully adapting pre-existing material to the big screen. Participants will analyse how a variety of source materials - including novel, stage play, short stories and history - can transform into a powerful cinema story. Group discussions will explore the unique challenges of each source. Participants will also explore the process by adapting pre-assigned short stories and discussing the results. By combining the creative and analytic, writers will gain a deeper understanding of what it means to adapt stories from one medium to another. There will be a case study on the multi Oscar-nominated ‘Room’.
The course will explore the following:
Where stories come from
Conceptualisation
Comparative adaptation
Adaptations from novels (case study: ‘Room’)
Adaptations from plays, history/articles, short stories and comics/graphic novels
Course Tutor Beth Serlin specialises in Frank Daniel's approach to scene analysis and story structure, and recently tutored the highly successful Scene Analysis course for Screen Training Ireland. She is currently an Associate Professor at Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and Television in Los Angeles. She has led script development seminars in Mexico (Laboratoria de Escritura de Guiones) and throughout Europe (North by Northwest, Screen Training Ireland, The Binger Institute, Master School Drebuch). She earned a M.F.A. in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California and believes in the universal nature of film language and that the craft of screenwriting promotes communication across borders, cultures, and linguistic barriers.
Application Procedure:
Apply online at www.screentrainingireland.ie with your current CV.
The Deadline for applications is Friday the 5th of February. The course costs €350.
For further information contract dearbhla.regan@screentrainingireland.ie.
