Syllabus/Dover Kosashvily

Adaptation

The goal: writing an adaptation of an original written work such as: short story, novel, musical, opera, ballet, comic book, TV show or film.

The original work upon which the adaptation is based, shall be compared to a "mad film" that has lost all sense of structure and form. The writer of the original work was free of all restrictions and rules, adhered to by classic film script structure. The author of the original work, each in his own discipline, is expressive and allows a free a flow of words, which deconstructs the norm of scriptwriters committed and restrained by detailed and logical factual actions and dialog that are the fundamentals of script form storytelling.

During the semester, each student will present to the class a short story they are interested in adapting to a script format. The class will read the story, cretic it and connect to its spirit and soul for better or worst.

We will analyze the main theme, its limitations and theories. We will become personally acquainted with the lead characters, its deepest secrets, thoughts, desires, intentions and lies. We will caress the structural skeleton of the story act by act, amputate scenes depicting internal conflict and introspection and add scenes rich in outer-personal conflict. Students will conjoin characters with similarities eliminate and implant missing characters and learn to enrich the main and secondary story plot and its structure with turning points. We shall climb to the scripts' pinnacle point, where the scene is challenged by its former and latter actions. Using a dramatic and classic ten- point fine toothcomb, we shall sift through the script and give a new life to the work, in a new medium.