Paul Quarrington with Drew Hayden Taylor
October 10, 2008
Paul Quarrington talks to Drew Hayden Taylor, award-winning author, playwright, screenwriter and comedian. At the risk of dating himself, Hayden Taylor reveals that his first television writing credit was for the Beachcombers! Who knew? At THIN AIR 2008, Winnipeg’s writers festival, he read from Me Sexy (the sequel to Me Funny), a collection of stories written by some of Canada?s most esteemed First Nations writers, a number of which joined him on stage. First funny, then sexy…we can’t wait to see what’s next for Drew.
Paul Quarrington on Adaptation – Part 3
October 1, 2008
Thoughts on the process of adapting books to screen
By Paul Quarrington
In my previous post I talked about the role of a filmmaker’s personal expression as well as the challenge of selecting which specific aspects of the printed material to explore.
In a short film?especially in a BookShort, based on a full-length book?this process is accentuated. The filmmaker must be able to cut to the heart of the matter, to find the single aspect that speaks across both media. I liken this process to distillation.
The next challenge for the filmmaker is how to deliver this distillation. The delivery of a piece of creative writing relies on the interaction of three important components: Voice, Narrative and Subtext. These ingredients and their integration must also be considered when writing the recipe for a film adaptation.
In my upcoming posts I shall explore these considerations – samples included!
