Screenwriting Commons^™

Whose Protagonist Is It Anyway?, Ori Mckinney

Symposium of Student Scholars

The Favourite (2018), written by Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, transcends the traditional tropes associated with genre period pictures in its unique telling of the tale of two cousins vying to be in Queen Anne's favour during her monarchy. In this presentation I study the unique story structure of this film, which centers on three equally weighted characters. In contrast to the traditional single protagonist story structure, this film shifts the point of view making each lead character either the protagonist or antagonist depending on whose perspective you watch it from. The story is written …

Pirates Of The Caribbean: An Analysis Of The Curse Of The Black Pearl And The Adventure Genre On-Screen, Mezi Mulugeta

Symposium of Student Scholars

In Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting, Robert McKee maintains that while action-adventure is “often dismissed as mindless fare, it is in fact the single most difficult genre in which to write today…simply because it’s been done to death.” Said death came swiftly for Cutthroat Island, the 1995 flop that sank the pirate subgenre—until Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl premiered in 2003. The film was a risk that paid off massively for Disney, the pirate subgenre, and arguably the adventure genre as a whole in the modern age. This article …

Analysis Of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, John Hunter Ray

Symposium of Student Scholars

In this study, I examine the ways in which Christopher Nolan developed the protagonist in Interstellar (2014). The protagonist, Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, is the audience’s window into the world Nolan creates in the film. Though typical Christopher Nolan screenplay structure is more complicated than the average feature film, I argue that it is the character development of the protagonist that engages viewers and ultimately allows us to connect with the story. The central conflict that cooper desires to be the best dad he can be he is forced to abandon his family to save the world. That is …

Godzilla (1954) Research Analysis, Cyrus Aldridge

Symposium of Student Scholars

Cyrus Aldridge

FILM 3105

Prof. Anna Weinstein

10/20/2021

Abstract Research Analysis: Godzilla (1954)

According to Michael Maher, two years after World War 2 the United States’ military presence attempted to control Japanese media including its cinema. Despite this fact, Japanese filmmaker Tomoyuki Tanaka was able to produce Godzilla (1954), symbolizing the horror of nuclear holocaust. In this presentation, I argue that Godzilla is one of the greatest monster movies of all time due to its cultural relevance and its use of musical scoring, set design and costume design. In this study I demonstrate how Tanaka implements its score, set …

The Impact Of Endings, Carolina Solis

Symposium of Student Scholars

This presentation explores the importance of movie endings, and how an ending can impact the audiences’ opinion of a movie. I look at Ronald Bass’ Sleeping with the Enemy, and how he developed Julia Roberts’ character in a way that made the audience believe that not only was she capable of killing her abusive husband, but that she should kill him. I also look at Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption and discuss how Andy’s eventual escape from prison was too much of a surprise to the audience, and how the movie should have ended with Norton’s suicide. Finally, I …

Gifted Screenplay Analysis, Chloe Ford

Symposium of Student Scholars

Gifted, the film directed by Marc Webb released in 2017, details the story of a single man named Frank (Chris Evans) raising his young niece Mary (McKenna Grace), who just so happens to be a 7-year-old genius. He plans for her to live a normal life; go to public school, make friends, play sports, truly be a kid, but his mother has something else in mind. Mckenna’s grandmother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) threatens to rip Mary away from her little life in the suburbs, as well as her beloved Uncle Frank. This study analyzes the complexity of the characters in …

Analyzing The Symbolism Of Modern Racial Tension In Jordan Peele's Get Out, Kyra Hammond

Symposium of Student Scholars

In award-winning films, themes surrounding race and ethnicity are typically avoided unless regarded in a historical context. Though, Jordan Peele’s Get Out(2017) breaks these barriers by taking a satirical approach to comment on modern racial issues and stigmas that are prevalent in American society. Furthermore, the film pushes society to finally see and understand the anxiety and racial trauma that African Americans continue to experience. The hidden symbols and messages throughout the screenplay further add to the film’s theme by metaphorically expressing that racism can be covert. With the intention to analyze these symbolic elements, I will break down …