The Long Black Line | UNCSA Directing Assignment

UNCSA Student Prompt
Dir. Jake Hektoen
DP Ben Trevey
Producer Zachary Emick
Starring:
Diego Vazquez Gomez
Matías de la Flor
Janos Kovacsi
Special Thanks:
Scott Pollock
Dillon DiPietro
The Prompt: Short Story Adaptation
Using ONLY the New Yorker Magazine Fiction Short Story podcast as your bank of material -
You are to adapt one of those short stories into a 3-5 minute narrative film.
(NO LONGER THAN 5 MINUTES!!!)
-You may NOT adapt any other story from any other source.
-It must be from one of the approximately 129 short stories read on this podcast:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-yorker-fiction/id256945396 (Links to an external site.)
-To be clear -- these are a excellent works written by some of the world's most famous or up and coming writers (and all of the stories have been previously published in the pages of the New Yorker at some point in the Magazine's hundred year history.
-There are short stories here by authors from all over the world. Not just from America, but from many many cultures, and the writing styles are quite varied.
-Here should be your process as to how to select a story -- since it's very hard to listen to all 129 stories.
-The New Yorker Magazine has a webpage that has summaries about each short story.
-First you should read the summaries of all 129 stories -- and if a handful really seem like promising candidates to adapt -- then narrow down your choices to 4 or 5 story and listen to those stories first.
-Here is a link to webpage that has summaries.
newyorker.com/podcast/fiction (Links to an external site.)
-Once you've chosen a story that you love and want to adapt, you can also read the text of the story so as to aid you in the adaption your screenplay --BE SURE TO SEND your assigned scene partner who will be performing the role the podcast and the original short story -- they need to read and or listen the original story too!
-PARINGS WILL BE DETERMINED AT CLASS ON WED SEPT 16th
-DO Not just send them your screenplay.
-By listening and reading the original story, there will be important elements and details that will aid your actor's performance.
-Email them a link to the podcast reading of the SS and a PDF of the text.
-Embrace this chance to realize someone's else's words.
*** Your film must say in the end credits that it was adapted by the title of the SS and credit the author.
-Try to be as faithful as possible to the author's intentions.
-Don't just change things out of laziness.
-Obviously you will have to cut down the length of the story to fit your adaptation: THAT'S WHAT DIRECTOR'S DO WHEN THEY ADAPT A NOVEL!
-Do not take wild liberties with your adaptation.
Commit to the story's themes, dialogue, characters, mood/tone.
-A viewer who is familiar with the short story should be able to clearly discern that your film is based on it.
-One last restriction:
You may ONLY use music from the following composers:
Joseph Bologne
Florence Price
Claudio Monteverdi
Rachel Portman
Edgard Varese
Olivier Messiaen
John Coltrane
Meredith Monk
Hector Berlioz
Vincenzo Bellini
Fanny Mendelssohn
George Bridgetower
Clara Shuman
-No other music is permitted!!!
-You MUST use score from one (or more) of the above approved composers.
**And you must credit the composter in the end crawl***
-No exceptions!
-No deviations!
-These music restrictions are here to expose and expand your knowledge and taste of composers.
-You must learn to sometimes create under all kinds of constraints and impositions that don't fall in perfect alignment with your personal taste and propensities.
-You will find their music on Spotify or RUclips.
-PLEASE follow the rules of the Handbook to the letter.
-NO VEHICLES WHATSOEVER.
-NO STUNTS.
-NO NUDITY.
-NO SIMULATED SEX.
-NOTHING DANGEROUS.
-NO WEAPONS.
-DO NOT PUT YOUR CAST AT RISK.
-DO NOT SHOOT IN DANGEROUS LOCATIONS.
-AND ALWAYS FOLLOW COVID RESTRICTIONS
-You're adaptation of these famous author's story will be all the more unique because it will have been made in these strange times.
-Embrace the restrictions -- they are what will distinguish the work!
-Playwrights have taken Shakespeare and updated the stories to WW2 or modern times.
-Your adaptations are set during the current Covid Plague!