z

Young Writers Society


Do's and Don't's: Making a Movie from a Shakespeare Play



User avatar
165 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 367
Reviews: 165
Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:04 pm
Sassykat says...



Spoiler! :
So I watched this 1976 rendition of Romeo and Juliet last night. It was poorly made, even taking into account that fact that it was made nearly 40 years ago. It kind of frustrated me. So I came up with this.


DO: Say your lines clearly, and project. Nobody likes to have to turn up the volume all the way and still not be able to understand enough of the dialogue to even know what the characters' names are.

DON'T: Say your lines as if they are a song, because they are not.

DO: Tone down the drama. It's not realistic if you overact.

DON'T: Make the sunrise look like a three-way lamp turned up one click at a time.

Do: Make whatever blood present RED, not PINK.

DON'T: Use the same set for two completely different locations.

DO: Make sure the set doesn't make shadows on your backdrop. It only makes it more obvious that it's just a painted wall.

DON'T: Star an actor that plays a leading role in a well-known British comedy.

DO: Make sure all hairstyles are respective to the appropriate time--as in, NOT the 20th century styles.

DON'T: Cut off the end of the knife/sword you're about to stab someone else/yourself with and try to hide it. It won't work, trust me.

DO: Make sure your actors/actresses look (realistically, not a lot of makeup) like the age their roles are. If you have someone who looks thirty one moment and the correct thirteen the other, and their true love never moves a day from twenty, something is wrong.

DON'T: Make silly/stupid faces when you're about to die. It ruins the effect, causing your audience to laugh instead of cry.

DO: Cry realistically.
Shakespearian tongue-twister:

To sit in solemn silence
In a dark, dank dock
In a pestilential prison
With a lifelong lock;
Awaiting the sensation
Of a short, sharp shock
Of a cheap, chippy chopper
On a big black block.
  





User avatar
33 Reviews



Gender: None specified
Points: 240
Reviews: 33
Sat Jun 18, 2011 7:49 pm
TheAlphaBunny says...



*single person applause*
Bravo.

Have you ever seen Romeo+Juliet, that modern remake of the play? THAT is a magnificent Shakespeare movie...despite the guns and cars and it obviously not taking place anywhere near Shakespeare's time.
"I can have oodles of charm when I want to." --Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
  





User avatar
82 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 1850
Reviews: 82
Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:39 pm
gleek456 says...



Great post! I think some actors will find this very helpful when they produce the movie!

- gleek456 <3
YOU'VE GOT THAT ONE THING
  





User avatar



Gender: Female
Points: 690
Reviews: 1
Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:20 pm
LindseyDean says...



I laughed at the part about lines not being a song. I've noticed a lot of actors doing it, and it's weird. Though it does bring up an interesting question.

What would a Shakespeare musical be like?

I've come up with either epic or a complete train wreck.

Great job with the tips.
"Dinosaurs? There are no dinosaurs. This is the future. Where did you get dinosaurs?"
"I distinctly remember you mentioning dinosaurs."
"I'm sorry to disappoint, but there are no dinosaurs."
  





User avatar



Gender: Female
Points: 1040
Reviews: 2
Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:39 pm
firevithral says...



Ah, you ruined my plans! :(
Just kidding. Great piece of advice, especially the singing one. I do that. Everyone I know does that. Good job. :)

FV
Strange, terrestrial beings that are intent on ruining their lives and everyone else's. Humans. WHAT HAPPENED TO NEANDERTHALS?!? I think we should un-evolve. Is that even a word?
  








You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.
— J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan