Week Ten: Adapting the Graphic Novel

Reading Assignment: Please read the graphic novel Ghostworld by Daniel Clowes by next week's class. In class next week we will consider this graphic novel, the movie made from it, and the issues of adapting graphic novels into films. 

Project Assignment: Before next week's class please adapt one of the partial scenes from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing into a small film (cell phone cameras preferred) or audio play. You can reset the play, add to the play, subtract from the original script all that you need to in order to get your vision of the script to work. The idea is to take a thread that runs through the text and emphasize that thread in your adaptation.

The scenes that I am recommending that you choose from in making your adaptation are the following, there is a separate PDF for each scene that focuses on just the selection from the script of the play that you need.

Much Ado The Song

Act II, Scene 2 Don John conspires with Borachio

Act II, Scene 3 Benedick talks about not falling in love

Act III Scene 1 Hero and Ursula entrap Beatrice

Act IV, last part of Scene 1, Beatrice "If I were a man" speech

Act IV scene 2, Constable Dogberry interrogates Borachio and Conrad



To help your thinking about this project, here is Hollywood Madam's Three Laws of Adaptation which discusses what she considers the three most important criteria when translating a book into a film.