Get a firsthand look at what filmmakers do to adapt literature into film as award-winning film director Chet Pancake leads a collaborative scene analysis workshop for his new short film, “Me and My Daddy,” from 7-9 p.m. Sept. 25 at Maple House.
“Me and My Daddy” is based on the short story by award-winning writer Ann Pancake.
Anyone who loves Appalachian stories, literature, films and music is invited to attend. However, the workshop might be particularly helpful to those who are looking to gain more skills for adapting literature or creating their own fictional film and/or movie work from an Appalachian perspective.
The goal of the workshop is to promote fictional filmmaking in Appalachia to increase and improve the visibility of authentic stories and characters.
Participants will read scenes from the original short story and review the scenes in screenplay form, while Pancake leads the group through narrative fictional scene analysis exercises to bring the scene to life by crafting character elements, motivations and actions.
Participants will gain basic skills and experience with the technical craft of dramatic scene-building for fiction films by crafting the world of the scene together beginning with a character they most relate to and working through the character that is the least like them. The result will be a rich and complex understanding of the scene and story from the perspective of those with lived experience in Appalachian culture.
The workshop will open up new avenues to think about how we experience literature and film. If you are a writer, filmmaker or theater practitioner, this is a great chance to offer your thoughts and insights to the process.
Past workshop participants have said that the workshop has deepened their appreciation and understanding of how dramatic stories are crafted. Feedback from the workshops will assist Pancake in building authentic and complex characters from an Appalachian frame of mind.