For this reflection piece I decided to reflect on the reading set for us this week ‘‘To make you see’: Screenwriting, description and the ‘lens-based’ tradition.’ (Adam Ganz). This discussion of writing ‘through a lens’ that Ganz discusses and the topics he brings up through the given examples of differences in different screenplays really relates to some of my previous posts and discussion points when it comes to  my writing exercises. I felt my own script for ‘Study Buddy’ last week lacked in certain visual descriptiveness and took a more frame by frame, camera style approach, but we started to breakdown whether or not this was a bad thing when it comes to writing a screenplay and also relates to previous points I’ve discussed in my blog posts  about how less is possibly more, how we should show and not tell in our writing and also to let go of some creative control when it comes to our own creative works.

I found the reading quite interesting, mainly in those three clear examples shown. After watching the opening scene from ‘The Apartment’ and reading through the expert given, the scene indication;

“What used to be the upstairs parlor of a one-family house in the early 1900’s has been chopped up into living room, bedroom, bath- room and kitchen……There are lots of books, a record player, stacks of records, a television set (21 inches and 24 payments), unframed prints from the Museum of Modern Art (Picasso, Braque, Klee) tacked up on the walls. Only one lamp is lit, for mood, and a cha-cha record is spinning around on the phonograph……some potato chips, an ashtray filled with cigar stubs and lipstick-stained cigarette butts, and a woman’s handbag.” (Pg.8)

This is a big chunk of scene description, almost feels a lot like a checklist for what must be on screen. After watching the scene I realised that unless you have repeat viewings of the scene or pay more attention to set design then actual characters on screen for 10 seconds, you miss half the things depicted in this expert. I felt that this was the style of writing I was aiming to achieve and what I felt was lacking from my own work, but upon reflection and after having seen the screenplay in action (on screen) I’m starting to see how less can be more or just as much. That’s not to say that this style of writing is wrong, for this scene description for me does something else in that it really sets a tone and an overall mood for the scene. The lighting, the feel of the apartment, it’s a bit seedy, beautiful but dank and dingy. It also as we discussed sets the mood of the screenplay and the overall film with lines like ” 21 inches and 24 payments” (Unless that is narrator text it is pointless to add, unless you are setting a tone for your screenplay adding the humour and comical elements that the film utilises so well).

I feel like in this context setting up a screenplay with big scene description for the sake of tone can be really beneficial for certain screenplays and if it suites your writing style can possibly aid or elevate your work. For me I feel like sometimes I aim to achieve that style, but ultimately find myself leaning more towards what is the more current style of screenwriting, which after reading ‘To make you see’: Screenwriting, description and the ‘lens-based’ tradition.’ (Adam Ganz) feels more like the ‘Black Swan’ example. I guess its all a learning experience and really the best time to experiment and truely find what works for me as a creator and as a writing. Since my conclusion comes down to no style of writing is bad or wrong I hope to incorporate all elements and see what works for me and see how it can aid me in achieving my final assessment of writing.