Adapting Charlie Kaufman: The Eternal Brilliance of His Non-Linear Storytelling

Academy Award winning Charlie Kaufman is undeniably one of our greatest contemporary writers. With each new project, he pushes the envelope further into the surreal and absurd yet somehow manages to ground his realistic, struggling characters in complicated, modern plots.

Not only are Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Synecdoche, New York, Human Nature and Anomalisa (his Kickstarter campaign) – to name just a few – some of the most cinematically innovative and conceptually stimulating films of our era, but they are meaningful, layered with universal, timeless themes.

In this OnDemand webinar, Writer, Director and Producer (and huge fan) Heather Hale will share her awe through an in-depth examination of how Kaufman constructs his characters and stories to continually enlighten and excite – with an eye to the tools and techniques you might try to incorporate his approaches into your own unique work.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• The innovative ways Charlie Kaufman demonstrates the passage of time.
• Cinematic methods he uses to communicate interior monologue.
• How many of his characters “step outside” of their stories.
• The ways he violates the 4th wall.
• How he immerses himself, his characters and audiences in the chaos of each emotional experience.
• How story and structure reflect one another.
• Ways to achieve character dualities that express inner struggles.
• Techniques to create atmosphere, mood, tone and spirit.
• The importance of failure to creativity.
• How to trust where the work takes you.
• How to write specific to the film medium.

WHO SHOULD LISTEN?

• Writers who want to get out of their comfort zones and move deeper into the truths they are struggling to articulate.
• Writers wanting to discover and honor their own unique voice.
• Writers who want to share something honest with the world through your art.Writers who want to break free from all the industry-dictated templates and formulas to stretch their creative muscles by trusting their imagination and instincts.
• Writers who need help expanding the scope of a premise or combining story ideas.
• Writers who wants to explore their dreams as sources for story ideas.
• Writers revising completed screenplays.
• Writers seeking inspiration for their next project.
• Charlie Kaufman fans.

The Writers Store does not offer any refunds for the webinar. All sales are final.