Re: JCO: The evolution of Oates writing style

Hi Kim,

I would definitely agree there is a difference in cinematic and
"televisic" writing. Cinema moves along visually. In fact, the best
feature film scripts (and the best films) are those with little
dialogue. Unless a voice-over narration has a specific purpose in a
film, it's usually a sign the story didn't hold together well or the
producers feel the story needs to be explained to sell. I can't think
of a "televisic" novel or writing, but TV moves forward mostly through
dialogue (at least all sitcoms do).

As a filmmaker, I was taught to make silent films first, thus to solve
plot, character, thematic, editing, etc. issues visually. This past
summer, I directed a short film of JCO's story Small Avalanches and it
took me a long time to find visual equivalents to the main character's
state of mind (the story is written in the first person) when writing
the script. I suppose it's the difference between interpretation of
written works and straight adaptation.

Best regards,

Lara

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