Creative Italian Storytelling: from Literature to Cinema to Other Forms

Home , Gabriele Salvatores, Matteo Garrone, Paolo Sorrentino, Roberto Benigni

Area: Special Programs Creative Italian storytelling: Session A: 4 – 29 July from Literature to Cinema to Duration: 4 weeks other Forms of Fiction Campus: Milan

Prof. Mara Perbellini – Ilenia Provenzi

This program explores 2 courses in the space of 4 weeks. You will first delve into Creative Italian Story Telling: from Literature to Cinema to other forms of fiction, before turning your attention to world famous director Federico Fellini and the Contemporary Italian Cinema.

Creative Italian Story Telling: from Literature to Cinema to other forms of fiction

Course description

Adaptations have long been a mainstay of Hollywood, Cinecittà and the television networks. Many of the most successful international films are indeed adaptations of novels, plays or true- life stories.

We will analyze some of the most important adaptations of Italian Literature for the seventh art. We will try to discover masterpieces of Italian Cinema, understanding the changes from the source material to the new text and identifying the resistance of literature.

This course includes a creative experience through literature and cinema: the writer’s lab. Each student will be given tools to write a short story and develop it into a short film screenplay.

This course provides the student with a new knowledge of Italian humanities, from literature to cinema to biography. It is a great opportunity to discover the Italian culture through the arts of time: literature and screenwriting. And also a great opportunity to learn creative techniques in writing.

Prerequisites

None

Method of teaching

Lecture and Lab.

Readings of stories and excerpts of novels. Screening and analysis of clips of important films adapted from literature and true-life stories. The source material will be compared to the adaptation, revealing the essence of each medium.

Course requirements

The reading of the book Pinocchio (Carlo Collodi) is recommended prior to the beginning of the course. Ideally students should read the novel (which can be found in the course readings below) from beginning to end, before it is analyzed in class.

Learning outcomes

Students will learn narrative techniques and how Literature and Biography can be manipulated to create an original piece of art: the screenplay. Students will discover great examples of Italian novels and films and, through them, they’ll acquire a deeper knowledge of the Italian Culture.

Credits

3 US credits

Grading

○ Attendance and class participation: 20% ○ Final exam: 40% ○ Creative work: Short story (20%) Short film script (20%)

Course readings and materials

All the required readings will be available in a course pack and the lecturer’s slides will be available on Blackboard.

Required reading (excerpts):

 Linda Seger, The art of adaptation: turning fact and fiction into film, Owl Book, NYC 1992.  Robert Mc Kee, Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting, Harper Collins Publishers, NYC  Luigi Pirandello, The wheelbarrow (short story)  James Joyce, The Dead  Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities (some excerpts)  Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen (an excerpt)

Some rxcerpts from the following Italian novel (in English, to be read prior to course):

 Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio.

Required films:

 Pinocchio (2002) by Roberto Benigni.  Il divo (2008) by Paolo Sorrentino (some clips in class).

SCHEDULE

WEEK 1

Lesson 1 part 1: 4 July (2 h: 4-5.55 pm)

○ Introduction to narrative techniques: clear vision. ○ The dramatic moment. ○ Screening of short film.

Lesson 1 part 2: 4 July (1 h: 6.05-7 pm)

Why we need stories. The different forms of narrative and the beginning of the writing process: “In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit”.

Lesson 2: 5 July (3 h: 9-11.50 p.m.)

○ Guidelines to short film. ○ Text and subtext. ○ Exercise on location.

Lesson 3: 6 July (2 h: 9-10.55 AM)

○ The importance of having a theme: how to find it in a book and how to find your own story. ○ Characters: their roles, their arc of transformation and how to brainstorm from characters (exercise: let’s build a story together)

Lesson 4: 7 July (2 h: 9 -10.55 AM)

Field study: meeting a professional master of the writing craft.

WEEK 2

Lesson 5: 11 July (2 h: 9-10.55 am)

○ Screening of location film. ○ The story triangle. ○ Script format.

Lesson 6: 12 July (2h: 9-10.55 am)

○ The structure of a story: the Hero’s journey as a pattern for epic tales and fairy tales. The example of Pinocchio. ○ The structure of a psychological story: setting, inciting event, unconscious choice, conscious choice, crisis, climax and resolution.

* Deadline for submitting your short story summary

Lesson 7: 13 July (2h: 9-10.55 am)

○ Exercise on character part 1. The example of “The wheelbarrow” by Pirandello. ○ Structure.

Lesson 8: 14 July (3 h: 9am – 12 am)

○ Narrator and point of view: who tells the story? Exercises on the different types of narration using Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto and Invisibile Cities by Italo Calvino. ○ How to begin and how to end a story: happy ending, tragic ending, open ending. ○ Discussion on your story ideas.

* Deadline for short film outline (Sunday)

* Watch Pinocchio before Monday 18th

WEEK 3

Lesson 9: 18 July (2 h: 9.30-11.25 am)

○ The art of adaptation: literature & cinema. ○ The case of “Pinocchio” by Benigni

Lesson 10: 19 July (2h: 9.30-11.25 am)

○ Feedback on outline. ○ Scene analysis.

Lesson 11: 20 July (2h: 9.30 am – 11.25 am)

The art of descriptions: how do I introduce a character? How do I describe a place? The metaphorical meaning of visual elements in a story. Examples (James Joyce, The Dead; Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities) and exercises.

The art of dialogue: how do I write effective dialogue? Examples and exercises.

* Deadline for submitting the first draft of your short story

Lesson 12: 21 July (2 h: 9.30 am – 11.25 am)

○ Exercise on character part 2. ○ Creating and shading style, mood and tone.

* Deadline for short film screenplay (first draft) (Thursday before midnight)

WEEK 4

Lesson 13: July 25 (2 h: 9.30 am – 11.25 am)

○ Feedback on your screenplays. ○ Rewriting your script.

Lesson 14: July 26 (2 h: 9.30 am – 11.25 am)

More feedback on your screenplays.

Lesson 15: July 27 (2 h: 9.30 am – 11.25 am)

○ Adaptation from true life stories: the case of Andreotti. ○ Discussion and analysis of “Il Divo” by Sorrentino as an example of adaptation.

Lesson 16: July 28 (10.30 am-12.30 pm) - FINAL EXAM.

28 July (before midnight) DEADLINE FOR YOUR SHORT STORYAND YOUR SHORT FILM SCRIPT.

Federico Fellini and the Contemporary Italian Cinema

Course description

The course will introduce students to the magic world of the “director superstar” Federico Fellini, who influenced the art of cinema all over the world.

Here’s a quotation from American director David Lynch, to give an example of how influential Fellini was to international directors: “If I had to choose films that represent, for me, examples of perfect filmmaking, the first would be 8 ½, for the way Federico Fellini managed to accomplish with film what mostly abstract painters do – namely, to communicate an emotion without ever saying anything in a direct manner, without ever explaining anything, just by a sort of sheer magic”.

After “meeting” the Master, students will discover the main trends and filmmakers in contemporary Italian cinema. Since cinema is a mirror to our world, students will learn a lot about contemporary Italian society through the seventh art.

Course contents

In the first part of the course, after an introduction to cinema language and Italian cinema, we will focus on Federico Fellini’s career, from his debut as screenwriter during Neorealism to the masterpieces of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

We will then explore the boundaries of contemporary Italian cinema with the most significant directors and their movies: Roberto Benigni, Gabriele Salvatores, Matteo Garrone and Paolo Sorrentino (who recently won for best film in a foreign language at the Academy Awards 2014).

Prerequisites

None

Method of teaching

Screenings of clips from films, Lecture and film analysis, discussion of 7 mandatory films to be watched before class.

Starting from the second mandatory film, a student will lead the film discussion together with the Professor (students will rotate in this role).

Course requirements

Students will watch the 7 mandatory films that will be screened at Università Cattolica, in days and hours to be scheduled. The film will then be discussed in class with the Professor.

It is crucial that students watch the film prior to discussion in class.

Credits

3 US credits

Grading

○ Attendance 20% of final grade ○ Class participation (including film discussions and presentations) 40 % of final grade ○ Final written exam 40 % of final grade

Course Readings And Materials

All the readings will be available in a course pack and the lecturer’s slides will be available on Blackboard.

Required reading (excerpts):

1* Peter Bondanella, The cinema of Federico Fellini, Princeton University Press, New Jersey 1992.

2* William Hope, Italian Film Directors in the New Millennium, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2010.

Required films (with English subtitles):

3* Le notti di Cabiria (1956) by F. Fellini (screened in class)

4* La dolce vita (1959) by F. Fellini

5* Otto e mezzo 8 ½ (1962) by F. Fellini

6* La vita è bella (1998) by Roberto Benigni

7* Io non ho paura (2003) by Gabriele Salvatores

8* Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of tales, 2015) by Matteo Garrone

9* Youth (2015) by Paolo Sorrentino.

SCHEDULE

WEEK 1

Lesson 1: 4 July (2 h, 2-3.50 pm)

○ Introduction to cinema language. Introduction to Italian cinema. ○ Guidelines to film analysis.

Lesson 2: 5 July (2 h, 12.10-2 pm)

Screening of Le notti di Cabiria (1956) by F. Fellini

Lesson 3: 6 July (3 h, 11.10 am-2 pm) ○ More on Fellini. ○ Discussion and film analysis of (1): Le notti di Cabiria (1956) by F. Fellini

Lesson 4: 7 July (3h: 11.10 am-2 pm)

Cultural activity: visit to the Interactive Museum of Cinema (MIC).

10* Film to be watched before 11 July: La dolce vita (1959) by F. Fellini

WEEK 2

Lesson 5: 11 July (3h : 11.10 am-2 pm) ○ More on Fellini. ○ Discussion and film analysis (2): La dolce vita (1959) by F. Fellini

Lesson 6: 12 July (3 h: 11.10 am-2 pm)

More on Fellini. Opening of Otto e mezzo 8 ½ (1962) by F. Fellini.

11* Film to be watched before 13 July: Otto e mezzo 8 ½ (1962) by F. Fellini

Lesson 7: 13 July (3 h: 11.10 am – 2 pm) ○ More on Fellini. ○ Discussion and film analysis (3): Otto e mezzo 8 ½ (1962) by F. Fellini

Lesson 8: 14 July (2 h: 12.10– 2 pm)

More on Garrone. Sorrentino

Lesson 15: July 27 (2 h: 11.35 am – 1.25 pm)

Discussion and film analysis (7): Youth (2013) by Paolo Sorrentino.

Lesson 16: July 28 (1.30 pm-3.30 pm) - Written in class FINAL EXAM.

FINAL EXAM

It will be a written exam with 2 film analysis on 2 of the 7 mandatory films (as explained in class) and 2 essay questions on the issues discussed in class: all the slides from blackboard; the

selected chapters from your textbooks (on your course-pack); 7 mandatory films analyzed together in class.

BIO OF INSTRUCTOR

Mara Perbellini is a scriptwriter and story analyst for major film and TV production Companies. After her B.A. in Italian Literature and her Master’s Degree in Screenwriting at the Università Cattolica of Milan, she began to write screenplays and work as a story analyst for Rai Fiction and Eagle Pictures. She also worked as assistant director on the TV-movie “Una famiglia per caso” for RAI 1.

She has had over twelve feature film stories and screenplays purchased or optioned, including the treatment of "Bugie e miracoli" for Academy Award Winner Producer Marina Cicogna. In addition to her screenplays, Mara has had a number of scripts produced for animated series, such as “The Lord of Shadows” and “Uffa che Pazienza!” (Rai 2, season 1 and 2, which earned the Pulcinella Award at Cartoons on the Bay 2008 as best TV series for children).

She also attended the Film School at the New York Film Academy, both in NYC and in L.A. (at Universal Studios) and the London Academy of Radio, Film & TV: while there, she directed, wrote and edited 4 short films.

In 2006 Mara joined the Faculty of IES Abroad Milan, where she teaches History of Italian Cinema and filmmaking. In 2012 she joined the Faculty of Università Cattolica where she teaches creative storytelling with Prof. Provenzi. She’s also tutoring Italian film students at Università Cattolica, both for the Screenwriting Master Program and the film-making summer course at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

In 2009 she got an Award for best screenplay at the Fiuggi International Family Film Festival with the film “Il sirenetto”. After that she wrote several prime-time mini-series and series, such as “Distretto di polizia 8” (Canale 5), "Ci vediamo a Portofino" (Rai 1), “La vita che corre” (Rai 1), “Eleonora Duse” (Publispei) and “Ombre sulla neve” (Casanova Multimedia).

In 2013 she wrote 5 plays for “Decalogo parte prima” that premiered at the Spoleto “Festival dei due mondi”. She’s currently writing some cinematic projects.

Ilenia Provenzi graduated in Modern Literature and attended a Master’s Degree in Screenwriting. She began working for production companies in Rome and New York, and while there, she started work on scripts and editorial projects. Her first novel for young readers – La discesa dei Luminosi – has been published by Giunti Editore in January 2012. She has worked as a script translator and as a scriptwriter on animation series for children; she currently works as a writer, journalist and consulting editor for publishing companies.

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