Appreciation of Literature and Film 2

by Margot Naber

I would make “My Flamboyant Grandson” into a short film. The film would be live action and I would cast Robert De Nero to play the grandfather, young Noah Scnapp to play Teddy, and Chandra Wilson to play the “citizen helper,” who would obviously be a woman in this version. The grandfather would be grumpy except when he’s with Teddy and Teddy would be happy and outgoing around his family. I would make the story set around 2015 when Hamilton was released and make that the broadway show they’re going to see. I would have narration at the beginning and it would be the grandpa’s voice playing over videos of how Teddy is treated at school (kids bullying him, the bus driver taping a note to his backpack, etc.) I wouldn’t have Teddy talk much at all in the film, but he would convey his emotions through facial expressions and the grandpa could sort of explain how Teddy feels in his narration the way he does in the story. Then, I’d add the grandpa’s narration explaining why they’re going into the city as they ride the train. I’d try to convey the chaos by having the grandfather limping down the street while holding Teddy’s hand and random people on the sidewalks shouting at each other like they do in the story. The camera would pan to the grandpa being grumpy and overwhelmed and then to Teddy smiling and excited. I would make the scene where the grandfather has to slow down because of his feet set in Times Square with skyscrapers and the advertisements playing on TVs comedic by quickly switching between all the different ads and the grandpa looking at them with a horrific look on his face. The ads described in the show seem pretty ridiculous, like the woman pouring Pepsi on her chest, so I would have that one and add even more ridiculous ads. I’d play horror movie music to make it more dramatic and then I’d have it pan to Teddy looking really sad. Another comedic scene would obviously be when the grandfather knocks the notepad out of the citizen helper’s hand. In this version, the cop would have the same personality as Chandra Wilson’s character, Miranda, on Grey’s Anatomy. She would roll her eyes when pulling out her notepad to write the ticket. When the grandpa has to come back down to pay for the ticket, I’d add some of his narration written in the story and the cop would be passive aggressive when she says she is glad about his change of heart and all that. Finally, there would be the grandpa’s narration at the end when everything is resolved and I’d have Teddy dancing and performing some of the scenes from Hamilton all dressed up. It would end with a closeup of the grandpa smiling.

By Kaitlyn Melore

For my short story film adaptation of “My Flamboyant Grandson” I will be taking a more technical and different approach to how it will be filmed and shot. I think I would start the film with a scene of the grandfather holding his newborn grandson in the hospital. This  shot will look older and like it was filmed in a past normal world. The shot will immediately pan after to the grandson and grandfather getting off the subway in New York City and immediately rushing down the street. This film will have zero dialogue in it, the only sound will be the grandson singing his version of “Baber Sings” the whole film. The next scene that follows will be another past shot that pops up as another medium shot from the past of the grandfather teaching his toddler grandson how to play baseball. The film will then pan back to the wide shot of the duo making their way in a rush through the streets of NYC, looking stressed and the grandfather constantly checking his watch. We then are brought back to another past medium shot of the grandson tap dancing and singing in front of his grandfather who is sitting on the couch. The grandfather has a look of admiration but also confusion at the same time. We then pan back to a shot of the grandfather and grandson being stopped by the citizen helper in the street where we can see by their faces and lips moving that they are clearly arguing. After this we get a close up shot of the grandfather yelling back at the citizen helper, and then we flash to another past memory. This time the flashback is a close shot of the grandfather in his childhood. He has a look of defeat on his face while he is being scolded by his own grandpa. We then flash back to the scene where they run past the citizens helper and finally make it to the theater. We get a close up shot after this of the grandfather and grandson sitting in theater seats and we can’t see the show only their reactions. The grandson is watching the show with a huge smile on his face, showing clear adoration for what he is viewing. At the same time we can see the grandfather not even looking at the show, he is staring at his grandson with a look of joy and love in his face, where we can assume he is completely happy. At this point we get a final flashback. The shot pans from the grandfather looking at his grandson in the theater to the grandfather looking at the grandson after he handed him one of his now favorite cds. We can see the look of love and acceptance on the grandfather’s face in that scene as well and then the screen goes black. This film will be a live version film shot in a comforting looking home for most of the flashbacks and then also on the regular streets of New York City. The grandfather will be played by the actor Robert De Niro because you can tell he grew up in a different generation but he can still vividly display the love for his grandson. The grandson will be played by the actor Jacob Tremblay because he is a young teen and hw will be able to play into the big personality of the grandson. The grandfather’s grandpa in the scolding scene will be played by the actor Sam Elliot because he has a naturally cold look and will be able to portray the small mindedness of the great grandpa.

By:Rachel Reid

For my film adaptation, I want to keep the plot the exact same. However, I want George’s mental stability to be changed, and I would change the last scene. He does tell his wife about his encounter with Picasso, in fact, he comes running into the restaurant in his bathing suit rambling about his encounter with Picasso. He’s screaming and shouting, and the staff have to restrain him. Emergency services are called, and he is taken to the closest hospital and then transported back to the States. After he is diagnosed, his wife comes to visit him and his condition only worsens, eventually, George won’t even recognize his wife. The story is really a memory, as George is in a mental institution. It is the present day, and Picasso is dead. His wife divorced him years ago and sent him to the institution. When his eyes shut in the story, he opens them to find himself in an institution.

The film will start with George’s eyes closing in the restaurant, and transition the setting to the hospital, so it seems like one continuous shot. I will use a wide angle to pan the room, where George is having convulsions, and is screaming while he gets medicated by the workers. The watchers will see the nurses talking about George’s condition, and how they are sorry for him. After this scene, I will use visual edits for a flashback effect, of the moments from their trip.  I would start with eye-level angles while Goerge and Alice are talking. While they’re talking I will use a dutch angle to focus on all of George’s tics. Once George swims and walks alone I will use a high camera angle to show the beach and make George seem small. When George is watching Picasso I would use a high camera again, to make George smaller than Picasso, as well as a dutch angle to show George’s tics. I will use a low camera angle for Picasso, to make him much larger than Geroge. After George watches Picasso, he does run back to the hotel, with suspenseful music playing, and a wide camera angle. While Alice and George are eating dinner I would use an eye-level angle while they’re talking, and a Dutch angle to show George fidgeting. George is clearly agitated, and as Alice begins to question him, he starts to lose it. Then George is restrained by the staff and his eyes closed, which will make a loop of the movie. 

This version would completely change the meaning of the original story. Instead of Picasso being George’s idol, he is an escape from reality. George was an average man, with an average life, except he had schizophrenia. He was undiagnosed until he and his wife took the trip, and she realized something was wrong with him when he came running into the restaurant, rambling about Picasso. When George is heavily sedated his mind goes back to the trip. 

by Jasmine Destafano

The story that I would like to make a film about is Paul’s Case by Willa Cather. If I were to make a film based on this text, I would choose for it to be a rated R stop motion film, because I believe I can get more creative with using stop motion instead of just standard animation, and rated R because of the ending of the text, that I am going to change in my film adaptation. I would be able to highlight Paul’s views on the world and add a colorful and vibrant over-the-top setting for the way Paul sees life around him. An example of this could be when Paul hears a symphony, getting himself lost in the music, and then returning to his reality. For this scene, I would change the color scheme to a very vibrant and colorful one, making little stop-motion music notes fly across the screen as Paul sits there in amazement. Once the symphony ends, I would have a transition where it cuts back to Paul sitting with a more bored and depressed expression on his face, changing the colors to black-and-white. I would change the scenes where it shows Paul’s actual life to make it look bleaker and duller, with a more black-and-white color scheme. I would not do anything crazy regarding the camera angles and how the film is shot, because again, I would like it to be stop motion. Any dramatic camera effect would make the film look strange, in my opinion–and not in a good way. I would use instrumental music for the soundtrack, when Paul is viewing a more vibrant world, I would add cheerful and somewhat calm music, and when Paul’s actual life is shown, I would add a more upsetting and depressing instrumental track.  

The only significant change I would make to this story is the ending. Unlike the true ending of Paul’s Case where Paul ends up killing himself by jumping into a train, I would like to change this to Paul’s death being caused by his father. Since it mentions in the text early on about Paul’s father mistaking him for a burglar and shooting him in a seemingly hypothetical incident, I would like to have Paul’s father being the one who takes Paul’s life, rather than himself. I would set this scene up with Paul struggling to fall asleep, then leaving the house and exploring the vibrant city, with Paul’s false idea of what the world is like, regaining hope for himself and returning to his home. He will make some sort of commotion, alerting his father, still with the happy and false reality that Paul is seeing, and then being shot dead—this is where the cheery-vibrant colorful world comes to an end, with everything turning bleak and black-and-white the moment he gets shot. I feel like this would make the story more impactful, with Paul finding hope for himself and the future, and then his whole future being cut to an end once he returns home. 

by JJ Spoerl

Although I hate when exceptional pieces of literature are ruined with sub-par film adaptations, I do believe George Saunders short story, “My Flamboyant Grandson” would make a beneficial and entertaining picture on the big screen. The story revolves around a grandfather who ultimately comes to terms with his grandson’s unorthodox behavior and appearance, and does everything in his power to do something special for him. 

The story regards many themes that I believe would be beneficial in a movie for society today. A large amount of the population struggle with acceptance from others and self identity. Creating a film based off of the actions of the Grandfather would resonate heavily with the audience and establish a successful movie. Additionally, I believe that this film would satisfy an age diverse audience due to the generational gap seen in the story. 

While the premise of the story is heartwarming and jovial, Saunders writes with a melancholy tone in certain parts. This creates various amounts of emotional reactions from any given audience. The audience would be able to experience the same emotional journey as the characters. They’ll be in laughter and in tears. 

Furthermore, another aspect of the story that would make an effective film adaptation is the characters. The development of both characters could allow for the actors in the film to have more leeway in regards to the characters emotions. We see the Grandfather go through arduous internal conflicts which includes the understanding and accepting of his flamboyant grandson. Moreover, there is an interesting character development for the grandson’s journey to self acceptance. The depth and complexity of these characters’ emotions can enthrall the audience into the story, making it an engaging and educational experience.

One of the more unique features of the story is the futuristic setting. When the two characters travel into the city Saunders uses great detail to describe the advanced society they are now living in. I believe that detail can be very effective in writing a screenplay. Certain CGI techniques can be used to create the electronically advanced technology(I wouldn’t expect the director to be Christopher Nolan). This creates a visual appeal for a film adaptation. The complex and sophisticated society that the movie is set in will intrigue the audience. 

While the story itself would make an exemplary film adaptation yet I would have the majority of the film contain dialogue. I don’t believe the characters’ actions in the story were conveyed accurately through dialogue. It would make it more feasible for the audience to experience the emotions of the characters if they were spoken out loud. Consequently, the actors have more freedom to improvise lines to make themselves more endearing and believable. 

Finally, the film adaptation of “My Flamboyant Grandson” will ignite important discussions and conversations on the themes presented throughout the story. The story’s developed characterization, emotional depth and futuristic nature all provide valid reasoning for the story to be adapted onto the big screen. It can serve as a catalyst for viewers to reflect on their own attitudes and relationships, contributing to a broader conversation about the power of empathy and love.