Blog # 4, Authorial Voice

While each script had its own distinct style, the authorial voice in both A Boys Life and The Apartment were similar while Adaptation is a completely different animal. Both A Boys Life and The Apartment were told from what appeared to be a spectator’s perspective, with Adaptation it felt as if Charlie Kaufman was telling you the story. With that being said, I think what really sets them apart is how the language is used for action and descriptions. In The Apartment, Wilder and Diamond used more detail and flowery words, Mathison did to an extent as well, though the main reason hers felt more like a screenplay was because it was a shooting script and had camera direction as well. The tone in A Boys life was also a bit more family oriented while both Adaptation and The Apartment had more adult overtones. The Authorial voice in Adaptation did not feel like it had a personality, any information we were given outside of the dialogue was given just as bland information to describe what was going on.

1. During the Mckee seminar he goes off about how using voiceovers to explain what the characters are feeling is cheating. Are there situations where it might be necessary to use a voice over to convey information that wouldn't be able to be supplied otherwise (barring circumstances where the character is off-screen or otherwise physically unable to provide said information)?
2. Charlie’s fictional brother Donald stated that Mckee stated that no new genres have been invented since the mockumentary was invented by Fellini, do you consider this an accurate assessment? Why or why not?