Blog 4

Kaufman, Mathison, and Wilder all have very different writing styles. For instance, in A Boy’s Life Mathison uses more camera directions. While The Apartment and Adaptation do not really incorporate any camera directions. In Adaptation, Kaufman also has more choppy scenes that flip around much more flashing forward and backward in time. Kaufman also incorporates a many of voice overs. Mathison and Wilder both wrote scripts where everything basically happens sequentially with no real flashbacks or flash forwards. In Adaptation I felt that what the characters were supposed to be feeling was written much more explicitly then in the other two scripts, perhaps due to the style and whole idea of Adaptation. In the Apartment and A Boy’s Life the feelings aren’t so much written but understood and inferred from the dialogue or actions of the characters. Kaufman and Wilder, both incorporate witty comedy into their screenplays however their style of comedy is very different.

Discussion Questions:

1. Who’s writing style do you prefer best Mathison, Wilder, or Kaufman? Why?
2. What was the purpose of the scene at the volcanic eruption at the beginning of Adaptation?