FEATURE: 1 MAY 2009

Marilyn Milgrom and Rob Ritchie

In a special Writer’s Room UK screenwriter, teacher and development consultant Rob Ritchie (Who Bombed Birmingham?, Blown Apart, McIvor’s Share) talked to Marilyn Milgrom (the NZFC’s Head of Development). Rob used clips from films Glengarry Glen Ross (David Mamet) and East is East to talk about the challenges writers face adapting stage-plays for the big screen.

Rob Ritchie was is in New Zealand taking workshops for the New Zealand Film Commission, Writing for the Big Screen.

“In developing the screenplay, it’s routine to explore how the story can be ‘opened out’ – replacing reported events with direct action. The process, however, also involves an approach to character, mise-en-scene and dialogue that is quite different to the techniques of theatre and television.”

Click here to listen to the Rob Ritchie Stage to Screen Writer’s Room