So I'm pretty sure not every high school has the same books. However, over the last two years, my Lit. books have been sprinkled with numerous short stories by Ray Bradbury. I never really paid much attention, I mean as a high school student, I wasn't reading these stories by chose. However, when we had to read three of Ray's stories in succesion, I really was intrigued by his style of writing. My teacher had us discuss these stories, their similarites and what we liked about them. He talked highly of Ray and assigned us to write our own ending to The Pedestrian, as it was such an open ending. As an inspiring writer, I took this assignment with much graditude. I skimmed the story once more so I had it fresh in my brian, and began. Soon I was over taken by all this ideas and events that could happen in the situation I put Leonard Mead in. However, I didn't want to have my teacher sit through more then the four pages I wrote, so I cut my ideas short and summarized the key points. But one thing I noticed and tried my very hardest to replicate was Bradbury's undying love for detail. Every story I've read of his I could picture in my head word for word. For those of you who had the same type of assignment, what did you think of it? Did you like your final result? What do you think about Bradbury's attention to detail? Can you see the images as if it was a movie projecting in your mind, or do you find it boring and pointless?

Hi ChrissyGale, and welcome to the board.

I haven't done that exercise (been out of high school a loooooooong time!), but I sometimes get my film-making students to create storyboards from Bradbury stories. "The Pedestrian" is one of the stories I use.

My students usually find there is so much detail that they have to be really selective in what to focus on. Some of them even ask for less detailed stories to work from, so that they can use their own imagination, rather than be distracted by trying to cram all of Bradbury's details in.

"A movie projecting in your head" is a good description of many Bradbury stories, and is something Bradbury often claims about them. Some of the stories are less easily visualisable, though, particularly when Bradbury describes textures, feelings, smells. A film can, naturally, only directly capture images and sounds, so some of his metaphors that draw in the other senses are difficult to translate.

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Originally posted by ChrissyGale.love:
He talked highly of Ray and assigned us to write our own ending to The Pedestrian...

Aha! That answers a previous question.

I've never done this type of project before, only having written screenplays based on Ray's works. But when I do, I use every word from the story, then, playing it in my head like a movie in the brian (sorry - ), I put down on paper the description of the movie as it plays out.

Ray is very visual, but the beautiful metaphors make certain stories difficult to put on film.

Philnic, I just wanted to ask, where do you teach film, and Doug what movies have you written? I find myself very lucky, because I want to become a screen writer and a director and to have my post be commented on by a screenwriter and a film teacher makes me feel on top of the world, absoultely inflated with pride and happiness.

quote:

Originally posted by ChrissyGale.love:
Philnic, I just wanted to ask, where do you teach film...

In the UK, University of Wolverhampton. Pleased to hear you are inflated!

quote:

Originally posted by ChrissyGale.love:
Doug what movies have you written? I find myself very lucky, because I want to become a screen writer and a director and to have my post be commented on by a screenwriter and a film teacher makes me feel on top of the world, absoultely inflated with pride and happiness.

You heap too much praise on me I fear, although thanks!

One Stephen King short subject in post, a 4E Ackerman documentary nearly compleat, and a Bradbury-themed documentary tentatively called Fr Electrico, but I have written two Bradbury scripts. Just waiting for monies to come into the picture (the hardest part of filmmaking by far!)

Monies is a good word.