Events & Programs

How does story telling in words differ creatively from story telling in films? A Night at the Movies will compare excerpts from books and plays with scenes from the film versions of the literary works. Each spring and each autumn scenes from a different and popular book/play and its film version will be featured and each selection will exemplify a different aspect of filmic story telling. Judith Merians will explain why films require their own creative conventions and how filmmakers employ visual and aural techniques to enhance and deepen the tale with as few words as possible. And to add to the enjoyment Judith will fill you in on some of the behind-the-scenes history of the evening's film. No RSVP required, just drop on in and join us for a Night at the Movies.

Stephen King masterfully writes of the bleakness in ordinary life and the horror that arises in everyday places. In The Shawshank Redemption the Shawshank prison is the hell on earth in which the story of two convicted murderers and unlikely friends, Andy and Red, unfolds. How did King and the director Frank Darabont, create empathy in the readership and audience with two such characters in this claustrophobic setting? Discover the subtext of the story in which Andy, the force of hope, arrives in a forsaken place, changes it, and moves on.  He is the classic mythic figure.

About Judith Merians
Judith Merians has been an entertainment attorney and business executive for the Hollywood Studios and independent production companies for 27 years.  She has taught the business, finance, and legal aspects of filmmaking at the University of California Los Angeles Extension Film School for 20 years and in film schools around the world and has spoken at many film conferences including the Cannes Film Festival and the American Film Market seminars.  She is currently a consultant to independent filmmakers and film school professor.