Before I get to today’s blog…

Thinking about doing more with your writing? Why not join me in Paris June 2-7 for my Masterclass in Screenwriting? Come be part of a dynamic community of writers and literary agents to learn, to write, to network, to energize your literary goals—and just to have fun in the City of Light!

The Paris Writers Workshop is the longest running literary program of its kind. This program offers 6 masterclasses by renowned authors, each a specialist in their field—and I’ll be teaching the Screenwriting Masterclass—in English, of course.

The workshop will be held at Columbia University’s beautiful Reid Hall campus in the heart of literary Paris—Montparnasse.

Registration is now open: https://wice-paris.org/paris-writers- workshop

We’ll have a great time getting your story ideas off the ground!!

Movies from the Heart—Funny Face

The only wrong step this film takes is trying to make us believe Audrey Hepburn is dowdy at the beginning of the film. But it’s a small false step and necessary for the plot. After all, the film is called “Funny Face” isn’t it? So the premise is her face is funny and they can make that—with fashion magic—into a model’s face.

Funny Face [1957] by Leonard Gershe, was inspired by a play from 1927 and it takes an “ordinary” girl from a bookshop - Jo - and makes her into a fashion model. The transformation is brought about by a photographer.

Like last week’s Summertime, this film can be found [at this writing anyway] online for viewing at this link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x83ekz7 -- although, you will have to endure ads, most of which you can skip after a few seconds, though.

But for an overview of the film, here’s the trailer.

In the plot, Maggie, the rather manic head of a fashion magazine is looking for a new face to inspire the American woman. Dick Avery, her ace photographer, discovers what he believes is such a woman in a bookshop where the magazine went to do a film shoot.

But when Maggie tells Jo they want her to be their “new face” she is absolutely not interested. Until Dick Avery tells her they plan to take her to Paris for this glamorous runway show and fashion shoot. Jo’s idol—the philosopher Flostre—lives in Paris. So Dick convinces her that this could be her once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet her idol, and that even if she hates modeling, she’ll at least be in Paris. So she reluctantly succumbs.

Funny Face is also a musical. And a musical has something going for it that non-musical films don’t—the advantage of being able to tell the story through music. When a character sings, the song can tell us what’s inside their heart, what they’re thinking or feeling. In dialogue, it’s highly unusual for a person to just blurt out their deepest feelings and thoughts. So musical numbers are a definite advantage.

But if you’re thinking about trying to write a film musical, be aware that it’s a tough sell. With films like La La Land doing so well when it comes to both box office receipts and awards, original musicals might find a home in today’s market, but they are very few and very far between. That shouldn’t stop you from trying, though, if that’s your passion.

Generally, though, you need one person to write the film/dialogue and another to write the songs, so collaboration is usually key when we’re talking about musicals—whether for the stage or screen.

But even though Funny Face is 67 years old, it’s still a pretty good model for how you can intertwine narrative and music to tell a story.

Next week we’ll look at a May/December romance with Love in the Afternoon.

Copyright © Diane Lake

11Feb24

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com