Linking Culture to Screenwriting
Applied anthropology studies cultures, particularly their social structures at a particular point in time or current day. Among other things, it examines values, attitudes and relationships of a group of people while taking note of their beliefs and what’s important to them. It also investigates effects occurring during interaction alongside other cultures, events or development changes.
And culture's not restricted to geographical area, or historical evolution. It can include groups with common interests or circumstances, for example gang culture, a sub-culture of poverty, prison culture, religious groups.
This sounds academic, but it’s a valuable resource for screenwriting. Values and attitudes of a group influence their behavior: In screenwriting this can motivate a character’s actions. Also, there are certain relationship influences within a group, for instance status. To illustrate, consider status afforded to the aged in a specific culture: In some, aged are highly respected and valued as sages, in others they’re disrespected and considered a burden.
Language is an expression of a culture. In formulating dialogue consider the erosion of the culture, cross-cultural influences, terms of respect, avoidance language, humor, subtlety, irony, sub-text – often this requires a degree of finesse and a need for some cultural background.
In a screenplay, characters need to be placed in context, into world of story. To what extent are characters in the story affected by the context. What elements would affect them and why? Is the context natural or incongruous?
With growing interest in international stories, the input of Applied Anthropology provides greater relevance by giving resonance to story line, perspective on interrelationships between characters and their connection with their setting, dialogue that rings true and reflects the inner core values and attitudes, and sensitivity to issues that affect the erosion of characters’ or their family’s culture base.
Admittedly, using an adept screenwriter from the culture concerned is probably best, but they are not always available. In which case an Applied Anthropologist, as a consultant or writer, is experienced in applying principles relating to various aspects of a specific culture and understands the dynamics of impacting forces and change.
The Applied Anthropologist has the ability to step into the shoes of the protagonist or antagonist and see the world from their perspective.
To illustrate, in my own screenwriting I’ve used my 12 years’ training and field experience in Applied Anthropology in a myriad of ways from looking at how the stigma of HIV/AIDS causes people to behave in specific cultures and guiding people in rural poverty situations to cope with maintaining their health. From creating Africa’s first sitcom web-series where a traditionalist man is married to a Bishop’s daughter and the humor that arises from that conflict of cultures. From looking at the History of the Bedouins for the Past Zone of the Dubai Frame’s virtual reality tourism site. From writing a comedy script adaptation about the nurture versus nature dichotomous relationship between two brothers, one who studied in America while the other remained in the tribal area. And finally, via feature films, looking at how the cultural confines of a conservative society contributed to a woman’s passivity that resulted in her being hanged in secret; exposing how a male polygamous society affects a woman’s self-image; and exploring the culture of alcoholism in South Africa through its evolution and current day consequences.
30 September 2019