Gloria Film Analysis

GLORIA Gloria Film Analysis The play Gloria was written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Directed by Evan Cabnet, it first premiered at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City on May 28 of 2015. Since the play is rather new, it has not yet been adapted for film. Gloria could easily be a cinematic script, since the narrative structure is more traditionally cinematic than theatrical and the script flows visually. A normal narrative structure for a play would slowly build up the tension and excitement to the end of Act I, then repeat that structure for Act II. The narrative structure of Gloria starts on a plateau at the beginning of a normal work day at the office. As coworkers argue and Gloria makes some stranger-than-usual on-screen appearances, there is a steady rise in tension. The anticipation of the unknown creates an increase in tension as screams and gunshots are heard offscreen. As Gloria rushes on-screen, shooting Miles and Ani, the tension spikes, ending Act I. Act II begins with a peaceful atmosphere, contradictory to the major tension at the end of Act I, as Kendra and Dean meet in a Starbucks to reminisce over the events in Act I and discuss their new books. As they begin to fight over contracts and book agreements, the tension slowly rises to a peak (not nearly as high as the spike at the end of Act I). Sasha and Nan enter to chat, creating a break in tension. Sasha convinces Nan to write her own book about the events in Act I, building up the excitement. The scene changes to another office cubicle where Rashaad is finishing up giving Lorin a tour of the new office. The tension starts to plateau as Lorin settles in and meets his new coworkers. Callie and Jenna build tension and excitement as they interrogate Lorin about the events of Act I. When Lorin is introduced to Nan, there is a strong rise in awkward tension between the two. Callie offers coffee to Nan and Jenna, breaking the tension in the room. Act II ends as Lorin invites Devin to a beer to help him get to know his coworkers, offering more tension relief at the end. The locations used in Gloria span from a simple office cubicle to a Starbucks location back to another office cubicle. Many other locations are mentioned throughout the play, however, none of the action seems to take place in any of those locations. On stage, the interchangeability of these locations would be a hassle to build and use. On film, the locations could be used and transferred easily. Using each location mentioned in Gloria, a film director could utilize the first office, a shopping center, Gloria’s apartment, a Starbucks location, Nancy’s office, and the second office. Each of these are mentioned during the play and would add more excitement and background information to a film. Certain characters are written into the script as appearing similar, however, some of these characters are vastly different in personality. Dean is a white male in his mid-twenties, with a “hot shot” personality, a stalled career in magazine writing, and a short temper. Devin, portrayed as the same or similar appearance, is a level-headed computer repairman. Ani, a white female in her early twenties, is a two-faced liar and a new-ish girl to the office (she’s only been there a year) with big dreams of becoming an infamous author. Sasha, appearing similar to Ani, is a published author and friend of Nan’s, she is polished and well-spoken. Callie, also appearing similar to Ani, is an emotional woman working at a television and film production company reading manuscripts. Kendra is an Asian-American woman in her early twenties, recently hired at the same company as Dean and Ani. Kendra is described as talented in her writing and is rather prissy. Jenna is similar to Kendra in her appearance, however, she is an alreadyestablished television and film producer. Jenna is easily excited about the works she’s involved in. Gloria is a woman in her late thirties, who has worked for the same company over ten years with barely enough of a salary to get by and has recently been promoted. She’s well aware that many of the people in her office think she’s a little “odd,” but her breaking point is when few people show up to her party to celebrate her promotion. Nan looks similar to Gloria, however, Nan is confident in her abilities and doesn’t get too close to her other co-workers. Miles, a black man in his early twenties, is the newest intern at the company. He’s somewhat talented, possibly with an Ivy League degree, enjoys Bach’s works, and gets shot. Shawn, an employee at Starbucks, appears similar to Miles. Rashaad, also similar to Miles, is a recently-promoted television and film producer. Rashaad appears very young and has offended Callie with his recent promotion. Lorin, a man in his early thirties, has worked as a fact-checker at the same company as Dean, but never climbed the ladder to the top. Lorin has a short temper and follows suit when people start running. Dean will be played by Dylan Sprouse and Devin by Cole Sprouse. Ani will be played by Bailee Madison, Callie by Maia Mitchell, and Sasha by Lucy Hale. Kendra is played by Kimiko Glenn and Jenna by Jessika Van. Kate McKinnon will be cast as Gloria and Elizabeth Banks as Nan. Miles is played by Casey Ford Alexander, Shawn by Kyle Carthens, and Rashaad by Nick Mazzone. Lorin is played by Chris Zylka. I am storyboarding the end of Act One starting with Miles’ line “Yeah, but I don’t know…” The characters portrayed in the storyboard are not the actors I have chosen to cast.