The dramatic arc of a feature film, of a mini-series, of the same material 

and how to modernise a classic story

Using Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage (1972) as a case study, this seminar explores the dramatic arc of a feature film versus a mini-series adaptation—and strategies for modernising a classic story. A central focus is directing actors while working on scenes in a non-chronological order: how meaning, rhythm, and character development shift when individual moments are staged first and only later connected into an overall arc. The course combines close reading and discussion with hands-on practice. In the first sessions, we map the script’s dramaturgical structure. Students then act, direct, and film selected scenes in a deliberately simple setup (acting and directing only—no emphasis on lighting, production design, or complex découpage). All takes are screened and analysed together. During an Acting Special (15–16 May), we repeat the process with professional actors, followed by in-depth viewing and feedback. The seminar concludes with comparative screenings and discussions of Bergman’s feature and TV versions and the contemporary remake by Hagai Levi (2021) starring Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, with particular attention to episodic structure, scene adaptation, and dramaturgical choices.