Dramaturgical approach in cinema : elements of poetic dramaturgy in A. Tarkovsky’s films

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In spite of the wealth of screenwriting manuals and guidebooks on how to write a screenplay, there are, nevertheless, few critical academic studies on dramaturgical techniques from the screenwriter’s perspective. This thesis, building on the tradition of drama theories, expands and deepens understanding of the contribution and function of the screenplay within the film-making process, generates new knowledge of dramatic writing for film practitioners, and provides a reflection on contemporary dramaturgical strategies, methods and techniques in film-making. This thesis introduces the dramaturgical approach in film, which is employed as a framework for a dramaturgical analysis of two of Andrei Tarkovsky’s films – Ivan’s Childhood (1962) and Nostalgia (1983). The analysis identifies certain dramaturgical tools and techniques, which differ from those of classical dramaturgy and which can be characterized as tools of poetic dramaturgy. Marja-Riitta Koivumäki is a Lecturer in Screenwriting at the Department of Film, TV and Scenography at Aalto University, Helsinki. She has studied at the Moscow Film School and has worked as a dramaturge, screenwriting tutor and screenwriter in the UK and Denmark.