Young Writers Society

I had an odd idea for a project not too long ago that went something along the lines of "Try writing how a certain work would go as if it was it was reinterpreted by another writer/director".

An example of what I want to try to do would be something along the lines of "Write how the movie version of the novel 'Eragon' would play out if it was directed by Wes Anderson", or "Write a 'The Fast & The Furious' novel that was penned by Kurt Vonnegut".

I just need tips on how to effectively mimic a certain writer or director. Is there anything I should look out for in their works other than things like recurring themes and motifs?

Did you know Charlie Chaplain once entered a Charlie Chaplain lookalike contest and came second? Of course you do.

I think it depends on whether you want to factually mimic them, or actually mimic them. Sometimes you have to really play up on their quirks more than the actual person would do in order to portray a better picture of them.

For a writer:
Sentence structure. Some writers have a monotonous 'I did this he did that' style. Others vary so much sometimes it looks like it's been through a translator.
Vocabulary. How common the words are, how complex they are.
Poetics. Some writers love metaphors, but others say everything as it is.
Language. Simple, but important. Make sure you know the difference between English and American English.

For a Director:
Lighting. Some will only vary the lighting depending on day or night. Others love harsh or darker lighting.
Perspective. It depends on the scope of the movie, but generally directors have preferences on whether they want broad and narrow scopes, frequent close ups, that kind of stuff.
Background noise. This seems simple but if you pay attention it really does stand out. It's how much of the surrounding area interferes with the shot. Some directors will block off a whole street to record two people walking down it. Others will happily record in the middle of a main road.