Bobette Buster's What's the Story? Deconstructing Master Filmmakers: Jordan Peele's Get Out

A breakthrough masterpiece in cinematic storytelling, Get Out collides the classic Guess Who's Coming to Dinner with horror, and, perhaps for the first time in cinematic history, yields a feature film that gives white audiences a visceral experience of racism, while becoming a touchstone cultural event for African-Americans.

This session analyzes the film's power vis-à-vis the uses of storytelling: the development of its "Big Idea". Buster then discusses how the “Big Idea” was "plussed" by all seven cinematic arts – directing, writing, acting, cinematography, sound/music, art department/FX, costume/production design –demonstrating how every department is led by the "Big Idea" of the film under Jordan Peele’s direction.

Drawing from the art and craft of extraordinary filmmakers, Buster deconstructs a master filmmaker’s classic approach to illustrate key concepts, revealing the fundamental purpose of story structure, the audience’s need to experience the lead character's arc of transformation, and how the story’s core theme, based on the zeitgeist, are all interwoven and enhanced through cinematic language. This seminar provides a clear, methodological and unique approach to developing a screenplay that is essential for any screenwriter, producer or director. In understanding how to use these tools to orchestrate the audience's emotional response, filmmakers can elevate their scripts to the highest quality.