Unscripted Content Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

Unscripted Content is a feature-length screenplay with the goal of having authentic, complex, and diverse portrayals of Judaism in terms of characters’ personalities, religiosity, heritage, and backgrounds as opposed to relying on stereotypes and traditionally monolithic representations of the religion. This feature is unique in that the protagonist returns to Judaism, and the religion’s values are what save them as opposed to the more popular escaping extremism in religion narratives often seen with Judaism in film or TV that can portray the faith in a negative light. Furthermore, the script fills a need for a Jewish rom com, which does not truly exist, apart from a couple of Hanukkah Hallmark movies or films that follow characters who have Jewish names or characteristics that imply they are Jewish, but the story would be the same whether they’re Jewish or not. Through the frame of a reality television show, the screenplay shows how on-screen representations can sometimes be negatively exaggerated or even false as a way to critique past problematic representations of Judaism or Jewish characters. More broadly, using reality television, this screenplay will explore what it means to be a young Jewish woman– or a young woman in general– reaching adulthood in the 2020s, exacerbated by the reality TV world that has a history of exploiting and manipulating women’s emotions and actions for their own gain. 

Table of Contents

Introduction................................................................................................................................8

Literature Review.........................................................................................................................9

Anti-Semitism, Defining Jewishness, and the Importance of Jewish Representation in Film...............9

History of Jewish Representation in Film......................................................................................10

History of Representations of Judaism as a Religion in Film...........................................................11

Representation of Jewish Women in Film ....................................................................................14

Jews and Representations of Romance in Film..............................................................................17

History of Rom-Coms.................................................................................................................18

Feminized Culture......................................................................................................................20

Reality Television (RTV)..............................................................................................................22

The Emotional Power Dynamics of RTV........................................................................................23

Film and Television Review..........................................................................................................24

Shiva Baby..................................................................................................................................24

Leona.........................................................................................................................................26

Jewish Matchmaking...................................................................................................................28

Writing Process...........................................................................................................................29

Inspiration and Brainstorming.....................................................................................................29

Writing.......................................................................................................................................31

Revisions and Challenges.............................................................................................................31

Conclusion..................................................................................................................................33

Works Cited.................................................................................................................................35

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement

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School	Emory College
Department	Film and Media Studies
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Cinema Jewish Studies
Stichwort	Screenplay Romantic Comedy Judaism Reality Television
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Conway, Joe, Emory University
Committee Members	Belflower, Kimberly, Emory University Bernstein, Matthew, Emory University

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