Fiction Adaptation: Research - Spoken Word Poetry

Spoken word is writing that is meant to be read out. Examples include stories, poems and monologues. For this unit we will be looking at poems and how we can adapt the spoken word and bring it to life through exciting imagery and sound design. If a poem is rich with imagery, the listeners will see, hear, feel and even taste what they are being told.

There are a few poetic devices that we see continually through poetry. Repetition is a device that can help a writer generate exciting poems with just repeating a key phrase to emphasise it. Rhyming can enrich the diction of the wording and make it more theatrical.

Performance is an important aspect. Spoken word poems are written to be performed. Projection is vital so that the listeners can hear every word and can engage in what is being said, this is helped through good enunciation. Facial expression and gestures can also help to bring the actions of the poem to life.

In reflection of what I have researched about the concept of spoken word poetry, I think I will take some of the advice about performance and use it for my own adaptation. I don't think I will have someone on the screen reading the poem aloud, however, I do intend to have it read as a voice over. It is important that it is delivered as a performance so the audience can engage in what is being said and can hear every word. I think that with this unit being a fictional unit, performance and elaboration is incredibly important.