Tense and tension

However many screens you consider the future to consist of, the fact is that we are now consuming content in more places. That content is exhibited by more and more devices, of varying screen size.

Certain subgenres may not feel "up to the job" of this multi-screen age. Psychological drama, with its requirement to portray the intricate, delicate subtleties of humanity, suggests a more formal environment. Screenwriter and lecturer John Foster feels that this fragmented future is an exciting challenge rather than a limiting hindrance.

John Foster has an unquestionably impressive track record. The writer of many famous TV serials, from Z-Cars to The Bill; he also wrote the story which became Letters from a killer, a film starring Patrick Swayze. Now a lecturer at many institutions and film schools, his deft touch in understanding how to transform complex emotions into words is evident in the many hours of drama that have been made from his work.

Foster's forthcoming talk at Salon London will examine the problems of recreating and replaying complex human aspects on the screen. Psychological causes and effects, the nuances of relationships, and the undertow of feelings towards someone else can be very difficult to interpret, as they go through the "hops" of script, creative development, filming, editing, and marketing. The view will be expressed that screenwriters are unable to describe and therefore portray "inner feelings" in a way that, say, writers of prose can master. "Film narratives have to convey emotions in ways different to prose fiction and putting psychology on the screen is very difficult without recourse to expositionary dialogue which is undesirable. Hitchcock is probably the greatest artist to have successfully 'visualised' psychology through behaviour, body language and cinematic expression. .. David Lynch as well, although in a very different way."

It's clear that building effective work requires a clear and solid understanding between director, editor, and cinematographer – and their teams. That said, Foster rightly feels that the screenwriter, often excluded, should also be included in that chain. The theory of the auteur, now over 50 years from its inception in Cahiers du Cinema, still holds true to Foster, although it should be updated; auteurs are no longer just directors.

For the viewer, some of the most enjoyable films are those which require the most work. Hitchcock and Lynch are cited by Foster as "poets of anxiety" - masters of this game. The audience needs to feel that they can make a contribution to what happens next, while preparing for the worst. And the worst is often the most horrific outcome imaginable – yet unseen. Intellectual montage, Eisteinstein's theory of editing to improve the effect of propaganda achieves similar results, in that the effect of the content is processed by the viewer, rather than explicitly in the film itself.

Currently in vogue are the Doppelganger structure and alternative reality narratives, both of which suggesting that there is no dominant, singular reality – an approach typically taken by the most commercial of works. Psychological drama focusses on less being more. The visual must tell us what words simply cannot. "The opening image of Melancholia almost makes the rest of the film redundant!"

Oktober, 1927

Contemporary Hollywood cinema, in Foster's view, demonstrates a reliance on dialogue rather than visuals to express an inner state. In Kieslowski's Three Colours Blue, we distrust what the protagonist says, but rely on her actions and responses.

Where Hitchcock is seen in less of a shining light is in his legacy of storytelling: in particular, the use of a technique first seen in The 39 Steps.

"I've never been that strong on the MacGuffin. Isn't it simply a plot device that has become a little outdated? Even in some Hitchcock films it doesn't seem that important and interesting modern cinema has rejected that mono approach to storytelling, in favour of multi-perspectives and portmanteau narratives... which is very exciting."

Of course, psychological disorder is also a well-used characteristic in film. If we transfer our intangible selves - our minds - onto the screen, then the film that we watch becomes one which we are more likely to identify with. If the viewer can be more open to traits and issues that they may not immediately identify with, then they end up becoming more likely to understand characters and behaviour that seem "different" to them. The portrayal of psychological states and behaviours that are not necessarily ours ultimately extends the level of tolerance and understanding of the ways that people suffer and overcome certain issues, along with the issues that they experience while living in such conditions.

The future of psychological drama is an exciting one for Foster. Transmedia storytelling is ideal for this particular subgenre, with cross-platform stories providing levels of depth and immersion that go way beyond a mere sense of the physical self. Contrasting perceptions and multi-narratives can be spread across a wide range of media and channels, telling different, fragmented, individual parts of the whole story at different times. Further, mini episodes (webisodes) provide an ability to "fill in the gaps" when drama is set across a series of sequential programmes, or as a way to give additional information to a single piece.

In this future, Foster hints at the talent to come.

One of the most interesting directors of psychological film is Dominick Moll, who made Harry, he's here to help, a devastating study of a psychopath, and Lemming, a complex alternative reality/doppelganger narrative. I also think the recent Australian movie Snowtown, although difficult to watch, fulfils the cliché of an instant classic.

Snowtown, 2011

"I think the really interesting area is in Latin American cinema, with movies such as Post Mortem, The headless woman and The secret in their eyes. It is all happening in Latin America – especially Argentina – at the moment!"

John Foster is speaking on "Dark Romance", the next event from Salon London on 02/02/12 at Westbourne Grove Community Space, London. For further information and to book, visit the Salon London website.