Deividas Zibalas, in his lecture “From Novel to Film: How Stories Change on Screen,” explored how novels are transformed into films and why changes are made in the process. The discussion focused on “fidelity”, whether films should remain faithful to their source novels. The lecturer argued that this approach is limiting, since novels are open structures with multiple possible interpretations, and there is no single
correct meaning to reproduce on screen.
A major part of the lecture focused on the differences between media. A novel uses only the written word, while film is a multitrack medium that combines moving images, dialogue, music, sound effects, and written elements. Because of this, film can create meaning through contrasts between image and sound, as illustrated with scenes from Dr. Strangelove, where calm or romantic music is combined with images of destruction.
The lecture included several interactive tasks for students. In one task, the students talked about how films and novels use different ways to tell a story. During another task, they thought about other things that can shape an adaptation, like budget, production methods, and changes over time. The students were very engaged during the lecture and shared many thoughtful and creative ideas in the discussions. When a story moves from book to film, differences naturally happen, and judging a film only by how closely it follows the book is not enough.

In the second lecture, “Debate: Why a Strong Introduction Matters!”, Liudmila Arcimavičienė introduced students to the fundamentals of academic debate and public speaking, emphasizing that a strong introduction acts as an icebreaker and sets the tone for the entire speech. The session began with a brainstorming activity, where students shared and discussed the major topics that are currently popular in debates, such as technology, AI, the environment, ethics, and human rights. Students learned that debate must be research-based, respectful, and well-structured (opening–argumentation–closing), with confident delivery and effective body language. They completed two main tasks: building a strong introduction: greeting + presenting the motion + describing the status quo. As well as practicing public speaking skills. The central debate motion was “This House believes that watching reels is more exhausting than doing homework.” Students were divided into Proposition and Opposition teams, selected leaders who delivered one-minute introductions, prepared arguments in 10 minutes without technology, and practiced offering and responding to points of information. The students were highly active and enthusiastic throughout the lecture. They learned more about how debates work, got to take part in them, practiced sharing their ideas and also learned how to give effective introductions in a debate.

Prepared by Viktorija Timpaitė, English Philology, Year 4.