| ADAPTATION 101
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| | through the snow, uphill, both ways, to
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| Brimming with confidence, you've just
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| | get to and from school when he was a kid,
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| signed the check purchasing the rights to
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| | or perhaps they'd buy a book on tape.
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| adapt John Doe's fabulous, but little
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| | The old screenwriting adage, "Show, don't
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| known novel, Lawrence of Monrovia, to
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| | tell!" applies more than ever when
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| screenplay form. Suddenly, panic sets in.
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| | writing an adaptation.
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| "What was I thinking? How the devil am I
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| | CHALLENGE NUMBER THREE - "LONG-THINKING"
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| going to convert this 400-page novel to a
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| | Some tribes of American Indians had a
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| 110-page screenplay?"
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| | word to describe those of their brethren
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| The answer is: "The same way you
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| | who sat around thinking deep thoughts.
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| transport six elephants in a Hyundai...
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| | Literally the word translated to, "THE
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| three in the front seat and three in the
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| | DISEASE OF LONG-THINKING". Quite often,
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| back!"
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| | lead characters in novels suffer from
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| Old and very bad jokes aside, how does
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| | this disease.
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| one pour ten gallons of story into a
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| | "Mike knew in his heart that Judith was
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| one-gallon jug?
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| | no good. Yet she caused such a stirring
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| In this article, we'll take a look at
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| | in his loins, he could think of nothing
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| this challenge and a few others that a
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| | else. He feared someday he would give in
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| writer may encounter when adapting a
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| | to this temptation named Judith, and his
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| novel to screenplay form.
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| | surrender would surely bring about the
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| CHALLENGE NUMBER ONE - LENGTH
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| | end of his marriage!"
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| Screenplays rarely run longer than 120
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| | If adapted directly, how on Earth would a
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| pages. Figuring one page of a screenplay
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| | director film the above? All we would SEE
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| equals one minute of film, a 120-page
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| | is Mike sitting there, "long-thinking".
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| screenplay translates into a two-hour
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| | That is not very exciting to say the
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| motion picture. Much longer than that and
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| | least. And as mentioned previously,
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| exhibitors lose a showing, which
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| | voiceovers are rarely the best solution.
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| translates to fewer six-cent boxes of
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| | When essential plot information is
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| popcorn sold for $5.99 at the refreshment
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| | presented only in a character's thought
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| stand. It took the author of your source
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| | or in the character's internal world, one
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| material 400 pages to tell the story. How
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| | solution is to give this character a
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| can you possibly tell the same story in
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| | sounding board, another character, to
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| 110 pages, the ideal length for a
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| | which his thoughts can be voiced aloud.
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| screenplay by today's industry standards?
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| | Either adapt an existing character from
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| And the answer to this question is no
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| | the novel or create a new one. Of course
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| joke. "You can't! Don't even try!"
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| | as always, you should avoid overly
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| Instead, look to capture the essence and
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| | obvious exposition by cloaking such
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| spirit of the story. Determine the
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| | dialogue in conflict, or through some
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| through-line and major sub-plot of the
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| | other technique. Even better, figure out
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| story and viciously cut everything else.
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| | a way to express the character's dilemma
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| By "through-line" I mean, WHO
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| | or internal world through action in the
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| (protagonist) wants WHAT (goal), and WHO
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| | external world.
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| (antagonist) or WHAT (some other force)
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| | CHALLENGE NUMBER FOUR - WHAT STORY?
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| opposes him or her? It helps to pose the
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| | Mark Twain is quoted as saying about
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| through-line as a question.
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| | Oakland, California, "There's no there,
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| "Will Dorothy find her way back to Kansas
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| | there". Similarly, some novels, even
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| despite the evil Wicked Witch of the
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| | successful ones, are very shy on story
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| West's efforts to stop her?"
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| | and rely for the most part on style and
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| The same needs to be done for the major
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| | character to create an effect. Some prose
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| sub-plot.
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| | writers are so good at what they do, that
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| "Will Dorothy's allies achieve their
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| | their artful command of the language
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| goals despite the danger they face as a
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| | alone is enough to maintain reader
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| result of their alliance?"
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| | interest. Such is never the case in
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| One workable technique is to read the
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| | screenwriting.
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| book, set it aside for a few weeks, and
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| | Successfully adapting a "no-story-there"
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| then see what you still remember of the
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| | novel to screenplay form is a daunting
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| story's through-line. After all, your
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| | task. One approach is to move away from
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| goal is to excerpt the most memorable
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| | direct adaptation toward, "story based
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| parts of the novel, and what you remember
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| | upon". Use the brilliant background and
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| best certainly meets that criterion.
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| | characters created by the original author
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| In most cases, everything off the
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| | as a platform from which to launch a
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| through-line or not essential to the
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| | screen story. In fact, if for any reason
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| major sub-plot has to go. Develop your
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| | a screenplay doesn't lend itself to
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| outline, treatment or "beat sheet"
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| | screenplay form, consider moving toward a
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| accordingly.
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| | "based upon" approach, rather than
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| CHALLENGE NUMBER TWO - VOICE
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| | attempting a direct adaptation.
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| Many novels are written in the first
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| | Congratulations! You're now an expert on
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| person. The temptation to adapt such,
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| | adapting novels to screenplay form! Well
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| using tons of voiceovers, should be
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| | maybe not an expert, but hopefully you
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| resisted. While limited voiceovers can be
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| | have a better understanding of how to
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| effective when properly done, remember
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| | approach the subject than you did ten
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| that audiences pay the price of admission
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| | minutes ago. And if the subject still
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| to watch a MOTION (things moving about)
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| | seems too daunting, you can always get
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| PICTURE (stuff you can SEE). If they
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| | professional help as outlined on our web
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| wanted to HEAR a story they'd visit their
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| | page
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| Uncle Elmer who drones on for hour upon
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| | Copyright © 2004 Lynne Pembroke and Jim
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| hour about the adventures of slogging
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| | Kalergis, Coverscript.
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