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