Contents
Page 2
Book to Film adaptations
Page 3-6
Character Development
Page 7-8
Cinema and narrative
Page 9-10
Cinematic Sound
Page 11-12
Cinematography
Page 13-15
Experimental Narratives
Page 16-17
Genre
Page 18-22
Postmodern Cinema
Contents 1
, Book to Film adaptations
What is Film Adaptation:
The transfer of a written work in whole or in part to a feature film.
It is a type of derivative work.
A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature
film
Journey of the novel to screen
The major difference between books and film is that visual images stimulate our
perceptions directly, while written words can do this indirectly. Reading the word
‘chair’ requires a kind of mental ‘translation’ that viewing a picture of a chair does
not. Film is a more sensory experience than reading besides verbal language, there
is also colour, movement, and sound.
📚 Changes to the original story often need to be made, because of the
demands that the new medium (film) requires.
What makes a good adaptation:
Film adaptations are a tricky business – make too many changes and you’re
guaranteed to upset existing fans. On the other other hand, stay too faithful and
your flick runs the risk of appearing slavish or even pointless.
Respect to the source material is obviously key, but it goes a lot deeper than that
– you need to know what to adapt and what to leave on that page, how long to
spend on certain scenes and what to cram the whole book into one movie or go
for a multi-part adaptation.
Book to Film adaptations 1
, Character Development
The concept of archetype is an indispensable tool for understanding the
purpose or function of characters in a story. The archetypes are part of the
universal language of storytelling, and a command of their energy is as
essential to the writer, as breathing.
Christopher Vogler:
Hollywood executive, previously employed by Disney Studios, Fox, and Warner
Bros
’The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (1992)’
Based on Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Archetypes:
Character Development 1
Page 2
Book to Film adaptations
Page 3-6
Character Development
Page 7-8
Cinema and narrative
Page 9-10
Cinematic Sound
Page 11-12
Cinematography
Page 13-15
Experimental Narratives
Page 16-17
Genre
Page 18-22
Postmodern Cinema
Contents 1
, Book to Film adaptations
What is Film Adaptation:
The transfer of a written work in whole or in part to a feature film.
It is a type of derivative work.
A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature
film
Journey of the novel to screen
The major difference between books and film is that visual images stimulate our
perceptions directly, while written words can do this indirectly. Reading the word
‘chair’ requires a kind of mental ‘translation’ that viewing a picture of a chair does
not. Film is a more sensory experience than reading besides verbal language, there
is also colour, movement, and sound.
📚 Changes to the original story often need to be made, because of the
demands that the new medium (film) requires.
What makes a good adaptation:
Film adaptations are a tricky business – make too many changes and you’re
guaranteed to upset existing fans. On the other other hand, stay too faithful and
your flick runs the risk of appearing slavish or even pointless.
Respect to the source material is obviously key, but it goes a lot deeper than that
– you need to know what to adapt and what to leave on that page, how long to
spend on certain scenes and what to cram the whole book into one movie or go
for a multi-part adaptation.
Book to Film adaptations 1
, Character Development
The concept of archetype is an indispensable tool for understanding the
purpose or function of characters in a story. The archetypes are part of the
universal language of storytelling, and a command of their energy is as
essential to the writer, as breathing.
Christopher Vogler:
Hollywood executive, previously employed by Disney Studios, Fox, and Warner
Bros
’The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (1992)’
Based on Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Archetypes:
Character Development 1
