Screenwriting : Adapting novels into screenplay - methods. by Rosalind Winton

Hi Rosalind start with Film Courage series on YouTube https://youtu.be/9yCIdhwNQVQ

Thanks Bryan, I watched the video and some of the things the actors said are helpful, it's really more for filmakers rather than screenwriters, but I did get hints from what was being said, thank you.

Rosalind....I know you're already close to this material having been the editor on the book, which should give you a creative leg up, but keep in mind an adaptation is not a transcription. You have to understand the material holistically and then decide how best to tell the story visually. These are two different mediums that require two diffeernt approaches. You also have to decide if your goal is a faithful adaptation or will you be putting your own spin on the script. As mentioned in a previous response on the other thread you started, there's a reason why so many adaptations are disappointing compared to the source material. It's far more than picking and choosing what to include and what not to and just thinking you'll be using the tangible bits and leaving the rest behind. Again, you also need to weigh that against the task of a faithful adapataion or the task of using the material as a basis for the story that you really want to tell.

Yeah, I'm with Neal Howard on deciding how faithful you want to be. I would ask yourself if the reason you want to adapt it. Is your favorite thing the character's journey, the theme/message, the premise, the tone... and then I would list out the big moments that best support whichever one of those is your biggest motivator, and start to build the structure out from there. For example, the Harry Potter moves are pretty faithful to the books, but the changes they make are almost always simplifying the story, removing character moments and Never sacrificing on the world. The money for that franchise was in the world and they made sure that every cool world element was in there. But there are a million approaches.

Hi Neal and Emily. Oh my goodness, you guys are AMAZING. Thank you so much for that, it's given me a lot to think about. I do want to stay faithful to the book as much as possible. It's a crime thriller, so the order of events is very important and the personalities of the characters are very important to the story itself. It's the personalities of the characters that drive the story as well as the crimes, so I have to marry the two. So, yes, I realise and understand that I'm not translating it and there will be things that won't make the cut and/or changed around etc. There is a lot of dialogue in the book, so that is going to be completely cut down in a way that doesn't compromise the story, or the characters' personalities. It's an incredible challenge and I really do want to do it justice. I actually thought of beginning it differently to the book, but decided that the opening scene is so spectacular and there is some dialogue that gives an insight to the main character's personality right at the beginning and on screen it would be incredible, so I decided to keep it as it is. The main character has the most incredible arc, which I want to stay true to, but you're right, I do have to be a 'screenwriter' and think about how it will come across on screen. I have taken on board everything you have both said, I couldn't have better mentors and I really appreciate your help. I've actually put on hold turning my own screenplay into a novel to do this (another long story) lol. That's how much I believe in it, so onwards and upwards :) thank you both again.

Happy to help! And it sounds like you've got a really fun story! I know Stage 32 has a few webinars and a really good class on screenwriting, but this one on adaptation might be helpful https://www.stage32.com/webinars/How-to-Adapt-a-Novel-Into-a-Film-or-Series

Thank you so much Emily, I will certainly take a look at that, much appreicated.

I read the book, making notes as I read. Then I outline the script and write it.

I never read the book because it doesn't take me that much longer to turn it into a screenplay format. Then I treat it like a poorly over-written screenplay. I then rewrite it leaner and removing anything that doesn't belong in a screenplay. Then I combine and eliminate some characters and locations. If a location was going to be expensive I would change it. For example if a scene takes place in a nightclub I might change it to a small neighborhood bar. I am not sure if this is the bast way to adapt a novel but it is the only way that seems to work for me.

Rosalind: this question is currently relevant to me. I'm about to embark on possibly adapting a well-known novel into a screenplay. This successful writer has had several major budget adaptations of his work into television and film. However, the scripts have all been written by other people. This appears to be his first attempt at converting his own work. The net result is it's not very good. In fact, after reading 20 pages, I'm 95% certain this whole screenplay should be scrapped. Therefore, I would need to read his novel and decide what parts of the story are the most important. Next, I would do an outline on how to execute that into a screenplay.

Where the rubber hits the road is deciding what secondary characters and storylines are unimportant enough to keep in the script. For example, when I was a young man, I read The Godfather novel and was very fond of the Nino Valenti and Lucy Mancini characters. Unfortunately, this was a B-plot in the book, and Mario Puzo chose not to include it in his final screenplay. Obviously, Coppola's adaptation of this story was magnificent, and the decision to focus on the film's content was excellent. There's not a wasted scene in that movie and nothing that doesn't move the story along at a brisk pace.

Let me aplogize in advance for contradicting what is being recommended here. But these rote approaches to adaptation are going to deliver a medocre script at best. The adaptation is either channeling the author's themes and thematic expressions or the plot and charcters are being used as a basis for the scriptwriter to build on or replace those themes and expressions with their own. The Godfather is a rich, layered movie about many things. Among the most critical of those are its prodigal son story and its commentary on the immigrant experience in America. All of the creative choices in that script are made with a keen understanding and passionate embrace of those underpinnings. Any formulaic approach to adapting without those deeply motivating forces will leave you with a script that is just that...formulaic. Think of Silence Of The Lambs...it doesn't matter if you over-write or under-write the Harris novel until you know in your bones that the script, first and foremost, is intended to be Clarice Starling's story/journey whose salvation is a sociopath with an uncanny understanding of human behavior and the human condition. Without that unerring driving force dictating your adaptation's creative decisions you end up with just another thriller, instead of an Academy Award winning caliber film.

Neal. How many novels have you adapted into screenplays?

I've adopted a few novels into screenplays. Obviously, you have to read it through first. How else will you know what the story is about? Identify that, the theme, and think about your script in term of the protagonist's POV. Often, novels have a much less structured format than screenplays, but you must sift through that and find the major beats that affect your key characters in order to develop a structure for your script. Then I go back and re-read the novel, noting key scenes, backstory, and key turning points, and also highlighting great lines of dialogue that reveal character traits. Then I work on character profiles, their wants, needs, flaws, traits, motives and spirituality. Once I feel I've worked out the protagonist's and antagonist's profiles, and feel I understand the story well enough to tell it in 110 pages, I write and rewrite the treatment until it's compelling and poignant, with the character arcs for the protagonist, antagonist and supporting characters all incorporated. At that point, the outline will be much easier to figure out.

Neal: You have an impressive track record, but I find your assertion arrogant without any data to support it. You certainly don't know whether my writing is mediocre or my methodology is incorrect. And for that matter, the adapted work of anyone else in this thread. You cited two of the most famous films of all time, and yes, they have fantastic themes with loads of critics pontificating about them for years. I've personally adapted the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, and Harper Lee (unauthorized but fun). By the end of the process, I had a pretty good idea of the stories' thematic elements. For my Godfather Example, I merely mentioned two characters that didn't make the screenplay cut. So I'm not sure how that was irrelevant to this topic. Like anything else one writes about, if they're going to adapt a novel, they should read it thoroughly and be comfortable deciding what's essential before turning it into a screenplay. So I'm not sure how my counsel to Rosalind was doing her a disservice.

I always say adapt with a capital "A". They are very different mediums and sometimes things may need to be moved, axed or combined to maintain the narrative flow in the screenplay. As long as you know what is at the core of the story you are telling it will make these creative decisions easier.

Thank you Ewan, that helps greatly.