Hi everyone! I’m currently adapting my novel Nino into a screenplay and refining its structure. I’d love to hear from others who have worked on novel-to-screen adaptations—what were your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?
Screenwriting : Adapting a Novel into a Screenplay – Share Your Best Tips! by Noël Savignano
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Hi, Noël Savignano. I turned a few books into scripts way back. I talked with the authors, taking notes on what they wanted to be in the scripts. I also read each book once or twice, taking notes. If I ever had any questions, I talked with the authors some more.
One challenge I had while adapting a book was a key scene would've cost a lot to film, so after the author talked with her manager or agent (I can't remember which), the author told me to scale down the scene. I was able to scale it down without losing anything important.
Here's a post with more advice: www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Adaptation-4
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Thanks, Maurice! That’s a great insight. I can see how adapting a book to a screenplay requires strategic choices, especially when it comes to scaling down expensive scenes. I’ll keep that in mind as I refine Nino.
Also, thanks for the link—I’ll check it out! Have you ever had to completely remove a key scene because it wasn’t working in the adaptation process?
You're welcome, Noël Savignano. I'm not sure if I've ever had to completely remove a key scene because it wasn’t working in the adaptation process. If that happens, maybe try and combine that scene with another scene and see if that makes the key scene work.
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Great advice.!! Thank again Maurice.
You're welcome, Noël Savignano.