This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Marie Gardiner
Turning a book into a film successfully is a process that needs a lot of thought. The story should be true to the original, but still needs to work for film; it’s a balance. Here, we’ll take a look how you go from book to screen: successful adaptations, and the not-so-successful ones.
How books become films
1. Optioning the rights
The first thing when thinking about adapting a book into a film is securing the rights. This means that a producer or the studio buys what’s called an ‘option’ from the author (or publisher) which would give them the exclusive rights to make the book into a film for a certain period of time (around 12-18 months with an option to extend). How much this is varies, but for authors that aren’t that well known yet it’s typically somewhere between a few hundred to a few thousand pounds. For best-sellers it can be in the tens of thousands.
Optioning doesn’t necessarily mean the book will make it to a film, just that it’ll be pitched to networks to see if there’s any interest.
2. Buying the rights
If there’s interest in the optioning stage and they’re given a green light, there’ll be an agreement developed that includes a price to buy all rights to the book – including worldwide. The author normally keeps their basic rights, like still being able to publish the book. The cost of buying the rights is usually a (low) percentage of the estimated production budget and it might even be payment in a range from the lowest expectation up to the highest.
If the book is a first in a sequel (or a planned one) then it’s wise to cover those bases at the same time to secure any rights to adapt them if the first film is a success.
3. Developing a script
Once the rights are nailed down, a screenwriter is hired to adapt the book into a screenplay. This is the point where a lot of changes will happen, like adjusting characters and the plot to fit with a film runtime. Screenwriting is a job in itself so usually it isn’t the author who adapts their book for film—but occasionally it can be!
4. Securing funding
Producers need to secure funding and often that’s through a combination of studio backing, private investors, and sometimes even crowdfunding.
5. Production, post-production, marketing, and distribution
Once funding is in place then the magic can begin! The cast and crew are hired, the movie is filmed and edited, and finally, it’s out!
Challenges in adapting books to films
Like all things, there are challenges when it comes to turning books into films. Here are the main considerations.
- Condensing: Books usually have more detail than can be included in a film, so they need cutting down. This can sometimes mean subplots or character development are lost.
- Visual interpretation: When we read a book we picture the world we’re reading in our heads based on descriptions from the author, and what the character’s say. A filmmaker has to translate that into proper visuals so that they’re bringing the world in the book to life, but they’re doing that within the confines of what’s possible, or affordable!
- Fan expectations: Fans of a book will likely have high expectations, and deviations from the source material can cause upset and sometimes even anger! Managing expectations and trying to make a film that appeals to a broad audience is a balancing act.
A brief history of book-to-film adaptations
Books have been turned into films for over 100 years with some of the earliest adaptations dating back to the silent film era with classics like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923).
In the Golden Age of Hollywood during the ‘30s and ‘40s, studios started to see the appeal of adapting popular novels and plays, and so we saw movie adaptations like Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, both 1939.
In the mid-20th century the adaptations started to become a bit more diverse, with literary fiction like To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and the science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
Of course, this is all very Hollywood/west centric, but international cinema has contributed significantly to book to film adaptations too, with huge hits like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), both of which have unique cultural themes running through them.
Iconic book-to-film adaptations
1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001–2003)
- Author: J. R. R. Tokien
- Director: Peter Jackson
Jackson’s filmic take on one of the most beloved fantasy trilogies of all time certainly paid off. They’re long films with big budgets, but it was still a huge undertaking to cut down Tolkien’s work in a way that didn’t fundamentally change the characters or plot. The films got a lot of critical acclaim and were a smash at the box office, taking in nearly $3 billion worldwide. Jackson is well-known for detail and you can see that in the combination of stunning New Zealand landscapes and realistic special effects.
2. The Godfather (1972)
- Author: Mario Puzo
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Coppola’s adaptation of Puzo's novel focused on the core plot of family and power struggles. Although it needed streamlining to fit with cinematic needs, it was faithful to the source material, and Puzo and Coppola collaborated closely on the screenplay. The casting of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino was perfect, with Brando going on to win an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Vito Corleone. Quotes and music from the film became cultural touchstones in their own right, and The Godfather went on to have squeals and to inspire other filmmakers in the genre.
3. Jurassic Park (1993)
- Author: Michael Crichton
- Director: Steven Spielberg
The visuals in Jurassic Park were cutting edge and Industrial Light and Magic would be the first to create computer generated ‘creatures' (dinosaurs), although only 6 minutes of them made it into the film, combined with the more traditional physical puppets. It was ‘a unique bridge between analogue artistry and the new digital frontier.’ The film also managed to keep the themes of the book intact: the unpredictability of nature and scientific hubris.
4. Jaws (1975)
- Author: Peter Benchley
- Director: Stephen Spielberg
Jaws set a new standard for suspenseful storytelling, set around a seaside town terrorised by a great white shark. The film adaptation became something of a cultural phenomenon, with a focus on character development and the dynamic between the main characters of Chief Brody, Quint, and Hooper. This gave it more depth than just a ‘monster movie,’ and the fantastic score by John Williams with it’s iconic two-note motif to signal the shark coming without needing to see it on screen, is legendary!
5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
- Author: Ken Kesey
- Director: Miloš Forman
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is set in a mental hospital, focuses on the patients, and has a provocative narrative that emphasises individuality and challenges authority. There are some outstanding performances from Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher in the film adaptation, and Forman manages to capture both the humour and the dehumanisation that run through the book.
6. Stand By Me
- Author: Stephen King
- Director: Rob Reiner
Stand By Me was actually a novella rather than a full length novel, but packed with character and heart, and the film adaptation really does it justice. Both keep the exploration of friendship, loss of innocence and coming of age. The film’s setting of a small town in the 1950s felt very authentic and the soundtrack—including Ben E. King’s "Stand by Me"—was a big hit. The dynamic between the actors playing really resonated with audiences and each one had the depth and vulnerability they did as written by King in the book.
7. The Color Purple (1985)
- Author: Alice Walker
- Director: Steven Spielberg
The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize, so there was a lot of pressure on Spielberg to do the story justice. The film manages to sensitively handle the systemic injustices of racism and sexism, without diluting them. The rich cinematography depicts the rural South setting beautifully and authentically, and helps to emphasise the themes of hope and triumph. It’s worth noting that Spielberg did make some significant ideological changes to the film to popularise it, including playing down the lesbian relationship at the centre of the story.
Adaptations that didn’t quite hit the mark
1. The Golden Compass (2007)
- Author: Philip Pullman
- Director: Chris Weitz
The novel was known as The Northern Lights in the UK, but whatever the title, this film just didn’t manage to get across the depth and complexity that Pullman had built his fantasy world around in His Dark Materials trilogy. Criticism of the film included that the narrative felt rushed, there wasn’t enough character development, and that the plot had been watered down quite a lot.
2. The Great Gatsby (2013)
- Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Director: Bas Luhrmann
The Great Gatsby got mixed reviews. Many felt that Luhrmann’s flamboyant style took away from the more introspective tone of the novel. There were also criticisms about the changes to the narrative structure and character motivations.
3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
- Author: Douglas Adams
- Director: Garth Jennings
Most of the problems with this book adaptation seem to be that it lost a lot of the whimsy, humour, and philosophical musings in translation, and became a little bland. Fans complained that the characters had been over-simplified and that the whole film felt a bit disjointed.
Conclusion: Book to film adaptations
Getting a book to the big screen is a complicated and timely thing, but it can be really rewarding! Many book to film adaptations have brought some beloved stories to life and managed to reach entirely new audiences; many have become classics in their own right. The key to a ‘successful’ adaptation seems to be being faithful to the source material while also making sure the story works cinematically, and that takes a careful editor and a skilled screen writer!
Adaptations that have bombed show that even for the big screen, we need things like pacing and character development to be well thought out, and sometimes that means making compromises to what’s in the novel—the best screenwriters and directors have got that balance down to a fine art.
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About this page
This page was written by Marie Gardiner. Marie is a writer, author, and photographer. It was edited by Ian Yates.
This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Marie Gardiner
Marie Gardiner | Sciencx (2024-06-24T17:08:47+00:00) Page to screen: Book to film adaptations. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2024/06/24/page-to-screen-book-to-film-adaptations/
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