Book To Screenplay

By Author: Bobby Patterson
Total Articles: 40
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Converting a book to screenplay is an assignment undertaken by many writers. Reasons vary for their doing so. They could have been requested to do so, or they liked the book and think it would make a great movie. Irrespective of the motive, the fact that they have decided to adapt a book to screenplay, calls for them to get acquainted with the intricacies of the challenging project. A lot of hard work is involved. Patience and perseverance are the keywords most closely associated with turning one art form to another. A book and a screenplay are totally dissimilar. The former can only create a visual impact on its reader, whereas, a film created from a screenplay, carries both visual and audio aspects. A book may drone on, pages after pages, describing the characters, what they wear or think, the scene or even the weather. All such features have to be shown in the movie - not told.
When starting on the expedition of changing the medium of a book to screenplay, be careful not to transgress law pertaining to owning the copyright of the book about to be adapted. If you do not have the right to the book, nobody in the industry ...
... is going to touch your screenplay, although it might be brilliant. Adapting a book to screenplay requires a set of diverse skills. Books are normally anywhere between 180 to 400 pages, or more. Movies are comparatively shorter; rarely more than 2 hours. It is a well known fact that a page of the film script is rendered in a minute on the screen. This means that the screenplay cannot run on for more than 120 pages.
Converting the long book to screenplay is challenging to novelists inexperienced in screenwriting. Screenplays should not contain literary prose; only actions and dialogues. The short time cannot be wasted on textually describing the biographical background of the characters. As a matter of fact, many of the characters have to be dropped; retain only about seven of the most prominent characters.
Scenes might have to be combined or done away with when adapting a book to screenplay without tampering with the essence of the main story. The opening scene, the main conflict, and the resolution can be arranged in a different sequence as compared to the book. The first ten pages of the movie script are most crucial. Make them dramatic. The same holds true for the ending. Book to screenplay adaptation permits the writer to invent new scenes if need be. Short sentences in the form of dialogue fit well into screenplays.
Adapted screenplays are important enough to have their own Academy Awards. Writers holding interest in taking up adaptation from other sources, like a book, an article, personal experience or another movie, should pursue their career with dedication. Anyone who wishes to have a book adapted can hire a professional writing company to help.

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