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From play to screenplay!?

Dear all, please HELP ME! I really need advice about my newest challenge. I have a play, and now I have to write a screenplay. But I am not so sure that from this play is possible to make a script and a movie. It is very complicated because the play is in very complex structure. I really believe in my play, already staged in my country in the National Theater, but... uh... Is there somebody who has experience in theater and movie, either??? Because, firstly I am a playwright, but I am also working on my scripts.... I can upload my play, and after that we can discuss. I now that I am asking for too much... But I really believe that you have much more experience in film making than me, so you can estimate is it for movie or I am loosing time. Thanks!
P.S. It is a short play! People says that it is very interesting and uncommon :-)
 
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Less dialog, more pictures! That's my advice. Cinema is a "Show, don't tell" medium. The page should never EVER contain more than 50% dialog (at least that's the way I look at a script). Find a way to visualize the show. Stage uses tons of dialog to describe the world of the play, cinema doesn't need to, it can actually show it.
 
"Less dialog, more pictures!"

Yep. In a a play what the audience sees, where the focus of their attention is, is ony partially under your control (Everything is what we would call a "Master Shot"), so you use the much stronger tool you have, dialogue. Lighting etc... can focus an audience's attention on stage, but it's a blunt tool. Film is just the opposite. The stongest tool you have is the ability to make the audiencece look at exactly what you want them to, so the balance shifts away from dialogue a bit.
 
I've written and produced both stage plays and screenplays. Structurally, it can be a challenge because a stage play is (typically) 2 acts and a screenplay is 3 acts.

You can turn a play into a screenplay and preserve much of the dialogue and still make it work very well. Two examples that leap to mind are "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "Amadeus". The former stuck very closely to the original structure of the (Pulitzer Prize-winning) play, which worked for that particular story. The latter expanded out substantially and became its own (Oscar-winning) entity as a film. So, as you can see, both approaches can work, but it depends a great deal on the nature of the source material. There is no cut-and-dry rule.
 
I have experience in both theater and movies.

Adapting a play is quite straight forward but there are many
challenges. As knightly and Gonzo have already said, film is
a visual medium in ways the stage is not. The writing is less
of a challenge than the production itself. However, a one act
play can translate will into a short film.

It may just be a case of changing the format to the proper
screenplay format. If you can open it up, that would help, too.
Adding a few locations will add a more "movie" like quality to it.
But even a movie set in one location can be very riveting.
 
You are right. It is often easier to convert a book into a movie than a play. Many wonderful plays do not translate because it is the immediacy of contact that makes the play. I've seen Vincent Price bring Oscar Wilde to the stage as a monologue, and Hal Holbrook bring Mark Twain to the stage as a monologue. And those experiences could not be translated by any stretch to the screen even as a short, as richly rewarding as they were.

You said your play has a 'complex structure'. If it has intense dialogue interactions, it likely will not move easily from play to screenplay. In some ways, plays are screenplays that have been allowed to settle and condense--the characters are main feature. Going in reverse is not always as easy or as elegant.

Also, as a performed play, you will need to check for permissions before you post the play with respect to the copyright, if held by the publisher. And make sure you have retained the rights to adapt it to other media.
 
I have experience in both theater and movies.

Adapting a play is quite straight forward but there are many
challenges. As knightly and Gonzo have already said, film is
a visual medium in ways the stage is not. The writing is less
of a challenge than the production itself. However, a one act
play can translate will into a short film.

It may just be a case of changing the format to the proper
screenplay format. If you can open it up, that would help, too.
Adding a few locations will add a more "movie" like quality to it.
But even a movie set in one location can be very riveting.


Thank to all of you for the advices about visual aspect of the movie, less dialog more action etc... But all those things will be a second phase, and I will try to implement it... My problem is caused by the specific dramaturgy of the play. And because of that I am not so sure will it works on movie. I will explain. I have nine scenes. Tree situations tree times repeating (with the same characters, and the same conflict). First situation: Mother, Father and ill Son. Mother can't stand living alone with the son, because The Father runs away from the problem and from the house. Second: Another Father and Another Son. Problem Father locking his own child in a dark room with nailed windows because he is problematic child, "monster" as the Father called him. There is, also, a story about a dead mother (died under strange circumstances). The third situation: A Prisoner and Two Guards black mailing him in order to make robberies. They are pushing him to do this in order to split the prey.
All this situation are taking places on a different location, completely separated and independent.
Well, we have three situation, three times repeating with very similar begin, but completely different development of the story, and completely different outcome.
There are integrated by the guild and a will to make the things better.
I believe that now I explain my problem precisely and the causes of my doubt and worries. Will it works on movie???? I am not sure.... My colleagues are pushing me.... And I would like to....
 
You are right. It is often easier to convert a book into a movie than a play. Many wonderful plays do not translate because it is the immediacy of contact that makes the play. I've seen Vincent Price bring Oscar Wilde to the stage as a monologue, and Hal Holbrook bring Mark Twain to the stage as a monologue. And those experiences could not be translated by any stretch to the screen even as a short, as richly rewarding as they were.

You said your play has a 'complex structure'. If it has intense dialogue interactions, it likely will not move easily from play to screenplay. In some ways, plays are screenplays that have been allowed to settle and condense--the characters are main feature. Going in reverse is not always as easy or as elegant.

Also, as a performed play, you will need to check for permissions before you post the play with respect to the copyright, if held by the publisher. And make sure you have retained the rights to adapt it to other media.

Yes, I think that it is very possible... this is that kind of play- "untransformeble". I am very suspicious that it will work on film. Two minutes before I explain my real problem. Structural. You will understand me and my worries. And about copyrights... I am the author of the play, and all rights are mine. Please read my last post. I am explaining everything.... What do you think is it possible...????
 
When you say your colleagues are pushing you, do you mean that they're pushing bags of money in your face to cover production costs?

Is this supposed to be a short or a feature?

Shorts make no money back.

Features make no money back -- unless you're good/lucky/connected/or some intangible that 10,000 filmmakers per year don't seem to have.

This would need to be an ADAPTATION, in other words an INTERPRETATION that rethinks the whole concept from the ground up... unless you just want to basically shoot what's already there, which could be a snoozer. That means you need a film person to commit to the project and give it a re-engineering. Which brings us back up to the top of the post, and to the bags of money...
 
Will it works on movie????

The only way to know is to write the script and make the
movie. All writers have doubts and worries. If we allowed
our doubts and worries to stop of from trying we would
never write and never make a movie.

I like the idea of it. I can see it being a very unique movie.
But you should only pursue this if YOU believe in it. Not if
others are pushing you.

It will be quite a challenge.
 
I've written and produced both stage plays and screenplays. Structurally, it can be a challenge because a stage play is (typically) 2 acts and a screenplay is 3 acts.

You can turn a play into a screenplay and preserve much of the dialogue and still make it work very well. Two examples that leap to mind are "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "Amadeus". The former stuck very closely to the original structure of the (Pulitzer Prize-winning) play, which worked for that particular story. The latter expanded out substantially and became its own (Oscar-winning) entity as a film. So, as you can see, both approaches can work, but it depends a great deal on the nature of the source material. There is no cut-and-dry rule.

Yes.. There is no cut-and-dry rule - THAT IS THE PROBLEM! And if the material is appropriate to one medium, it can be completely inappropriate to another. Even if it is hit in theater, it can be disaster on movie. Many people think that if there is a success on stage, it will be success on screen. But, it is not true... not always.
 
The only way to know is to write the script and make the
movie. All writers have doubts and worries. If we allowed
our doubts and worries to stop of from trying we would
never write and never make a movie.

I like the idea of it. I can see it being a very unique movie.
But you should only pursue this if YOU believe in it. Not if
others are pushing you.

It will be quite a challenge.


Yes... My believe in it, yes.... Maybe the problem is that I am a creator of that world already existing in the play, a I can't accept any different INTERPRETATION even they are mine :-). And making a script can be/must be very imaginative process.... Nothing NEW looks enough good for me.
 
Reading your synopsis, if I were translating this into a screenplay I would intercut between the three scenarios rather than stringing together 3 short stories. This would help to hold the audience's attention for the duration of the piece, as well as emphasize the similarities and differences between the 3 situations. See the movies Traffic or Magnolia for examples of this.

Just my own approach. Feel free to disregard.
 
When you say your colleagues are pushing you, do you mean that they're pushing bags of money in your face to cover production costs?

Is this supposed to be a short or a feature?

Shorts make no money back.

Features make no money back -- unless you're good/lucky/connected/or some intangible that 10,000 filmmakers per year don't seem to have.

This would need to be an ADAPTATION, in other words an INTERPRETATION that rethinks the whole concept from the ground up... unless you just want to basically shoot what's already there, which could be a snoozer. That means you need a film person to commit to the project and give it a re-engineering. Which brings us back up to the top of the post, and to the bags of money...

No, not exactly. There is budget for full-length movie in the Ministry of culture. And after that co-producers... etc... "My colleagues" actually are producers and they will apply the scenario... But... I have a feeling that this play, this story and this structure are not appropriate for movie. But they are insisting saying that I am just scared! And I think that they are under strong impressions by the play. And there are so many stories that can be well packed in script!!! :-)
 
Reading your synopsis, if I were translating this into a screenplay I would intercut between the three scenarios rather than stringing together 3 short stories. This would help to hold the audience's attention for the duration of the piece, as well as emphasize the similarities and differences between the 3 situations. See the movies Traffic or Magnolia for examples of this.

Just my own approach. Feel free to disregard.

aha.... If I understand you well, you are suggesting me to write the script mixing the stories... (Magnolia is one of my favorites)...But what about the varieties of outcomes? How to emphasize similarities and differences??? Ahaa... Maybe I have en idea.... All the time intercut-ing them... In first, second and third part... Do I understand you well ?
 
I just wrote a lengthy reply and lost it. So I am going to summarize the points I shared. And I'm happy to address them at length later with you. I think you have workable play as long as you are willing to make additions and changes to keep the message and essential integritry in place.

First, I would integrate the three situations so they can be seen happening in parallel. One way to do that would be to take the fathers from situations one and two and make them characters in situation three--guard(s) and/or prisoner. Realize you will need to add more characters as support. Don't tell the story of the robbery, you will show it acted out, for example.

Second, create a visual anchor that starts each loop through the situation. It indicates the event is starting all over again. Go from your worst endings to your best endings. People like positive resolutions in movies.

Third, you need a way of explaining to a visual audience why the scene is repeating. In science fiction, time travel always works. However, you may want to use a different approach.
One way you could handle it is to have three men travelling in a train reading a paper. One comments on a story he's reading saying "This is what I heard". Slip into your worst case. Then flash back and a second man, "That's not what I heard. It went like this." Slip into your second case. Finally a man whose face is blocked states "You gentlemen are both wrong. What really happened was this." Your third and final positive situation. Train whistle blows, conductor announces the name of the town, and the stranger (one of your main characters) arises and exits. (Probably Father One returning to his wife and ill son).

I think your play will work but you need to make changes. The visual media will allow you to overcome some of the structural limitations a fixed stage imposes.
 
I have experience in both theater and movies.

Adapting a play is quite straight forward but there are many
challenges. As knightly and Gonzo have already said, film is
a visual medium in ways the stage is not. The writing is less
of a challenge than the production itself. However, a one act
play can translate will into a short film.

It may just be a case of changing the format to the proper
screenplay format. If you can open it up, that would help, too.
Adding a few locations will add a more "movie" like quality to it.
But even a movie set in one location can be very riveting.

Agreed. It's usually just a question of adding whatever touches are needed to give the film script enough of a cinematic feel to distinguish it from the stage version. Sometimes that can just be a matter of a couple extra scenes and some minor changes to dialog and character, and sometimes it can mean revamping just about everything but the basic story.

A good example of minimal changes would be Frost/Nixon. I've seen the movie a couple times and have just recently signed on for a production of the original stage version in Savannah, GA. The script isn't too terribly different from the film version. They just added a few scenes and changed the format of things like the narration.

A couple of my stage scripts eventually became film scripts, and what I wound up doing was just rewriting them entirely. You probably don't have to go that strong of a route though.
 
I just wrote a lengthy reply and lost it. So I am going to summarize the points I shared. And I'm happy to address them at length later with you. I think you have workable play as long as you are willing to make additions and changes to keep the message and essential integritry in place.

First, I would integrate the three situations so they can be seen happening in parallel. One way to do that would be to take the fathers from situations one and two and make them characters in situation three--guard(s) and/or prisoner. Realize you will need to add more characters as support. Don't tell the story of the robbery, you will show it acted out, for example.

Second, create a visual anchor that starts each loop through the situation. It indicates the event is starting all over again. Go from your worst endings to your best endings. People like positive resolutions in movies.

Third, you need a way of explaining to a visual audience why the scene is repeating. In science fiction, time travel always works. However, you may want to use a different approach.
One way you could handle it is to have three men travelling in a train reading a paper. One comments on a story he's reading saying "This is what I heard". Slip into your worst case. Then flash back and a second man, "That's not what I heard. It went like this." Slip into your second case. Finally a man whose face is blocked states "You gentlemen are both wrong. What really happened was this." Your third and final positive situation. Train whistle blows, conductor announces the name of the town, and the stranger (one of your main characters) arises and exits. (Probably Father One returning to his wife and ill son).

I think your play will work but you need to make changes. The visual media will allow you to overcome some of the structural limitations a fixed stage imposes.[/QUOTE


Thank you for your precise, dedicated and canny answer! You sound like you have read the play, already! It is interesting proposal two fathers to be guards, but I am scaring that I will loose CLAUSTROPHOBIA that exist in all three situation. Integrity of one space and all those hidden conflicts. But I will seriously think about it.
About, a visual anchor... In the play I have three songs separating three parts. So, yes, I will have something new here... Something very recognizable...
"Go from your worst endings to your best endings" - that is already there :-) And, YES, there must be something that will unite all three stories. Maybe train, or something from inside of a story.
I think that I missed something in the short synopsis, and you detected it. All stories are mostly complement to each other. BUT They are not matching completely. Yes, THANKS!
 
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