General screenplay (adaptation) advice for total newbie...

[maz]

I'm in the middle of putting together my first ever screenplay. It's not really to be produced (although that would be nice)... more just as a writing exercise. As has often been noted, screenwriting is not novel writing, and I'd quite like to turn my hand to both. They are very different, as I'm finding when adapting my own novel!

So I thought I'd start a thread to raise some issues (maybe problems, maybe just observations) about the embryonic script, and to get advice on how to address them.

So far, the main issues are:

- There are a lot of characters. As it's a quest story of sorts, the main characters encounter lots of random people, who often say no more than a line or two (before dying horribly).

- There are a lot of locations. Again, the quest structure sort of requires this.

- I can see both these points being a barrier to getting the thing made ever... it probably rules out indies, for a start.

- There are two parallel stories (the quest is for a family to reunite), but it's difficult to give both stories sufficient screen time.

- Cuts. So many of the familiar, favourite bits of the novel have to removed or reduced, and characters merged.

I guess ultimately it's never going to be a producable screenplay, but I'd welcome any advice on how best to get it to that standard.

 

[Lucky Hardwood]

As you have said, you are writing this as an exercise, so challenge yourself. Write it exactly as you would want to film it if time, talent and budget were not a concern.

 

[IndiePaul]

I agree with Lucky Hardwood.

OP, you did not really pose a particular question, more areas that you are concerned with.

You may already have these links but just in case:

Lots of excellent articles on pro screenwriting advice and techniques can be found here:

http://reelauthors.com/
http://johnaugust.com/

.

 

[maz]

Yes, I don't have a particular question at the moment (although I'll use the thread if any occur). It's more just to gauge how other people might have dealt with some of the issues I'm facing. But I agree that as an exercise, it's best to write it as the story needs.

Actually, I'm kind of having my cake and eating it, as I'm trying to write it so that particularly difficult scenes are included, but also written around, so they can be removed and the story will still work without them. On the one hand, of course, this makes them superfluous, but on the other hand, the set pieces are some of the most popular parts of the book, according to readers/reviewers, so it would be silly not to include them. I don't know if this is a common practice, but it seems to make sense to me.

Thanks for the feedback, and the links

 

[FantasySciFi]

A lot of novelists have a difficult time translating their own works into screenplays. It makes sense in that the novelist puts a lot of time into creating elaborate worlds and characters. It becomes much harder to distinguish what is critical to the story. Just as playwrights have a difficult time cutting down their dialogue or incorporating visual action. That's not to say it can't be done, it just requires being attentive.

What characters could you eliminate from your novel? If you only could choose eight of your characters to keep on the island, who would they be and why? What four locations are essential to your story if they were the only ones you were allowed for the action? What three challenges shape your main character such that s/he's different at the end? If you can answer those, you've made headway into your screenplay.

Screenplays take far more discipline than novels. You need to convey the sense of your story in 90-100 pages. Imagine the challenge of changing the 600+ page Harry Potter books into 115 page scripts. If you can't be ruthless in gutting your novel, then you shouldn't be adapting it. There is a reason that movies are the "Reader's Digest condensed version" of the books. If you want to be true to the book, you create a miniseries.

As an academic exercise, you are trying to identify the trunk and main branches of your tree. The rest needs to be pruned away. The second thing to realize is that the script is not the novel. You can change the quest or elements to make it work as a movie. Purists hate that, but most purists end up with unworkable scripts that never get made into a movie. It's okay to cut out steps in a quest that have little consequence by making the main goal more immediately accessible. Novelist hate this since s/he was 'clever' in creating it in the novel. The speeded up version feels less 'clever'. If you've done your due diligence, it will seem natural and will be forgiven by those who actually read the novel. Most movie goers won't have read your novel, so they sadly won't know how much more clever you were in the first place.

As you write, you may need to tweak the number above but the exercise will force you to think "lean, mean" for your script which is what you want compared to a novel. Just trying to put a novel into script format is a recipe for failure. Not every novel makes a good movie. A useful tool is to see what parts of your novel can be fit into a 3 Act structure. To be clear, I'm not saying to force your novel into that format. It will help you identify the trunk and branches of your story to help you begin pruning the novel to fit into the scriptable storyline. Knowing the main what's helps to pick out the main who's.

I've not included page numbers; they're not relevant. Identifying these key elements is important. Here is a sample breakdown of the "Three Act Structure":

Act 1 - Set Up (introduce the characters and situation)
Transition - Introduce a New Situation and a Complication
Act 2 - Formulate a Plan of Action to Succeed (character throws self in headlong)
Midpoint - More Complications and Higher Stakes (usually a major setback)
Transition - Final Push to Succeed with it looking unlikely (suspenseful moment, climax)
Act 3 - Resolution and the Ever After

Note that Act 2 is where you might have your secondary plot which conflicts with the protagonist's goal and cause the complications. Or it may simply be occurring in parallel until the Act 2 transition where it becomes critical. It's not required but you mentioned it in your description.

Read Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" and other books on screenwriting. They will break it down into more detail. But for purposes of analyzing your novel to extract the "internal script", it will help. Good Luck.

 

[directorik]

Yes, I don't have a particular question at the moment (although I'll use the thread if any occur). It's more just to gauge how other people might have dealt with some of the issues I'm facing.

Okay, I'll give it a try... How I have delt with these issues.
So far, the main issues are:

- There are a lot of characters. As it's a quest story of sorts, the main characters encounter lots of random people, who often say no more than a line or two (before dying horribly).

I would cut down on the characters.

- There are a lot of locations. Again, the quest structure sort of requires this.

I would cut down on the locations and rework the quest structure
to accommodate the fewer locations

- I can see both these points being a barrier to getting the thing made ever... it probably rules out indies, for a start.

You are correct.

- There are two parallel stories (the quest is for a family to reunite), but it's difficult to give both stories sufficient screen time.

Yep, that's difficult. It's what writers need to overcome - the difficulties.

- Cuts. So many of the familiar, favourite bits of the novel have to removed or reduced, and characters merged.

Yep. That's the challenge.

I guess ultimately it's never going to be a producable screenplay, but I'd welcome any advice on how best to get it to that standard.

To get it to standard you will need to accept the difficult changes that
need to be made from the novel to the screenplay. It's difficult and
many novelists never master it. It's good that with this screenplay
you know it will never be produced so you can go crazy and learn
from your mistakes.

 

[Jack Lynt]

Hello, Maz. Is the book you're adapting pictured in you avatar? I can't quite make it out. Can you tell us about the book, if it's no secret? That would be interesting. =)

 

[PhantomScreenwriter]

You could treat your film adaptation of your book as portraying all the important parts of the story and for those who enjoy the movie, to get further information about the characters, their thoughts on events etc they need to read the book.

When I watch a film adaptation of a book that I haven't read beforehand and I enjoy the adaption, it makes me want to read the book to get all that extra story information that didn't make it into the movie.

Pretend that certain events in your book that you can afford to leave out of the film aren't treated as if they didn't happen but the focus was on what happened afterwards and in between events (as long as it still makes sense). This is kind of what Phillipa Boyens and Peter Jackson thought about having to leave out characters and scenes with Tom Bombadil - just because its not in the film doesn't mean that event didn't happen, they just had to focus on the before and after.

 

[maz]

A lot of novelists have a difficult time translating their own works into screenplays. It makes sense in that the novelist puts a lot of time into creating elaborate worlds and characters. It becomes much harder to distinguish what is critical to the story. Just as playwrights have a difficult time cutting down their dialogue or incorporating visual action. That's not to say it can't be done, it just requires being attentive.

What characters could you eliminate from your novel? If you only could choose eight of your characters to keep on the island, who would they be and why? What four locations are essential to your story if they were the only ones you were allowed for the action? What three challenges shape your main character such that s/he's different at the end? If you can answer those, you've made headway into your screenplay.

Screenplays take far more discipline than novels. You need to convey the sense of your story in 90-100 pages. Imagine the challenge of changing the 600+ page Harry Potter books into 115 page scripts. If you can't be ruthless in gutting your novel, then you shouldn't be adapting it. There is a reason that movies are the "Reader's Digest condensed version" of the books. If you want to be true to the book, you create a miniseries.

As an academic exercise, you are trying to identify the trunk and main branches of your tree. The rest needs to be pruned away. The second thing to realize is that the script is not the novel. You can change the quest or elements to make it work as a movie. Purists hate that, but most purists end up with unworkable scripts that never get made into a movie. It's okay to cut out steps in a quest that have little consequence by making the main goal more immediately accessible. Novelist hate this since s/he was 'clever' in creating it in the novel. The speeded up version feels less 'clever'. If you've done your due diligence, it will seem natural and will be forgiven by those who actually read the novel. Most movie goers won't have read your novel, so they sadly won't know how much more clever you were in the first place.

As you write, you may need to tweak the number above but the exercise will force you to think "lean, mean" for your script which is what you want compared to a novel. Just trying to put a novel into script format is a recipe for failure. Not every novel makes a good movie. A useful tool is to see what parts of your novel can be fit into a 3 Act structure. To be clear, I'm not saying to force your novel into that format. It will help you identify the trunk and branches of your story to help you begin pruning the novel to fit into the scriptable storyline. Knowing the main what's helps to pick out the main who's.

I've not included page numbers; they're not relevant. Identifying these key elements is important. Here is a sample breakdown of the "Three Act Structure":

Act 1 - Set Up (introduce the characters and situation)
Transition - Introduce a New Situation and a Complication
Act 2 - Formulate a Plan of Action to Succeed (character throws self in headlong)
Midpoint - More Complications and Higher Stakes (usually a major setback)
Transition - Final Push to Succeed with it looking unlikely (suspenseful moment, climax)
Act 3 - Resolution and the Ever After

Note that Act 2 is where you might have your secondary plot which conflicts with the protagonist's goal and cause the complications. Or it may simply be occurring in parallel until the Act 2 transition where it becomes critical. It's not required but you mentioned it in your description.

Read Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" and other books on screenwriting. They will break it down into more detail. But for purposes of analyzing your novel to extract the "internal script", it will help. Good Luck.

Thanks for this. Lots of useful stuff there. As with everything I do (from university essays to articles to novels) I am working on the principle: writing is rewriting. So I'm throwing everything in the first draft in the expectation that a lot is going to have to be reworked/removed. It's a fun exercise. I can just about see the three-act structure - I have written the first act already, culminating in a big set piece. It also helps with the structure that the story takes place over three days.

I must admit though, that when I started five days ago, I was literally writing it out scene-for-scene. That didn't last long

 

[maz]

Hello, Maz. Is the book you're adapting pictured in you avatar? I can't quite make it out. Can you tell us about the book, if it's no secret? That would be interesting. =)

It's no secret. The book I'm adapting is actually my first novel "End Storm". It's a gory, grim, zombie-ish thriller, but a key aspect of the story is that nobody has any idea what is going on. It's heavily influenced by movies and is written in what I always thought was a film-like way. Only now do I realise quite how wrong I was

By the way, I should add... the novel features, in crucial roles, a child AND an animal.

I don't think this adaptation will ever be filmed