When I read a novel today my brain starts to adapt it into a movie script. This could be very annoying. I’d like to turn this feature off when needed.
On the other hand it is an interesting exercise.
How does one visualize this? This should be enhanced, this could be removed… A book tends to be talky, how do I cut in dialog, what is important to keep?
I made an adaption of one of my favorite novels once. Just for fun. It was a brick. And even if I succeeded in cutting the number of characters I never managed to cut the story. I guess I loved it too much. “Kill your darlings” as a popular expression goes.
It is interesting.
How do I express a relationship without words? In the book their eyes meet and things are “said” that are just hopeful guesses based on an exchange of looks. Sure eye contact could be used in a movie, but how the audience should interpreter this look need a set-up. How?
This is what makes screenwriting so fun.
5 comments:
That's funny. I do the same thing when I read a book. This morning I was reading the newspaper and a story caught my eye as something that may be interesting in film, started thinking about how would I do it, etc...
That's great! Keep that idea. Glue that article in your notebook.
When it comes to books I do prefer to enjoy the book as it is, and then, afterwards, think about ways to do an adaption. But my brain doesn't agree.
I do the same thing. The one I still think about, every time I read something and begin adapting it in my head, is Johnny's Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. When I read that, I kept trying to adapt it in my head, even though the entire thing is internal conflict and it would be impossible to show on screen.
That said, they did make a movie of it (in 1971), and it's rated pretty highly on IMDb. I might should check it out.
Thank you for the tip. I'll check that out.
In the old Swedish movie "I huvet på en gammal gubbe" ("In the head of an old man") from 1968 by Tage Danielsson cartoons above the old man's head shows his thoughts. Fun idea.
David, it was little known until the film was used in the Metallica video for the song "ONE", since then it has grown very popular.
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