Welcome: Blog Exploring Film/TV Adaptations
Hello and welcome to our blog, dear readers! We are very happy to show you what we’d been working on and we hope you enjoy reading about the topic as much as we enjoyed writing about it. So, what’s the topic?
This blog will discuss various film and TV adaptations of fantasy books, comics, and manga. This is a popular topic of conversation and also one which people are passionate about, so there’s really a lot to say about it.
We will use our first post to outline some Do’s and Don’ts in film and TV adaptations of literature before we get to explore specific texts in our article. We thought it might be fun to do that, so you know where we’re coming from and how we evaluate an adaptation.
Enjoy reading!
Do’s
Let’s start with some advice to aspiring filmmakers and showrunners for when they approach a literary piece that they want to develop into a film or a TV show:
- Keep the core character traits – preserving the core characteristics of literary characters is perhaps the most important thing about an adaptation. Every film/TV adaptation differs from its source and might take the characters elsewhere, but if one is trying to stay truthful to the literary piece, it’s advised to abide to the original characterisation (e.g., Batman’s refusal to kill).
- Show, don’t tell – it’s easy to get lost in the poetic descriptions of a book, but remember that film is a different medium; things that work in prose, don’t always work in film, so remember to show the audience, not tell them.
- Locate the significant plot points –it’s very important to discover the main plot points and adapt them, otherwise you risk failing to represent the big picture that makes up the original source.
- Work with the author – if it’s possible, get the author involved in the adaptation. Many successful adaptations were the result of screenwriters working in tandem with the author (e.g., Harry Potter films, Game of Thrones seasons 1-5).
- Keep all main characters – authors don’t just randomly assign main roles to characters, so if they did that, then it means the character is important for the story.
- Respect the fan base – many showrunners and filmmakers don’t respect the fan base lately. Some even go as far as to mock them (Velma), failing to realise that fans might offer helpful feedback and are also the same people who would watch your film or TV show.
Don’ts
Here are some tips as to what not to do when you’re adapting a text:
- Fan service – we said that respecting the fan base is important, but don’t fall into the trap of fan service. Fan service refers to only picking safe options for your adaptation in order not to upset the audience. This usually results in mediocre productions.
- Pick an adaptable text – not all texts can be adapted for the screen and that’s okay. Texts, especially those with inner monologue, can be hard or even impossible to adapt.
- Careful with the voiceovers – this point is a continuation of the last one. Inner monologues are intriguing in prose, but they might feel clunky on screen. If you choose to use a VO, make sure you establish it early, not midway through the film/show.
- Illogical actions – this is a continuation of the point on characterisation. You’re free to add new events to the story but make sure that the characters are responding to them in a manner logical to their persona. Many adaptations fail to capture that.
Thoughts
What are your thoughts on our short list of tips for adapting a story? Do you agree? Do you have something to add? Let us know!
