What Are Some Of The Problems Of Writing A Film Script Based On A Novel?
It might seem that adapting a novel for a film production is easier than creating a screenplay from scratch, since at least the plot is already taken care of. However, novel adaptations carry their own set of problems. One of the worst headaches for a screenwriter is deciding how much of the source text to use. Since a film is only about two hours long on average, even the most faithful adaptation will have to exclude a great deal. Also, since film is largely visual and any novel, however “cinematic” its style, is by definition purely words, a lot of what goes on in most novels simply won’t translate onto the screen. The other major difficulty is the audience. Especially with classic texts, a lot of diehard fans seem to regard these as sacred, and are outraged when every line of dialogue isn’t included! (“They changed the ending” is the most typical complaint.) Still, these problems have been overcome by so many magnificent films based on novels, that it’s clear they aren’t insoluble.
