Screen Adaptation: Beyond the Basics

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Fundamentals of Adaptation

 

 

 

By example, we can now see how writing an adaptation becomes a process of examining dialogue, visuals, story structure, character, point of view, theme, story, and audience expectations. Also known as: the fundamentals of screenwriting—or, in this case, the fundamentals of adaptation. There are dozens of great books explaining these fundamentals. Each is unique, but they all outline the same basic concepts of how to organize a story, how to imagine interesting characters, and how to write smart dialogue.

Students often ask me to recommend “a screenwriting book.” There is no one single book (or blog, or magazine, or lecture series) that I believe is best. Rather, if you are a ...