Paul Quarrington on Adaptation - Part 3

Thoughts on the process of adapting books to screen
By Paul Quarrington

In my previous post I talked about the role of a filmmaker’s personal expression as well as the challenge of selecting which specific aspects of the printed material to explore.

In a short film—especially in a BookShort, based on a full-length book—this process is accentuated. The filmmaker must be able to cut to the heart of the matter, to find the single aspect that speaks across both media. I liken this process to distillation.

The next challenge for the filmmaker is how to deliver this distillation. The delivery of a piece of creative writing relies on the interaction of three important components: Voice, Narrative and Subtext. These ingredients and their integration must also be considered when writing the recipe for a film adaptation.

In my upcoming posts I shall explore these considerations - samples included!

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