Books and their Screen Adaptations
Throughout the many decades that film and television have been popular as an entertainment medium, movie directors have often drawn on outside influences for their themes. As early as the 1920s, attempts at novel adaptations were made, although there were no immediate successes - early on the temptation was to include as much of the adapted novel as possible, with the effect that this would have on film length not being fully considered. Techniques have improved as film-makers have more experiences of others to draw on, and have learnt how to abridge novels successfully for film without losing any of the excitement of the original compelling plots. Some film adaptations even include aspects that weren't present in the original novel, and can vary quite wildly from their source.
Adaptions for television don't always face the same constraints as those for film, as they can be made into a mini-series, thus not having such extreme length restrictions and pressure to condense the action down into a couple of hours. Television adaptations often allow people to have a fuller picture of the original novel plot.
Novels by classic authors such as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens are frequently chosen as bases for adaptations for film or television today, showing the timeless popularity of their stories as the public still clamours to see the latest versions.
More recent authors have also seen their novels adapted for the big screen, often the film version can be seen in cinemas not long after the novel itself is published. Sometimes a series of novels will be adapted into just one film, but more often into a series of films - one example of a very successful film series is the Harry Potter series, that has seen almost as much success in the cinemas as in bookshops.
It is not just novels that are adapted, however, plays and comic books are among other popular sources of storylines. William Shakespeare's plays have been adapted uncountable times for the big screen - some straight adaptations, and more still with a basis around the plot of the original play but in a modern setting or with other changes in character or time period.
Even radio has been a source of inspiration. Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series started life on radio, and was only later adapted for film via a novel.
One phenomenon that is also happening increasingly is that of films being adapted into novels. Often, especially with children's films, there will be a novelisation released shortly after the film hits cinemas, sometimes tying in with a whole range of products relating to the film, and often used to build momentum in preparation for a sequel.
Film adaptations of novels allow more people to have the chance to experience stories, and, when done well, can complement the original version nicely.
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