LionsgateOne small balm to get fans through waits between installments or console them after finishing an amazing book comes via movie and TV adaptations. They may not cover new material, but at least it's something fresh. The problem is that adaptations often do a lot more loose interpreting than direct translating from book to screen. Many are actually excellent, and most readers can accept that not everything from a 600-page book can make it into a script. Cuts have to be made. But do they always have to be those cuts? That monologue that defines your entire opinion of the source material? The moment that launches the epic romance that you may or may not fiercely support? The smirk that betrays the antagonist's ultimate intentions and the glint in the wise old man's eyes that will be essential to the end? How could the filmmakers do this? You know you've thought it.
11. Adaptation Additions
Much like plot cuts, additions to screen adaptations are fundamentally necessary. Movies and shows don't have time to reproduce everything from the four chapters covering a character's book introduction; sometimes, scenes must be invented for the sake of brevity. Readers can deal with it. It beats having big moments erased, right? On the other hand-and possibly even uglier than the omissions-are the additions that serve no purpose to the plot and actually damage the ultimate resolutions. For instance, if two characters with a sibling-like relationship are stuck together with no other company for an extended period of time in a tent under extreme and deadly duress, would they not spend more time discussing their situation as in the book and less time...taking dance breaks? It's cool, you didn't need to see more of the aftermath of that pivotal torture scene or anything. Just a random example.
Fiction buff and writer. If it's on Netflix, it's probably in my queue. I've bought DVDs for the special features and usually claim that the book is better than the movie or show (and can provide examples). I've never met a TV show that I won't marathon. Follow on Twitter @lah9891 .
LionsgateOne small balm to get fans through waits between installments or console them after finishing an amazing book comes via movie and TV adaptations. They may not cover new material, but at least it's something fresh. The problem is that adaptations often do a lot more loose interpreting than direct translating from book to screen. Many are actually excellent, and most readers can accept that not everything from a 600-page book can make it into a script. Cuts have to be made. But do they always have to be those cuts? That monologue that defines your entire opinion of the source material? The moment that launches the epic romance that you may or may not fiercely support? The smirk that betrays the antagonist's ultimate intentions and the glint in the wise old man's eyes that will be essential to the end? How could the filmmakers do this? You know you've thought it. 