Adaptation for Screenwriters

Robert Edgar is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing in the School of Humanities, Religion and Philosophy at York St John University, UK, with research interests and publications in screenwriting, prose fiction, radio drama, popular music memoir , the practice of film production, short film production and distribution, narratology and the theory and practice of comedy.John Marland is a Senior Lecturer in Literature Studies at York St John University, UK, with twenty years of experience using adaptation as an educational tool across a range of the arts and humanities subjects including Literature, Creative Writing and Film & TV Production.

• IntroductionPART 1 - THEORY1. Different LanguagesApproaching AdaptationIssues of FormChannels of CommunicationCase Study: Enduring Love, High-RiseExercises2. The Challenge of TranslationBeing FaithfulFinding the Film in the BookDramatizing the PageCase Study: Kiss of the Spider Woman, Fight ClubExercisesPART 2 - ADAPTATION3. Narrative Re/ConstructionStory and StructureCulture and ContextAdapting to GenreCase Study: The English Patient, No Country for Old MenExercises4. Faithful InventionActs of InterpretationReframing - Prologues and CodasExpanding the Short StoryCase Study: Don’t Look Now, The Shawshank RedemptionExercises5. The Human SubjectCharacter – Surface and DepthScreening PsychologyCapturing ConflictCase Study: The Great Gatsby, The Talented Mr RipleyExercisesPART 3 – APPROPRIATION6. Texts UnboundIntertextualityCustomizing the Classic TextWeaving Fact and FictionCase Study: Regeneration, The HoursExercises7. Textual PlayHypotextualityTwelve StrategiesFan FilmCase Study: Dr Frankenstein, Sherlock HolmesExercises8. Other FormsStage to ScreenThe Graphic NovelVideo Game to FilmCase Study: Alan Moore, Alien vs. PredatorExercisesPART 4 – PRACTICE9. ProcessAssessing the MaterialCentre and CircumferenceConcept, Treatment and PitchCase Study: Original MaterialExercises10. The ScriptFirst Draft - DialogueRedrafting – From Scene to SceneFinal Draft - Self-ReflectionCase Study: Original MaterialExercises

Marland and Edgar make a strong case for adaptation as the fundamental principle of screenwriting, and offer readers a practical framework for achieving it.