Adapting Your Novel for Film

by Pauline Baird Jones

  Because Luci and Mickey basically shared the lead spot in the book, it wasn’t that hard to shift the focus mainly to Mickey, but I still felt it lost something in becoming a man’s tale and not a woman’s.

  The Supporting Cast

  The best thing to do when looking for your supporting cast is to look at them in terms of what they do. There isn’t room on the screen for the typical novel cast, so you may have to combine several functions into one character. For instance, when I was adapting Luci, Luci had three aunts, but I reduced it to two aunts for film.

  Supporting characters have to earn their spot in a script by performing some function, and preferably more than one, within the script world. They can be villains who threaten your hero or heroine. They can be helpers who reveal main character traits, intentions and goals. An example of a helper would be a child or friend or family member or co-worker, possibly a side-kick that the main character “plays” off of. Minor characters that are interesting or entertaining can provide depth or humor or color to a story. They can also do the work that your main characters can’t. For instance, in a suspense or mystery, they can die.

  If you’re having trouble with your minor characters, just put them in and then work it out in the editing process. Remember, however, that less is more.

  In trying to decide who to keep and who to let go, you need to keep in mind that most scripts don’t have more than seven main characters. The more characters you have, the more contrast you need between them so that viewers will be able to tell them apart and keep track of them. Yes, casting plays a role in their visual characteristics, but it’s also important to give them contrasting characteristics that are internal.

  I once directed a short play for a stage directing class. My two actors were visual opposites, one blonde, one brunette, but I let them both choose the same manner, the same disposition in approaching the scene. I got hammered because no one could tell them apart.

  A good way to make sure you’re creating contrast is to examine their essential traits. Because you’re the actual author of your book, you’re way ahead of a screenwriter coming to your work cold. A great resource for character traits is using a technique I learned from Playwriting: The Structure of Action by Sam Smiley. I use this technique for my novels, too. (This book was recently re-released and is available online. I highly recommend it to both screenwriters and novelists.)

  The traits he discusses in his book are: biological, physical, dispositional, motivational, deliberative and decisive.

  Biological traits are male, female, robot or animal, etc. If you saw Lord of the Rings and read the book, you know the book was very short on female roles, so women were added or expanded to give balance and interest to the story. I’m sure there were other, commercial reasons, but balance is part of that.

  Physical traits take us to the next level. They involve age, appearance, visual distinctiveness—what makes us different. Old, young, healthy, sick, tall, short.

  Dispositional traits raise the stakes another level and involve customary mood and life attitude. In its simplest terms, think of the dwarves in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Happy, Sleepy, Grumpy, etc. If you give one basic mood to a character, you’ll be able to achieve a nice balance. That doesn’t mean they can’t feel other things, but if you have an optimistic character, a pessimist one makes a nice contrast. If you start looking at film characters, you’ll realize they use this technique a lot, such as the naïve heroine contrasted with the cynical, wise-cracking roommate or neighbor.

  Motivational traits are more complex and reserved for main characters or catalyst characters. Desire is what propels action, so you need to know what they want and who doesn’t want them to get it.

  Deliberative traits have to do with a character’s thinking how to do something and then whether or not they should. This is where we see their ethics and values. Since you can’t see people thinking, you have to work harder to show why characters make the choices they do.

  Decisive traits are seen when your characters decide. They are the highest level of thinking and appear only when a characters makes a decision. This is good because you get to see these.

  Identifying these traits in your characters can help you assess your cast for contrast, conflict and interest. They help you know which characters to combine and which ones to leave alone. If you have two minor characters who are a lot alike, then merge one or lose one.

  Okay, let’s take a moment and look at where we are in the adaptation process. Hopefully you have a list of key characters needed to tell your story. If it’s more than seven, you’ve marked characters for combining, and identified the main conflict you’re trying to show and where everyone stands, i.e., contrast and interest. You also need to assess their sympathy factor. It’s much easier to sell tickets for movies that people like—look for details that will make them come alive and appear real. Remember to keep all details visual.

  When you’re cutting characters, keep in mind that people read books because of the characters. Don’t cut out the ones readers love. Can you imagine what would have happened to Harry Potter if say, Ron or Hermione had been cut out?

  And always, always, always, look for the visual, active scenes. That doesn’t mean you can’t have quiet scenes. Again, we’re looking for balance and contrast. Highs and lows. Fast and slow. Happy and sad. I wish I could tell you exactly what choices to make, but it’s your story and just like you had to find a way to tell your novel story, so must you make those choices for the film story yourself. All I can do is to give you some guidelines to follow.

  One thing I’ve found particularly helpful is to let the story play in my head like a film. If you can see the action, see the characters, the writer in you will instinctively find the natural rise and fall of the story. At least, that’s been my experience. Trust your instincts. Just as you let your novel story “grow” into a book, let your film story grow into what it needs to be. You’ve seen movies and that also will give you a feel for the pattern and flow of film, as opposed to novels.

  Another thing that some screenwriters find helpful is to watch a favorite movie (or even a non-favorite) and time the scenes with a stop watch. Scenes are changes in setting or characters entering or leaving. You’ll quickly realize that scenes are short, not more than three script pages. If you have a scene that is more than three pages, ask yourself if you can move part of it to another location or reveal the same information another way, at another time.

  Hopefully at this point in the process you also now have a list of your key scenes, those that have to be there for your story to make sense. And next to the list of scenes, the list of characters who are in them. You know who your main character is and what s/he wants to accomplish. And you’ve been playing with loglines.

  Next we need to discuss script format, and some basics of scriptwriting, more on loglines, and some marketing basics.

  SCREENPLAY BASICS

  Now it’s time to talk about the basics of scriptwriting.

  Believe it or not, how the words of your script look on the page is as important as how you tell your screen story. Script formatting is like a secret handshake. You can’t and won’t be perfect at it, but your script needs to appear to be industry standard. The industry people are flooded with scripts. They are looking for a reason to reject your script without reading it.

  The easiest way to put your script in proper format is to buy script formatting software. I put links to a variety of scriptwriting websites in the links section.

  If you feel it's worth the investment, if this is something you want to pursue seriously, you should probably get a good screenwriting program like Final Draft. Most production companies use a professional script writing program. I’ve been able to email copies of my script to production companies (saving myself some money) because they can import it into their program. Plus, if you option or sell a script and are involved in the rewrite, you’ll need to be able to work with the same program they are using during pre-pr
oduction. There are a variety of places you can order script software. I’d shop around and see who has the best deal, because the price can vary from place to place.

  These programs have templates for different types of scripts, such as film or television, and they have short cut keys that really speed up the actual writing process. They also can produce reports that can help you track the various characters through the scenes. This is helpful, because movie stars want lots of screen time. If you have a lead who isn’t dominating your scenes, then you have a problem you need to fix.

  Another nice feature in Final Draft is the ability to move scenes around, just by changing views and then dragging the scene where you want it to be. I believe you can download a trial version that doesn’t allow you to save your work, but will allow you to play with the program before investing in it (and it IS an investment). The programs are pricey.

  Okay, if you decide to wing it without software, here are some general guidelines, so that your script will look right to that agent or producer. (And some tips even if you use the software!)

  The first rule of scriptwriting is: LEAVE LOTS OF WHITE SPACE. That means ensuring your margins are generous and your paragraphs and speeches are short. A general guideline is no more than three lines for narration paragraphs. If you need more, break then up into separate paragraphs. Pages and pages of just dialogue also aren’t recommended. A crowded page turns the reader off, as will pages of dialogue with no breaks for action or movement. Leave extra room on the left side of your script where your brads will go, at least an inch-and-a-half. You can get away with three-quarters of an inch on the right. Just don’t have your words running off the edge of the page. An inch-and-a-half for the top and an inch for the bottom.

  (By the way, don’t ever bind your script. Three punched holes and two brads to hold it together. Leave the middle hole empty. Cardstock cover. I know, it sounds freaky, but it’s part of that secret handshake I mentioned before.)

  Twelve point Courier is the industry standard font. Don’t ever deviate from this.

  It’s a good idea to get your hands on a sample script or two, so you can get a feel for how they look. In the Appendix, I’ve included a few pages of Do Wah Diddy Die. If you buy or download a free script, keep in mind that there are different types. A shooting script will have camera angles and notes that you can’t put in your spec script, without being tagged as an amateur. Some scripts are simply transcriptions of the movie and not real scripts, and therefore, useless for your purposes. Make sure what you’re getting before you buy a script from any site.

  A good script will give you a feel for how to use scene headings and action sequences and how you introduce characters, etc. Keep in mind that “industry standard” does change, so it’s a good idea to check even these general guidelines. You can find out a lot by joining a good screenwriting list. Other sources of information are script contest sites, the WGA, and other screenwriting sites.

  With this in mind, here are general script guidelines: Single-space narrative and dialogue. Double-space after the scene caption and between each character’s speeches. Don’t double-space after a dialogue caption. You can also double or triple space between narrative and scene headings. Remember, lots of white space!

  The very first time you introduce a character into the narrative, capitalize his/her name. After that, you treat the name the way you normally would. Always capitalize scene and dialogue captions.

  Some experts insist you should capitalize every sound, but others avoid it. Your call on how you want to do it.

  Avoid using camera directions or armchair directing. You want to capture the sense of what the scene is about without giving the appearance of directing the story. Only necessary action should appear in narration and only what can be seen. Sometimes I’ll add a bit of business to break up dialogue, but that’s the only time I armchair direct. Don’t ever mention the camera. You’re telling a film story and you don’t want to knock the reader out of the story if you can help it.

  Go easy on phrases such as “cut to” and “dissolve to.”

  The use of “continued” is unnecessary. Also avoid using the phrase “fade in.” You can use “fade out” at the end of your script.

  Flashbacks should be labeled as such, and the return to the present should also be labeled in your scene heading. Simple is always better.

  Telephone conversations are handled by the use of the intercut.

  INT. HOUSE –DAY

  The phone is ringing. Lisa answers it.

  Lisa

  Hello?

  INTERCUT:

  INT. CAR

  Craig holds a cell phone.

  Craig

  Lisa, how are you?

  Lisa

  Fine…

  (Make your conversations more interesting.)

  Your cover page should have the title centered in the upper third of the page, followed by a triple space, then your name. I also put my contact info and WGA registration info in the lower left-hand corner.

  Some useful don’ts:

  NEVER…

  …use a graphic anywhere in your script, including the cover page

  …use unusual fonts, bold or italic text, light printing, or anything that will make your script difficult to read

  …center the names of your characters above their dialogue

  …number your scenes

  …put “more” or “continued” at the bottom and top of every page or anything but page numbers

  …print your script on anything but 8.5x11 white paper

  …bind your script with spiral binding, velo binding, a banded clip, a glued binding, three brass brads, a three punch report cover, or anything other than two brass brads

  …attach a cover letter telling the producer how good your script is, how marketable it is, who should be in it, how much it will cost to make, what inspired you to write it, your reasons for being a filmmaker, where you went to school or any other useless information

  …attach budgets, resumes, business proposals, brochures, notes about the screenplay, a synopsis, potential cast lists, or anything other than a cover letter for your screenplay

  …full justify your script; left justify is correct

  …put “scene omitted” anywhere in your script; only production (shooting) scripts have this information

  If you’re not using script software, I’d suggest you get your hands on a copy of The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier. It has detailed instructions on script format.

  How to Begin

  Okay, enough on format. Let’s talk about actually writing the script. Hopefully you have a scene-by-scene breakdown of your script. You know your halfway point and have a feel for the various thirds of your story (beginning, middle and end).

  When I sit down to write, I have the book at hand, because I’ll often lift conversations from the text. I also use it to gauge where I am in the story. Since you only have 120 pages to tell your story (you haven’t forgotten that, have you?), it’s a good idea to know where you are in the novel story AND your page count as you write. You want to make sure every scene that goes in has to be there because you can’t, I repeat, can’t go over the page count.

  I was told that a woman-in-peril script should be no more than 110 pages and I’m sure that has gotten less over time, not more. Put in what you need, but as you approach your middle point, make sure you’re also in the mid-point of the book, or close to it.

  Like writing your novel, there is a time and place for editing. Your first draft is a creative exercise BUT you can save yourself rewrite time if you make sure that everything that goes on the page can be seen. No thinking, no back story in the narration. It’s all present, happening now and can be seen.

  When you start your rewrite, you'll also need to edit out a lot of your description. That’s where your novelist roots will become apparent. You don’t want to tell everything, just enough to give a feel for how the place looks and only describe things that are key to the
story. Believe me, you’ll need the space for your story and all that white space.

  Just like a novel, you have to hook the reader in the first few pages of your script or they probably won’t finish it. It should start in the action OR present a story question that will intrigue them enough to keep reading.

  If you have a LONG speech that needs to be in the script, break it up with action and carriage returns. Scenes should be no longer than three typed pages. Remember, one minute of film is one typed page.

  More About Beginnings…

  Just like a novel, a script can begin in a lot of ways. Maybe it came to you as a scene, a character, or an idea you wanted to illuminate in a visual way because we now know this idea has to been seen. Scripts are a way to convey what is seen and heard. Again, that means you can only put in them what can be seen or heard. You only have 120 pages or less and you have to write it in such a way that producer feels like he’s watching a movie in his head. You have to make your story come alive for him visually.