Adaptation for Screenplays
Posted: Oct 08, 2013 8:18 am
Looking for some feedback on a project I’m considering. I initially wanted to adapt a short story into a screenplay. The original story was written in the 1800’s. Pretty simple project. However, I found that several key elements of the original work would make for a poor screenplay (although the overall story is still very entertaining).
So here’s my question: If I’m going to change dramatic elements throughout the story (to include a new version of the beginning & the ending), should I even base my screenplay on the original story? Keep in mind, I thought to keep the main characters and the “concept” true to the original story, but apart from that, it’s being revised substantially. So at what point do I go from attempting an “adaptation” of an existing novel to basically writing my story? Thanks!
So here’s my question: If I’m going to change dramatic elements throughout the story (to include a new version of the beginning & the ending), should I even base my screenplay on the original story? Keep in mind, I thought to keep the main characters and the “concept” true to the original story, but apart from that, it’s being revised substantially. So at what point do I go from attempting an “adaptation” of an existing novel to basically writing my story? Thanks!