How to Adapt Anything into a Screenplay (Paperback)

by Richard Krevolin (Author) "Whether I am reading a script written by a USC School of Cinema and Television student or by an aspiring screenwriter from somewhere in the..." (more)
Key Phrases: unifying filmic devices, supporting characters change, other characters change, Miss Madison, Harry Potter, Gold Cup (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A well thought out and professional book on adaptation. Richard Krevolin has done the heavy lifting and put together an indispensable guide for any serious screenwriter. How to Adapt Anything Into A Screenplay has a permanent place beside my computer. . . The best book on adaptation, hands down. – Jack Epps, Jr., screenwriter for Top Gun, Dick Tracy, The Secret Of My Success

"Enlightens and clarifies the adaptation process...It's like a semester of film school only a lot cheaper and you can learn while lying on your couch in your underwear." – Tom DeSanto, screenwriter for X-Men, Apt Pupil, X-Men II

Richard Krevolin understands that writers of adaptations owe little to the original material. Instead, like all screenwriters, they owe audiences the best possible movie. He asserts quite rightly, in clear and engaging language, that adaptations are more like original screenplays than they are different from them. And in doing so, he has written the best book possible. – Prof. Richard Walter, UCLA School of Cinema Screenwriting Chairman

Oh good, another book I don't have to write since Richard Krevolin's done such a bang-up job of it. He's distilled not only the essence of the art of adaptation but also reminded us of the essentials of drama and why we want to tell stories in the first place. – Chris Vogler, author of The Writers Journey

I wish I had this book when I was adapting the life of Jake LaMotta into the screenplay for Raging Bull. – Mardik Martin, screenwriter for Raging Bull, Mean Streets, and New York, New York

Product Description
From concept to finished draft–a nuts-and-bolts approach to adaptations

Aspiring and established screenwriters everywhere, take note! This down-to-earth guide is the first to clearly articulate the craft of adaptation. Drawing on his own experience and on fourteen years of teaching, screenwriter Richard Krevolin presents his proven five-step process for adapting anything–from novels and short stories to newspaper articles and poems–into a screenplay. Used by thousands of novelists, playwrights, poets, and journalists around the country, this can’t-miss process features practical advice on how to break down a story into its essential components, as well as utilizes case studies of successful adaptations. Krevolin also provides an insider’s view of working and surviving within the Hollywood system–covering the legal issues, interviewing studio insiders on what they are looking for, and offering tips from established screenwriters who specialize in adaptations.

• Outlines a series of stages that help you structure your story to fit the needs of a 120-page screenplay
• Explains how to adapt anything for Hollywood, from a single sentence story idea all the way to a thousand-page novel
• Advises on the tricky subject of just how faithful your adaptation should be
• Features helpful hints from Hollywood bigwigs–award-winning television writer Larry Brody; screenwriter and script reader Henry Jones; screenwriter and author Robin Russin; screenwriter and author Simon Rose; and more

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Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471225452
• ISBN-13: 978-0471225454
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #249,175 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for anyone interested in screenwriting, May 9, 2009

By	R. Orgovan - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am an aspiring screenwriter just looking into the field. I have have not yet taken any courses but would love to learn about screenwriting. This book is the perfect for that. It is fascinating reading about the basic structure of a screenplay in terms that even I can understand. The analysis of Hollywood movie screenplays is a great way to teach the process through example. Reading a few of the negative reviews made me wonder if those people understood the purpose of this wonderful book. It was not written with the idea that is was to help Steven Speilberg with his work. It was written for you and me. Based on that it has to be a 5 star book. Simply fascinating.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A useful book for the subject!, August 26, 2003

By	Robert A. Byrne (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After writing one screenplay and one teleplay, I still didn't "get it." I'd read a half dozen books on scriptwriting but was still a bit muddled. The light bulb finally went off with this book. Krevolin starts with short but useful information on structure. This includes a nice breakout of 'where your script should be' by certain pages. He explains it so that you don't just get the formula: you understand the dramatic and narrative reasons for the page delineations.

And he includes the Scene-O-Gram (borrowed from fellow instructor Hal Ackerman). This is a marvelous visual tool. It shows your script from back story to climax as clearly as possible. Combined with his explanation of page 'marks', I finally realized how a script should truly flow together.

Then he takes several films, including The Patriot, X-Men and The Shawshank Redemption, and looks at key elements while placing them into the Scene-O-Gram format. This is not simply formulaic plug and place. It is a look at key components and structure for adapting an existing piece of writing.

Krevolin's book will help you select the most important elements to keep from the work you're adapting, and how to put them together. A must-have if you plan on adapting something into a screenplay.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No TV shows, December 20, 2004

By	jancola (Encino, CA United States) - See all my reviews

A book claiming to tell you how to adapt "anything" into a screenplay should have a bit more than books, short stories and plays. I mean, books and short stories are basically the same kind of thing! While it does have an example of comic book adaptation (X-Men), it doesn't have anything about adapting a serial or TV-show. Since this is a fairly common form of adaptation (e.g. The Flintstones, SWAT, Firefly) I am somewhat disappointed. Some of the legal advice was useful but also incomplete.