Novels to Movies

From Mrs. Scannell’s Room

Lights, Camera, Action!

You are about to create a short movie based on one major event from your book. As you read your novel, visualize the characters and setting? Notice what techniques the author uses to bring the story to life? Your short movie may spark interest from a major movie studio so use your imagination to compose your short play. You will have total creative control in planning how to transform the written word into action.

Instructions

Planning

What did other readers like about your book? Read reviews that students have written about the book you are reading. Go to Amazon Books and type the name of your book in the Search space. If there was a particular scene or chapter in your book that the reviewers mention, you may want to discuss how you would treat that scene. For example, a film adaptation of Hatchet might place special emphasis on the plane crash.
What are the qualities of a "good" movie? Work with your group to make a list. Look at a few current movie reviews or award winning movies and discuss what makes a movie special (acting, special effects, story line, etc.). What do critics look for?
- Browse through movie reviews and see what professional critics say.

Composing

Before you begin writing your script, make sure to think about and then include the following elements:

Genre: This is important because it is the way in which your short movie will be advertised and promoted. Will it be an action or adventure film? Perhaps you'll adapt the plot to bring out the humorous elements and present it as a comedy.
Cast: Put together a cast for your film version. Think about who in your group would love to play one of the parts in your movie.
Setting: This is the place and time period. How will you create this?
Plot: Describe the most important scene; this may be the climax, but it could also be the introduction.

You might also consider:

Special effects.
Sound track. Do you have a favorite song that you'd like to use as a theme?

Remember your script is a group effort. It may take many revisions before you are happy with the final product. So don’t be nervous if your group has to write it several times before it is exactly what you want.

Once you have your script ready, you need to decide the roles and jobs of each person in your group.

o Who will play the characters?

o Who will create the props and sets?

o Are there any other details that need attention?

Finally, PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

This is your time to shine so make sure you are ready!!!

Promoting Your Movie

The final stage of this project is promoting your movie. Your group must make an advertising poster. For ideas, go to the Movie Posters Archive site and browse through a collection of movie advertising posters from the early days of film until the present day.

Remember to include the following information.

o Your title of your play/movie.

o The book title and author’s name

o The people playing the characters.

o The people who created the props and sets.

o The people who created the advertisement.

Additional Research
Many people are involved with bringing the movies to life. Use the sites below to research what it takes to put movie together and to find out about jobs in the movie industry.