Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:11:21 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>,<WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: "Science Fiction Double Feature"
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

At 8/27/2007 07:02 PM, Michael Walsh wrote:

>Generally speaking, novels are too long to film complete.  Novellas &
>novelettes would probably be the best route to dream about.

Agreed, in general.  A typical movie is 90 - 120 minutes long, and it
takes about one page of script to do one minute of movie.  Those are
the rules of thumb anyway.  That means that if your script is longer
than 120 pages, your name had better be Speilburg, Lucas, Black or
some other major player or it won't even get read.

Some things that take pages in a novel take no time in a
script.  Scene description for instance.  A two page description of a
futuristic hospital ICU in a novel might be something like, "INTERIOR
- futuristic hospital ICU", in a script.  The details are up to the
set designer, artistic director, and props department, not the writer.

Other things, that might take only a line or two in a novel can take
pages and minutes in a film.  Character motivation and internal
feelings for instance.  In a novel you can just get told that stuff,
but in a film it has to be shown through action and/or dialog.  "Bob
was scared.  This was The Situation, happening all over again." is
short, but getting that across by facial expressions, voice changes,
and enough dialog to get across why he's acting that way isn't so much.

There are some novels that are really visual, and would make good
movies, since movies get across visuals very efficiently and the
length isn't a problem.  Others not so much.

-- Mike B.
--

"Anyone who uses the phrase 'easy as taking candy from a baby' has never tried
  taking candy from a baby."
                                     -- Robin Hood