Adapting A Short Story Into a Screenplay Adapting a short story into a screenplay is like sculpture. You have to constantly modify and use prolonged creativity to gain mastery in this art. Creating a movie from a short story can be tricky and totally depends on the scope of the narrative. To make a compelling screenplay you have to identify the right kind of short story, one which can be visualized well. It is more common to fashion a screenplay from novels, but short stories to screenplays are becoming popular day by day due to people's leaning interest towards antiquity.
Points to remember
While adapting a short story into a screenplay, here are few things suggested by HG Nadel you should keep in mind.
Each writer has a particular way of interpreting a story. So, the story is subjective to the reader. The most important thing is that the screen player should have read the story and should have conceptualized individual perceptions. After understanding the story, define the main character of the plot and develop a story along those lines. Enhance the characters of the anecdote and present it in an interesting way. Since short stories revolve around activities in a very limited extent, the screenplay should present the inner mind of the character, in order to make it interesting and broaden its scope. You should not set an exact translation of the story into a screenplay. It is alright to deviate a little from the story. In order to make the screenplay interesting for viewers, most often you will have to exaggerate the story. Most movies are divided into three parts - opening of the character, maturation and finally the end. Screen players can also divide the story into three parts, in order to construct a movie. Lastly, you should formulate a draft of the screenplay. After reviewing the raw draft, changes can be made throughout to derive the perfect screenplay.
While adapting a short story into a screenplay the screen player should imagine the whole story as a movie. A story which has strong visual appeal should be selected. Most often screen players prefer choosing a fictional short story rather than nonfiction to base their screenplay, because fictional stories stand on untrue imaginable situations which are easier to change or exaggerate.
Challenges for a screen player
While adapting a short story into a screenplay the writer faces the problem of managing the length of the movie, whether it should be short and simple or descriptive and long. Identifying the key character in the movie is also a massive task because the movie revolves around the central character. Where and How to craft additions in the story, in order to make the screen play interesting. Identifying areas to omit and cut. Selecting a cast for the screenplay also poses a challenge.
Adapting a short story into a screenplay is not an easy task. The screen player has to make a regular and concerted effort to make it attractive. The main aim of the screen player should be to overcome all the challenges faced and try to make an interesting screenplay by choosing the right kind of story to be portrayed.
HG Nadel is a self published author, recording artist, a song writer, and a musician. Nadel is known as the author of "Eternal" a love story that spans across continents and centuries. She has written numerous screenplays also. Her expertise in young adult drama has allowed her to write captivating coming-of-age stories in both English and French For more reading, please visit here: https://hgnadel.wordpress.com