Screen Adaptation: Beyond the Basics: Techniques for Adapting Books, Comics and Real-Life Stories into Screenplays

by Eric R. Williams

Once you understand the basics of screenwriting, ideas for your next screenplay are everywhere. Whether it comes from a favorite children’s book, a summer novel you discover accidentally, a news story that catches your imagination, or a chapter from your own life — advanced screenwriting strategies should now guide you through your first adaptation. In Screen Beyond the Basics, award-winning screenwriter Eric Williams uses examples from award-winning screenplays to explain new storytelling techniques. His real-world examples illustrate a range of advanced approaches — including new ways to identify and craft tension, how to reimagine structure and character, and how to strengthen emotional depth in your characters and in the audience. Screen Beyond the Basics teaches readers new ways to engage with source material in order to make successful adaptation decisions, regardless of the source material.



The book





Three detailed examples of award-winning adaptations by the author, including the complete short story and final scripts used in the Voices From the Heartland project;



Breakout boxes highlighting modern and historical adaptations and providing examples for each concept discussed in the book;



More than fifty charts providing easy-to-use visual representations of complex concepts;



New screenwriting techniques developed by the author, including the Triangle of Knowledge, the Storyteller’s Parallax, and the idea of Super Genres as part of a Screenwriters Taxonomy.

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2017

Reviews

[Emma Bee]

DNF, will be coming back to it