ENGL 300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Sound Recording And Reproduction, Transmedia Storytelling, Genre Fiction
12 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
Adaptations make up a large percentage of mainstream entertainment. About 40 to 50 percent of all american feature films derive from sources in other media. Adaptation is economically attractive for a commercial film industry. A successful book or play has found a big audience already, so many people who enjoyed the original are likely to try the film. Adaptations of the greatest works of literature seldom become equally great films. Filmmakers sometimes seek prestige by adapting a highly regarded novel or play. Sometimes filmmakers simply want to pay their respects to a story they enjoy, or they may find a source that chimes with their own attitudes. A basic choice confronting filmmakers is what to adapt. Several directors have said that they explicitly avoid great works of literature and drama, on the assumption that some works achieve a kind of perfection in their medium, and a film version can never compare.
