Film vs. Book (Topic of interest!!)

Chloe Morris12 said:Is most movies based on books already written? Or are there enough that were made solely because of the screenwriter or whatever you call the guy who comes up with the movie 🙂

Well, looking at just this summer, most movies are some kind of adaptation, a reboot, a remake, or whatever. Only a small portion are original. Generally speaking, I think there are still slightly more "original" films out there, but they're definitely becoming rarer. 😢

Chloe Morris12 said:So you guys labeled me a conspiracy theorist, but I was literally just asking if every movie is based on a book or not 😢

Look, don't feel pressured by the question, but what's your take? 🙂 😁😁

I guess someone is playing the part of a "blonde from the IMF" on this thread 🙂

Then again, I don't think it's just some blonde from Harvard or an American girl.

The question was really about the relationship between movie and book, rather than just "the movie" vs "the book"... right? 😉

Look... it's hard to pull out any statistical data that actually means anything here. The reality is that, according to Greenaway, a movie is basically just illustrated text. So, it makes sense that there are tons of adaptations of works that have already proven they work perfectly as a medium, which means there's a decent chance they'll work as a film too (take > for example). But on the flip side, you get this specific class of writers who only write screenplays because the format suits them, and they're already trained to think about how a script will translate to the screen (I'm immediately thinking of Allan Ball and his >).

When you're dealing with a book, though, you have to consider the form itself. Like, short stories make for the best foundation for a film because they provide those core plot elements. Everything else gets filled in based on the inspiration and vision of the director, along with the rest of the creative crew—let's say, the production designer, the costume designer, the composer. And sure, the producer usually has something to say, too. Novels and novellas are a bit more expansive, so you need to perform a kind of reductive adaptation. That’s serious work; you have to distill what’s essential to understanding the literary work into the constraints of film as a medium. A movie's success rests almost entirely on the ability—though not exclusively—of the screenwriter to adapt the story down to the "bare bones," much like a short story does. Of course, a novel or novella provides so much extra data and info that the creative team's job ends up being a bit easier.

It would be interesting to try and pick a successful literary work and see if it's already been adapted within this last century of film. Maybe a few times... maybe not at all.

Chloe Morris12 said:I don't get why my question is being treated like some weird, hilarious joke. I still haven't gotten a straight answer. Gerald Barrett25, are you saying that a lot of movies AREN'T based on books?

Fine, here's a link. You tell us if 2,939 means most of them aren't or if it's actually a ton.😁😁

Gerald Barrett25, does that mean a lot of movies AREN'T actually based on books?

Yeah. You can always check the Oscars database at Oscars.org to see the list of nominees for the Original Screenplay category.

//ps. and ignore all that nonsense from Jose Miller17... ever since he started acting like some big-shot movie expert, he's just been trying to drive up his engagement numbers 😉 😁

Chloe Morris12 said:I honestly don't get why my question is being treated as so weird or silly. I still haven't really gotten a straight answer here. Gerald Barrett25, does that mean most movies AREN'T actually based on books?

Well, I guess it's because a movie is its own medium entirely...

I mean, do you realize how many movies just get pumped out every year? Just looking at India, they churn out maybe 1,200 films annually, and I'd say maybe a tiny percentage of those have anything to do with books. Then you've got countless amateur productions that aren't adapted because they're way too cheap to bother, plus all those exploitation sequels and genre stuff—like video game adaptations, kung fu flicks, or adult films.

I'd probably guess the ratio is maybe 20 to 80 in favor of movies that aren't inspired by books. Though, I don't know if people count other media like comic books in that? If not, then the ratio is probably even more lopsided.

So, I guess the answer would be: no, they aren't making movies based on books more often than before.👋

//ps. and don't even get me started on Jose Miller17... ever since he became a mod on this movie forum, he's just trying to pump up his engagement numbers.

We'll see if you're still talking like this once they start handing out free samples at the local grocery store. 😁😁😁

It would be interesting to try and think of a successful literary work and see if it's already been adapted during these last 100 years of film. Maybe a few times... or maybe not.

Suddenly Tolkien popped into my head... I actually tried looking up which book has the most adaptations, but I couldn't find anything definitive. 😁😁....

Some movies and books are developed side-by-side—take space odyssey, for example. Then you've got books written based on films (I think I actually read the alien 🤔 novel once), plus the endless sea of fan fiction and comics that fill in the gaps before or after the actual movie plot.

Chloe Morris12 said:Got it, thanks. I guess... has there ever actually been a case where a book was written based on a movie instead?

I mean, your feed is probably just flooded with those movie tie-in novels; you know, things like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Poltergeist, and so on and so forth. 🙂

But, I suppose the real question is... how many of those can we even really call "books"? 😁 😁

Chloe Morris12 said:I honestly don't see why my question is being treated as something so bizarre—or even funny.

That’s actually the saddest part about this whole thing.

Chloe Morris12 said:Dammit. None of us know everything about everything. I watch movies and read books, but I had no idea how much all this stuff was actually connected. Better to ask than to just wander around aimlessly. 😉

And where do you live? In some isolated bunker?

Chloe Morris12 said:I watch movies, I read books...

Oh, really? 😁 😁