Everything is Adaptation
Screenwriter Profound Clarke journeys into the anxiety-filled existential question all writers ask themselves—“am I original?”—and comes through on the other side.
When working on a new piece I find two voices. One voice is my own. The other is a voice that questions if the first voice is mine.
Am I original?
Of course I am. Originality is what I love in art and something I pride in what I do, yet ...
Have I heard this before?
When I write I wonder if the voices in my head are telling tales I’ve heard before. Is this story original? Has it been done before? Finally I’ve found comfort in a universal truth in storytelling:
Nothing you ever write is original.
Terrifying, I know, but please stay with me here. Originality is so treasured in our craft that The Academy gave it a specific award. Not Best Screenplay, but Best ORIGINAL Screenplay. If it’s not original, the only thing accepted is adaptation.
Lean in a bit here while I tell you a little secret -
Everything is adaptation.
Crazy? Not as crazy as you think. Let’s take a look at a few films you may know and love, for example.
The film Poltergeist (1982) is a good start. This iconic paranormal feature was spawned from several minds, starting with Spielberg. He put together a treatment with the help of Tobe Hooper, who took Spielberg’s original Alien Horror concept and tied it to stories he’d become fascinated with in a book he was reading which was about, surprise, poltergeists. But there is adaptation beyond the fundamental concept of book to screenplay.
The Native (DECADES OLD SPOILER ALERT) aspect where the house was built on an old burial ground was inspired by true stories one of the writers came across. Additionally, one of the biggest beats where one of the children in the home is snatched up by a tree outside his bedroom window comes from the real fears Spielberg had about a tree in his childhood. All of this life experience and passing knowledge wrapped up into this iconic horror film that we call original.
No film comes from nowhere. It’s all pieces of you, and in this case, pieces of several writers inspired by the world around them.
Juno, the 2007 film about a teenage girl and the decision to give her unplanned pregnancy up for adoption was penned by Diablo Cody. This was Diablo’s first screenplay (yeah, I know, she’s an anomaly of brilliance) and was actually asked to bring her unique vision to a script after being discovered as a blogger. She thought, “What’s a story that’s never been told?” and came to wanting to tell this little story about this big decision.
Original idea off the top of her head, right? Well, kind of. She herself hadn’t made this journey, but the titular character Juno was very much based off her. The voice of her protagonist is her teenage voice. The decisions the character makes are based off the decisions she believed she would have made in this situation. The journey itself she witnessed from another student in high school, and Juno’s best friend (and baby daddy) was based off her own best friend when she was that age.
All of the dynamics of this film come from moments from her life adapted into the best storytelling elements possible for screen.
Get Out, the 2016 film from Jordan Peele was heralded as a unique original piece of work subverting the horror/thriller genre. To many, this film went to places that they hadn’t thought of, but for others so many pieces of Get Out felt adapted from their own lives. This is because the film, right down to the inciting incident, came from Peele’s experience. “I had a Caucasian girlfriend a while ago. I remember specifically asking if the parents knew I was black. She said no. That scared me.” Peele would go on to say that the meeting was fine, but this feeling and his ability to adapt that into a feature narrative won him an Academy Award.
This goes on and on.
Everything is adaptation.
No movie exists from nothing. All storytellers do is take the world around them and turn these collection of stories they’ve heard, stories they’ve told, into the ingredients to complete a recipe.
We adapt the stories of our lives, both personal and secondhand, into consumable works of art.
In truth, the only part of your movie that can be original … is you.
Mirror Box Podcast Ep6: Study Up: How Horror Films Adapt To Societal Fears
This week Alex and Monica walk us through a deep dive of the 90 year history of horror films and how they adapt to and reflect the fears of society as a whole.
This week Alex and Monica walk us through a deep dive of the 90 year history of horror films and how they adapt to and reflect the fears of society as a whole.
Now available on…
Mirror Box Podcast Ep5: Adaptation
Hudson & Sonya deep dive into all facets of ADAPTATION- from their favorite book-to-film adaptations (and what makes them great), to learning how to follow their filmmaking dreams while adapting to their environmental life changes.
Hudson & Sonya deep dive into all facets of ADAPTATION- from their favorite book-to-film adaptations (and what makes them great), to learning how to follow their filmmaking dreams while adapting to their environmental life changes.
Now available on…
Our Favorite Geek-Culture Adaptations
The Mirror Box staff comes together to give their opinions on the best adaptations that have been made, what stories are begging to be adapted, and other burning questions!
PROFOUND CLARK:
What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
Adaptation. Naked Lunch. Conventional adaptation would be Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
What’s your favorite comic-to-movie adaptation?
Infinity War/Endgame feels like a cheat (prefer Endgame). Before that it was The Crow, I think.
What’s your favorite game-to-movie adaptation?
Mortal Kombat
What book (or comic or game) most needs to be adapted into a movie?
I’d love to adapt Pale Fire by Nabokov. I would love to see the manga/anime Monster adapted as well to live action.
Who would play you in a movie adaptation of your life?
Donald Glover
What director would be the best fit for a movie adaptation of your life?
It might take Kaufman to see something.
What moment was most defining, yet hardest to adapt to, in your real life?
When I learned adulthood was a myth.
In adapting to changes in your life, what do you consider to be your “core” - the thing that will always stay the same no matter how much your circumstances might change?
Like Straw Hat Luffy, I’ve committed myself to a mindless devotion to passion in others as much as, if not more than, myself.
JACOB YORK:
What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
American Psycho because it improves on the book in every conceivable way.
What’s your favorite comic-to-movie adaptation?
Into the Spiderverse made me cry because I saw a comic book on screen for the first time. (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is also on that list, though.)
What’s your favorite game-to-movie adaptation?
SLIM PICKINS, HERE! To my mind, there has not been a truly good video game movie. My answer is Street Fighter, which is great for Raul Julia's unironically wonderful performance as M. Bison.
What book (or comic or game) most needs to be adapted into a movie?
(Here's a deep cut for you.) Suikoden II needs to be an eight episode mini-series.
Who would play you in a movie adaptation of your life?
My wife would say Jason Segel, so let's go with that.
What director would be the best fit for a movie adaptation of your life?
Hiro Murai. He has a way of making the mundane look exceptional.
What moment was most defining, yet hardest to adapt to, in your real life?
There's just not a lot of footage when you're sitting behind a laptop, writing scripts, no matter how good they are...
In adapting to changes in your life, what do you consider to be your “core” - the thing that will always stay the same no matter how much your circumstances might change?
I hope that I will always treat people with empathy, especially when I disagree with them. I want people to know that I'm listening.
ADAM PETREY:
What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
Stalker (1979)
What's your favorite comic-to-movie adaptation?
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
What's your favorite game-to-movie adaptation?
I think Super Mario Brothers (1993) wins by default because I haven’t seen any others.
What book (or comic or game) most needs to be adapted into a movie?
Slaughter-House 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
Who would play you in a movie adaptation of your life?
I’d like to think Jake Glyllenhaal
What director would be the best fit for a movie adaptation of your life?
David Lynch
What moment was most defining, yet hardest to adapt to, in your real life?
Moving out for the first time in tandem with my first heartbreak.
In adapting to changes in your life, what do you consider to be your "core"—the thing that will always stay the same no matter how much your circumstances might change?
My goals never change. I know what I want which is to make films. It’s just the situation & circumstances that change around me.
SONYA MAY:
What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
About A Boy
What's your favorite comic-to-movie adaptation?
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
What's your favorite game-to-movie adaptation?
Double Dragon, but only because I had a weird obsession with the movie as a kid, I am well aware that it is not great haha
What book (or comic or game) most needs to be adapted into a movie?
I want a Fable video game-to-movie adaptation and an A Single Shard book-to-movie adaptation
Who would play you in a movie adaptation of your life?
Chloe Bennet
What director would be the best fit for a movie adaptation of your life?
Greta Gerwig
What moment was most defining, yet hardest to adapt to, in your real life?
When I finally got up the nerve to quit my first full time job out of college with no back up plan. I struggled with on and off employment for the next year and a half, but it's been worth it everyday because I'm mentally in such a better place and am finally figuring out what my true passions are.
In adapting to changes in your life, what do you consider to be your "core"—the thing that will always stay the same no matter how much your circumstances might change? It's my support system, without a doubt. If I didn't have my family, significant other, and those who have been willing to take a chance on me *cough* Hudson, you're the real MVP *cough cough* it would be significantly harder to stay sane throughout all of the changes that life throws my way, from unemployment to dream jobs and moving across state lines, that core of people are truly the core that supports my dreams, align with my morals, and always push me to succeed and I hope they can stay by my side in some way forever!
CK LOVE:
What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
Silence of the Lambs
What's your favorite comic-to-movie adaptation?
Wonder Women
What's your favorite game-to-movie adaptation?
Tomb Raider
What book (or comic or game) most needs to be adapted into a movie?
Rachel Rising
Who would play you in a movie adaptation of your life?
Alanna Ubach
What director would be the best fit for a movie adaptation of your life?
David Fincher / or / Lynn Ramsey
What moment was most defining, yet hardest to adapt to, in your real life?
Leaving the life I knew to begin again.
In adapting to changes in your life, what do you consider to be your "core"—the thing that will always stay the same no matter how much your circumstances might change? My silence. I am a very silent and steady person.
COLBY MCHUGH:
What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
Lord of the Rings. It really kickstarted my love of fantasy as a young kid.
What's your favorite comic-to-movie adaptation?
Having just watched Endgame for the second time, I'm having a very hard time not picking that.
What's your favorite game-to-movie adaptation?
Detective Pikachu. It was the most fun I've had in a theater in a while.
What book (or comic or game) most needs to be adapted into a movie?
American Vampire by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque. Although I think this would work best as an HBO series rather than a film.
Who would play you in a movie adaptation of your life?
David Harbour could definitely play ornery, old man Colby.
What director would be the best fit for a movie adaptation of your life?
Richard Linklater because he's able to find stories in the most boring of places, and my life is exceptionally boring. .
What moment was most defining, yet hardest to adapt to, in your real life?
Ten years ago, when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It was a real bummer, to say the least.
In adapting to changes in your life, what do you consider to be your "core"—the thing that will always stay the same no matter how much your circumstances might change?
I think my love of stories is what I'll always have to fall back on, no matter what. Movies, books, comics, video games. All of 'em.
MONICA BEARD:
What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
Jurrassic Park
What's your favorite comic-to-movie adaptation?
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse
What's your favorite game-to-movie adaptation?
I don't play videogames, so I don't care much for movies based on them.
What book (or comic or game) most needs to be adapted into a movie?
The storylines from the Transformers comics (Political intrigue, space adventures, and ROBOTS, HeLLo?!?!)
Who would play you in a movie adaptation of your life?
Hear me out, I'd like for everyone in the movie to view me as looking roughly like myself, but for the audience to see me as Colin Firth
What moment was most defining, yet hardest to adapt to, in your real life?
Probably when I moved away from all of my family and friends for a semester. It was hard but it really worked out.
In adapting to changes in your life, what do you consider to be your "core"—the thing that will always stay the same no matter how much your circumstances might change?
I'll always find ways to connect with people, I don't have to be alone for long if I just reach out
ALEX OAKLEY:
What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I got to see the characters I grew up with in The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books on the screen and I was amazed!
What's your favorite comic-to-movie adaptation?
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It’s the most Comic Book-y adaptation and how unique is it?
What's your favorite game-to-movie adaptation?
Absolutely the Street Fighter movie because Raul Julia’s M. Bison is such a great character that really brings a lot to what is otherwise a just-OK movie.
What book (or comic or game) most needs to be adapted into a movie?
I would love to see a film adaptation of the Garth Nix ‘Keys to the Kingdom’ series! The imaginative and unique universe would make a really standout fantasy film!
Who would play you in a movie adaptation of your life?
Considering I have gotten quotes from ‘The Hangover’ yelled at me in a QT parking lot at 3 AM on multiple occasions, possibly Zach Galifinakis?
What director would be the best fit for a movie adaptation of your life?
Adam McKay, because I trust him to write me some decent dialogue, and I absolutely want bizarre montages representing different aspects of my life a la ‘VICE’
What moment was most defining, yet hardest to adapt to, in your real life?
Probably College? I know that’s a stock answer but College was such a radical lifestyle and LIFE change. I think In the end I got through it alright!
In adapting to changes in your life, what do you consider to be your "core"—the thing that will always stay the same no matter how much your circumstances might change?
I think it’s always most important to do your best to be kind to people, regardless of circumstances. Never assume the worst of people, always expect the best, and remember that it costs nothing to just be kind.
HUDSON PHILLIPS:
What's your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
I’m gonna go with two ends of the spectrum here, but I love Pride & Prejudice and Fight Club equally.
What's your favorite comic-to-movie adaptation?
Scott Pilgrim
What's your favorite game-to-movie adaptation?
I’m not a gamer guy, but Rampage was a lot of fun.
What book (or comic or game) most needs to be adapted into a movie?
Machine Man by Max Barry is one of my favorite books and also the most “movie” book I’ve ever read. So if anyone wants to hire me to write that one!
Who would play you in a movie adaptation of your life?
So many liberties would have to be taken to make my life story interesting, but how about a combination of Noah Centineo playing young me and Mark Ruffalo playing old me?
What director would be the best fit for a movie adaptation of your life?
Taika Waititi has such a way of blending wacky with sentimentality.
What moment was most defining, yet hardest to adapt to, in your real life?
Losing my dad at a young age, but that very much put me on the path I am today.
In adapting to changes in your life, what do you consider to be your "core"—the thing that will always stay the same no matter how much your circumstances might change?
I hope to always be creating beautiful things with beautiful people, no matter how big or small.
Adapting Yourself: How Jim Cummings Adapted His Own Short with Thunder Road
Jim Cummings is one of those rare filmmakers that was able to successfully adapt his own short film, and with spectacular results. Colby McHugh takes a deep dive into one of his favorite films of 2018, Cummings’ own Thunder Road.
I saw 131 movies in theaters in 2018. And another 58 more outside of theaters. It was … a lot. A small part of me still can’t believe that I spent THAT much time in a dark room watching movies, but the rest of me is ecstatic that I got to see THAT many different kinds of stories on screen. I saw movies of all kinds, from blockbusters to small arthouse flicks, but the movie that might have affected me the most out of all of them was one called Thunder Road.
If you’ve never heard of this film, or are only familiar with the Springsteen song of the same name, then you’re in for a treat.
What you see above is the original, almost thirteen-minute, one-take short film that Jim Cummings (the writer, director, star, etc) made on a very shoestring budget after spending a few years in the industry as a producer of other people’s works.
I had the absolute pleasure of seeing the short at the Atlanta Film Festival a couple of years ago and immediately fell in love with this story and this character that Cummings had created. It made me feel so many different emotions in such a small amount of time. I laughed (a lot), I cried (a little), and was made thoroughly uncomfortable pretty much the whole time (by design). All of that added up to become my favorite short film that I had ever seen.
After the festival, I showed this film to everyone I could think of, if only so I could talk about it more. Friends, family, and pretty much everyone I knew was getting a viewing of Thunder Road.
Eventually, Thunder Road faded from my mind into a distant memory. An incredible memory, mind you, but you can only watch a short film so many times, right? Other movies came and went over the next couple of years, and I moved on.
Fast forward to September of 2018, and I’m in the middle of the pointless quest to see 100 films in theaters (thank you MoviePass). Since I’m a giant nerd and have kept track of the dates of each movie I saw, I can tell you that I had seen 91 up to that point. I began my typical routine of checking the local theaters to see what was playing and if anything happened to catch my attention, generally that was how that night was going to be spent.
So when I visited the website for Atlanta’s famous Plaza Theater, you can imagine my surprise at seeing that there was a Thunder Road screening that very night. In my head, I assumed, “Oh, awesome, they’re showing the short in theaters again! Sure, I’ll go see that.”
But upon further inspection, I noticed a runtime of 90 minutes and began to put two and two together.
Had Jim Cummings gone and made a feature length adaptation to my favorite short film I’d ever seen?
Had I really missed hearing ANYTHING about this?
That’s exactly what happened.
I was ecstatic.
Of course, I made my way to the Plaza Theater and enjoyed those 90 minutes so thoroughly that I knew this was going to be one of my top films of the year (a VERY close #2, in fact).
Jim Cummings succeeded in adapting his own work and, almost more surprising, managed to expand on everything that made the original short so great in the first place.
The story itself is a simple enough one. A police officer in the South struggles to deal with his grief after his mother passes away, all the while trying to be a better father to his young daughter. That’s pretty much it.
But Cummings is able to mine this simple premise for so much more than just sadness and drama. It’s also incredibly funny. I found myself switching from crying tears of sadness to crying tears of laughter scene by scene, and that’s a credit to his script.
For some reason, films that are able to successfully toe the line between drama and comedy like that have always really stuck with me. One of my all-time favorite films is In Bruges, if that tells you anything about me. Cummings has said that he got the initial idea for the short film because he wanted to tell a story that was “funny and tragic at the same time,” which he has certainly achieved.
And while the story and script are great, part of what makes this film so interesting is the process of how Jim Cummings was able to turn a surprisingly successful short film into a full length feature, which is a feat only a few filmmakers attempt.
In the two years after the original short was made, Cummings spent his time writing, directing, and occasionally acting in NINE more one-take short films, all the while writing his script for the Thunder Road feature.
Also during that time, he was making his way around Hollywood, trying to secure funding for the feature, but nobody was biting. The lack of a marketable star actor made Hollywood execs uneasy about financing an indie film that few people would see.
Sick of being rejected, Cummings and his producers just decided to make it anyway, on their own. They pooled their money to get things started and set up a Kickstarter to cover just the preproduction costs, set at 10k. They wound up raising over 36k and after that, everything else just began to fall into place.
Because of the success of the Kickstarter, people from all over the world began to contact him, wanting to invest in Thunder Road. The short film, which could be viewed for free online, worked a bit as proof of concept for what they were investing in.
And just like that, the film was financed.
Filmed in Austin, Texas for around 180k, Thunder Road wound up being a sleeper hit and made its money back quite quickly. It was especially popular in France, for some reason.
I can’t say that I know exactly what Jim Cummings is working on these days, but I can say that I’ll be the first in line for whatever it is. I’d also highly suggest following him on Twitter, because Cummings is consistently one of the most encouraging filmmakers on the site, constantly pushing other creative people to pursue whatever their passion is and make it happen.
The perfect example of this kind of encouragement would be his Lab Curriculum for how to go from Short to Feature, just like he did for Thunder Road. Cummings really lays it all out there and he’s not afraid to pull any punches. It’s absolutely worth reading.
As of writing this, his latest tweet is “Make movies however you can” and I can’t think of a better way to end this. So there.
Adapting To The Unexpected (VIDEO)
No matter how well you prepare for it, problems will always pop up when making a film on any budget level. Filmmaker Adam Petrey walks you through some of the lessons he learned shooting his micro-budget shorts and the creative problem-solving needed to adapt to the unexpected.
No matter how well you prepare for it, problems will always pop up when making a film on any budget level. Filmmaker Adam Petrey walks you through some of the lessons he learned shooting his micro-budget shorts and the creative problem-solving needed to adapt to the unexpected.
TRANSCRIPT
1. PLAN AHEAD
“The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.”
- Orson Welles
You’ll never be able to know exactly what will go wrong but with careful planning you can limit a lot of mistakes. Double check your equipment. Have a well-planned story board and shot list. Rehearse with your actors and crew before you get on set and communicate with them efficiently and don’t waste time on set.
Having a well-laid plan is important and will help you be more flexible when you inevitably have to change it. Don’t be afraid to change things on the fly or throw away the plan entirely if the situation demands it. Use your best judgement and never let pressure get the best of you. You should always be leading by example.
“A lot of times you get credit for stuff in your movie that you didn’t intend to be there.”
- Spike Lee
I have directed short films where half-way through filming I realized we weren’t going to make our day and were way behind schedule. I pulled aside my DP into another room away from the rest of the crew and basically threw away our shot list and began combining and condensing shots together and ended up getting fantastic shots I never expected.
Sometimes problems can be a blessing in disguise because in the moment everything falls away leaving what is truly crucial to telling your story.
2. TRUST OTHERS
You may have heard “If you want a job done right, you’ve got to do it yourself” but this doesn’t apply to film. Collaboration and teamwork are essential to filmmaking. You can’t do it on your own. You have to find hard-working people you trust to be on your team and treat them with Respect.
“Filmmaking is the ultimate team sport.”
- Michael Keaton
You may not know anyone working in film but there are resources online to cast actors, collaborate with writers, find crew members, and more. If you know someone interested and willing to help out without experience, train them on the various aspects of film.
“I think at the end of the day, filmmaking is a team, but eventually there's got to be a captain.”
- Ridley Scott
Remember to always be appreciative of those around you and to never lose sight of your vision. A great project and good leadership will help keep moral high. Always be kind and never let yourself get caught up in the stress of completing a project.
Remember making movies is fun and it’s even better with friends.
3. KEEP IT SIMPLE
Everyone wants to make the next great sci-fi epic but that doesn’t mean you have to overdo it. You can create genre-films on a low budget you just have to get creative. Many of our biggest filmmakers started with heavy genre pieces.
Instead of dealing with the sweeping landscapes and wide scope of high genre works you single out one very interesting detail and do it to the best of your ability. Such as using makeup or prosthetics to create an alien that is found in someone’s backyard or whip up some fake blood for a scene.
Know your limitations, but create the films you want to make!
When dealing with prop weapons in film experiment with things other than guns which are hard to pull off because it’s hard to find a decent replica and visual effects are hard to pull off in a realistic manner.
“With no-budget films, guns don’t work very well, because you can never get the right replica gun, it’s never got the weight to it, and you can’t fire blanks.”
- Christopher Nolan
Maybe instead of an epic shoot-out, you could use weapons such as hammers, baseball bats, and knives which can look way better than a cheesy muzzle flash from a toy gun. Play around with unique objects and see what you can dream up.
4. DON’T FIX IT IN POST
Anyone who has spent enough time on a film set has heard the phrase “We’ll fix it in post.” Nine times out of ten, it’s not going to work.
Some things will never be able to be fixed no matter how much expensive software you own because you didn’t film it correctly when you were on set.
Make sure you get all the shots you want. You’ll thank yourself in the editing room. Don’t leave a scene until you’re happy with what you have. While it may be hard to convince a tired crew to do one more shot it will be worth it in the end.
Especially when it’s not within your budget to schedule reshoots and insert shots to cover up and fix your mistakes it’s important to make sure everything is right.
The audience doesn’t care what excuses you have.
Something that I always try to keep in mind whenever things get tough is that “Pain is temporary but film is forever.”
Adapting to ADAPTATION: Considering a Screenwriter's Middle-Aged Angst
Charlie Kaufman’s Adaptation. creates a meta world of anxiety and neuroses around its protagonist, Charlie Kaufman. CK Love examines these aspects and let’s us in on how she personally relates to them.
I heard it took three years for screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman (Nicholas Cage), to adapt the book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orleans (Meryl Streep): A nonfiction book from an article Susan wrote for the New Yorker about John Laroche (Chris Cooper), an orchid thief in Florida who used the aboriginal natives who had swampland in Florida to skirt around legalities of his poaching. What was a nonfiction story about an obsession with orchids turned into what is described as a “metafilm” about Charlie Kaufman and his writer’s block. Adaptation. became a story about Charlie’s inability to adapt the “non-adaptable” book into a screenplay.
I was hesitant for a while to watch Adaptation. There were a few things stopping me. One was: Did I need to watch another movie about the inner dialogue of a middle-aged white man? My answer to that question is, “Not really.” The reason being: I am a woman without a voice (at the time especially) in film and theatre, and it was my decision to immerse myself rather in films that relate to me as a woman - at that point in my life, this did not.
But I knew that one day I would watch it because of the kind of film it is. I see its merit in the annals of filmmaking. There’s a lot to appreciate. Charlie is really good at subtext and metaphor. He is an artist. At one point, Laroche says, “Adaptation is a profound process. Figuring out how to survive in the world.” And Susan replies, “Some think that adapting is almost shameful like running away.” These two statements illustrate the inner-world struggle of the two sets of characters in the film: Charlie’s inability to accept conventional storytelling (shameful) as opposed to his brother’s enthusiastic adherence to “the rules” (surviving), and Susan’s denial that her marriage is a sham (shameful), and Laroche’s need to move on from one “passion” to another (surviving).
Adaptation. is the perfect title. Darwinism is: in order to adapt, a species needs to fundamentally change its makeup to the point that the original species no longer exists. Take the example of the white moth during England’s Industrial Revolution. Over time the white moth became a black moth. Some speculate that in fact, it wasn’t evolution, but rather survival of the fittest. Meaning the black moth had a better chance at survival than the white moth on the black soot covered trees where the white moth got picked off more often than the black moth by its predators. That kind of adaptation is from outside influences that require change on a surface level, survival of the fittest. It’s not the species changing, it is actually the “brother” of the moth taking over. This kind of adaptation is not deep change.
The adaptation required in the film feels like “if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em” - giving in to a status quo or a trope of society that asks you to blend. This is evident in the way that Charlie slowly lets his brother’s (his alter-ego’s) influence in and rewrites some parts of the script. In the end, Charlie accepts his brother (alter-ego), essentially allowing himself to give up on his vision, or lack thereof.
What I appreciate about the film is Kaufman’s invention of his brother/alter-ego to help him tell the story. This technique:
Created conflict where there was none. His brother helped to emphasize the story about himself and his rejection of conventional storytelling. Creating the personal conflict. Without it, it is obvious that there is no conflict.
Created drama of a bigger-than-life personality which was in stark contrast to that of Charlie’s own self-loathing.
Illustrated the theme of adaptation. As the story goes on, we can see that the film takes on characteristics that could only be from his brother’s influence and where he might have edited – especially the ending.
The death of his brother could signify the merging or adaptation moment of these two personalities because Charlie does change a little in the end – illustrated by the kiss.
Charlie was mortified to disappoint anyone. That’s what drove him. His inability to act in the world made him ineffectual – in his love life and writing life. At one point, he classifies women as a botanist would an orchid in a desperate attempt to “break the world into bite size pieces to make it smaller,” and more handleable, as Susan Orlean speculated why people become obsessed with things. He resorted to making women objects of obsession so he could masturbate and feel that this is a relationship – similar to the obsessive nature claimed to be the passion of Laroche with his turtles, and then his tropical fish, and finally his orchids. But these obsessions don’t last and ultimately leave us empty. Charlie objectifies Susan to be able to handle the paralyzing fear he had of meeting her. His paralyses created the need to become someone else (his brother), something that he adapted out of desperation and not a willingness to accept the way he truly is.
As spiritual people, experience will tell us that we do not lay down and die to the circumstances of our lives, but rather we become aware of a change that needs to be made and consciously make decisions according to what needs to be done in order to make that change deep and lasting. Awareness. Action. Acceptance. Creates real change. This kind of change or “adaptation” needs a willingness to grow from accepting who you really are because that will increase the quality of your life.
Charlie’s character could only survive this dilemma, this paralysis, his writer’s block, by adapting the bigger-than-life affectations of his alter-ego (his brother). Like the white moth, Charlie as Charlie couldn’t survive his own neurosis or his predators in the Hollywood game like his brother, the black moth, could.
In the end, as an audience member, I don’t relish watching the neurotic inner-dialogue of a middle-aged white man. But as a writer, I appreciate the techniques Kaufman uses to tell an unadaptable story. As an intellect, I am tickled by his wit. As an artist, I resonate with the self-conscious struggle that I and my work be liked and accepted, and to create anyway, in spite of it all.
5 Genre Comics Dying to be Made Into Movies
The comic book medium is full of amazing stories just waiting to be adapted into film. Colby McHugh gives us five of his top picks that have not yet been adapted yet, but definitely should be.
(Disclaimer: Please PLEASE excuse any overly nerdy writing in this article due to the fact that I’ve been waiting my whole life to write something like this. Thank you for your consideration in this trying time.)
Before we get started, let me say that I’m of the mindset that comic books and film are two entirely separate mediums that I think get compared a bit too often, generally due to the stupidly huge success of Superhero films in the last decade and a half. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love these movies and I’m pretty much going to see all of them on opening night, but it creates the impression among the general public that comic books are simply a vessel to carry Batman and Spider-Man and Friends from story to story, and eventually to the big screen.
But comics are so much more than that. They’re much smaller operations, generally carried out by three or four individuals, and occasionally by only one! The collaboration between the writer, the artist, the colorist, and anyone else involved has to be completely precise in order to properly tell the story in a clear and enjoyable way for the reader.
I grew up reading nothing but superhero comic books, so I have quite a soft spot for them. It wasn’t until after high school that I realized the existence of publishers outside of the Big Two (Marvel and DC). Image, for example, was a godsend for me. I discovered hundreds of comic series, all different genres, and each in their own self-contained universe. No more shared universes! If I wanted Sci-Fi, Horror, Comedy, or even Romance, there were so many options available to me! I began to realize which writers and artists I enjoyed the most and actively searched out their work. Since then, countless genre stories are released each year through many different publishers. That doesn’t even count the probably thousands of webcomics that are posted all over the place! Comic books are everywhere and like all good and interesting things, they are adapted and made into films, with generally pretty good results.
There are always a few comic books that have received that special UNADAPTABLE label from many filmmakers and comic creators (Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga comes to mind), and I always appreciate those stories. They take the elements specific to the comic book medium and expand them. You know what I’m talking about. Whether it’s a specific storytelling technique or maybe the way a panel is structured, there are sometimes things that make a comic so especially comic book-y, it would be incredibly difficult to adapt into a film.
These, however, are not those comic books (except for maybe one, but we’ll get to that later), and by no means is that a bad thing. These are five brilliantly written, drawn, and colored genre stories that I think would also happen to make some pretty kickass movies, presented in no particular order:
WYTCHES
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jock
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Clem Robins
A gorgeous and haunting cover from Jock that immediately sets the tone for this story.
When talking about genres, it feels disingenuous to not mention the very distinct genre of horror, one that I’ve grown to love after spending many sleepless nights with the lights on as a kid. That said, even though I love horror movies now, I can willingly acknowledge that there are tons of bad ones out there, and more made each year. But with every well-made and unique horror movie that comes out (as rare as they are), I’m reminded of why I love the genre in the first place. Wytches would have that exact same effect on the genre. Imagine the fear and tenseness that you felt the first time you watched The Blair Witch Project, mix in characters that you actually care about, add in loads of interesting lore and history, and you’ve got a recipe for good horror. The witches presented in Wytches, however, are not the witches you’ve come to know and love. There’s no Harry Potter whimsy here. Scott Snyder has written them as horrifying old creatures with ancient knowledge that resembles nothing we’ve ever seen. What really creates the atmosphere of horror though is the work of Jock and Matt Hollingsworth. The art and colors combine to create a very visceral reading experience that is both scary and sometimes disorienting. That uncertainty that they are able to create would translate so well to film, assuming it’s done right. Snyder’s characters are likable and interesting and I’d genuinely be curious as to who they’d cast. Either way, if you’re a fan of horror, check this one out.
FELL
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Ben Templesmith
A personal bias, but I LOVE that almost half of this cover is just paperwork.
I know this is only my second entry on this list, but I’m gonna have to cheat a little bit on this one. Bear with me, because Fell is worth it. Rather than have this adapted into a film, Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith’s neo noir crime story would make much more sense as a miniseries, more fit for HBO or Netflix or any of the other litany of streaming services. The reason for this is two-fold. First, each individual issue was written as a standalone story involving the titular character, Homicide Detective Richard Fell, set in the unfortunate city of Snowtown. Second, Fell was originally written by Ellis as a way to experiment with the usual comic book format. He and Templesmith created the book with a smaller page count than normal, instead experimenting with a nine panel grid on each page as a way to compress the story and fit more in each issue. It’s such an interesting and different way to read a comic book and that, combined with Templesmith’s especially striking visuals and mood, create such a unique story that would make for a pretty difficult film adaptation. With the success of more recent adaptations of equally strange genre stories like Umbrella Academy and Deadly Class, I’m much more encouraged by what is possible in the world of television and streaming. I can actually thank Mirrorbox creator (and good buddy) Hudson Phillips for introducing me to Fell a few years ago, and I’m forever thankful for that.
4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK
Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Tyler Boss
Letters: Thomas Mauer
Aforementioned “Saul Bass inspired cover”
4 Kids Walk Into A Bank is a story that wears its influences on its sleeve. Just take one look at its Saul Bass inspired cover. Even if you don’t know that name, you know the style. This book has been described as “Tarantino meets The Goonies” and “Wes Anderson Directs Dog Day Afternoon” and the crazy thing is, both of those descriptions are about as accurate as possible. Tarantino, because of the way it is able to shift from violence to legitimate, laugh-out-loud humor. The Goonies, because of the young protagonists that get to benefit the most from Rosenberg’s genuinely witty writing. Wes Anderson, because of Tyler Boss’s clean and symmetrical, well-designed cartooning and color palette that makes this one of those very comic book-y comic books I mentioned in the intro. And finally, Dog Day Afternoon, because of the “bank robbing out of necessity” aspect. But 4 Kids is so much more than all of those. It’s a love letter to all of the things that the creators grew up loving. Dungeons and Dragons, Sci-Fi, Comedy, and probably a hundred other things I can’t think of right now. It’s so jam packed full of references and jokes, that any adaptation has the potential to make for an incredibly entertaining film. Crime and Comedy seem to go hand in hand, and this would make a fitting addition to the genre. Think The Nice Guys mixed with Stand By Me. Ok, I’m done with the references. For now.
Read this book. It’s so so good.
THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Mitch Gerads
A wartime drama set in Baghdad, written by a former CIA Counterintelligence Officer who himself was stationed in Iraq during the war. That adaptation kinda writes itself, huh? Tom King’s story is about a former police officer-turned-military contractor as he attempts to solve a murder of one of his trainees in Iraq. The thing that makes Sheriff of Babylon different, however, is its inclusion of perspectives outside of just the white protagonist. That is what really gives this story its gravitas. It uses political intrigue in a brutally efficient way, not scared of showing the horrors of what happened out there. The realistic style of Mitch Gerads perfectly matches King’s grounded writing. Something that Gerads in particular excels in (and an underappreciated skill in comics) is the expressions on his characters, or the “acting” of his characters. The same could be said about many of the artists in this list, but Gerads’ work really jumped out to me when reading this for the first time. It certainly helps that King’s narrative structure and pacing kind of matches that of a film, so an adaptation of a story like this would make a lot of sense, and I could very easily see it being entertaining.
BITCH PLANET
Writer: Kelly Sue Deconnick
Artist: Valentine De Landro
Colors: Cris Peter
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Similar to 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank, the influences of Bitch Planet are immediately evident. The old sexploitation movies of the 70’s mixed with the “Women in Prison” trope mixed with B movie sci-fi weirdness. That’s a lot, I know, but Kelly Sue Deconnick takes all of these classic tropes and flips them on their head, instead using them to empower her female characters rather than trap them within those limitations. She has created a world that is equal parts The Handmaid’s Tale, Orange is the New Black, and (somehow) The Longest Yard. Despite all of these influences, Kelly Sue has succeeded in keeping her world unique and lived in, with each character getting some time in the spotlight. This is a brutal story, one that’s not scared of nudity or violence. Coming from a writer like Deconnick, she imbues these aspects with a feminism that is frankly, so refreshing. The nudity doesn’t feel like it’s coming from a male gaze (except for a moment within the story when there is a LITERAL male gaze, but that’s just clever storytelling on the part of the creators), so it doesn’t feel exploitative. If this gets adapted sometime in the near future, I could very easily see it having the same success as The Handmaid’s Tale. I’ve only read the first volume of this series, but I can safely say that I can’t wait to pick it back up again and stay in this strange world a little longer.
May's Theme: "Adaptation"
The key to adapting to new environments properly is to first figure out your core. What drives your art? Maybe it’s connection with other people. Maybe it’s a value like compassion or honesty. Maybe it’s your intellect or a thirst for knowledge. Whatever that core is, let that guide you as you journey through the ups and downs of your environment.
Every complaint about Hollywood lately seems to be some take on lack of originality. All they seem to make now are sequels, adaptations, reboots, or sequels to the rebooted adaptations. But is that so bad?
Sometimes adaptations are great. I mean, we just got sequel number 22 in an adaptation of an entire comic book universe and it’s one of the most creatively (and financially) rewarding franchises Hollywood has ever put out. And I for one am grateful that the 8-part Harry Potter film series, the 6-part Mission Impossible series, and roughly 1,218 minutes of the Lord of the Rings universe exists. Not to mention classics like The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, or Doctor Zhivago, the sci-fi epics 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, or Children of Men, and animated classics like Shrek, Iron Giant, and How to Train Your Dragon. Had these stories not been adapted to new media, you and I may not have ever experienced them.
Adaptation isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, oftentimes it’s a requirement. In nature, organisms adapt to new environments in order to survive. In our own lives, change is inevitable. As our environments change, we have to learn how to adapt ... or die (metaphorically speaking).
Environmental changes might mean you get married or have kids. It might mean you face sickness. It might mean you get a raise or lose your job, or that you catch your big break but that big break doesn’t quite look like you’d hoped. And as you chase your creative goals, all of these environmental changes affect you.
The greatest movie adaptations stay true to the source material. It’s not that they don’t make changes (in fact the best ones cut and rearrange and add in order to best fit the medium), but a great adaptation figures out what the core of the story is and builds everything else around that.
At its core, Harry Potter is about a boy without a family, chosen for a task he’s ill-prepared for, and finding a family in the process (with the antagonist being a mirror image of this—Voldemort choosing power over family). The core of Harry Potter is that love is the most powerful force of all. If you protect that, you can take liberties with the on-screen choices.
In your own life, the key to adapting to these new environments properly is to first figure out your core. What drives your art? Maybe it’s connection with other people. Maybe it’s a value like compassion or honesty. Maybe it’s your intellect or a thirst for knowledge. Whatever that core is, let that guide you as you journey through the ups and downs of your environment.
The truth is you can’t control environment anyway. You’ll only wear yourself out trying. But you can control how you respond to it. Don’t be afraid of adapting. It only makes you stronger.
Poke around the site for the month of May and you’ll find lots of different takes on the theme of adaptation, from filmmakers learning to adapt to the current distribution climate to deep dives into some of our favorite adaptations. Share with us below your favorite book-to-movie adaptation or bare your soul with us and share your “core.”
Raymond Carr on crowdfunding his "ET and Goonies meets the kids from The Wire" film Joyriders
Raymond Carr walks us through crowd-funding his new short Joyriders, which takes all your favorite 80s sci-fi adventures and explores them through the eyes of inner city kids of color.
I first learned about Raymond Carr after getting a tour of his spaceship. That should tell you just about everything you need to know about Raymond. He’s an Art Director, Production Designer, and Puppeteer whose work has been seen on Cartoon Network, Nick Jr. and Discovery Channel. The aforementioned spaceship is a fully immersive set he built for his upcoming short called Joyriders, which takes all your favorite 80s sci-fi adventures and explores them through the eyes of inner city kids of color. Raymond is currently crowdfunding the short on Seed & Spark, and I thought it would be a great time to chat with him about his early influences and his desire to provide more representation for people of color in the sci-fi world.
Tell us a bit about your background. How long have you been working in film? How'd you end up in that world?
Raymond: I've been working in the industry since 2005. My first show was a Nick Jr. kids show called Lazytown that was shot in Iceland. I got into the indie film scene in Atlanta through a film group called Dailies. We were a bunch of young filmmakers who really challenged each other to make quality work. One of the most notable projects from that group was a film that went to Sundance and sold theatrically called The Signal. I am still very tight with all those cats and we still challenge each other.
Tell us about Joyriders! What's the story? How did this first come together?
Raymond: The story is about three rowdy kids from the inner city. They stumble upon a dying alien who fuses their minds together enabling them to fly its spacecraft. Now, these ghetto astronauts are the keepers of the most important discovery in human history and must decide whether to use their new found consciousness to help the world that's never cared about them, or escape into the unknown. The film asks the question, what would society do if they realized that their most forgotten members have suddenly become their most important? Joyriders depicts young underprivileged girls and boys of color in the genre of 80's/90's sci fi adventure films. Think ET and Goonies meets the kids from The Wire.
I have a borderline unhealthy love with sci fi films, and growing up black it never even dawned on me that a person of color could be the chosen one for an adventure like this. So the germ of the idea has always been around. Films like Attack the Block really pushed me towards the idea that I could make something like the films I loved.
Joyriders is heavily influenced by 80's family adventure sci-fi. What are some of your first film memories that have made the biggest impact on your life?
Raymond: The biggest influence for me are some pretty obscure stuff. Besides Star Wars and Star Trek, I'd say a big one for me was Flight of the Navigator, as well as Robotech. These were just beautiful and sad coming of age stories that had such a joyful sense of adventure. Robotech is still one of the most exciting and powerful stories I've ever seen in media. Of course, that's through a strong lense of nostalgia.
I love that you're putting an emphasis on underprivileged kids of color as your main characters. Why do you think we've seen so little of this in films up until just recently and what can more filmmakers do to push in this direction?
Raymond: I think people of color have really started to influence the box office with our money in a significant way. Also we have started to gravitate towards more nerd culture, too. When I was growing up it was illegal to be a black nerd, but now it's way more mainstream.
I think the main thing white and mainstream filmmakers and content creators can do is to stop thinking of POC and black people as "other." Yes, you should be respectful when you depict a POC on screen, but don't think they're any different than the other characters in your cast.
Having gone through the exhausting crowdfunding process myself I understand just how much work it can be, but you're off to an INCREDIBLE start raising over half your funds in the first 10 days. Are there any tips you can give to filmmakers looking towards crowdfunding?
Raymond: Well, we are still fighting to get funded and with everyday dollar matters. I'd say if you're thinking of doing one, start doing research now! There are a lot of tutorials and training opportunities out there. Also, be realistic about your goals. It's going to be harder than you imagine.
You've got a good budget for a short film (although maybe it's still small for the scope of what you're doing). Did you ever consider trying to do it as a feature? Is that still the end-goal?
Raymond: Yup! This is a proof of concept for a large project. We are developing it as a feature and a series. The script is 24 pages, so it's either the first act of a film or the first episode of a series.
What's up next for you after Joyriders?
Raymond: Next is production! We're going to do the festival thing, but we plan on doing some local screenings as well.
Any last bits of advice for filmmakers who wanna follow in your footsteps?
Raymond: DON'T DO IT! JK. Just don't be afraid to think weird. Lean into your interest and what you're passionate about. Be personal and valuable and your audience will follow.
You can learn more about Raymond and Joyriders at www.seedandspark.com/fund/joyriders. He’s only got a few days left on his crowdfunding campaign, so join us today in supporting to help Raymond bring this film to life. Remember, even if you can’t support the film financially, just clicking that “follow” button on their campaign makes a world of difference!