How many times have you heard, “Yeah, I saw the movie but the book was better…” Or, “Yeah, I read the book but the movie was better…”
I’ve always been an avid reader. When I was twelve I spent many afternoons in the library, choosing Perry Mason books to keep me company over the next week. That translates to over four decades of reading!
I’ve only written screenplays for a couple years.
I have decided that comparing the two is like trying to compare classical music to rock ‘n roll. They’re the same… but different.
Bach and Beethoven wrote music. So did the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Grateful Dead, etc. You can compare them. Yes! Are they the same? Sure, because both use notes and melodies, rhythm, etc. But, despite the fact that they are the same, they are very different. Some similarities. But very unique.
The same thing can be said for books and screenplays. Both involve words, writing, and stories. But, as similar as they are, they are very different. A book TELLS us a story. A screenplay is a blueprint for SHOWING a story.
For example, let’s take a murderer as he plans his next crime…
In a novel the author might get inside the character’s head, letting us know exactly what the murderer is thinking. But in a screenplay, unless the writer uses a “voiceover”, the viewer only sees what is on the screen. We see him make a list of what he needs to pull off the crime but we can’t see the thoughts that define his anger.
And this is why the movie is so different from the book. Or why the book is different from the movie.
I still read a lot of novels. But, these days, as I read, I find myself taking a scene and trying to figure out how I’d write it for a movie.
The goal is the same … tell a story. A novelist or screenwriter both use words to tell the story. But they are different.
Books are like classical music. Screenplays are like rock ‘n roll!
