How Books That Are Movies Are Made
Most people would like to watch their favorite books as movies. But usually what we don’t realize is that the author has zero control over whether or not their novel is produced into a motion picture. The project of a book turning into a film is really out of the author’s control.
Often well before the film rights for a book are purchased, the book is optioned by a production company. This means just like it appears. The producer purchases the option to purchase the movie rights to a novel for an agreed upon rate. This comes with a time stipulation established once the options are purchased, but mostly an option can last a few years until it runs out and the film rights to that book are attainable for purchase by another party once more.
But remember that even though a novel is optioned, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be transformed into a film for certain. Upon being optioned, a production company will take a look at the probable audience and also the costs, and they’ll find out if it will be suitable for them to go on with the movie-making endeavor for that book.
At times a book is so demanded by several production companies that prior to an upcoming projected auction among them, one producer will make a preemptive offer for the film rights. For the most part this offer is so ample that it’d be insane to decline it, so the deal is taken and avoids the auction from occurring.
Regardless of whether a book is optioned beforehand, the next step in the process is for a production company to pay for the movie rights to the book. Every so often for extremely well-known books a bidding war with producers could ensue.
Shortly after the movie privileges are purchased, the project enters the development stage. At this time a screenplay writer is used to adapt the book to motion picture form. This is an essential phase in creating movies from books because how successfully the screenplay writer changes the novel to a movie script can make or break how similar the film is to the novel. Soon after the script is approved by the production company, a director is employed to make any essential changes to the screenplay until it’s accepted for filming. Simultaneously a budget is figured out for the following stages of filming.
Once the finances and screenplay are sorted out, the movie is put into the pre-production phase. In this step the production company is on the lookout for designers, additional producers, cast, crew, and all the others essential to bring the novel to life. Possible places for shooting are booked and storyboards are created to help out during the creation phase.
Now that everyone is hired, locales are chosen, and all the issues figured out legally and approach-wise, it is time for production to begin. Everyone comes together to create books that are movies in the nicest way possible.
Once filming is finished the film goes in the post-production phase. At this point in the process scenes are cleaned up and ordered in the correct sequence and editors introduce visual and audio effects. At this stage clips are also re-shot if difficulties are discovered while editing or new shots are needed for the plot. Once the complementary elements introduced while editing are combined with the film, we have the final cut, also known as the master. After all this, any required color correction is done and a musical score is included into the film. After the movie is approved by a private screening, the master is closed and copied in order to get it prepared for reproduction and distribution.
If you’re a fan of books as movies then check out the Books as Movies news blog for the latest news about movies from books.