• Borrowed Genius"Bell and Howell Regent 8mm" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: aka Kath (Katherine) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

Definition

• An adaptation is a story that is derived from a previously existing plot and reconfigured to fit the requirements of a different medium.
  
  

Types

• Although novels are the most common source, adaptations are also developed from stage plays, short stories, comic books, autobiographies, epic poems and documentary materials.
  
  

Features

• A film adaptation can either follow the source material faithfully or manipulate, embellish and reframe events, settings, characters and social context to fit a director's particular vision and budget.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Ideas are not a one-size-fits-all for every medium. Not every best-selling novel, for instance, is a guaranteed hit at the box office. The reason is that the intimate, imaginative and introspective elements that resonate with a reader don't always translate to a forum that emphasizes action.
  
  

Legalities

• A film adaptation requires written permission from the owner or heirs of the original source material. The exception to this is intellectual property that was published prior to the enactment of U.S. copyright laws and is considered public domain.
  
  

Examples

• Examples of adaptations include the "Harry Potter" series, the "Twilight" series, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Lion in Winter," "Spider Man", "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Beowulf," "The Bourne Identity," and "Dreamgirls."