00-002 Adapting a novel is like building public transport for a city

00-002
Adapting a novel is like building public transport for a city

I am a transport enthusiast. And I also like movies. I got an idea to link up both. I explained it to my 7 years old son, and he told me that it is plain stupid. But I still want to share it here.

Maps of medieval Bologna

I think a novel is like a settlement. Depends on its length, it can be a village, a town or even a city. And an adaptation is like granting the settlement a public transportation system. Just like metro lines or buses allowing people to maneuver the city easier, adaptations enrich a novel and let it reaches out to more people.

Movies are Metro systems, or U-Bahn

Think about a metro station. Normally it is grand, staffed with ticket offices and shops inside. Many have escalators to the platforms. And some of them even linked to a shopping mall. But metro lines won’t serve every part of the city. You can only find it in the busy areas. The platforms are normally 50 feet underground.

Delhi Metro

Movie adaptations are like metros. Normally, they are grand, made with a large budget. But it won’t cover every detail in the novel. And a 3-hour running time is more or less a maximum.

TV films are Suburban trains, or S-Bahn

Just like metro, stations of suburban train normally won’t be right in front of your doorsteps. A few minutes’ drive to get there is a norm. And the stations are mostly no-frills.

Melbourne Suburban Train

TV films are normally made with a lower budget than featured movies. Their length is more or less the same as of a movie. It also can’t cover every part of a novel. And because of their low budget, TV films are normally not great.

Miniseries are Light rails, or Stadtbahn

Light rail runs closer to your home. And if you are lucky, you can find a station within your walking distance. And it not only covers the city center but also the suburbs. More stations can be placed enroute, with a scarify on speed.

Munich Stadtbahn

Miniseries is like light rail. As a longer running time is allowed, more details of a novel can be squeezed in. Budget is generally lower but with the advance of those new era broadcasting channels, such as Netflix, it is not always the case now.

TV series are Trams, or Straßenbahn

Compare to Light rail, tram is even slower and no-frills. But you can find stops at every few lampposts. And for some smaller settlements, tram is the only thing they can afford.

Melbourne Tram

TV series can adapt every bit of novel in details. However, the budget is low. Before the digital era, TV series are normally filmed by video tape, limiting its resolution.

Shorts are Shared taxis, or Marshrutka

Shorts or Amateur films is more like shared taxi or marshrutka. It is rough, unprofessional, unofficial, and sometimes illegal. But in some areas, it is the only mean of public transportation.

Red minibus, Hongkong's Marshrutka

Let us take Stephen King as an example. Several King’s short stories were only adapted by his “dollar baby” program. Amateur films are the only screen adaptations available for those short stories.

Video games are Ferries, or Fähre

Unlike railway or motorways, there are no markings on the water surface. Ferry can travel freely between 2 locations. However, the piers are fixed. So, no matter how far a ferry has detoured, it needs to find its way to dock with the pier.

Ferry in Hongkong

Some novels are adapted as video games. They provide freedom for the players to explore the game. But the goal is fixed, if you want to complete the game.

Stage Performances are Cycling Festivals, or Cyclothon

Cycling is a quick and cheap way to navigate a city. But it requires a bit of muscles and glucose.

Shared bike of Hongkong

Stage performance are like cycling festivals. Normally, stage performance won’t be recorded for later viewing. It is more like a special event. And effort is needed every time to make it happen.

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