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The Metamorphosis of a Story—how does a narrative evolve?

Writer's picture: Teresita "Angela" TergaTeresita "Angela" Terga

Updated: Jan 25, 2022

Book to Film adaptations make the best holiday reading and viewing experience. Check out the best and worst movie adaptations.

A Story is a flexible creation which is not written in stone. Just look at all the adaptations made of classic stories into films. Some of the most popular being Disney's retellings of literary looms. Every story can evolve from essay, short story, or exposition into a book, a screenplay, or a play (stage or tele). Narrative adaptations can be as varied as poem to film or 1st to omniscient narrator treatments.



What is a narrative, what a narrator? what is narration?

According to this online authority, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/narrative , a narrative is a story that can be shared in many forms and voices. Those voices are the narrator's. Could a story have more than one narrator? Why not?

Change our story referents change the world.

Once any budding masterpiece reaches the ultimate treatment by a director, the play or movie, has undergone many transformations. Before the director gives it her own take, it has travelled through several formats and poked into many tangents, like stars do when they shine.

Book to film or book to screen adaptations are both translations and interpretations into different languages of art—multidimensional (audio, visual, and kinesthetic) representations of a story. In his book, Languages of Art, Nelson Goodman (1968), points out that our symbols are the interpretation of referential images and linguistics of our cultural heritage.





Some books are not well received as movies and anyone who loves to read will tell you they get more out of reading the book than watching the movie. Others books are best swallowed in video format. But every story, should explore its artistic languages further from one to another format, even different genres and audiences. Who is to say? 10: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella 9: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 8: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 7: Beloved by Toni Morrison 6: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebo ld 5: Watchmen by Alan Moore 4: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

When we write our first Story we may instinctively come to realize there could be a whole series of events with interconnected plots all derivatives of the premise and the characters involved.




Then comes a director and she wants takes it to a whole other dimension altogether. Story becomes someone else's vision in film. Like reading a book, the audience also walks away with their own vision.


That's what happened to my story. Well, almost, you see, first a short story, then a student short. The film bug bit me hard and I gave up everything I had, my job, my home, and eventually my health to make it one true. But did I come short. Barely did I scratch the surface of this industry and gt a glimpse in its perimeter. Never have ai ever stuck my nose inside. But I hope the stories that I weave will.




What happened next was transformational for me the writer and for the story. The original story became a hybrid of of two viewpoints and two referent points of view. The story needed more and better direction on my part and when my view clashed with the director I followed along for lack of experience. My first rodeo it was. Problem is, it may be the last time that I direct a movie, but by golly, I can write them and sell them for further development as it is called in the film and television industry.


Some books are not well received as movies and anyone who loves to read will tell you they get more out of reading the book than watching the movie. Others books are best swallowed in video format. But every story, should explore its artistic languages further from one to another format, even different genres and audiences. Who is to say? 10: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella 9: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 8: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 7: Beloved by Toni Morrison 6: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 5: Watchmen by Alan Moore 4: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP24l6Uh6Ak&t=81s #10. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella 9: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 8: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 7: Beloved by Toni Morrison 6: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 5: Watchmen by Alan Moore 4: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 3. The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King 2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 1. The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgeral (1925).


Some people think there are books that need to be adapted to film. I agree,


Who's to say these are the top ten best book-to-screen adaptations? But it's the start of a good discussion over hot drinks these holiday evenings. Better yet, read the books, even if just excerpts and summaries, books tell the story like no other in your mind—not the director's. #10. The Shining (1980) #9. Misery (1990) #8. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) #7. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) #6. Jurassic Park (1993) #5. The Wizard of Oz (1939) #4. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) #3. Kind of oldies aren't they?




The metamorphosis of Spiderwoman (2014) , started as a fictitious legendary hero story that was adapted to script and produced as Spiderwoman, a student short, and premiered as Spyderwoman (the y for fear of infringement) However, a title can not be trademarked and therefore I can call my movie Spiderwoman, but decided to go with the higher self and title it "Utopia," since it is, after all a story of rebuilding society after a nuclear apocalypse.




What a great example of story metamorphosis!

In turn, the film, Spyderwoman—a hybrid between a short and a feature (40min long) has transformed once again into Hybrid, a sci-fi series for streaming audiences. As literary art alone, the legendary Taharai, the spiderwoman from the Amazon has transformed into a novel, and the novel has developed into a series. How? Easy, spiderwoman Tharai is a legendary tale being recounted by the survivors of the ecotomb after the nuclear apocalypse. Want to know more about it?

Here is the trailer. Sorry, the movie is not out yet. It was premiered at 40 minutes but it's undergoing a new edit and production before its second debut.




What is next for Utopia:

Episode 1: The Shambhalans gather/ Hybrid is born

Episode 2-4: The Apocalypse/who are The Yanomam?

Episode 5-7: The survivors arrive/Taharai meets Alan who loves Anna;

Episode 8-10: The NeoShambhala thrives /Alan mines gold and builds Yuma Lodge;

Episode 11-13: The NeoShambhalans work and play/Anna wins 1st prize;

Episode 14-16: The Visitors/America Saves the Rainforest;

Season 2

Episode 17-19: Journey to the center of the earth/The geneticists capture Taharai;

Episode 20-22: The World's Ruins/Taharai escapes;

Episode 23-25: Telepathy into Spider Planet/Anna manipulates Taharai;

Episode 26-28: Sabia dies/Taharai escapes;

Episode 29-31: the NeoShambhalans Revolution/Taharai is saved;

Episode 32-35: The Neoshambhalans split into factions/Taharai the activist

Episode 36: Telepathy allows tele transportation to the past and future/Anna, Taharai and Alan live in Yuma Lodge like a family.




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