The film industry has been a major part of American society for almost a hundred years now. People love to get excited about what Hollywood is going to produce next, or to see the new movie that’s just come out in theaters. The film series for Harry Potter is an perfect example of Hollywood movie madness. I won’t deny that I love the series considering how I grew up watching them, but I had also read the end of the series through the books. I must admit, while I do love the films, I agree with the idea that the books were better, but at the same time I do think that the movies are unique in presenting the story in their own way. I want to look into the differences between a story from a book and from film, namely the series Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead.
One thing that is a major concern when creating a film based off of a book approaching the question of how much material from the book can be used in the movie. Films have a date to be done by and a budget to work with, so it’s hard to fit everything in just the way it was in the book. Many characters and chapters in the Harry Potter series were cut because there may not be enough time. The director and his team have to be careful to choose what is important and what is not. For example, because the film only has so much time and needs to make sure certain characters get enough screen time, Dobby wasn’t present in any of the films except for the second and the seventh, even though he appeared in the third book through the sixth.
Other elements of the books may be played down or displayed differently because of budget costs. For example, the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones is supposed to be massive and much larger than it is shown in the show. It was created to be a mere throne in the show though because Game of Thrones at this point had such a smaller budget, and were unable to meet these expectations that were created in the books.
Other films add elements that change much of the story indefinitely. In the comic book series The Walking Dead there is no mention of the characters Daryl of Mural who are major characters in the show. The television show The Walking Dead took multiple different turns when filming the show. They had added some characters, let others live who died in the comics, and vise versa.
Movie’s tend to miss a lot when trying to tell the story of a book. At the same time though, the films are able to present the story in ways the book couldn't. For example, when in the third Harry Potter movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban, there is a scene where Harry watches all of his friends leave for Hogsmeade. After everyone leaves, the camera zooms out as Harry faces forward away from the audience. A giant pendulum of a clock swings behind him, as pillars of the gate are in front of him. The way that it is presented shows as if Harry is behind bars, trapped. The clock ticks loudly, showing that time is passing as Harry watches his friends enjoy what little time he has at school. It implies the question of how long can the Dursley’s restrain and control him in certain ways like how they refused to sign the permission slip. The films are still unique because while they miss a lot of the story, they present different parts of the books in ways that would make you think differently about them.
The books and films present the story differently, sometimes for better or for worse. But either way, each medium provides a way to digest that story or subject in a different manner. Each medium that presents the story can do so in ways that the other may not be able to do. While many things may be lost when making a book into a movie, many other things can be gained or presented in a different and artistic way.
