We all have those movies that we watch during the holidays. They make us laugh or cry or fill us with Christmas cheer and that warm, happy holiday feeling. And many of our favorite films, such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express, A Christmas Carol, and It’s a Wonderful Life, were actually books, short stories, and novellas before they were adapted into movies. So, how does a piece of written intellectual property (IP) get turned into a movie?
Copyrights and Wrongs
When anyone creates an original work of authorship fixed in a tangible form of creative expression (such as a book, a painting, a screenplay, a photograph, etc.), that work is henceforth protected under copyright laws. This protects the rights of the IP owner and prevents anyone from using that work without the owner’s permission.
Obtaining Rights
If a movie studio wants to adapt a book like Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, they must first acquire the rights to that intellectual property. They can do this in one of two ways:
Option Agreement: This is like the movie producer paying rent for the rights to the movie. They pay to reserve that IP for a certain amount of time (usually 12-18 months), and in that time, they can make a movie.
- Making the film is called “exercising the option,” after which studios must then pay for the full rights of the property.
- Sometimes, studios don’t exercise the option due to lack of proper financing or support. However, while the movie is optioned, no other producers can use the IP.
Purchase Agreement: This happens when a producer buys full rights to the source material at the start, but it’s less common than optioning because of the risk it carries.
Adapting the Source Material
Once rights to the source material have been obtained, screenwriters are tasked with adapting what the author wrote into a screenplay. The screenwriter is usually not the author of the source material, but authors are often involved in the writing process if possible, or if their contract states that their input must be considered when adapting their work.
The screenwriter will write a treatment – an outline of the film’s basic storyline – and then a first draft, which goes through many rewrites before the final story and script are decided. After the studio and producers review it and add their notes, the screenplay is finally finished.
The Movie Magic
Some time passes, and the financing for the movie is secure. The perfect cast and crew have been assembled, led by the best director for the job. All the planning and strategizing gets done in the pre-production phase, and then it’s time to shoot the film! This can take months, or longer with reshoots. After that, the film goes to post-production, where it’s edited, and elements like sound and color are added and adjusted.
Once the film is complete, the studio releases trailers, holds press events, and publicizes the film before its release. Finally, it’s released to be seen and enjoyed by millions of people!
During this entire process, the creative minds of the project (the director, the writers, the actors) can be in contact with the author of the source material to make sure it stays true to the original story. So, when you put on The Grinch or A Charlie Brown Christmas, remember how much work went into adapting the original intellectual property so that you can enjoy it this holiday season!
— Jenna Woods