Books vs. Movies, Which is better as a Storytelling Medium?

Film Adaptions

What is a film adaptation? According to Dartmouth Libraries, the definition for ‘adaptation’ is pre-existing work that has been made into a film. Kuhn, A., & Westwell, G. said in their article Adaptation, “Adaptations are often of literary or theatrical works, but musical theatre, best-selling fiction and non-fiction, comic books, computer games, children’s toys, and so on have also been regularly adapted for the cinema.”

In the past years we have seen so many film adapations, some good and some not so good, but the real question is which is better as a storytelling medium? Well books and movies are a different form of media that are in different situations. We see many different film adapations from the Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling, The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, and the Percy Jackson & the Olymians novel series.

We have read these books and have also seen them on the big screen. Through reading a novel we really get to use our imagination and create the sceen and characters in our head from when we read, but in movies we really get to see those elements be brought to life.

Screen Adaptations help a book come to life

Though some adpations aren’t always book accurate, they can help a book come to life. Telling a story is also important on who narrates and creates it, such as directors and producers. Some may feel the need to add on their own elements and some feel that it’s best to leave it be and keep it the way it was written. Every author or director has a different way of creating and seeing a story unfold, and as human beings we are all different and view things differently and from our own perspective. Maybe we liked a person better in the book then we did on screen or maybe when we saw that character brought to life we loved and realted to them more than every before.

One of my favorite books is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, this is one of my favorite books because of the character she created, Elizabeth Bennet. She is such a complex yet beautiful character to whom I relate to and love. Growing up one of my mom’s favorite films was Pride and Prejudice 2005 with Keria Knightly and this film was something that I had watched with her a few times and I was always so drawn and intriged with her character on the screen.

In middle school I had read Pride and Prejudice for the first time then watched the movie to compare the two and I was so happy to see it brought to life and to see how similar the characters were and how we can really see Elizabeths characterists and personality. I can say for myself that I love the book and the film equally.

Literary work

As fellow book lovers I think that we can all agree that that is nothing like reading a book and escaping our reality and discovering a new one. When I read the Harry Potter series, I find myself always forgetting my surroundings because of how intriguing Rowling’s books are and her beautiful writing and imagination. Every little detail matters and it’s so fun to be able to create that image in your head and picture it as she did or maybe even different.

Before most of us even learned how to read we were being told a story from a book, whether it was before we went to bed, story time in our class or at the library, books have impacted us since a very young age. I remember as a kid my grandma had so many different types of books at her house and when I would stay over, she would always read a few picture books for me. My favorites were The Napping House, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything and Love You Forever. Ever since a young age both movies and books as storytelling mediums have influenced my life and have helped me continue to learn and grow as an individual.

Which do you perfer?

Everyone has a perference as to how they like being told or shown a story. Some would rather perfer storytelling through the visual elements such as cinematography, lighting, and body language to feel more impressed in a tale. Other’s would prefer have literature right at their fingers tips to help them dive deeper into literary elements with the help of their imagination. Or perhaps, maybe you perfer both! Maybe on a cold quiet day you want to cozy up to a good book, and another day you and your friends want to watch a thriller all together. It’s important to have both storytelling mediums in your life! And it’s also okay to prefer one over the other.

Narrative Structure

StudySmarter UK defines Narrative Structure as “a way in which a story is organized and presented to the reader or audience. It includes the elements of plot, character, setting, and theme, as well as the techniques and devices used by the author to convey these elements.” So we see narrative structure in both movies and books but each story is conveyed differently, either because of the writer of the book or director or producer of a movie. Everyone will articulate a story differently and that is a fun thing to see and understand.

In some cases, we have seen the writer of a novel help produce or be a part of creating a film. We sometimes see them working alongside a director to give them their direct input on what to do for the film to make it the most accurate or even possibly make it better and more enjoyable. Story structure is a classic structure that many of us known and enjoy reading or seeing. We need story structure to tell, or show us, order in which plot events are told to the audience. Everyone is going to tell a story differently, so discover how you like to hear or story.

Lasting impact

Throughout our lives storytelling has been very impactful and influential on who we are today and who we will be in the future. Out of these two great storytelling mediums which one do you think makes a lasting impact? Ultimately, it’s up to personal preference. Do you find yourself wanting to go back and read a book again or watch a movie again? Was it the way things were described to you or how they were shown? Books and movies both leave an impact on us, and every book and every movie are going to have their similarities and differences. There are times where we will find ourselves either loving the book more than the movie, or the movie over the book!

Powerful stories are told through both movies and books. W. James Potter quotes in his book Media Literacy, “Remember that it is not the type of messages you watch or create that make you media literate. Instead, literacy is key to what you think and how you feel while you are engaging with the media. The more active and aware you are during those engagements, the more you will get out of the media and the more those experiences will help you achieve your personal goals.” We all have different perspectives and preferences and I hope that you can discover what storytelling medium inspires you and that you love and enjoy.