Film Adaptions and Fan-Fiction

Have you ever read a novel and been so in love with the concept, or the characters, that you can't help but try to imagine it in your own form; recreate it in a new light, play with the characters or the plot?
Often enough, we don't even realize we're doing it. We create scenario's in our head imagining what might come next, or what could happen if things were different. We add things, and erase things, perhaps even recreating the concept completely in an alternate universe.

Fan-fiction is an example of what happens when an imaginative  mind is inspired by another, and gives the reader the opportunity to become the writer. It allows the recreation of a plot-line or character using the blueprints of the original, and is growing more and more popular, with readers both young and old.

Much like fan-fiction, film adaptions (or television adaptions) are a re-imagining of the novel, as seen through the eyes of the producer, director, script writer, and even the actors cast to interpret the beloved fictional (or non-fictional) characters.

Film adaptions are just fan-fiction on a much larger -more expensive- scale.

Take Peter Jackson's exploration of The Hobbit, for example.
Like with many film adaptions, The Hobbit was riddled with small -and in some cases large- differences when compared to the children's book by J.R.R Tolkien. Dialogue was added or scrapped, changed or contextualized in a manner different to the original storytelling, to engage the audience. Plot-lines non-existent in the novel were introduced to create a more riveting cinematic experience, and the film grew in length from the size of one small book to three feature length adventures.

Or, for instance, we could also review Steven Moffat and BBC's remastering of the classic detective series, Sherlock Holmes. Moffat bring new life to the classic through a modern retelling or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery masterpiece. Sherlock is a 'modern au', whereby the characters and the basic concept is the same, only it is set in the modern day, allowing a more personalized and relatable experience.

So why is it that this form of creative invention (or, plagiarism, but who's really going to call it that?) more accepted and appreciated than the more taboo concept of 'fan-fiction'?
Fan-fiction is just as relevant, and in many ways could match -or even surpass- the original concept (remember 50 Shades of Grey, anyone?).

Of course, I could always mention parody films, but then I'd be here all night.

So I guess what I'm trying to say with this post is that fan-fiction is a great way for writers to explore concepts and characters, while also expressing their admiration and support of the original work, just as film adaptions do exactly the same thing.

Though, while film adaptions leave a little less to the imagination, much like fan-art, fan-fiction allows the reader to keep exploring the same concept and characters they fell in love with, only from a new perspective.

Sometimes it's good to appreciate the talented writers who find more enjoyment playing with someone else's concepts and characters. We find enjoyment in film adaptions, and the only real difference is cost and reward.

What's your favorite film adaption? How about fan-fiction? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Keep reading -and watching!
-Em xx