For producers, building a drama series or feature film from existing book IP can be like starting a race with a full-length head start - not just a pre-existing story, but one already proven in the marketplace, with a built-audience and name-recognition. And yet, whilst  book-to-screen adaptations make a large proportion of annual productions internationally (and statistically do better business than original works) the Australian screen industry has long bucked this direction. Adaptations are significantly less common in Australia than overseas. Our publishing industry punches well above its weight, Australian novelists are both popular and award-winning, and yet it would seem an under-exploited sector. What are the barriers to working with novelists and publishers? What are the creative challenges? How real are the opportunities? This panel aims to look at the specifics of novel-to-screen adaptations for drama and comedy; how to navigate the creative craft, legal considerations, and relationships with publishers and authors.  

The panel will include a cross section of expertise writers, producers, lawyers, publishers to generate an holistic, practical, and useful discussion. 

Session Producer & Moderator
Mike Jones - Everycloud Productions