Turning a 250-page novel or a two-and-a-half-hour stage play into a 90-minute film means leaving out much of the original and changing most of what’s left. So why does it remain recognisably the same story? What is the slippery essence that transfers, unaltered, from page to screen?

In Adaptations, Denise Faithfull comprehensively and systematically addresses the thorny issues of choosing your source and type of adaptation, whether a liberal appropriation, a free-flowing intersection, a variation or a faithful translation. She illuminates questions of structure, character, dialogue and visualisation, and includes a checklist for the adaptor. Brian Hannant’s introductory chapter discusses the history of Australian film, the basic principles of filmmaking and screenwriting, and a guide to correct screenplay layout.

Drawing from dozens of Australian films including Così, Lantana, Hotel Sorrento, The Boys, Dead Heart, Death in Brunswick and Head On, Adaptations navigates the treacherous waters of the adaptation process, showing us what works … and what doesn’t.

For anyone who’s ever read a novel, seen a play or heard an incredible true story and thought, ‘Now, that would make a great film’, Adaptations is the ultimate on how to make it happen.

Set in Sydney in the 1970s and 1980s, this multi-award winning television drama centres on the notorious friendship between drug dealer and robber Arthur Stanley ‘Neddy’ Smith and Detective Sergeant Roger ‘The Dodger’ Rogerson. There’s a pot of gold involved but it doesn’t come easily or cheaply. This is a powerful and frightening story about police corruption and Sydney’s underworld.

John Fraser starred in films such as Repulsion, El Cid and Tunes of Glory, and was nominated for a British Academy Award as Best Actor for his performance, opposite Peter Finch, as Bosie in The Trials of Oscar Wilde. He has written fiction, non-fiction and drama. This paperback edition includes a previously unpublished chapter.

This is the definitive guide to making a career out of making people laugh. If you’ve got a sense of humour, you can learn to make a career out of comedy, says Judy Carter. Whether it’s creating a killer stand-up act, writing a spec sitcom, or providing jokes for radio or one-liners for greeting cards, Carter provides step-by-step instructions in The Comedy Bible. She helps readers first determine which genre of comedy writing or performing suits them best and then directs them in developing, refining, and selling their work.