Encountering a literary work in print and on film provides an opportunity to further your understanding of both versions of that work. The overt and subtle differences between the versions draw out various aspects of the story, characters, and stylistic techniques. For instance, the beginning of Watchmen has a montage of superheroes with a Bob Dylan song playing. This is supposed to give the audience information and set the tone for the movie. This assignment asks you to view print and film versions of Watchmen, using both to inform your analysis. In the classroom, the differences between an original story’s form and movie form can be analyzed to develop critical thinking skills and discuss the differences between plots, storylines, characters, and even the different merits of each medium. For this assignment, you will explore the reason(s) for any differences. Select one element from Watchmen: a scene, a character, a narrative technique, a symbol or theme, a setting, an image or description, etc. For this assignment you will:
Analyze and describe how the element/character/scene you have chosen appears within both the novel and the film.
Explain why YOU think the change was made. Don’t just write “because it’s better” but give your analysis of what the change does for the story.

The essay should be in a 5 paragraph format with specific information
Introduction paragraph
who wrote the book
who wrote, directed, and acted in the movie
a summary of the story
a thesis explaining what specific aspect you are analyzing
1st supporting paragraph
What was the aspect that was different from the book to the movie? How was it different?
2nd supporting paragraph
What impact does this change have on the story?
3rd supporting paragraph
Why would the writer/director/etc make this change from the book?
Conclusion paragraph
restate the important information from the introduction, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd supporting paragraphs.

Here are a few questions that might give you some ideas of how to analyze the differences.
How do the two works differ?
Why do they differ? (in your opinion, not what Google says)
What does comparing the two versions teach you about this element of the work?
What parts of the original story were left out of the movie?
Did the movie add anything (plot points, characters, etc.) that were not in the original book version?
When the screenwriter and/or director changes any of the formal elements of the novel, is the overall message retained?
Why do you think the movie writers/directors/producers changed the story in the way they did?
What do you think the movie writers/directors/producers were trying to say through this change?
As you can see, you are not bound by much in this assignment. Feel free to explore the adaptation of book to film however you see fit. Make sure you focus on analyzing the differences in the novel and film and explain your ideas for those differences, and you’ll be golden. As always, if you have any questions, let me know.