From Text to Screen

Abstract

The process of transforming a story from written text into a visual medium is known as film adaptation. This research examines the differences between John Green’s 2017 novel and the 2024 film adaptation of Turtles All the Way Down. It examines shifts in the plot, characters, and setting, breaking them down into three main types of change—reduction, addition, and variation—based on Eneste’s 1991 theory of ecranization. Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) by Kress and van Leeuwen is also applied to explore how meaning is constructed through visual, auditory, gestural, and linguistic elements in the film. This research takes a qualitative approach with document analysis as the primary data collection method. The data were collected by reading the novel and watching the film adaptation, while taking detailed notes on the key narrative elements. The results show twelve reductions (46%), seven additions (27%), and seven variations (27%). Most of the reductions involve emotional subplots and supporting characters. In contrast, the additions are mainly used to strengthen the emotional resolution of the story and to emphasize a sense of hope. Variations are evident in the visual presentation of several scenes, which do not always align with the novel’s descriptions. These changes enable the film to communicate the novel’s central message—particularly regarding mental health and healing—in a manner suited to the expressive and emotional strengths of cinematic storytelling.