With ‘Twilight,’ you have these massive tomes that you have to condense. With ‘Penoza,’ we had an eight episode Dutch series that, just for the pilot alone, I condensed three episodes. So, there’s a lot of filling in and a ton of invention that has to happen to fill out eight episodes.

Melissa Rosenberg

 

The Quote in Other Words

The task of condensing the extensive Twilight novels is challenging. However, with Penoza, we had an eight-part Dutch series, and I had to condense three episodes just for the pilot. Therefore, a significant amount of creativity and innovation is required to complete eight episodes.

 

Explanation of the Quote

This quote highlights the challenges of adapting a book into a TV series or movie. When adapting a book, the screenwriter has to condense the story into a shorter format, which often requires cutting out certain plot points and characters. However, when adapting a TV series from a foreign show, the screenwriter has to fill in the gaps and invent new storylines to make the show work for a new audience.

In the case of “Penoza,” the screenwriter had to condense three episodes into one for the pilot alone. This required a lot of creativity and invention to make the story work in a shorter format. Similarly, with “Twilight,” the screenwriter had to condense a massive tome into a movie, which required cutting out certain plot points and characters. Overall, this quote highlights the challenges of adapting a story for a new format and the creativity required to make it work.