There are plenty of compelling screen narratives which have been developed from magazine articles. Our series of guides to working with different source material moves on to look at writing fact-based scripts based on long-form journalistic articles.
Magazine articles as source material
Long-form magazines articles of several thousand words have the scope to go into great depth, only rivalled by non-fiction books.
By their nature, magazine articles are timely and are often centred on topical issues of the day, which means they can be adapted into films which are relevant for a modern audience. Alternatively, they can reflect on historical events through a modern lens. All good stuff for fact-based film.
Long-form magazine articles are also well-researched and showcase quality journalism, often taking years to compile and involving in-depth investigations or profiles. As a result, many fact-based films have been developed from stories which first saw the light of day in the form of magazine journalism.
Examples include The Mule (2018) and The Old Man and the Gun (2018), each of which tells of an elderly male protagonist with unlikely CVs (a bank robber and drug mule, respectively). A further example is The Insider (1999), about a Big Tobacco whistleblower, which was based on the Vanity Fair article “The Man Who Knew Too Much” by Marie Brenner.
Adapting a magazine article: the issues
The most important issue to consider when it comes to adapting a magazine article is copyright. If you want to adapt a magazine article, you will need to secure the rights, which will likely belong to the publisher and/or the writer.
If you find something interesting, you can always contact the publication or the journalist and ask about rights. The more obscure the magazine, the more likely they will co-operate.
An alternative is to simply use the article as a jumping off point to develop a standalone fictional narrative. However, it is important that your narrative is completely separate from the article – including any details that are not in the wider public domain can lead to problems.
Films which were inspired by magazine features include Saturday Night Fever (1977) and The Fast and the Furious (2001). These took articles which delved into disco culture and street racing in LA, respectively, and used them as a basis for fictional screen stories*.
When it comes to shaping a screen story, magazines articles may present a challenge in terms their length. The writer may need to add extra material, requiring extra research. There might also be an issue in terms of perspective. Articles (especially profiles) may focus on a specific point-of-view, which may mean a counterpoint is required.
Magazine articles as research
As with other types of source material, magazine articles make valuable research tools for any type of screen story. However, one thing you’ll probably run into is paywalled and subscriber-only articles.
It can be worth the money if the magazine offers lots of interesting articles. Other than trusty Google, there are various databases for magazine articles – many of which are only accessible via schools and colleges. Local libraries may have access or even back issues of popular magazines.
Examples…
As our selection below highlights, films adapted from articles encompass different genres and styles.
Argo (2012)
Partly based on: Joshuah Bearman’s article for Wired Magazine
Chris Terrio’s Oscar-winning adapted screenplay is based on both Bearman’s magazine article and a chapter of the non-fiction book, The Master of Disguise, written by the real-life counterpart of the film’s protagonist, Tony Mendez. This thriller tells of CIA’s audacious rescue of six Americans stranded in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Script source: Script Slug
American Gangster (2007)
Partly based on: Mark Jacobson’s article for New York magazine
Steven Zaillian’s BAFTA-nominated original screenplay is a fictionalised crime drama that charts the rise of real-life Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts, the cop who set out to bring him down. Script source: The Internet Movie Script Database
Shattered Glass (2003)
Based on: H. G. Bissinger’s article for Vanity Fair
Billy Ray’s character-driven screenplay tells of the rise and dramatic fall of Stephen Glass, a journalist for The New Republic, who was discovered to have made up many of his published articles in his bid for fame.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
Inspired by: Tom Junod’s article for Esquire.
Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster based their script for this biographical drama on the real-life friendship between US television personality Fred Rogers and Lloyd Vogel, the journalist sent to profile the much-loved star. Script source: Script Slug
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Based on: P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore’s article for Life magazine.
Frank Pierson’s screenplay for this classic biographical crime drama is based on the exploits of bank robber, John Wojtowicz, fictionalised on screen as Sonny Wortzik, and his accomplice, Salvatore Naturale, memorably portrayed by Al Pacino and John Cazale. Read more about Dog Day Afternoon. Script source: Daily Script
Casualties of War (1989)
Based on: Daniel Lang’s article for the New Yorker (later turned into a non-fiction book)
David Rabe’s screenplay is a harrowing crime drama set at the height of the Vietnam War that tells of a young soldier who goes up against his squad when he refuses to participate in a brutal attack on a Vietnamese girl. For another war film based on a magazine article, see The Killing Fields (1984).
* Saturday Night Fever was inspired by “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night” by Nik Cohn by published in New York magazine on 17 June 1976. In 1994, Cohn admitted he’d made up most of the story. The Fast and the Furious was inspired by “Racer X” by Ken Li, published in 1998 in Vibe magazine.