Fiction Adaptation: Selecting a Poem

I have just started my 2nd year of Uni and am now preparing towards my new assignment. This project is based around a short fictional film adaption of a poem. We have been given a selection of five different poems and have been asked to work on one of them.

Wilfred Owen,
author of
 "Anthem for a Doomed Youth"

I have picked 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' (1917) by Wilfred Owen as my first pick. The reason I chose this is because of the subject matter which is detailed in such a way that it could be considered timeless, and relate to the struggles and horrors that War brings. It is very much an anti-war statement and describes how it effects the soldiers families as well.

In a lot of modern adaptions of literature there are sometimes changes made to the characters, the setting or the time-period chosen. This can often be to the detriment of the original fans. But it can also pay off such as in the BBC's hugely popular TV series adaption of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's, 'Sherlock.' I think that the reasons such adaptions work is that they can change certain things to keep it fresh but they manage to keep the original auteurs spirit of their work so as to not alienate the audience.

For my adaption of Wilfred Owen's poem I am going to try and keep the essence of the original intact. This is from the point of view of a post-traumatic solder who is mourning for his comrades. I wrote down some rough notes on possible story elements for my short film:

• Nearby he hears the sounds of gunshots and screams of anguish.
• I will also include a church and the sounds of church bells ringing.
• This version will be set in the aftermath of the WWII era. The reason I chose this era is because its slightly more relatable as their are still veteran soldiers and it's easier to get access to vintage artefacts from that era of soldiers such as photographs. 

British Troops going over the top of the Trenches.

It is important to mention that my thoughts on a specific story for my short film are still up in the air but I am going to research into different story elements and will flesh them out over the next couple of days.