Books, Films and Plays The novelist's medium is the written word, one might almost say the printed word. Typically the novel is consumed by a silent, individual reader, who may be anywhere at the time. The paperback novel is still the cheapest, most portable and adaptable form of narrative entertainment. It is limited to a single channel of information---writing. The narrative can go, effortlessly, anywhere: into space, people's head, palaces, prisons and pyramids, without any consideration of cost or practical possibility. In determining the shape and content of his narrative, the writer is restricted by nothing except purely artistic criteria. The novelist keeps absolute control over his text until it is published and received by the audience. He may be advised by his editor to revise his text, but if the writer refused to meet this condition no one would be surprised. It is not unknown for a well-established novelist to deliver his or her manuscript  and expect the publisher to print it exactly as written. However, not even the most well-established playwright or screenplay writer would submit a script and expect it to be performed without any rewriting. This is because plays and motion pictures are cooperative forms of narrative, using more than one channel of communication. The production of a stage play involves, as well as the words of the author, the physical presence of the actors, their voices and gestures, the "set" and possibly music. Although the script is the essential basis of both stage play and film, it is a basis for subsequent revision negotiated between the writer and the other creative people involved. They are given "approval" of the choice of director and actors and have the right to attend rehearsals , during which period they may undertake more rewriting work. In the case of the screenplay, the writer may have little or no control over the final form of his work. Contracts for the production of plays protect the rights of authors in this respect. In film or television work, on the other hand, the screenplay writer has no contractual right to this degree of consultation. While the script is going through its various drafts, the writer is in the driver's seat, although sometimes receiving criticism from the producer and the director. But once the production is under way, artistic control over the project tends to pass to the director. _ Where might you find the passage?
In a textbook. In a movie magazine. In a travelling brochure. In a shopping guide.