From the Page to the Screen
Earth’s Secret Alliance — Behind the Scenes
From the Page to the Screen
How a story becomes a film — and where Earth’s Secret Alliance stands right now.
A lot of people assume that once a book exists, turning it into a movie is mostly a matter of finding the right people and writing a cheque. The reality is a long series of distinct stages — each one proving the story is worth investing in before the next step begins.
Here’s what that journey looks like, and how far along the ESA series has already come.
1
Stage One — Complete
The Book
Everything starts with a story worth telling. The book is the foundation — it proves the concept works on the page before anyone invests in bringing it to screen. A strong source novel gives producers confidence: the characters are built, the world is established, and readers have already responded.
The ESA series spans six interconnected novellas — over 13,800 books sold, with readers across faith, family, and sci-fi audiences.
The ESA series spans six interconnected novellas — over 13,800 books sold, with readers across faith, family, and sci-fi audiences.
2
Stage Two — Complete
The Screenplay
A novel and a screenplay are very different documents. The screenplay strips away inner monologue and narration, leaving only what can be seen and heard on screen.
The ESA novels were written with this in mind from the start — deliberately cinematic, scene-driven, and action-forward. That makes the adaptation almost a one-to-one conversion in structure. The main challenge? A character’s internal thoughts can fill a paragraph in the novel. On screen, an actor’s face has to carry all of it.
The ESA novels were written with this in mind from the start — deliberately cinematic, scene-driven, and action-forward. That makes the adaptation almost a one-to-one conversion in structure. The main challenge? A character’s internal thoughts can fill a paragraph in the novel. On screen, an actor’s face has to carry all of it.
The same moment — on the page vs. on screen
📖 The Novel
Dow jogged laps around the base, as he usually did in the evenings. He enjoyed the peace and quiet of the solitary activity, especially since Rabinowitz wasn’t dogging at his heels, yapping about aliens.
When he’d stepped outside, he’d briefly wondered where the other private was, but had dismissed the worry. He’d show up later. He always did.
As Dow reached the furthest point from the buildings, the landscape around him wobbled…
🎬 The Screenplay
EXT. ARMY AIRFIELD — EVENING
Dow is jogging laps around the base. When he’s at the furthest point from the buildings, the landscape around him WOBBLES.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. YMIT — BRIDGE — CONTINUOUS
Dow tries to stop and almost runs into the opposite wall…
Highlighted text in the novel = internal thought that disappears in the screenplay. The action is identical — but the character’s inner world now has to live entirely in the performance.
3
Stage Three — Complete
The Table Read
Before a frame is ever shot, professional actors gather and read the screenplay out loud. This is where you find out if the dialogue works, if the pacing holds, and if the characters feel real when given a voice. A strong table read is proof-of-concept — it shows what the story will feel like in the room.
The ESA screenplay Defying Gravity was selected by the Wildsound Festival for a professional scene reading with a full cast:
The ESA screenplay Defying Gravity was selected by the Wildsound Festival for a professional scene reading with a full cast:
Cast: Elizabeth Rose Morriss (Narrator) · Shawn Devlin (Malcolm) · Hannah Ehman (Sahara) · Val Cole (Mary)
Produced by Wildsound Festival — Toronto
Produced by Wildsound Festival — Toronto
4
Stage Four — Complete
Pre-Visualization
Pre-visualization — or “pre-vis” — is a rough visual draft of what the film will look like before production begins. It might be storyboards, animatics, or AI-generated animation edited together in sequence. The goal is to show a producer or investor: this is the tone, this is the world, this is what you’re investing in.
The ESA animated pilot Charlie’s Big Chance has reached pre-visualization quality. Roswell, 1947. A spacecraft has crashed on a local ranch. Twelve-year-old Charlie Baker — a girl in a wheelchair who wants to be a reporter just like her father — has decided to find out what really happened:
The ESA animated pilot Charlie’s Big Chance has reached pre-visualization quality. Roswell, 1947. A spacecraft has crashed on a local ranch. Twelve-year-old Charlie Baker — a girl in a wheelchair who wants to be a reporter just like her father — has decided to find out what really happened:
Charlie’s Big Chance — Animated Pre-Visualization, Episode 1
Earth’s Secret Alliance animated series · Hopepunk sci-fi for the whole family
Earth’s Secret Alliance animated series · Hopepunk sci-fi for the whole family
5
Stage Five — In Development
Production
This is where cameras roll, sets are built, and the story becomes a film. Production only begins once the right combination of funding, distribution, and creative team is in place. Every stage before this one exists to make that combination more likely.
ESA is currently in active development conversations with film industry professionals and distribution partners. We’re not there yet — but we’re closer than we’ve ever been.
ESA is currently in active development conversations with film industry professionals and distribution partners. We’re not there yet — but we’re closer than we’ve ever been.
An early meeting with film industry contacts over ESA books — Abbotsford, BC. The kind of conversation that moves a story from pre-visualization toward production.
Current Status
Earth’s Secret Alliance — Where We Stand
ESA screenplays are currently under active review in multiple industry competitions. The Good, The Bad, and The Undecided has earned a Finalist placement at the Emerging Screenwriters Sci-Fi & Fantasy Competition — which includes consideration for the ISA Development Slate and referral to literary agents, managers, producers, and studio executives. Quarter-Finalist placements at Creative Screenwriting and Table Read My Screenplay Hollywood confirm the work is resonating across the industry. ESA has also been invited onto Backlot, a new curated family streaming platform launching through ReDiscover Television. The next steps involve connecting with the right production partners to move from pre-visualization into live-action development.
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