Story Boarding, From Books to the Screen

In Production class this week we looked at how a director might take a book, a piece of text and adapt it for the screen, in this case we looked at an extract from The Big Sleep, Novel by Raymond Chandler film by Howard Hanks.
We looked at the very first scene of the film/book and given an hour to make our own story boards. Then we looked at how Hanks had changed the scene so that it was appropriate for the film, which bits he left out, which bits he needed to keep in and bits that he dramatised.
For instance he took out the description of the outside of the house, such as the garage and descriptions of the inside, the stain glass window and the cherub fireplace. They are not needed, instead we have Marlowe look at a family crest which gives more significance to the family he is about to meet.
Hanks also changes Miss Sternwoods action and clothing, making her more promiscuous, in the book she comes from a room under the stairs and in the film Hanks has her come down the stairs, a couple of people in class did the same change, explaining that if she came down the stairs we can start of by seeing he legs making her more sexualised and attractive for Marlowes character. Hanks also gives her a skirt instead of trousers feminising her and again giving her more of an appeal to Marlowe. In the novel we can hear what Marlowe is thinking, however in the film the audience needs to be shown the appeal of Sternwoods because they are not given that first person intimacy that the book offers.  
Story boarding is very useful in film making as when a director makes the storyboard the rest of the crew (especially the cameramen/ cinematographers) can see exactly what shot the director wants and it means that the shoot is set out specifically and that when it comes to shooting there will be no questions as to where the camera should be positioned causing time wasting.
I found the exercise very interesting and fun and it also helped me understand why directors cut out certain bits from books and the choices they make in adding scenes or even little details into their movies.