Artistic Rebirth in Cross-Media Translation: Aesthetic Innovation and Ontological Persistence in Drama Adapted from Films

Abstract

Driven by the dual impetus of media convergence and digital intelligence technological innovation, drama adapted from films has become an important trend in contemporary theatrical creation. Taking transmedia storytelling theory as the framework, this paper analyzes the artistic practice path of film-to-drama adaptation from three dimensions—transformation of narrative language, innovation of technical means, and reconstruction of aesthetic experience—combining typical cases such as Life of Pi and The Shawshank Redemption. The study finds that successful cross-media adaptation requires achieving a dual balance: on the one hand, leveraging digital technology to break through the boundaries of stage expression while adhering to the ontological characteristics of drama—"liveness" and "hypotheticality"; on the other hand, inheriting the core spirit of the original works while realizing artistic rebirth through the unique spatial narrative and physical expression of drama. This creative practice not only injects new vitality into the theater industry but also promotes the construction and innovation of the "disciplinary, academic, and discourse" three major systems of Chinese theater and film studies.