The Swedish producer and managing director of Black Spark Film & TV, has just been hired by one of Scandinavia's top talent rep, Salomonsson Agency, to work as an agent, parallel to his production duties. Gustafsson says this is a way for him ‘to be closer to the writing and directing talent, to help them develop their works for screen adaptation', without necessarily producing himself. 

His recent films Border by Ali Abbasi, Glenn Close’s vehicle The Wife and his upcoming TV dramas Moscow Noir (Dirigenten) and STHLM Requiem (STHLM Rekviem) launched this week at MIPCOM, are all based on book adaptations. 


We spoke to Gustafsson who takes us through the process of book to screen adaptation.

Most of your recent films and TV dramas are based on books, rather than original material. Why?
Piodor Gustafsson: A literary adaptation is often a real advantage, as the author has spent a lot of time developing characters, settings and plot. If a TV drama or a film is based on a well-known book, adapted by an established writer, you can easier attract top directors and talent and everything goes faster.

In Sweden, few screenwriters have the time to write original material; it takes courage to write something from scratch, plus it’s usually unpaid time. I'd love to work partly with original ideas and partly with literary material, but for some reasons, it’s been quicker for me to go directly to literary adaptations. We do have several great original ideas in development but they are much more difficult to get through the financing system.

Regarding Moscow Noir (Dirigenten), how did you option rights for Camilla Grebe and Paul Leander Engström’s book trilogy?
PG: It all started with producer Caroline Palmstierna who knew the authors; they were looking for a producer to bring their material to television. She recommended me. I read the books and saw immediately it could be a great TV drama.

What about Sthlm Requiem based on Kristina Ohlsson’s book series?
PG: When I read the books a long time ago, other people had the rights. I had enjoyed them because Kristina is excellent in plot structure and character development. I loved the idea of trying to build a crime series that had suspense but also depth in the sub-context. Then I and Martina Stöhr at Kärnfilm got the opportunity to take over the rights.

How to do you track available IPs that could be adapted for film or TV?
PG: I simply love reading. Books come to me in different ways, through recommendations or when I travel, at airports. When I see a literary agent, I always ask: so what’s next? Usually they are very happy to share information about the next hot writer.

I also love working closely with writers and directors. When we talk, ideas come up. For instance I had a meeting with Jonas Hassen Khemiri, author of the August Prize winning novel Allt jag inte minns (Everything I Don’t Remember), as my development team and I had the idea to take some of the Swedish classics and put them in a contemporary context. During that process, Jonas said he was actually writing a story about social structure and divide, set in today’s context. Therefore we got to read and option Allt jag inte minns even before it was written! Black Spark and Kärnfilm have just started production last week on the mini-series for SVT based on the novel. 

Is Jonas going to be involved in the TV adaptation?
PG: He wanted to initially and did some early work on the adaptation, then he realised that it would be more interesting to get someone else to interpret his novel. We discussed different names and ultimately felt that screenwriter Piotr Marciniak was the right person.

Typically what do you look for when you search for literary adaptations?
PG: Nothing specific, which is why I read a lot. I do have favourite authors such as John Ajvide Lindqvist. As a feature film commissioner for the Swedish Film Institute, I was involved in making Let the Right One In; I produced the film Border, and now I’m developing a TV project Little Star that he is writing directly from his book, in collaboration with Veronica Zacco. It’s a new step in our collaboration. In John’s case, his universe is incredibly original, both social realistic and elevated as he mixes everyday situations and conflicts with genre elements.

What are the steps that one has to go through when negotiating rights?  
PG: We always do an option and rights agreements, so when we sign the option, we already know the terms for the final rights acquisition. You meet the agent, the author and try to present your take. It’s important to share a similar vision. Usually it’s better to separate the author from the writing team to bring a new fresh take on the literary material.

I do however always like to have the possibility to communicate with the author to share ideas. Sometimes, it takes a long time to find the writer and therefore to close the final rights agreement.

For instance with Allt jag inte minns, it took almost three years before things were in place as we wanted to wait until we had the director to start writing the screenplay. As it’s a mini-series, it was important to get both the writer and the director on board from the outset. The option period was coming to its end, but we were in a good position, with a broadcaster [SVT] on board. Sometimes, it’s better to secure the option but delay the rights payment until you start shooting.

As an independent producer, it’s always the balance I try to find. I don’t want to spend all my money on the option stage and risking not having enough funds to develop the project.

What’s the usual time limit to keep options? 
PG: Usually, I like to have a minimum of 18-24 months for the option period and you should have the option to extent it once or twice. I also believe one should have specific goals to be able to extend those rights. 

What is the standard purchase rate for exclusive audio-visual rights? 2-3% of a budget?
PG: Yes usually it’s 2.5-3%. But the most important is to have a floor and a cap.

What pitfalls are to be considered when negotiating film or TV rights? Reverse clauses, adaptations of other spin-offs or author’s approval of screen material? 
PG: I always believe that you shouldn’t have more rights than you need, or more rights than you can use. In the case of TV adaptation, you usually need format rights. For feature film, in case of remakes, you need to share the rights with the original authors and writers, if it’s an original idea. In most cases, everyone understands what you need. It’s more a question of how you split those revenues and who is responsible for selling those rights. You need to be pragmatic. 

What are the elements to consider when looking for screenwriters who will handle the literary adaptation?
PG: If you could choose the right writer for the right project, it would be ideal but there is a lot of competition today so that’s not always possible. It often takes time, and you have to be lucky to approach a writer when he/her actually has time to write. To be successful you need to share the vision and the writer must have his or her own take on the story. 

What are you reading right now? 
PG: I’m reading Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s latest book, Pappaklausulen (‘The Father Clause’). His writing is pure magic.