Who Is That Masked Man? (or What Movies Do for Book Characters)

Tip of the Day: The Greater Rochester Teen Read during Teen Read Week with A. S. King was amazing! Thanks to all the teachers, librarians, teens, and Amy(!) for making it a success! You can also check out a new interview with me in the YALSA blog for winning the YALSA/Dollar General TRW grant.

Some might say that movies/TV shows based on books are not as good as the written versions. In many cases I agree with that.

However, as Halloween approaches and costumed enthusiasts make their party appearances, it is clear that without Hollywood making our book characters visually concrete in our heads, many a costume would go unrecognized -- or unimagined.

Can you tell who this character is?

 

How many people dressed as Katniss before THE HUNGER GAMES became a movie? How about Legalos? Or Deanerys Targaryen? :)

 

How often do you think a movie that flops hurts the book it was based on? If potential readers see the movie first and then don't even try the book?

 

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing



Should a Movie Follow the Book Exactly?

Tip of the Day: Looking for a new online magazine to help your writing career and entertain you? Then check out Writing Fools!

I swear, at A2A we did not discuss theme in advance this week, and yet we've done a great job of feeding off each other posts.

I'm going to touch on the book-to-movie angle today.

( I originally wrote a really controversial post about authors who scream how much they hate Amazon.com, yet still continue to sell their books on there...but decided against it and deleted it. :p )

So, let's ask the question: Should a Movie Follow the Book Exactly?

No.


I know, I know, I always say the opposite of everyone else. How many times has a theatrical version of a beloved book caused hordes of people to tear out their hair and gnash their teeth because something wasn't "right?"

I don't do that. I don't really care if a movie is faithful to a book.

My dear cousin, who is a fan of all things fantasy, hates the Lord of the Rings movies because they aren't an exact reflection of his beloved novels. Peter Jackson changed too much and left out the parts that were important to him.

I thought the movies were amazing and have seen them a billion times. Same with Harry Potter. Twilight. Eragon. I could go on and on.

A movie is a totally different art form than a book. So why do people expect them to be a direct visual translation of the written word? It simply isn't possible.

Have you ever listened to a book on tape? It can take 40 hours to sometimes read the whole novel aloud. 40 hours. Do you want to sit in a movie theater for 40 hours? I didn't think so.

Screenwriters have to make compromises. It's the nature of adaption. I prefer to listen to my dad (who just happens to be the wisest man on the planet) when he says, "I go to the movies to be entertained, not to analyze. Sit back, relax, and enjoy."

Yeah, I know you're thinking: Well, I bet if Megg's books were made into movies, she'd feel differently. Nah, pretty sure I wouldn't change my mind. One of my friends is a screenwriter and I'd love to see what he could do with Anathema (which is still free on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iBookstore, Smashwords, Kobo, Wattpad, etc - so download it now). He even discussed adding a dance scene - which I LOVED because I am a dancer. See, it's all about taking a concept and translating it in a way that entertains. I would totally be entertained by a dance scene between Reychel & Mark, even though there isn't one in the book.

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

Books to Movies (or Movies to Books)

Tip of the Day: Good sci-fi movie that was totally underrated -- though not based on a book to my knowledge: MOON, directed by David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones. Great minimalist film.

Kate's post from Monday on how many times her daughter saw Hunger Games in the theater got me thinking about other current YA books that I would like to be made into movies. Here's a short list (and if some of these already are optioned for film, comment and let me know!):


1. TRAFFICKED by Kim Purcell -- this contemporary story of human traffiking from Europe to America could make a great thriller/drama.

2. ALTERED by Jennifer Rush -- this novel that releases in Jan. 2013 is like a Bourne Identity for teens starring a kick-butt girl.


3. THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW by Robin Wasserman -- this clue-following novel is like The Davinci Code starring smart teens and a cool European setting.


4. THE BUTTERFLY CLUES Kate Ellison -- this murder mystery stars an OCD sleuth who won't give up until she finds the killer.


5. CINDER by Marissa Meyer -- an alternate future China with cyborgs and a Cinderella retelling: the perfect combination.

Some other books I could see as TV dramas or series. I'll talk about those next time.

What recent YA novels would you like to see in movie format?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing