TCWT Blog Chain: Movie vs. Book

tcwt-pic-SMALL-2WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BOOK-TO-MOVIE ADAPTATIONS? WOULD YOU ONE DAY WANT YOUR BOOK MADE INTO A MOVIE, OR PROBABLY NOT?

I love that we’ve all had varying responses to this prompt. It’s somewhat controversial, but our posts are interesting because of it!

While I completely understand the idea that a movie adaptation of your novel could compromise its integrity, I personally would be on board with having my book made into a movie.

I have a few reasons to explain my enthusiasm for a book-to-movie adaptation (in no particular order):

the-hunger-games-poster-world-will-be-watching1. It’d be great to see my book come to life on screen as a new way for my readers to experience the story/world/characters I’ve created.

I do believe movies are just another art form, and thus can and will be slightly different from the books they’re based on. That said, if the producer decides it’s okay to completely screw it up, he might as well call it by a different title. In short, I understand there’s no way for my book to translate perfectly on screen. And that’s okay, as long as the overall story is the same.

2. What author wouldn’t want to meet potentially well-known actors/actresses portraying their characters?

Um, super cool. I’d be trying really hard to be professional, but it probably wouldn’t work out. I’d take lots of pictures with captions like, DO YOU KNOW WHO THIS IS?!

tfios movie poster3. I’m not naïve enough to believe I’d be consulted on every aspect of the movie, but I’d like to have some influence.

This, I think, is becoming less of an issue. I was especially excited after reading about Veronica Roth and John Green’s involvement with their book-to-movie adaptations. (Not that I’m assuming I’m even anywhere in their league, or that my book would ever be so popular.)

And there is the possibility of actually appearing in the movie, as a minor character or an extra or something like that. (When I saw Veronica Roth on screen during the Divergent zip-lining scene, I punched my sister in the arm and stage-whispered “IT’S VERONICA ROTH!”)

Book-to-movie adaptations I believe were done well:

Harry Potter
The Help
Hunger Games
The Book Thief
Divergent
Fault in Our Stars

mortal_instruments_city_of_bones_ver11_xlgUnfortunately, sometimes book-to-movie adaptations disappoint. The casting is all wrong, because someone forgot to pay attention to the details that make the character memorable and beloved, or several major plot points were overlooked, or the tone of the film is off.

When movie adaptations are made of the first book in a series, I worry about future adaptions of the remaining books. If the first movie doesn’t do well, the fans can be sure the rest of the series won’t make it to the screen. Which, in my opinion, just isn’t fair (to the author or the fan base).

The movie adaptations of Eragon, Percy Jackson, City of Bones, and Vampire Academy could have been better. And if they had been better, we might have had the pleasure of watching the entire series unfold.

And that concludes my thoughts on book-to-movie adaptations. I’m looking forward to seeing The Maze Runner and The Giver in theaters, and hope I’ll only have good things to say. We shall see.

*I apologize for the late post. Better late than never, I guess? I meant to write this post well in advance and have it scheduled, but I procrastinated when I returned home from vacation, and then went straight to college orientation for two days. Oh, the excuses. Sigh.

Be sure to check out the other blogs participating in the chain! Also, please share your thoughts!

June 5 – Against the Shadows
June 6 – The Loony Teen Writer
June 7 – Sammi Talk
June 8 – The Little Engine That Couldn’t
June 9 – This Page Intentionally Left Blank
June 10 – Relatively Curious
June 11 – Charley R’s Learning Tower of Plot
June 12 – Tara Therese
June 13 – The Weirdy Station…And Once in a While Everything, Something, and Nothing
June 14 – fairy skeletons
June 15 – Musings From Neville’s Navel
June 16 – The A.R. Files
June 17 – Magic and Writing
June 18 – A Mirror Made of Words
June 19 – Brooke Reviews
June 20 – Miriam Joy Writes
June 21 – page eight hundred ninety
June 22 – Unikke Lyfe
June 23 – Aaron and Tamara Cole Books
June 24 – Butterflies of the Imagination
June 25 – The Upstairs Archives
June 26 – Turtles in My Soup
June 27 – Miss Alexandrina
June 28 – Teens Can Write, Too!

6 thoughts on “TCWT Blog Chain: Movie vs. Book

  1. Tara Therese (T. T. Kesley)

    I love the way we can all give such different answers to prompt answers, too!

    That’s good to know that author involvement in movies is becoming more common. I think that it is … dangerous … to accept a movie deal, but also can be extremely rewarding!

    Reply
    1. brooke Post author

      I agree – I wouldn’t ever want to be in a position where I accept a movie deal simply because it’s the first. If it were to ever happen (I guess I’d have to publish a novel first!) I’d want to be sure it’s a good deal. Thanks for commenting, Tara!

      Reply
    1. brooke Post author

      Ha, ha! Same! My sister just sort of gave me this look, and definitely wasn’t happy I’d punched her. Thanks for commenting Liam!

      Reply
  2. John Hansen

    Author cameos are the best! I freak out whenever I see that. George RR Martin was supposed to cameo in season 4 of Game of Thrones, and I was devastated that they ended up cutting it. The nerd in me loves those moments.

    I also agree that I would participate an adaption of my book if only to meet the actors playing my characters. That, to me, is the coolest thing ever, especially when you are watching the filming actually happening and seeing the characters you made up one day IN REAL LIFE.

    And also, as for as influence is concerned, apparently in Paper Towns John Green is the co-director? Or something like that? I think the smaller the film company, the more influence you have.

    Awesome post! (And absolutely no worries about being late. Stuff gets in the way all the time!)

    Reply
    1. brooke Post author

      My fingers are crossed for a future author cameo, for sure. Although not sure how I’d react to being on set with the actors. Wouldn’t that just be the worst if I just completely froze because I’m too preoccupied watching them portray the characters I created? Like you said, it is entirely one thing to see your characters in your head, and completely another to see them IN REAL LIFE.

      I actually haven’t read any of John Green’s other novels, but I will make it a point to do so. Paper Towns sounds particularly interesting and I’d really like to see the movie. I just think it’s a really good thing to have more author involvement when it comes to producing an adaptation, and particularly after the success of Fault In Our Stars! Thanks for commenting 🙂

      And yes, stuff gets in the way too often – I came home from vacation and went immediately to my orientation. I’d hoped to have the post written before then but it just wasn’t happening!

      Reply

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