Good morning, Readers!
I’m still dreaming of my little cottage in the woods, with neighbours too far away to see. It’s funny how much my goals have changed these past couple of years.
But that’s beside the point.
I was fluffing around the interwebs the other day, as you do, and someone on Twitter asked a very interesting question.
But that’s beside the point.
I was fluffing around the interwebs the other day, as you do, and someone on Twitter asked a very interesting question.
And it got me thinking.
I am, of course, flattering myself even entertaining the idea that any of my books would ever become a film, but let’s pretend that is possible for any and all of my titles.
Would I be worried that they’d ruin it? I suppose that depends on which studio is making the thing, and which people are helming it, and whether or not they decide to consult me at all. Filmmakers and writers are increasingly savvy, thanks largely to an audience that is quite sophisticated and opinionated.
That said, I also understand that books and film are wildly different media. Their commonality is that they exist to tell stories, but the manner in which they do so is vastly different. Despite the recent lengthening of movie run times, films do not have the same room to explore, explain and describe. Nuances are easier to convey, as are the inner lives of characters, in books. Movies don’t have that. Everything must be explained visually, or in dialogue. Voice overs could be used, but that has a tendency to be very cheesy and ought to be used sparingly.
So, I would not require the film to hit all the points the book was able to.
What I would hope for, more than anything, that the film remains true to the spirit of the books.
If Skylark was ever made into a film, I would hope that they wouldn’t make Skye merely a pretty fuckboi. He is that, but there is nuance there. I hope they wouldn’t ignore his PTSD and other traumas. I hope also that they wouldn’t turn it into a military-worshipping, aliens are bad, let’s kill them all kind of movie that usually marks first-contact science fiction/space opera (with some notable exceptions). I hope what they make the main thrust of the film rebellion against injustice, and right action.
If Daughters of Britain was turned into a film, I would want it to be women led. I think there’s something in the feminine eye that would give Mederei her profound strength and courage without turning her into a badly rendered “strong woman” trope, offering a sympathetic eye to her traumas, and they would give Adalbern the gentleness that makes him the man Mederei falls in love with. I also think that the gladiatorial battles would make for some great cinema. But I wonder if a mini-series might be a better way to tell the story. *shrug*
Human, I think would translate well onto the screen, and is a much more typical vampire story, so I don’t think they could screw it up terribly. Honestly, beyond the casting of Stoyan (if it was being done in this day, I would want Stanislavsky Yanevski), I've not really pondered any adaptations of this book for any length of time.
I will stop there, since I have too many books to write paragraphs about each one, but it is kinda fun to mull over. Needless to say, I would love to see my books adapted for the screen - big or small. I’m too small a player for that to happen currently, but I shall spend the rest of today daydreaming about it.
Ciao!
I am, of course, flattering myself even entertaining the idea that any of my books would ever become a film, but let’s pretend that is possible for any and all of my titles.
Would I be worried that they’d ruin it? I suppose that depends on which studio is making the thing, and which people are helming it, and whether or not they decide to consult me at all. Filmmakers and writers are increasingly savvy, thanks largely to an audience that is quite sophisticated and opinionated.
That said, I also understand that books and film are wildly different media. Their commonality is that they exist to tell stories, but the manner in which they do so is vastly different. Despite the recent lengthening of movie run times, films do not have the same room to explore, explain and describe. Nuances are easier to convey, as are the inner lives of characters, in books. Movies don’t have that. Everything must be explained visually, or in dialogue. Voice overs could be used, but that has a tendency to be very cheesy and ought to be used sparingly.
So, I would not require the film to hit all the points the book was able to.
What I would hope for, more than anything, that the film remains true to the spirit of the books.
If Skylark was ever made into a film, I would hope that they wouldn’t make Skye merely a pretty fuckboi. He is that, but there is nuance there. I hope they wouldn’t ignore his PTSD and other traumas. I hope also that they wouldn’t turn it into a military-worshipping, aliens are bad, let’s kill them all kind of movie that usually marks first-contact science fiction/space opera (with some notable exceptions). I hope what they make the main thrust of the film rebellion against injustice, and right action.
If Daughters of Britain was turned into a film, I would want it to be women led. I think there’s something in the feminine eye that would give Mederei her profound strength and courage without turning her into a badly rendered “strong woman” trope, offering a sympathetic eye to her traumas, and they would give Adalbern the gentleness that makes him the man Mederei falls in love with. I also think that the gladiatorial battles would make for some great cinema. But I wonder if a mini-series might be a better way to tell the story. *shrug*
Human, I think would translate well onto the screen, and is a much more typical vampire story, so I don’t think they could screw it up terribly. Honestly, beyond the casting of Stoyan (if it was being done in this day, I would want Stanislavsky Yanevski), I've not really pondered any adaptations of this book for any length of time.
I will stop there, since I have too many books to write paragraphs about each one, but it is kinda fun to mull over. Needless to say, I would love to see my books adapted for the screen - big or small. I’m too small a player for that to happen currently, but I shall spend the rest of today daydreaming about it.
Ciao!
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