Book to Screen...?

Here's a question that just hit me while thinking of the imminent release of The Golden Compass in December:

You're a successful writer. Your book has become the next Harry Potter/Da Vinci Code bestseller. The movie studios are begging to transfer it from paper to film. What do you do?

It just got me wondering, if you were the next big thing, would you want to allow the book to be adapted for the silver screen, or would you consider that an insult, or something that would cause the work to lose it's original meaning?

I'm not sure if this is truly what you're looking for, but...
I'd take it as a compliment that someone wants my work to be a movie. Think about it...only great works become movies. The people who pick which become movies know what they're looking for, and know what will be popular. They are not going to pick a lame story. They're going to pick something with the "wow-power." So, if they picked my work, it means they think my work can wow audiences.

I would say yes, but I would want to oversee the production so they don't make it too far derived from the book!

I have often thought of this and wondered what I would do.

Honestly, I don't think I would want anything of mine made into a movei unless I positively trusted the director. Authors rarely supervise the movies made about their books, and I would rather anything of mine not be known publicly than have to watch my story slaughtered and twisted upon the screen.

So, no.

I'd love it! Especially if it was Peter Jackson, or George Lucas directing! I might take a chance with Jerry Bruckheimer, cos he did Pirates of the Caribbean, which was fab - but on the other hand, he did Pearl Harbour, which was dreadful.

I'd like to have a thing written into the contract (alongside the payment for £90000000000000 ) that said they wouldn't vary too far from the original storyline, allowing dramatic embellishments. I think that could happen - after all, Arthur Lowe had a thing in his contract that said he'd never be seen without his trousers, so anything's possible!

-ShadowTwit

Sure. At the very least, the money you make from it - especially if the movie's successful - will allow you to write full time if aren't already.

I wouldn't mind having a bit of a say in the movie, but as I don't really know how to make one, it's no big loss if I don't.

I wouldn't want them to stick exactly to the book though (I can hear a bunch of people gasping ). Whatever I write, I write for the medium of a novel. Changes would HAVE to be made for it to be a decent movie.

I would love for one of my books to become a movie because it means that someone big out there thinks that people will like it. However, I wouldn't like it if it swrved heavily off the path of my orginal story. And I'm not sure it would work with longer pieces due to the fact most movies last only 100-40 mins which might make the movie nothing more then a this happens, then this happens sort of movie. It might lose the magic of the story.

Actually, it would probably result in violence. First, I'm the pickiest person you'll ever meet, so, even assuming I did allow it, I would constantly be at odds with everyone involved in production. Plus, I'd be afraid of pissing off my fans with a bad adaption. I've been let down too many times.
Second, where are they going to find actors who really do look just like Glory, Mariel, Savior, Athanasius, Ian & Michtell? They're not, so I'd probably veto everyone who auditioned. ("No, no, no, maybe - wait, never mind, no...")

Plus, if it was already a phenomenal bestseller, it's not like I'd be hurting for cash.

I don't know. I'd be torn between the two, most likely.

First of all, I am distressed over the growing number of people who refuse to read books because they can just watch the movie. I'd want people to experience the book. However, I find that a movie would let more people know the story. I don't know....

I have just succeeded in saying exactly nothing. Oh well.

Goldie

I don't know if I would like that. Especially if they butchered the story beyond repair. But depending on the type of story and who was working on it. Stuff like that. But if I knew that they were going to F it up. Then I wouldn't let them. Though it would be cool to have somebody think your story was that amazing. Plus your sales would go through the roof.

I think I would. I agree with Sureal; changes would have to be made because screenplay is a different medium than the novel, so for it to be a good movie, it'd have to differ, at least in some degree, from the original book.

Plus I find it slightly irritating when authors get really snobbish about their works, like certain people who won't allow fanfiction to be written about their books. It's a compliment, geez!

I would do it, under certain conditions.

A) I oversaw the project in some fashion (not as much as a director, but I want to be informed)
B) I had a good say as to the direction of the project

Those are the two main things. Sure, I know parts would be cut out and others altered, but I would have an impact as to what is cut and how scenes are altered. In the end, it's the directors call, but I need to know that my word has some weight to it. Adaptations have tried and failed in the past, both game and book, and I do not want my work to be hashed. The Lord Of the Rings was a good adaptation, even if quite a bit needed to be cut or fiddled with; Eragon could have been done much better, though I've seen worse; I-Robot was good, but that wasn't based off a singe story (as Asimov's book of the same title was a collection of shorts), and I haven't read the book; as far as I can tell the original spider-man movie was a good adaptation; and that's all I can think of.

So, yeah, I would enjoy seeing my book made into a movie, as long as my vision of the work and the directors vision are close enough to be at least compatible

McMourning wrote:Think about it...only great works become movies.

Well, not all the time. coughcougheragoncoughcough.

I think it would be awesome to have a book of mine made into a movie, but i'd only let a director I trusted do it. And i'd want to overview most of it and help cast the actors. I'd probably annoy the heck out of everyone.

Areida wrote:Plus I find it slightly irritating when authors get really snobbish about their works, like certain people who won't allow fanfiction to be written about their books. It's a compliment, geez!

I totally agree with that. Personally, I'd take it as a great compliment that someone would want to take the characters and world that I myself have created, and try to re-create my style and everything. I don't understand authors who have forums such as this one delete all fan-fics that use their stuff.

HeadInTheClouds wrote:

McMourning wrote:
Think about it...only great works become movies.

Well, not all the time. coughcougheragoncoughcough.

Lol, I was thinking exactly the same thing!

Personally, I would be quite pleased if someone wanted to turn my book into a movie. I would, however, like to look at the final script before shooting begins, to oversee just the plot aspect, in case there were completely absurd changes (we've seen how way-off Da Vinci Code went towards the end) and to make sure that, in the case of a series that hadn't been completed yet (eg. Harry Potter) they didn't change vital plot elements. Otherwise, I'd be quite happy to let them do with it as they want, as long as they stuck true to the characters. And, also, I can't deny the royalties would be fun!

I'd be fine with it, as long as I'd have some degree of control over the finished process and production process.

JKR, for example, reads over the screenplay before it's filmed so she can make sure nothing will screw up stuff to be revealed in future books, etc.