RTW: From Page to Screen...

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.
 

 

The topic this week is: What is it that makes some books seem ideal for a film translation?

 

 

This is an interesting topic for me because as I said in my post earlier this week I am a big supporter of books into films. This means, whenever I read a book I love, I'll frequently say "holy moly, that would make a GREAT movie."

So I have a few books I've read over the past year or so that I would really love to see put on the big screen, some are in the YA genre, and some are more adult novels. 

So, here's my list!

The first one was Divergent. When I was reading the book I couldn't stop saying how much I loved it and how great it would be on the screen. After I finished the novel, as I do when I finish a story I love, I googled everything about it and read Veronica Roth's blog in it's entirety. It was there that I discovered that the film rights had been sold and there was a very good chance of the film being made in the near future. (For those up with the play, it's now really moving along- there's a director and the actress who may play Tris is in final negotiations.)

For those who don't know Divergent, it's about a young girl, Tris, who's dystopian Chicago society is divided into five factions. Each faction is dedicated to a particular virtue of which the factions members must devote their life to. One each member of society reaches the age of 16 they must decide whether to remain with the faction they have grown up with, or choose another faction all together.

The second one I could imagine being made into a film is Hourglass by Myra McEntire. Again, this is actually another (amazing) book which has had the film rights sold (to Twentieth Century Fox of all places!) I guess I wasn't the only one who thought this novel would translate beautifully into film!

 Hourglass is a time travel based book which follows a 17-year-old girl who can see 'rip's'. That is, apparitions of people from the past appearing right in front of her in the current day. Naturally she thinks she's going crazy, but it turns out there's a lot more to it that she could possibly imagine. Things that could change her present, future....even her past... in extremely terrifying ways.

The third is Skylark. While I wasn't wild about the writing of this book, I really liked the premise and I'm convinced that it could work really well on screen. I can even imagine all the scenes so clearly and I know it'd be very do-able so that'd be cool!

Skylark is a novel I read primarily because part of the premise was very similar to my WIP at the time. Turns out, of course, that the actual story of Skylark was so incredibly different from my story than you could ever imagine. Once I started reading, I wanted to know more. It follows a young girl, Lark, who has never been outside her domed city. The city's dome is powered by the magic (or resource) harvested by the children of the dome. Once you're harvested you become an adult. Lark has been waiting for years to finally be chosen for harvesting, however once it's her turn, the last thing she imagined was to become the city's power supply rather than just another citizen of the city. Consequently she then has to plan an escape and discover the horrors of life outside the dome. This story was full of twists and turns I never expected, so I'd really love to see it on the big screen!

Although it's an old book, I'd really love to see The Giver made into a film as well, and maybe its sequels could be included in there somehow! That could be awesome! The Giver is, of course, one of the classic dystopian novels about a young boy who is content with his plain, black and white life. It is only when he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory that he begins to understand his world isn't quite what it seems and there are some dark and complex secrets right underneath the surface.

Aside from solid YA novels ...

I've talked about this book time and time again, but really, I love it so much. The Tea Rose. Although this book is so hefty it might be better as a mini-series. Oh, how I would love to see this on the screen! I'd love to be the one to put this on the screen! I have all the plans in my head, if only I could make it a reality!
 Read my review on The Tea Rose here.

Another would be 'A Grown Up Kind of Pretty' which is a relatively new book this year. It's not the typical book I read, but something about the cover and the premise made me pick it up and read it. Of course it hooked me in. I think it could translate quite well to the screen.

A Grown Up Kind of Pretty is a saga about three generations of women. Fifteen year old Mosey is terrified she's going to wind up pregnant at fifteen just like her mother and grandmother before her. Mosey's world is turned upside down when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard. Liza, Mosey's stroke-ravaged mother is haunted by her past and the choices she made as a teenager; and Jenny - or Big - Mosey's kind-hearted and strong grandmother who's love binds the women together and who will stop at nothing to defend the family's future.

There are so many more I could list. Any book I truly love I can typically imagine turning into a film, but at the moment these are my top picks! That's not to say that if they're made into films, they'll do the book justice. In my head I can see exactly how each of these books could be made into films, yet your ideas are probably very different from mine which is exactly why so many people are disappointed in seeing their favourite books made into films. As I said in my last post, I just accept it and enjoy it for what it is. I find it the best way to go!

What books do you think would translate well into film?

Book to Film

I've been seeing a lot of debate about this all over the internet lately, and both sides of the argument really do have fair points. Should books be turned into films or should they be left alone? Does making a movie out of a favourite story ruin the book? Does it prevent people from reading? Some people are very strongly anti-books into movies and while others are sitting on the absolute other side of the fence.

Me? I have to say I'm pro- books into movies. Before you jump down my throat, let me explain. My FH is in (well, trying to break into) the film industry. His process with making a film is the same as my process in writing a book. From the very beginning he'll have a vision for the film of how he wants a story portrayed, and he becomes very passionate about it. It becomes his baby just like my writing becomes mine. I have hope that many film makers around the world are like this, and therefore when handling your baby (that is, your novel), they'll be as careful and as passionate as you are.

I know a book can be adapted into a film in a really wonderful way. If the story is handled properly it can be a great success which can consequently have more people turning to read the book. Take Twilight for example. Uh, who hasn't heard of Twilight. Well before the film, I hadn't. I saw the film, and then was compelled to read the books. Within a week I'd purchased and read all of the books. Now what about The Hunger Games? I had heard about this film called The Hunger Games that was being made, and as the release date got closer more and more people began talking about the book. I had just purchased my kindle and made The Hunger Games one of the first series I read, and then I was beyond super excited for the film. Perks of Being a Wallflower? For months before the movie came out I'd heard a lot about the book, but I never read it until I watched the trailer for the film. 

So the point I'm getting across here is that it's not a particularly bad thing for a book to be made into a film, it can increase the fan base ten fold and it can help the author to write more stories for you. Granted, what you see on the screen won't always be the vision you had in your head when you read the novel, and sometimes you will be disappointed, but isn't it cool to see one of your favourite books played out in front of you like that?

To be honest, I've rarely been disappointed with a film adaption. I'm one of those people that won't particularly scrutinize a film, but will simply take it for what it is and enjoy it. I was very disappointed with the changed ending of My Sister's Keeper, but as a stand alone story it was a really lovely film. I was also disappointed with The Last Airbender adaptation, but that wasn't from a book so is a whole new rant!

To be honest, a number of my favourite novels I've discovered through going to see a film adaptation of the book. That has often led me onto reading more of the authors work. So when I hear that books I've enjoyed are going to be made into a film (or have at least had the rights sold), I do get excited. I know watching the film won't be the same as reading the book, but I take it for what it is and enjoy seeing how the film makers have made the story into a 90-minute portrayal.

In saying all that, I do get very nervous when a beloved book is being made into a film. I'm nervous about Divergent going to the screen. While it sounds like the film is in good hands, I can't help but worry about the casting, a known actress vs unknown, the director, how they'll shoot it etc. But at the end of the day, you can' t please everybody! We just have to sit back and let the professionals do their job!

What are your thoughts on books --> films. What are your favourite films that have been adapted from a book? For more film chit chat, check back on Wednesday for a book-->film themed Road Trip Wednesday