Hollywood has turned some of the greatest literature in history into award-winning films that have captivated audiences, and given author is much-needed financial stability in a ricochet market. The industry has brought many ideas to life, which would go unheard by a general populous if just left on the shelves of bookstores across the world. However, there's another side to the story, disguised as advice, herald as opportunity and experience, but mostly it's business imitating art. Some would even say: the Dark Arts.
Authorship is one of the most rewarding feelings on earth. Next to winning a Nobel prize, it's the quintessential "I've done it!" moment that enriches the life of an author, and puts their talent on the map. So what better than to see your imagination jump off the pages, and rollercoaster towards the big screen? You've spent months, if not years perfecting your story into something attributable to the publishing industry, something you've mastered, grown to know in-and-out. Why not share it with the world at large with a global, even national release? Well, I cannot speak for you, but here are my reasons why none of my work will ever see a major motion picture screen.
Firstly, I've a background in Mass Media, I've studied it for nearly four years, and collaborated with some of the best professors and staff that money could buy. They knew the industry inside and out,and they knew I was not the typical student. I hated Hollywood, the glorified lights, and the reality of the streets littered with failed actors and talent, rotting like the flesh of a decaying city. Drug-addled monsters with ritualistic scars running parrallel their arms, toxin-filled, wishing they could go back to Iowa, or Oklahoma, or whatever middle state their former self crawled out of looking for fame and fortune. Luckily, I never sought either, I didn't care to be in the spotlight, nor did I want to join the cesspool that stems from out of that California waste.
Secondly, I come from a family of broadcasters, and have been familiarized with most of the inner workings of the film industry as a whole. Sure it has secrets, but it's far from rocket science. In-fact, the only admirable part of it for me was Industrial Lights and Magic, because it was run by a bunch of atypical nerds that only cared about production, and I have a great respect for technicians that put substance into their work, not that they are all astoundingly professional individuals, but in my experience, those who build animatronics do so because they care about the production. They are some of the few individuals in the whole industry that actually create, so they take pride in each of their babies. Also, they are the last vessel of fun on the film crew.
Hollywood is stifled; innovation is as desolate as depreciating ticket sales. Mostly it's hit-or-miss for the creativity process, and books are one of the few ways that Hollywood tries to come up with more creative, albeit, postulating storylines. Now video games have replaced the old axiom, and like in the very beginning, they are still hit-or-miss, but I'd rather write a more free-flowing script for a game (which today is even being stifled much by regulation) than having my book translated through the eyes of Hollywood producers, or as I call them: demons from the Sixth Gate of Hell.
A book is innovative, a film is specifically designed to entrance the the audience into wanting to buy tickets, and essentially own the film on a second-party platform, like Digital Download, Pay-Per-View, or a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. Yes, it's the entertainment industry, but it's also lackluster in creativity. In-fact, the industry has now resorted to looking at demographics, and seeing the nostalgia trend, we remake films of the past, which were barely original as it were, and now we go so-far as to make every single superhero/horror film we possibly can, and nothing is ever that innovative.
The real problem are guilds and unions. Guilds are upper crust, echelon groups that think they're hot shit, and will shut down a production faster than you can ask for a Fiji water. Unions do so on the opposite end, by refusing to maintainence lighting and stages. Producers look at a book, hire writers to base a script off of said book, and nominally speaking, to the best of the scriptwriter's ability; they rewri the entire novel to best fit into an hour-and-a-half/two-hour span. Any longer than that, unless the idea is promising, is usually too long for a major motion production, and far more costly than the reward desired.
Authors have little say over what becomes of their craftwork, in-most-cases, the author is barely a part of the production, and is often manipulated to see major cuts to their work, and oftentimes whole rewris of the idea. Unless a director is truly taken by your book, and this is even if the books is even produced, let-alone optioned, it is all about making the film sell tickets, and 9 times out of 10, that only means the trailer has to be eye-catching. Most people don't even realize, but half of what's seen in the trailer ever actually makes it to post-production, and winds up in a trash bin. The same goes for most of the plot, and sometimes a book's sales will suffer because of a very bad filming. If you're a first-time author, this can be deadly to your career, as it now makes you get attacked on both fronts by critics: film and literary reviewers will be the jackals trying to tear your baby page-from-page.
The film industry is not there to help your book become an award-winning film, it's there to make money with little-to-no effort. So producers and directors will try and change your work to fit their needs, sctors will try and give you their personal twist on who your charades are, and all will feel so proud of their job at being the "creative" individuals they must obviously be, they'll take an even bigger payment. All-the-while your work suffers. Now understand, it's a business before it's an art.
Contrary to popular belief, it takes years, and sales to even think of turning a book into a film script. Firstly, producers have to find a reasonable demographic, and see if the book sales can be superseded by the film sales. Ticket prices are what matter most in this game, even those DVD sales are great, they don't necessarily make much of a difference, as by then the film has to make back at least half it's money to be even considered successful, DVDs are mostly surplus cash, if possible. Ask the Adventures of Pluto Nash what being in the red looks like, because that movie has tears tied to it's production, as it probably put more people on the street than a second quarter collapse.
So if a book is optioned, let's use Ready Player One as an example as it's been greenlit for 2016/17, it's a prime example of a book that sold a ton of copies, and now has the option for film distribution. It's success will be determined by the director that gets behind it, I believe Steven Spielberg is going to take the film, however, that could be rumor.
The film is also dependent upon it's scriptwriter, but not nearly as much as one would think, as most films do at least ten takes, if not hundreds more per scene, and time and budget management are what will make the movie successful. Ironically most films could have a surplus if it wasn't for the ridiculous amount of sped ing that goes to non-speculated admonishments on set, such as catering, chauffeuring, and a lot of nonsensical madness that comes from crew and talent. Also, there is rarely ever a need for all staff to be present throughout the entire filming process. This isn't a team sport, where even the third kicker has to show up to every practice.
Still, the main issue that is prevalent to a book becoming a film, like Ready Player One, is not even the script failing to be similar to the book, or producers that barely know anything about the source material, but it comes down to budgeting,mand a good director that knows the target demographic. Face it, film isn't about art, it's about movie tickets, and moving DVDs, because quite frankly it's the fastest, out dependable way to get a return. The biggest variable in the success iof a film is the studio that gets the option, the big kahunas that buy your rights first-hand, and maybe throw you a bone with a slightly underpaid cameo if you look decent enough to put on film. The irony of all this is that most books that are good,don't translate well to film, it's like trying to convert the body of a car to a motorcycle,mand sometimes it can be done, but others makes big, unappealing mess of a vehicle. So if your book is written in the model of translation between film and prose; you may find it easier to get that option if, and when the time comes.
To finish this off, I'd just like to say that if you're a write, and you get the chance to make your book into a film, don't heed my advice, becaue it may be a better option for you economically. At the very leat, your film will always be remembered, and you will be the last thing enemve red about it, but what you've created will essentially last for an eternity. Especially if it's broadcasted over the airwaves at lest once. It's okay if that option comes up to sell out and take it, think nothing less of the amount of options thwt can come from such a sale. At the very leat, publishers will see that your work has film potential, and will usually give you the three-book deal standard to most houses. Whatever happens; write what makes you feel happy, and enjoy the written word for the sake of the written word.
Thank you for reading the Malacast Editorsl.
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