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[CCBC-Net] Books on Film
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From: James Elliott <libraryjim>
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 14:56:42 -0500 (EST)
That really depends. If you watch the Gene Wilder version of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" you see that Roald Dahl is credited with the screenplay. however, many people feel the Johnny Depp version was closer to the original book version.
Sometimes an authors involvement does influence the storyline to stay a bit more true to the original. But then there are times when what is on the printed page does not transfer to the silver screen as easily, or what to do with large sections of narration that would bog down the story if filmed. (Of course, a three page description of the scenery, as in Holes, can be accomplished in 30 seconds with a panoramic camera sweep, even though it took a three weeks to prepare the scenery for those 30 seconds.)
And then sometimes the author gets in the way, demanding change after change. For "Prairie Home Companion: the movie" Robert Altman noted that Garrison Keillor kept coming up to him "I know this is what we said, but how about we do it this way...." Altman would say "Garrison, we are filming that scene NOW. It's too late for changes" "Well, I know, but you see, I think it would go over better if ...." So the author, Garrison Keillor, was never satisfied, always tweaking. And that's not always a good thing.
Kurt Vonnegut was asked about screenplays of his movies by Charlie Rose "Do you have any input?"
"Heck, no (he didn't say Heck but another H word), once I get my check, they can do whatever the heck they want to the story. I can't write screenplays, and I assume they can't write books, so I'm going to let them do their job."
So my answer would be a resounding "sometimes yes, sometimes no."
In the case of Earthsea, I would have dearly loved to see U.K. Le'Guin fix that mess, or take back the rights.
----- Original Message ----- From: Alyssa Cleland - Minocqua Public Library <acleland at wvls.lib.wi.us> To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Sent: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 14:41:22 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Books on Film
On another note, do you find that most recent media adaptations of print material allow input and script approval from the original author and how does this, in your opinion, affect the end results of the film/television program/etc.?
A. Cleland Minocqua Public Library
Received on Fri 09 Nov 2007 01:56:42 PM CST
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 14:56:42 -0500 (EST)
That really depends. If you watch the Gene Wilder version of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" you see that Roald Dahl is credited with the screenplay. however, many people feel the Johnny Depp version was closer to the original book version.
Sometimes an authors involvement does influence the storyline to stay a bit more true to the original. But then there are times when what is on the printed page does not transfer to the silver screen as easily, or what to do with large sections of narration that would bog down the story if filmed. (Of course, a three page description of the scenery, as in Holes, can be accomplished in 30 seconds with a panoramic camera sweep, even though it took a three weeks to prepare the scenery for those 30 seconds.)
And then sometimes the author gets in the way, demanding change after change. For "Prairie Home Companion: the movie" Robert Altman noted that Garrison Keillor kept coming up to him "I know this is what we said, but how about we do it this way...." Altman would say "Garrison, we are filming that scene NOW. It's too late for changes" "Well, I know, but you see, I think it would go over better if ...." So the author, Garrison Keillor, was never satisfied, always tweaking. And that's not always a good thing.
Kurt Vonnegut was asked about screenplays of his movies by Charlie Rose "Do you have any input?"
"Heck, no (he didn't say Heck but another H word), once I get my check, they can do whatever the heck they want to the story. I can't write screenplays, and I assume they can't write books, so I'm going to let them do their job."
So my answer would be a resounding "sometimes yes, sometimes no."
In the case of Earthsea, I would have dearly loved to see U.K. Le'Guin fix that mess, or take back the rights.
----- Original Message ----- From: Alyssa Cleland - Minocqua Public Library <acleland at wvls.lib.wi.us> To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Sent: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 14:41:22 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Books on Film
On another note, do you find that most recent media adaptations of print material allow input and script approval from the original author and how does this, in your opinion, affect the end results of the film/television program/etc.?
A. Cleland Minocqua Public Library
Received on Fri 09 Nov 2007 01:56:42 PM CST
