How I Became…on NPR
I tweeted it while it was happening, but if you missed it, author Steve Hely gave an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air this afternoon. He’s the writer of How I Became a Famous Novelist, the book I optioned a few months ago and hope to make my next movie to write and direct.
As it happens, I’m in New York and had breakfast with Steve this morning. He’s working long hours as a writer on 30 Rock. He spilled no secrets about the new season, but when pressed for details about how they break such dense stories I got this much out of him: colored markers.
Steve’s novel is very funny and worth a read. I’m just starting to figure out the movie version. Today’s conversation was about Boston, the BooXpo and where to place the disastrous wedding that motivates a large part of the plot.
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September 17th, 2009 at 1:10 am
“Today’s conversation was about Boston, the BooXpo and where to place the disastrous wedding that motivates a large part of the plot.”
Hey, that leads me to a question, I’ve been wanting to ask for some time now: When you’re adapting a book into a movie — how close do you have to stay to the book? Can you just change stuff as you like and still call it an adaptation? Do you have to consult with the original writer? Could you, for example, let the movie end with the wedding instead of that strange subplot the book ended with?
September 17th, 2009 at 6:10 am
Aghhhh! Please mark comments with some sort of SPOILER ALERT if you’re going to talk plot! Still reading the book (and enjoying very much).
September 17th, 2009 at 6:33 am
Sarah, apparently you did not view My Sister’s Keeper this summer, based on the Jodi Picoult novel of the same name? You can do anything you want when adapting book to movie. You don’t even have to kill the correct kid.
I’d think adaptaion would be harder than writing on spec because what works in a novel doens’t often workk onscreen. I notice it most when you have those horrid openings of a character narrating in a V.O. for the first thirty minutes.
John — is it harder to adapt rather than to write say, Go? (Go as opposed to The Nines, because if you knew you were going to direct Nines, then that might have swayed everything you wrote and how you wrote it as well).
September 17th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Yay Boston! (My hometown. Sorry. Couldn’t resist).
September 17th, 2009 at 11:02 am
I read Hely’s novel. Very funny stuff. I’ll be interested to see how you turn it into a movie. Exciting stuff.
If you get a second, check ou my blog. I am in the idustry as well.
http://cineacraze.blogspot.com/
September 17th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
@Sarah:
An author might have contractual stipulations about what can or cannot be changed in a movie adaptation. For example, I believe the Dahl family had some say about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — if we had tried to set it on Mars, they might have said no. And J.K. Rowling obviously has input with the Harry Potter books.
But short of that, there’s really no proscription on what filmmakers are “allowed to” change. If it it’s based on some previously existing piece of material, it’s considered an adaptation. But note that “adaptation” isn’t normally a WGA credit, and you’ll almost never see it on a poster. Rather, you see “Based on the novel by Joe Author” and “Screenplay by Mary Screenwriter.”
@Sini D:
None of those are spoilers. They’re all things that are part of the concept of the story. You would know about them after seeing the trailer of the movie. If you’re beyond page 5 of the book, you probably could imagine that these elements are there.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
If John ever runs another screenwriting competition he could have us adapt a page or two of “The Variant”.
It could be a fun way to explore adaptation; with John as the author of the work he could stipulate hypothetical conditions for us all to adhere to.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
How much does optioning a book cost? How do you go about that process?
September 17th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
@John: Interesting. Thanks for explaining. :)
September 18th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
John (8) -
Here’s a link discussing “options” and how one goes about optioning material:
http://writerjoshuajames.com/dailydojo/?p=1432
September 19th, 2009 at 8:49 am
@John re: @Sarah
I’ve always been curious about the rare “Adaptation By” credit since I’ve only seen it once.
http://www.cinemacomrapadura.com.br/filmes/imgs/armageddon_1998_poster.jpg
Good ole “Armageddon.” I can only imagine what the WGA arbitration was like for that one. The best part is that it’s not even adapted from a previously existing source! That’s what always got me: what exactly did they adapt?
September 19th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Would love to hear more about your adaptation process as it goes along. I’m currently doing the reverse – adapting my previously optioned screenplay into a novel in hopes of generating more interest in the story. Way harder than I thought. If adapting book-to-script is anything like script-to-book (and I’m sure it is), I’ve got even greater respect for you.
@Bee: Love the idea of the challenge re: adapting from a book/story.
For those interested in the writing challenges, I’ve launched a website that’s specifically designed to present the kinds of challenges John’s done here in the past (with his blessing). Feel free to check it out… click my name. First challenge is already under way.
October 5th, 2009 at 9:23 am
How much does optioning a book cost? How do you go about that process?