17 Responses

  1. Deeze
    Deeze at |

    Interesting and much more detailed thoughts than my own reasoning’s lol.

    For me Films never live up to books simply because in books there is no budget, nothing is impossible, and there is nobody cast that you didn’t cast yourself :p

    One of my favorite scenes from Omorphi would have to be the climatic search for Christy aboard the plane. I can only imagine how flat that would appear in a screenplay format.

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  2. Michael J. Bowler
    Michael J. Bowler at |

    Great post, Cody, and very spot on about how the brain processes reading versus motion pictures. Even when teaching special education high schoolers, for whom reading and using imagination was always a chore because they are by nature concrete thinkers, as we would be reading books in class (and we read of lot of classics, contrary to the prescribed curriculum) they’d always just say, “Can’t we watch the movie?” I’d always tell them we would watch it after finishing the book. So, after concluding the book, we would watch the movie version (usually the most recent adaptation) and every single time they proclaimed the book better. Even learning disabled kids valued the reading experience more. 🙂

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    1. Cody
      Cody at |

      Very insightful points about education, Michael. I agree with you one hundred percent! Thanks for dropping by and commenting!

      Reply
  3. Lissa
    Lissa at |

    I took a screen play class in high school and remember how hard it was to pull the emotion out of the scene. That stuff is then left to the actors and the producer. I loved the first Hunger Games movie but hated the book. The difference for me was that the book made Katness very evil and manipulative, and the movie made her naive and afraid. Very different interpretation. However, is it sad to say I’d like to see more books made into manga?

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    1. Cody
      Cody at |

      Vou are very correct re removing the emotion from screenplay writing. The mind-set is entirely different when writing a novel. Interesting re the Hunger Games movie. I’ve only read the books. LOL! No. More manga is always welcome! Thanks for dropping by and commenting! It’s great to see you here.

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  4. Mel Leach
    Mel Leach at |

    When you lay it side by side like that, it’s not hard to see why the movie can seldom live up to the book. And it would seem that the more familiar or “in tune” the actors are with the book, perhaps the better the movie adaptation. As an example from Omorphi, Chapter 72, “Time slowed again, his thoughts blended, colors blurred in his mind’s eye and, unlike before, he now knew it was possible to touch the sun.” How would you convey the depth of that emotion to the actors in the screenplay? Do you find that actors frequently go back and reread the parts of a book relevant to the next scene (in addition to the script) so that they can capture that emotion? Or do they rely upon the director to explain the emotion in the scene?

    The other question I have relates to you as an author and a screenwriter. As an author, you experience the full range of emotions of your characters as you are writing their story. As a screenwriter, your job is to strip out the emotions and write a set of instructions. Is that inherently difficult for someone who is programmed first and foremost to be an author? I assume most people become authors because the emotional experience of their characters is a very satisfying aspect of the job. It just seems that screenwriting would pale in comparison to that experience. Would almost seem mundane by comparison.

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    1. Cody
      Cody at |

      Two very excellent questions, Mel. Thank you for asking them.

      A good actor will take the time to read the underlying work to any screenplay. However, most rely on the director because their goal is to meet the director’s expectations. With respect to the particular emotion described in Chapter 72, I can only say how I would do it. I would film a close-up of Michael looking at Christy in slo-mo and would overlay it with/fade-in the SFX (special effects) imagery described in the book, then fade back to Michael only again. The scene would be very ethereal.

      With respect to your second question, I view screenplay writing as much more of a “job.” I’m merely writing a set of instructions. That said, when writing a screenplay, whether from an underlying work or an original screenplay, there is nothing wrong with “suggesting” imagery in any given scene to express the emotion/unseen activity found in a book.

      Hope this answers your terrific questions, Mel! Thanks for dropping by and commenting!

      Reply
  5. Mia Kerick
    Mia Kerick at |

    I’ve never seen anything like that before- to be able to compare the screenplay adaptation to the actual writing in the book was fascinating! I have never really thought about the profound differences between the two before, but I always wondered why the movie often left me feeling empty, in comparison to the experience of reading a book I loved. Great post, Cody.

    Reply
    1. Cody
      Cody at |

      Thank you, Mia! <3 There is a vast difference between screenplay and novel writing. I'm glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for dropping by. It's always great to see you here!

      Reply
  6. Betsy Kline
    Betsy Kline at |

    Great post! I love to read – a hobby that my kids (or at least 2 out of 3 of them) don’t understand. I’ll laugh and cry while reading and they shake their heads and walk away. I always tell them that reading a book cannot compare to a movie. Even if a movie is fabulous it cannot touch reading the book – or at least most of the time. The book does allow you to feel and it allows you to have an scene in your mind and you grow with the characters and feel what they feel. I find that while an adaptation can be good it is rarely great – and as you mentioned specifically with Vampire Academy – just horrendous. The series of books was really enjoyable but the movie looks laughable – but I have not seen it so I cannot officially say. I read Harry Potter, I read Twilight, I read Gone with the Wind – and while all very good movies – they were better books. I go as far as to say I don’t like when models are on book covers because it changes the way I see character – doesn’t mean I won’t read it – just changes things. I remember as a kid reading the Scarlet Pimpernel – loved the book and my english teach made us watch the movie and it just killed it for me. I get so angry with casting agents sometimes LOL. Look at the fuss over 50 Shades. Ah well, there will always be different strokes for different folks and always those of us that will prefer to keep our movie viewing mostly separate from our books.

    Reply
    1. Cody
      Cody at |

      You raise excellent points, Betsy. It is amazing how suggesting the appearance of a character by using a model can substantially ruin it for a reader, I’m so glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for dropping by and commenting! It’s great to see you here!

      Reply
  7. Leighton Rose
    Leighton Rose at |

    What a wonderful topic to write about Cody! I think you did a fabulous job demonstrating what you were talking about! It’s really cool to actually be able to see the difference and apply it to real life situations on why books are always better! Thank you Cody <3

    Reply
    1. Cody
      Cody at |

      Thank you, Leighton! It is an eye-opener to be able to see screenplay and literary text side by side. Im glad you enjoyed the post!

      Reply
  8. Elin
    Elin at |

    That’s a terrific comparison. The screenplay was terribly confusing without the visual stimulus. It just goes to show how important a decent director is to making the bare bones into something memorable.

    I gave up being disappointed by movie adaptations a long time ago. It’s like comparing apples and oranges – same basic shape but two completely different things.

    Reply
    1. Cody
      Cody at |

      Thank you, Elin. It does go to show you not only how important the Director is, but also how important it is for cast to deliver on each character. Great analogy. Yes, comparing film to literary works is like comparing applies to oranges. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for dropping by and commenting!

      Reply
  9. Cody Kennedy on Writing and Attention Deficit Disorder | Sid Love

    […] posts by Cody or about Cody’s books on Sid Love’s Blog: Film Adaptations: The Bane of Every Readers Existence Guest Blogger, Cody Kennedy on Growing Up in Hollywood Omorphi’s Blog Tour Safe’s Blog Tour […]

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