tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3918601834627843862.post4231724539556803992..comments2022-05-11T11:53:42.467-04:00Comments on Optimism Abounds: An Author's Dream Come TrueKevin P. Sheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07168941416754157928noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3918601834627843862.post-16135672909183682632010-09-08T13:19:05.111-04:002010-09-08T13:19:05.111-04:00Good point, Claire, and I know a lot of authors ha...Good point, Claire, and I know a lot of authors have "right of first refusal" built into the contract purchasing the rights for their book. That basically means the author must approve the script before the movie can be made. Follett did this with Pillars of the Earth (although I still have no idea why he allowed certain changes), but it's difficult to get. The reason is many scriptwriters know how to make a book marketable and know how to weave a story in two hours or less. It is a different world, and sometimes they get it right (Harry Potter comes to mind) and sometimes they blow it (see Dean Koontz's Watchers for an example of how to completely destroy an adaptation!)<br /><br />I also agree with you on the original story telling - Hollywood is in reuse mode because once they know something works, that's all they'll fund. Inception was the last good original movie I saw. Other than that it's either franchises or retreads. Getting pretty dull...Kevin P. Sheridanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07168941416754157928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3918601834627843862.post-33770845024787236182010-09-08T06:18:19.371-04:002010-09-08T06:18:19.371-04:00I think we've all been there, even if we'r...I think we've all been there, even if we're loath to admit it.<br /><br />I mean, every author has thought at some stage about what actors would play their characters in the movie. Maybe you didn't say it out loud, but I can guarantee if you're writing fiction, you've made at least one list in your head. I know I have.<br /><br />Thing is, much as I'd love to see my work on the screen, I have zero faith in Hollywood's ability to tell a good story. Good writing seems to be seriously lacking nowadays, and I'm terrified of selling the rights to a book only to see it butchered and my other works tainted as a result.<br /><br />'Course, the other option of setting up a studio and producing a film independently is just as scary, but at least then you'd have control.Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14277325698208900030noreply@blogger.com