Hunger Games
Nov. 14th, 2011 06:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat[Work ate my brain, I'm really struggling with posting tonight, formatting is really off and caught half a dozen typos. Mucho apologies.]
Sigh, when I got home, I watched The Hunger Games trailer about five times - courtesy of flist. This movie looks very good and very close to the books. Unlike a lot of young adult novels or novels in general, Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games triology is actually perfect for film. They are very visual and simple enough in theme and plot to fit a series of films. I actually think Harry Potter was harder to adapt, in part because Rowlings unlike Collins didn't come from screen-writing. Collins apparently began her writing career - with Children's television and screenplays.
From her website's bio: Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.
While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.
Go here for more: http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/bio.htm
(I'm not a huge fan of using Wiki and ImBd for current writers and films, etc...they are spotty resources for this sort of thing. Always depends on who is editing and writing the entry.)
Collins is also co-writing the films and is highly involved in the casting, sort of similar to George RR Martin's involvement in the HBO series Game of Thrones, and
Neil Gaiman's involvement in the HBO series American Gods. All three started as screen writers or television writers and have a body of work behind them in those fields - that's why they are doing it, and people like Charlain Harris and JK Rowlings did not.
Writing a teleplay or screenplay is a completely different process. I personally find it more difficult than writing a novel, but I also hate reading screen-plays, and I've read good ones - such as Chinatown and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Probably shouldn't try to write in a format that you hate to read, tends to be a bit head-ache inducing. Haven't tried it? I know whereof I speak. ;-)
Go here for the trailer, since it won't embed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-5ANq4sAL0&feature=player_detailpage
If you haven't read The Hunger Games and are a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, and Battle Royal...you might want to give them a try. They aren't what you think. Nothing like the Twilight novels (sort of anti-Twilight). With a kickass and intelligent heroine (who for once does not fall into the victimized girl trope) and a fascinating satire on our reality show culture taking to extreems.
On the casting choices? I'm really curious to see who they cast for the roles in the next two books - there's even more adult parts in those novels and far more interesting ones. I read through these books in literally a week - all three of them, a record for me. They are quick reads.
Sigh, when I got home, I watched The Hunger Games trailer about five times - courtesy of flist. This movie looks very good and very close to the books. Unlike a lot of young adult novels or novels in general, Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games triology is actually perfect for film. They are very visual and simple enough in theme and plot to fit a series of films. I actually think Harry Potter was harder to adapt, in part because Rowlings unlike Collins didn't come from screen-writing. Collins apparently began her writing career - with Children's television and screenplays.
From her website's bio: Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.
While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.
Go here for more: http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/bio.htm
(I'm not a huge fan of using Wiki and ImBd for current writers and films, etc...they are spotty resources for this sort of thing. Always depends on who is editing and writing the entry.)
Collins is also co-writing the films and is highly involved in the casting, sort of similar to George RR Martin's involvement in the HBO series Game of Thrones, and
Neil Gaiman's involvement in the HBO series American Gods. All three started as screen writers or television writers and have a body of work behind them in those fields - that's why they are doing it, and people like Charlain Harris and JK Rowlings did not.
Writing a teleplay or screenplay is a completely different process. I personally find it more difficult than writing a novel, but I also hate reading screen-plays, and I've read good ones - such as Chinatown and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Probably shouldn't try to write in a format that you hate to read, tends to be a bit head-ache inducing. Haven't tried it? I know whereof I speak. ;-)
Go here for the trailer, since it won't embed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-5ANq4sAL0&feature=player_detailpage
If you haven't read The Hunger Games and are a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, and Battle Royal...you might want to give them a try. They aren't what you think. Nothing like the Twilight novels (sort of anti-Twilight). With a kickass and intelligent heroine (who for once does not fall into the victimized girl trope) and a fascinating satire on our reality show culture taking to extreems.
On the casting choices? I'm really curious to see who they cast for the roles in the next two books - there's even more adult parts in those novels and far more interesting ones. I read through these books in literally a week - all three of them, a record for me. They are quick reads.
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no subject
Date: 2011-11-15 12:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-15 12:58 am (UTC)So 'never mind' (I should have my Emily Litella icon....
no subject
Date: 2011-11-15 01:14 am (UTC)The only choice I was uncertain about is Woody Harrleson as Haymitch (for some reason I saw ASH in my head the whole time in the role, I think someone on my flist mentioned him in passing fitting the role and it stuck)
I want Helen Mirren for the female headhoncho in Mockinjay. And Alan Cummings to play the sensitive older winner in Catching Fire.
But I'd be shocked if they cast either. Haven't seen Wes Bently since Rushmore.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-15 01:27 am (UTC)I agree about Helen Mirren and Alan Cummings (that they would be great and probably won't be cast).
no subject
Date: 2011-11-15 01:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-15 01:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-15 06:33 pm (UTC)Hunger Games
Date: 2011-11-16 08:31 pm (UTC)Re your point about whether or not it'll be "adult". With the caveat that I've only read the first book,
I think they could make a perfectly serviceable PG-13 movie out of Hunger Games. BUT, if they want to make a really good movie, it should be R rated. The reason is that I don't think they can portray the full horror of Katniss's situation without a lot of bloodshed and adult content.
Re: Hunger Games
Date: 2011-11-16 10:41 pm (UTC)Well the last Harry Potter film was fairly violent. So..but I think you may be right. To get across the degree of violence, it probably should be more graphic and exaggerated - as it is in the book.
The one boy is literally torn apart. Catching Fire in some respects is the least violent of the three books. Mockingjay is the most, albeit in a different way. Although you could make a valid argument that Hunger Games is the most...due to the type of violence.
Re: Hunger Games
Date: 2011-11-16 11:11 pm (UTC)Re: Hunger Games
Date: 2011-11-16 11:54 pm (UTC)Catching Fire does a wonderful bit on it. And the author states that her purpose in doing the novels was to show the effect of violence on children and to satirize reality television.