Adapting Miss Chicken's Thread: Book vs Movie

[Naira]

Seeing (and misinterpreting) Miss Chicken's thread title, I wanted to ask another question:

If you could write a book or make a movie about anything, what of the two would you prefer?

I'd prefer to make a movie. I believe that a book lasts longer but being a writer seems a very lonely occupation to me. Making a movie would mean more team work, organizing more things etc. and I think I would like that.

What about you?

 

[Australis]

Weeelll, currently doing both. It's a long story for another day.

It very much depends on the story,first off. Some stories are just so damned expensive to make, they'll only ever be seen in the theatre of the mind, unless they are something exceptional, like LotR, and that was mainly due to decades of reputation..

OTOH, some stories are just so high concept, so "hey, I get that!", that they
cry out to be movies. But if you're gregarious, or no one gets what you're doing, it can be very, very lonely.

I like the alone time novel writing. You set the agenda for the world you're writing about, can take your time, and take it in the direction you want.

Scriptwriting is very much a collaborative process. Everyone wants certain scenes, lines, character changes. Read some books about actor temper tantrums, it's an eye opener. As a writer, the worry is the story becomes unbalanced and taken in a way you don't want,,and it is undermined. And if a crap movie is made because of this process, you can be sure it'll be the writer that gets the blame. But on a good day (so I'm told), it's fun and interesting and you rub shoulders with stars who can also be nice and want the best for what the writer is trying to do (William Goldman has some very kind words for Laurence Olivier).

As they say, your mileage may vary.

 

[Goliath]

I've already written a book. I'd like to make a movie.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I am a very visual person so I think I could express myself better in film better than in written form.

 

[scotpens]

. . . Scriptwriting is very much a collaborative process. Everyone wants certain scenes, lines, character changes. Read some books about actor temper tantrums, it's an eye opener. As a writer, the worry is the story becomes unbalanced and taken in a way you don't want, and it is undermined. And if a crap movie is made because of this process, you can be sure it'll be the writer that gets the blame.

Usually, unless the writer is one of the handful of well-known screenwriters, it's the director who gets the blame. Even if the script sucked to begin with.

I'm in the 2 percent of Los Angeles’ population that hasn't written a screenplay. Of course, getting one sold and produced is a different matter entirely. Can anyone say “development hell”?

 

[Australis]

I can. I have one there right now. And that's in Sydney!

 

[RegFan]

A book. I prefer to work alone.

 

[RandyS]

A book. I prefer to work alone.

Agreed, not because I need to work alone, I just write better than working on film (I've tried both and been unsuccessful in the film part. Of course, I haven't published anything either, but I'm working on it.). Writing just comes easier to me.