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adaptation

WATCHMEN: Mini Text Review

NO REAL SPOILERSAs you know, my spies are everywhere, reporting back to me all things of screenwriterly/movie interest. This week alone I have received reports of Keira Knightley (or someone who looks rather like her) in a coffee shop in Soho and someone off Eastenders having an argument on their mobile in the middle of the street. However, my favourite has to be this mini review of the film WATCHMEN I received last night: Hey, I rmbr [your lad] saying he couldn’t wait to see the film Watchmen. Well I’ve just seen it – don’t let him!! Apart from it… Read More »WATCHMEN: Mini Text Review

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WTF? On Film 4: The Running Man

As regular readers know, I’ve always had a soft spot for Arnie, probably becuase he’s always been in the kind of movies I favour – the ones with monsters, extreme violence and quirky quips. My Dad was a big fan in the middle of Arnie’s heyday, so it was kind of inevitable: he had all the Big Man’s movies on VHS. We’d watch Arnie’s comedies like Twins together – but I was told I was SO grounded if I watched the likes of The Running Man or Predator. Hah. By the time I got to secondary school in 1990, I… Read More »WTF? On Film 4: The Running Man

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WTF? On Film 1: Silent Hill

MEGA SPOILERS PRESENT When I first watched Silent Hill, I had no idea it was previously a video game. Even if I had, I doubt it would have deterred me; though I have never played on form of games system in my entire life (that’s right!) and have zero interest in computer games generally, I am actually of the opinion video games *can* create interesting, fun, movies – just as I believe comic books (sorry! GRAPHIC NOVELS) can too. And I wasn’t disappointed by Silent Hill (for the first three quarters anyway, but I’ll come back to that in a… Read More »WTF? On Film 1: Silent Hill

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Adaptation, Pt 5: 22 Steps To Adapting For Screen

Now for the last of my posts from The Art And Business of Adaptation: here’s Adrian Mead’s thoughts on how to approach writing an adaptation. Obviously everyone’s different and when you approach your own, you may find your working method/thoughts on this is entirely the opposite, but I still think it’s an interesting insight on how to go about it. I’d be interested to hear from any screenwriters who have adapted stuff what they think of this too – did you do something similar? Not at all? Let us know and enjoy!—————————————————————- BOOK INTO FILM – A CHECKLIST STAGE ONE:… Read More »Adaptation, Pt 5: 22 Steps To Adapting For Screen

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Adaptation, Pt 4: Bye-Child And The Butterfly Tattoo

We’ve heard about what an adaptation entails, adapting true stories and what publishers think of the process, so now is the right time I think to take a look at two specific adaptations. Watch out for spoilers. First up is Bernard MacLaverty’s Bye-Child (2003). An award winning short film (part funded by long term Bang2writer Scottish Screen), Bye-Child is taken from the poem by Seamus Heaney. This was of particular interest, since adapting from poetry – bar the usual suspects like Homer -had not really occurred to me. But why not? Poems are just as rich in visuals and offer… Read More »Adaptation, Pt 4: Bye-Child And The Butterfly Tattoo

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Adaptation, Pt 3: What A Publisher Says

Apologies for the delay on this article, an MTC (that’s a Minor Tidying Calamity) occurred and my notebook with my course notes in somehow ended up in the outhouse with the washing machine and freezer. I blame The Husband…———————————————————————— A recent conversation thread on the Shooting People Screenwriters’ List revealed that it is considered pretty bad form to adapt material without having the rights to it. This is not a problem when certain stories are already in the public domain, but what if it is protected by copyright? We hear a lot about producers acquiring the rights to certain books… Read More »Adaptation, Pt 3: What A Publisher Says

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Adaptation, Pt 2: "Telling Lies To Tell The Truth", Peter Broughan

When we think of adaptation, where does the so-called true story fit in? It would seem to occupy both ends of the scale: on this very blog I lambast Wolf Creek and its supposedly true origins and this website provides ONLY films that are based on true stories. Peter Broughan of Flying Scotsman Films was charged with talking us through the specifics and miscellany of producing a film based on a true story. I hadn’t expected to find this element particularly interesting, since I have never been one to watch biopics or be interested in autobiography. I was surprised then… Read More »Adaptation, Pt 2: "Telling Lies To Tell The Truth", Peter Broughan

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The Art & Business of Adaptation: Adrian’s Sessions, Pt 1

Here are my notes on Adrian’s sessions (oo er) from the Mead Kerr course “The Art & Business of Adaptation” that I attended this past weekend in Edinburgh. There will be other notes on the many quality guest speakers coming soon. Enjoy! Someone said to me recently they would sooner put pins in their eyes than adapt material for the screen. “It’s all original stuff as far as I’m concerned,” she said, “I mean, that’s where the real imagination and skill is, right? In making it up from scratch.” (You’ve known me a while now, I’m sure you can imagine… Read More »The Art & Business of Adaptation: Adrian’s Sessions, Pt 1

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Speakers Confirmed for Mead Kerr Course

THE ART AND BUSINESS OF ADAPTATION As 80% of last year’s new film and TV projects were adaptations this course is a must for all writers and producers. For those of you’ve who’ve already booked, and those of you still thinking about it…here are the speakers and panel members we have lined up so far – more to be confirmed later this week. BASED ON A TRUE STORY. Peter Broughan (Bronco Films) Producer of “Rob Roy” and “The Flying Scotsman” on working with true stories and real characters. MAKING THE PERFECT SQUARE. Hugh Taylor – MD of Birlinn Publishers and… Read More »Speakers Confirmed for Mead Kerr Course

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Weekend Round Up

I’m working like a beeatch at the moment and feel like one of those wobbly head dolls you get in tacky souvenir gift shops… Only if I stand still long enough, I think my head will actually fall off and go rolling down the street like Vivien’s in The Young Ones, so better make this quick. First off, there is a winner of The Red Planet Prize – A Miss Joanna Leigh! Well chuffed a laydee has claimed the prize and beaten all those fellas back with a pen in the eye and a high heel on the back of… Read More »Weekend Round Up

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Skillset Funding – Screen Bursaries

Did I mention Adrian Mead and Clare Kerr are running a course on adaptation in Edinburgh in March? Oh that’s right, I did. (Click on the links here, here and here if you want more info on the course and why it’s a good idea to learn more about adaptation). I also mentioned then that I would only be going if I could secure funding from Skillset. Well good news! I’ve got some. So I will definitely be there. I know some of you out there are going too: I called no less than three B&B’s in Edinburgh yesterday who… Read More »Skillset Funding – Screen Bursaries

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Adaptation and "Success": The Golden Compass And Beyond

Regular readers of this blog know how interested I am in adaptation, so this course with Adrian Mead is definitely of interest: provided I can get some funding, I’ll be there, hopefully see you there too. The marvellous Steve too is interested in adaptation and over the Christmas break, he sent me the following email, which he gave me his kind permission to reporduce here to stimulate debate: Hi Lucy Let me run this by you, it’s an idea I had about movies in general. In film adaptations of books, you often get the situation that recently occurred with The… Read More »Adaptation and "Success": The Golden Compass And Beyond

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