The issue is, naturally, about books and movies. They kind of dictate my life, in case you haven't been able to tell already. More specifically, I want to talk about book-to-film adaptations. Again, this isn't really surprising because I have already ranted about this topic in a previous post. But this time I want to narrow down my scope to an particular aspect of the process that I've been seeing a lot of lately. I don't know whether it's because we're in the social media age or people's filters are getting thinner but, nonetheless, this is an issue I feel I need to speak up about before my head explodes.
Being an aspiring novelist, I've looked into the industry quite a bit to get a general know-how before I sell my soul to it. Do I think it's worth it, you ask? Well, I'm still writing my manuscript if that's what you're wondering. I'll get back to you about the other thing.
During my trek into the wonderful world of publishing, I came across some author's experiences with their books being turned into movies. Whether or not this process had happened to them, they pretty much all had the same things to say about the process. Here's a general factoid for those interested: When you sell a book to a publisher you also sign a waver-type document releasing the rights for a film adaptation. Sometimes, the waver is never taken on by a company, but in most of the cases I've found, the rights are purchased by a production company. Whether or not they immediately adapt the book into a film depends on their particular strategies, sponsors, etc. If they do choose to move forward with the project, it is their decision how much influence they want the author to have. But, ultimately, since it's technically their film, they have the final say. Of course, my opinion is the same as most book enthusiasts - the author is the best tool you have to making a successful film. End of story.
Now that you're a bit more educated on that lengthy process, let me tell you about casting. Assuming the adaptation's production is moving forward with all of it's moola, the next step is to cast the characters. This is very tricky and most of the time, the author either watches the auditions or some form of them (tape, Skype, etc.). These are their characters that we're talking about. If the author had absolutely no say, there would be a major problem. But, thankfully, they're usually included.
Again, this is a general consensus among most of the authors I've researched: They care more about the characterization of the character more than the appearance. So, you know, if the actor can act like the character they envisioned, that's all that matters. Not the hair color. Not the bone structure. Not the body build. The acting is the main priority. As it should be with casting any movie. If you don't believe me, just look at John Green's Tumblr. Go on.
The reason I'm talking about this is because of two major franchises that are coming to the silver screen. I'll talk about the one I'm more well-versed in and, honestly, care more about. The Vampire Academy series has one of the most loyal and die-hard fanbases out there. They've pretty much been campaigning for a movie since the series first started in 2007. Now, their wish is being granted with The Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters. At first, the fandom was in a roar. "FINALLY!" They cheered. Now, it's turned ugly. And not in a good way.
Fans are usually very particular with the cast of a movie. They cheer and rejoice when the actor perfectly matches their image of the character. But when they don't... man, do they let people know. With TVA, I've seen a lot of hate towards the casting of Dimitri - Rose's love interest for this and many other installments of the series. I, for one, was super pumped when pictures first came out of Danila Kozlovsky. He's hot, he's lean, and he's actually freaking Russian. How much more of Dimitri could you ask for? As a fan of the books, I was very much pleased with this news, as were many others. Now, it's a completely different story. What's changed? Not much, really, other than the fact that the production company responsible for bringing the movie to life is beginning to publicize the film. I liked the Vampire Academy Movie Facebook page and they are really good at keeping fans updated on the latest interviews, pictures, and footage from the set. Yet looming over all of this excitement is a dark cloud of comments from "fans" dissing Danila and other cast members because they are "not what they pictured" or "not hot enough." Don't believe me? Here you go:
I’m
not saying all of the comments are like this, but they do make up a good
majority.. You would think people would learn their lessons from The Hunger Games and even The Mortal Instruments. Remember when everyone was hating on Jennifer Lawrence because she was blonde, curvy, and "not what I pictured at all" No? Well, I do. Now look at her! Tributes (HG fan base) love her. I'm 96% positive the same thing will happen when TVA:BS comes out. Maybe when we see a newer trailer with more Dimitri in it, perhaps? Regardless, this kind of behavior from the fans upsets me greatly. What happened to the enthusiasm about the movie, huh? Did evil troll robots kidnap some of you and turn you into judgmental little imps? Just wait until the movie actually hits theaters to be critical. You can have your opinion - that's fine - but when you're dismissing an actor because of how he looks and not how he does his job, you need to rethink some things.
Hopefully, you all have learned something from this. Whether it's a larger self-consciousness of your wrongdoings or that Hunger Games fans are called Tributes, I'll rest assured that someone out there listened to my heated rambling.
