Insurgent by Veronica Roth is currently in the process of being turned into a movie following the success of the first book in the series Divergent. With a March 2015 release date, little to none is probably still being changed. But by some miracle, let's say I was made the director of Insurgent. Here are the 5 things that I would have to decide on:
1. I probably wouldn't be allowed to use all 525 pages worth of plot. So, I would have to decide what needs to stay. At the heart of the book is the story of Tris trying to stop the faction of Erudite's takeover. There are many aspects that go into that fight including whether the Dauntless will have an alliance with Candor, the involvement and uprising of the factionless, and how much the Erudite can control the minds of the other factions through simulations. Also, and perhaps the most important, the role of Tris and the other Divergents in fighting for freedom against the Erudite. The key relationships are the romance between Tris and Tobias and the brother-sister bond between Tris and Caleb.
2.So despite a pretty involved plot, the things I would cut are the descriptions of the down times at the Candor faction and the trips that Tris takes to spy on the Erudite compound. Also, I think the death of Marlene shouldn't be included because it takes a long time to set up that scene with the simulation and the reactions of all of the characters. Also, some of the drama between Tris and Tobias drags on because you know that they are going to stay be each other no matter what.
3. A special aspect of the entire series is that the character (if they are not divergent) are put under simulations where they have no grasp on what is reality and what isn't. I think this is difficult to portray. In the movie, I think the entire setting should change when the perspective is through a character under the simulation but when the camera focuses back on Tris her view is of what is real. When the Erudite is trying to put Tris under the simulation, the edges of the camera shot should be blurry to emphasize that she knows that it is not reality.
4. I would add flashbacks of the first movie of Tris remembering certain character's deaths. For instance the death of Will and her parents is mentioned over and over in the book. For a movie, it would make more sense to show the death of those characters instead of just referencing them.
5. Finally, the casting. This really is what makes or breaks the movie. If the image in your head matches the characters on the screen. I think the actors chosen for Divergent and used again in Insurgent should stay the same. The characterizations were fairly consistent with the book.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Post #3: Book 1 Project Fan Experience
The Experience
The
story of Deadline by Chris Crutcher
is as much about getting to know the character of a terminally ill high school
senior as it is getting to know his hometown. The scavenger hunt allows fans to
live a day in the life of Ben Wolf. Most people don’t know how it feels to have
an expiration date on their life. So, the time limit connects to the novel
because people want to enjoy the experiences they have at each station, but
they also know that they have to hurry to experience as much of his life as
they can. As Ben stated, “I have
maybe twelve months to fall in love, marry, make smart investments, grow old,
and die” (Crutcher 24). The locations along the scavenger hunt all correspond
to the novel. For example, Ben ran cross country and spent a lot of time on a
running trail to process thoughts. So, the fan might have to run a sample
length of trail to experience this. One of the major conflicts in the book is Ben arguing with his teacher Mr. Lambeer about wanting to do a project about changing a street name. He ends his arguing in the principal office that he will do the Malcolm X project even if he fails. Ben says about his project, “’I’m doing it because I decided at the beginning of this year that I wanted the most out of my education’ ” (Crutcher 225). A major point in the scavenger hunt will be in the school the fans have to yell something that they have always wanted to do but had fear to say it. Another example is that was Ben’s life time
goal to get a street named after Malcolm X to try to get his town to be more
open-minded to the controversial hero Ben respected. In the scavenger hunt
there would be an actual street sign with a fake petition to add to Ben’s
cause. In Ben’s letter that he wrote to be read at his funeral, he writes “‘I’m
hoping my death will cause enough guilt that you will name a street Malcolm X
Avenue. Do it’ ” (Crutcher 313). The other stops along the scavenger hunt
correspond to Ben’s final year as he is forced to visit a therapist by his
doctor, becomes a part of the football team, and is able to land the girl of his
dreams: Dallas Suzuki. Each part of the books plot is incorporated on the scavenger hunt.
Why Make a Fan Experience?
The fan based experience would be a
scavenger hunt tour throughout the town of Trout, Idaho to recreate some of the
experiences Ben Wolf had in the book. Since the town the book is based on is
fictitious, the fans would be led to start in an actual small town in Idaho and
there would be clear postings for the scavenger tour areas and tasks to complete at each area. Players in the
scavenger hunt are given 2 hours to find and complete all clues.
Locations along the scavenger hunt include: Running trail,
football field, therapist’s office, Dallas Suzuki’s house, Trout High Civics
Class, Malcolm X Street, and a Cemetery
The final clue leads fans to a Ben Wolf's grave and instructions to
add to the bucket list tree. The tree would have ribbons tied to the branches
and people would write things they want to do before they die on the ribbons to honor Ben with his inspiration to accomplish great things.
Deadline Connection
The
story of Deadline by Chris Crutcher
is as much about getting to know the character of a terminally ill high school
senior as it is getting to know his hometown. The scavenger hunt allows fans to
live a day in the life of Ben Wolf. Most people don’t know how it feels to have
an expiration date on their life. So, the time limit connects to the novel
because people want to enjoy the experiences they have at each station, but
they also know that they have to hurry to experience as much of his life as
they can. As Ben stated, “I have
maybe twelve months to fall in love, marry, make smart investments, grow old,
and die” (Crutcher 24). The locations along the scavenger hunt all correspond
to the novel. For example, Ben ran cross country and spent a lot of time on a
running trail to process thoughts. So, the fan might have to run a sample
length of trail to experience this. One of the major conflicts in the book is Ben arguing with his teacher Mr. Lambeer about wanting to do a project about changing a street name. He ends his arguing in the principal office that he will do the Malcolm X project even if he fails. Ben says about his project, “’I’m doing it because I decided at the beginning of this year that I wanted the most out of my education’ ” (Crutcher 225). A major point in the scavenger hunt will be in the school the fans have to yell something that they have always wanted to do but had fear to say it. Another example is that was Ben’s life time
goal to get a street named after Malcolm X to try to get his town to be more
open-minded to the controversial hero Ben respected. In the scavenger hunt
there would be an actual street sign with a fake petition to add to Ben’s
cause. In Ben’s letter that he wrote to be read at his funeral, he writes “‘I’m
hoping my death will cause enough guilt that you will name a street Malcolm X
Avenue. Do it’ ” (Crutcher 313). The other stops along the scavenger hunt
correspond to Ben’s final year as he is forced to visit a therapist by his
doctor, becomes a part of the football team, and is able to land the girl of his
dreams: Dallas Suzuki. Each part of the books plot is incorporated on the scavenger hunt.Why Make a Fan Experience?
The scavenger hunt will let fans
connect with the story more because they can go through Ben’s experiences and sympathize
with his lack of time to make each event memorable. There could be a broader
audience for this book because people will want to read the book if they could
eventually travel throughout the book’s town. It makes the reading experience
more interactive and adventurous. The fans can relive the themes of the book
over and over while inviting friends to go through the story with them. It
could become more common for people to recreate fictional towns. So, Deadline could attract attention by
being one of the first attractions to be a near full scale.
 | |||
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Post #2: What is a Book?
When I was about 7 years old, I remember going to the library and looking in the children's section so long that I took off my shoes and sat down on the floor with a stack of books beside me. I left that section for just a moment to find a different book and, upon returning, found my shoes were gone and the books re-shelved. I had to walk up to the towering front desk and sheepishly snatch my shoes from the top of the counter. I returned to the books to try to recreate my stack, but failed to remember every title and cover and author.
I lost all of my stories that day.
Just about any other Midwestern, suburban kid might have a similar story of spending long summer days going to the library and enjoying the stories they find there. But as my own school library has recently gotten rid of a good portion of its books in exchange for more computers. It might be time to ask: What is a book?
At Mason High School, books were simply old information filling up space that could be replaced by the latest and greatest technology could offer. People claim to like physical books. But when I asked other students about the change, most had never checked out or even touched a single book our library had to offer. Now, you can check out a laptop and, with the internet and Easy Bib, research papers became a breeze when it came to information-fetching. Our writing style was another matter as my English teachers would say.
But back to that air conditioned library once upon a summer's day. I loved that I had a stack of books. But what I loved even more was that I had a countless number of new places and strange characters and mind-bending mysteries to explore.
A book is a story.
And stories have always been there. Books aren't even the most classic form they take. For hundreds of year, civilizations would pass down their stories through word of mouth. I myself can recall quite of few of the best stories have been shared around a campfire or under lantern light when my cousins and I were supposed to be sleeping. As Joe Meno says, "[T]he idea of a book is more important than the form it takes" (The Late American Novel).
We can't stop technology. So why not embrace it? As much as I love the feel of a book in my hands, I would rather fight for the action of reading to continue rather than the medium that reading takes. Any form of a book still sparks the imagination to create and fill in details of the story.
So whether the kids of the future ask "Tell me a story", "Read me a book", or "Google a new Story", respond in a way that creates a new generation of readers. Or simply start with "Once upon a time..."
I lost all of my stories that day.
Just about any other Midwestern, suburban kid might have a similar story of spending long summer days going to the library and enjoying the stories they find there. But as my own school library has recently gotten rid of a good portion of its books in exchange for more computers. It might be time to ask: What is a book?
At Mason High School, books were simply old information filling up space that could be replaced by the latest and greatest technology could offer. People claim to like physical books. But when I asked other students about the change, most had never checked out or even touched a single book our library had to offer. Now, you can check out a laptop and, with the internet and Easy Bib, research papers became a breeze when it came to information-fetching. Our writing style was another matter as my English teachers would say.
But back to that air conditioned library once upon a summer's day. I loved that I had a stack of books. But what I loved even more was that I had a countless number of new places and strange characters and mind-bending mysteries to explore.
A book is a story.
And stories have always been there. Books aren't even the most classic form they take. For hundreds of year, civilizations would pass down their stories through word of mouth. I myself can recall quite of few of the best stories have been shared around a campfire or under lantern light when my cousins and I were supposed to be sleeping. As Joe Meno says, "[T]he idea of a book is more important than the form it takes" (The Late American Novel).
We can't stop technology. So why not embrace it? As much as I love the feel of a book in my hands, I would rather fight for the action of reading to continue rather than the medium that reading takes. Any form of a book still sparks the imagination to create and fill in details of the story.
So whether the kids of the future ask "Tell me a story", "Read me a book", or "Google a new Story", respond in a way that creates a new generation of readers. Or simply start with "Once upon a time..."
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Post #1: Why I Read
It's funny how reading used to be a privilege. All throughout history people would go to great lengths to learn how to read, and a book's value could grow exponentially depending on the number of hands that could access its knowledge. However, just as literacy rates skyrocketed, time for pleasure and gaining information suddenly kept being divided. No longer was the Little House on the Prairie scenario with long wagon rides, and perhaps a family Bible as the only available book. In the current world of endless resources, how easy is it to forget the wealth we have?
I read because I can. I read because I have to. I read pages when I need to break into something real, and I read screens when I need a break from reality. I read because it's worth it.
I don't think I could live in a world where kids think books and libraries fall in line with records and cassette tapes. Things of the past. Old things that old people used to use. I read out loud to share books and by myself to cherish them. Reading is not just a pastime or something from a past time. It's the only way to live.
I read because I can. I read because I have to. I read pages when I need to break into something real, and I read screens when I need a break from reality. I read because it's worth it.
I don't think I could live in a world where kids think books and libraries fall in line with records and cassette tapes. Things of the past. Old things that old people used to use. I read out loud to share books and by myself to cherish them. Reading is not just a pastime or something from a past time. It's the only way to live.
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