I’m confident that everyone will agree with me when I say more and more movies seem to be based on books. Have you ever wondered how many movies or TV Shows are indeed based on a book each year? What the percentage is? Well, if the question did not cross your mind, it certainly crossed mine, and as I suspected, the number is overwhelming.
In 2015, 55% of Movies and Documentaries were based on Books.
Ok, that seems high, but let me give you some perspective here. In 2006, this number represented only 11% of all movies and documentaries. This trend keeps growing, and this is great news because it’s a wonderful way for Authors to reach a larger audience. Ok! I hear you, and you’re right. This won’t happen to everyone, but it does benefit more and more people. Also, I’m sure it happened to more than one person to see a movie trailer and think “Oh! Maybe I should read the book first.” I know it because I’ve done it.
On the movie side, it’s easier to have a script since the book is already written. The plot, the characters, the pacing – well, it’s there! No brainer – or almost. Also, they benefit from an existing readership and most likely, a large part of it will become customers, so, in the end, it’s a win-win situation.
Why am I talking about this?
Well, I recently watched Gilmore Girls (yes, that’s my generation, and I love it growing up! I couldn’t pass on watching the new episodes). Anyway, towards the end, there is a scene where the main line is “Book or Movie?” and I laughed because even though I thought it was a little too much, they had a point.
Every time I watch a movie based on the book, I’m that annoying person who makes all these comments on where/why the scenes are different. I usually tell my husband, and he usually tries very hard to look like he cares. Sometimes he does, if there is a scene he does not quite get, but mostly, he is nice to me. I know it, he knows it, and it works for me!
Why do I watch the movie, then? The movie is not always worse than the book. In fact, I happened to enjoy some movies better than the books. Movies may have skipped boring parts, turned them into something better, or even changed the ending that I wasn’t so happy with for the better. Also, I’m always curious to see if the movie managed to create the same world as me when it comes to Fantasy.
So, basically, you fall into three categories. Either you only want to watch the movie and don’t give a damn about the book, you only read the book and don’t want to watch the movie so you don’t spoil the experience, or you read the book and complain about how different it is! (not always, but most of the time). Does that sound about right? I’ll leave it up to you to create a fourth miscellaneous category.
Cheers to a new experience!
This new trend brought an entirely new experience to what watching a movie, or even a TV Show is. It’s no longer just about the movie, the TV show, or the book/comics. I watched an old, yet very funny, short video of George R.R. Martin where he said that he was happy he had written the books before the show started, because after meeting with the actors, it’s much harder to kill them.
Writing again takes another dimension for a few authors, but also for the readers and without the adaptation, the non-readers. Many people started to read the books either to not get spoilers or because they couldn’t wait for another year to know the end. Either way, they picked up the damn books and read them. They wouldn’t have done that otherwise.
Another big question? (It actually is a real question) Just finished Book 1 of a Series, Movie #1 is already out, should I read all the books first or should I watch the movie and then, read the next two? These are questions I would have never asked myself 10 years ago.
Conversations are slightly different now. Some people start reading the books as fast as possible like their life depended on it as if the next spoiler will make them bleed to death in excruciating pain (You know the GoT kind of way!). The fear of missing out or not living the experience to the fullest, or whatever triggers your thirst of books, keep it up!
After all, movie watchers and book readers now have common ground to live a new social experience with more to talk about!
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This new trend brought an entirely new experience to what watching a movie, or even a TV Show is. It’s no longer just about the movie, the TV show, or the book/comics. I watched an old, yet very funny, short video of George R.R. Martin where he said that he was happy he had written the books before the show started, because after meeting with the actors, it’s much harder to kill them.