The people who wrote Love Simon wrote your screenplay? F***ing score, dude, that movie was fantastically well written (and maybe so is your book, it's on my list, but there's still four books left in my current series, then it's next!).
I remember reading Turtles All the Way Down at the exact right time in my life. My OCD had been at its worst state for months and it was so nice to realize I wasn't alone. Thank you John. One day I hope I can give you a hug (I'll probably start crying).
(I hope a handshake is okay!) But thank you for the kind words. I am very grateful to you for reading the book and letting it in to your life at such a painful time. -John
I'm so hyped for John Green's “Two People are Talking in a Room: Sometimes They Go Outside”, coming out September 25th and available for pre-order now.
I am so nervous about "Turtles All The Way Down" being turned into a movie. I am afraid it will not show accurately what it is like to have OCD because it's so much harder to portray that on a screen than a book and it'll be such a mass audience seeing it and this book means so much to me because there were so many parts I related to in Aza's head as I have OCD myself. Thoughts on this, John? Any reassurances? Should I try to be more optimistic?
For what it's worth, I think it's also hard to accurately portray it in a book, and that it is frequently poorly portrayed. But I agree it's a very hard thing to do in a visual medium. All I can say is that it's a big focus for me, obviously, but it's a central concern of the screenwriters (who know this stuff intimately and personally and care deeply about getting it right). That's not a guarantee that it'll work, of course, but it's overwhelmingly the most important thing to me about the adaptation. -John
vlogbrothers - Thank you for sharing what you could. I shall try to remain hopeful. Thank you for your book, too. It might have been hard for you to accurately portray in words for you, but I thought you did a brilliant job at it. It helped me so much explaining to the people closest around me what it’s like inside my head.
for what it's worth, optimism *almost* never hurts. i have similar hopes for TATWD, but if those hopes are shared by the people making the movie, (which, from john's comment, they are) then at least it was made in the right spirit. and if it makes the story more popular, then perhaps some people will seek out the book and find its more accurate portrayal on their own! so a little optimism might not be misplaced :)
Noah Morris - I do hope that the movie will spread real awareness and help people seek out his book, but also other things related to OCD. I just want it to spread accurate awareness, but his comment makes me have a hope.
How likely do you think Hank’s new book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing-coming out Sept 25 and available for preorder now, will be turned into a movie? DFTBA -Edit: typos
Well, I am quite certain that a lot of movie studios will want to make it into a movie. It would be a great movie. But that first choice is up to Hank, and I can't speak for him. -John
Nikki Bakas usually it takes a year or two before we can watch it(of course this is based on the assumption it follows the path of John's books and even becomes a movie)
Many of your books are now either movies, might become movies or similar. If and when you write another book, do you think about that at all? Would you change something in your writing that would make it easier or better in a film?
If anything, I made TAtWD harder to film on purpose, because I wanted to put all that stuff out of my mind and just think about what written language can (and can't) do when it comes to fathoming and sharing internal, abstract experiences. -John
I find it inspiring that someone took a look at something you wrote explicitly to be difficult to represent in a visual medium like that, and despite it, came to you with their exciting idea of how to make it work.
Today has been a fascinating example of parallel thinking in the space of UA-cam. Hannah Fry just released a video on Numberphile (another of my favorite UA-cam channels) (EDIT to give attribution & credit to the amazing Brady Haran) about this exact concept of the book being better than the movie, except it studies the problem from a statistical point of view instead of an artistic one. Two different ways of looking at a common misconception, two totally different but equally valid reasons why it’s not true. I love it. Seriously, go seek out her video on Numberphile and watch it. It’s amazing.
JK Rowling (with her billion dollar book and movie franchise) once mentioned she got the power to veto Kreacher getting cut from the fifth movie. Is such author veto power common (perhaps even one that you have used)?
Jonathan Blackwell she was able to do that because book 7 had not yet been released and the screenplay writers didn’t know that Kreacher was important in book 7, so he had to be introduced early. Also, ya know, the perks of being JKR I’m sure.
There is literally no one in publishing who has the kind of power JK Rowling has. But she is JK Rowling. There is a theme park in Orlando based on stuff she imagined. -John
JKR also told Alan Rickman the entire Snape story in advance, so when the director told him "I want you to do [that]", Rickman could say, "No, I'm not going to do [that], because I know my backstory and you don't".
There should be a John Green theme park in Orlando. You'd go with a group of close friends, experience deep joy and connectivity, then one friend at random is offed and you have a nice cathartic cry in the car ride home.
Everyone on the crew got this joke and thought it was very funny. I was originally cast as Patrick, but it turned out that I was of course not nearly good enough to play Patrick. -John
Old ISS person here as you know. This came up in my feed and I smiled. Save the more vapid shit most of us did ( Super Mario Kart obsessions(ha),the Saturday night Colonnade movies/smoking sessions/ Stuart wooing us girls with James Taylor songs, etc, etc), we considered books to be a gift that we rarely saw on a screen, but talked about all of the time. In fact, McAdam almost ruined Johnny Got His Gun for me with his grainy and shitty VCR recording that didn't match my own imagination. I'll never forgive him for that :). I'll take books over movies most times, but I can't say that I wouldn't mind seeing Alaska on the screen out of sheer curiosity.
That's so nice to hear! I am also really excited, but I cannot shake the nervousness. Not even totally sure why. Everyone working on it is doing an amazing job. -John
vlogbrothers I think that’s normal, John. It’s your baby, and this is a big surrender of control. I’m sure the movie will be great, just give it time to come together. 👍🏻
Do you think if TATWD becomes a movie it would have the impact that the book had in the way that showed the spiral in the mind, anxiety and the feelings that envolves the book in the way that you can visit the mind and be alive in it? I love the way the book is so if a movie goes on... i want to feel the movie, not watch it.
@@vlogbrothers I was wondering the same thing ..whether the movie will be able to capture the inner turmoil going in Aza's head. But I think u talking to the producers is reassuring.
No, I think it's mostly nerves from TAtWD, although I'm not very good at understanding why I'm nervous in general. It's not that things are less intense with a Hulu series; it's just that Looking for Alaska has been happening/not happening/happening/not happening in Hollywood for so long (13 years) that I just don't think about it in the same way. I am really excited that the people who originally believed in Alaska get to make the series, and I think they will do a great job. -John
@@vlogbrothers I'm more nervous for TAtWD too but because it is a much more personal book than Alaska for me. I loved Alaska, but TAtWD will be a movie that tries to explain The Spiral™ we live with everyday to a broad audience. Your book did it so well: I hope they can do just as well. dftba
What I find interesting is the self-deprecation within the 'two people talking in a room' statement. Sometimes you don't need cars with robots on fire. Sometimes the content in what the two people are saying to each other is what is important and any robots on fire would take away from that. Or maybe that's my personal taste.
I so agree! I went to a film once and LOVED it, so I went again...and then again. When people asked me what the movie was about, I didn't have much plot to give to them. My wise friend said, "Oh, so it's a 'people' film." Yes, it's a "people" film about the complexities and beautiful struggles of just being people.
Did you come to the realization that "movies will never be great books, but they can be great movies" during the book to movie adaption process of your own books, or was is prior?
Well, prior to The Fault in Our Stars being made, I did some work in Hollywood. I wrote a screenplay for Paper Towns (it was terrible), and I did a bunch of things to try to get Looking for Alaska made (all of which failed). And it was really in those years when I started thinking about the baked-in differences between movies and books. My biggest personal conclusion is that I am better suited on every level to the world of books, so that has allowed me to focus on work that I like doing for most of the last several years, and also allowed me to not feel like The Fault in Our Stars or Paper Towns were 'my' movie. They weren't. They were made by amazing people who were responding to my book. -John
First of all, I want to thank you for answering my question. Second of all, I reenacted your happy dance when I saw you replied to my question. Best wishes from a long time nerdfighter!
I must say, I absolutely adore the fact that John (and Hank) is so open with the authoring process and how the profession fits into the industry at large. While I have no intention of becoming an author (almost finished with my Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering), It's always nice to know how things tend to work in the industry without having to learn those lessons first-hand. Thanks for sharing and thanks for spending so much time in the comments responding to everyone!
The first time i read tatwd i thought a movie wouldn't be possible. My favourite parts of the book were mostly related to Aza and the stuff that was happening in her mind. I don't know how can one potray a person's thoughts on-screen. But anyway, i am really excited for the movie.
Yeah, that was my big concern too. I did not initially want to sell the rights. But I had a lot of conversations with Erin and Elizabeth at Fox 2000, and with Isaac at the production company (all of whom worked on TFIOS and Paper Towns) and they helped me to see how the challenge of the movie would be finding a visual language to express that psychic pain, and the fact that it was challenging is what made it interesting--just as the challenge of the book is trying to find a written expression for that pain. I think the screenplay does a great job of approaching it, but of course there is a long way to go! -John
It's very possible to capture emotion visually! One recent example of this I've seen is the TED Ed episode on PTSD, but non-animated movies have done this too, of course. Sound design can also be really powerful. There's a lot thet have to work with :) We'll just have to see if they do a good job
Turtles All The Way Down made me cry because of how relatable it was. I asked my grandma to read it so she can understand what I go through on my bad mental health days. It was beautiful and thank you for writing it
I don't know how to judge a vlog with a runtime of 4 to 7 minutes because every vlog hank and john present is more interesting than what I would have done if not watching it and I would love if john and hank present it on daily basis that would be great for me another 4 minutes of learning something new sometimes something completely out of the world and what to say about those lines which you john says during the video.
I love how the first minute of the video is a glorified "No, I do not cast movies," for the uninformed few who *still* don't get it after all this time. Props to you, John. Eventually you won't have to say it anymore.
a book to movie question: in your past two movie adaptations, what's been your favourite change the movies have made from the books? (I'm aware they're quite loyal adaptations, but I'm curious)
The movie version of The Fault in Our Stars made the end flow much, much more seamlessly. When I read it, I was like, "uggggg this is so much better than in the book." -John
Well, in my case, they've always published both editions simultaneously, so I've never been 100% stuck with a movie tie-in edition. I know that many book people hate them, and I have to say that when I'm BUYING a book, I almost never buy the movie tie-in edition, but as an author, I kind of like them. They don't actually sell that well (or at least mine didn't), but I think it's kind of nice for Shai and Ansel or Nat and Cara to be on the cover of a book they cared about so much and worked so hard to live inside of. So when I see those covers, I think about the actors on the cover and what that book has come to mean to them. -John
I'm not a huge fan of it. I understand that they want to promote the movie, but it also doesn't really give me a chance to imagine characters the way I would have otherwise. Like for Paper Towns, the copy I borrowed from the library was the movie poster, and then Margo Roth became Cara Delevingne, and I wouldn't have imagined Margo Roth as Cara Delevingne, and the opportunity to imagine stuff the way you want to is one of the things I really love about books.
In the case of something like "Me & Earl & The Dying Girl," Jesse Andrews actually got to add I believe some screenplay and a few notes about the movie adaption at the end of the movie tie in edition. So I think there are some cool pros to those editions of the books.
In some ways, my image of Margo will never change. Probably because Cara Delevingne looks so different that there's no way for me to connect them, unlike the Harry Potter characters. Actually, now that I think of it, my mental image never seems like much of a problem. Either the actors look the part enough that their appearance supplanting my original mental image isn't an issue, or they're so different in appearance that there's no way they could change my image. Or maybe it's because I never saw the Paper Towns movie.
Oh a movie adaptation of Turtles All The Way Down makes me so nervous, the story is so personal to my own anxiety and metal health problems (as it is for you and for a lot of other people I know) but if you liked the script I trust you plus I really loved "Love, Simon" About the adaptation process because I love books and movies so much when they unite I'm happy and if the person is right for a role then I don't care about their hair. With a book like "Eleanor & Park" I would like for Eleanor to be curvy or plus size because we don't see that a lot in media and it would be nice to see myself in a movie of a book I love. I hope you're not too stressed out by the movie and the Hulu series DTFBA
Paper towns was a totally different experience watching it in theater. I got the book from the library at 18:30, and was finished reading it at 4:30, when I had a test the following morning at 8AM. The movie didn't quite capture my attention as much, but I feel was more incisive in particular moments. That last scene... And the credits rolling to the sound of To The Top... Still leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth to this day
Hey John! I'm glad you did get a seat at the table for your book-to-movie adaptations, but I was wondering, since many authors are not as involved, was it luck that you got a seat at the table? Were you specifically looking for involvement when selling the rights to TFIOS and Paper Towns? Thanks!
It wasn't entirely luck, no. I had some choice, because multiple movie studios wanted to option The Fault in Our Stars. I went with the people who had a reputation for being welcoming to authors and including authors in the process. So even though there was nothing in my contract saying I had a seat at the table, I knew they had a reputation for providing a seat at the table, and they lived up to that reputation much, much more than I expected. The whole reason I've stayed with Fox 2000 is because the relationship is so supportive and non-adversarial. But most writers do not have such positive experiences (and I've had very negative experiences elsewhere). -John
Just one thing: When I watched The Fault In Our Stars for the first time my first reaction was that this was the best book to movie adaptation I've ever seen (after I stopped crying my heart out of course)
i love the elegant and thoughtful way you explained this. you made your point by being humble, funny, and empathetic. this is what i love about vlogbrothers
How do you feel about a movie sequel to a movie adaptation of a book of which the book does not have a sequel? Put another way, how do you feel about Hollywood creating additional stories the original author didn't pen?
In a lot of cases, this is another thing that authors do not control. So if you don't approve, all you can really do is wish them well and wash your hands of it. But personally, if that were to happen to one of my books, I would be bummed out. I think I would be able to sincerely wish the filmmakers and studio good luck in expanding the story, but I would nonetheless be bummed. -John
I understand that so well. You write the ending the way you want the story to end and when someone continues that story in a way you did not intend, audiences aren't left with the emotions or thoughts that you wanted them to be left with after finishing the book.
I've been thinking about this concept recently. I want to thank you for further articulating my thoughts on the book-to-movie process. Specifically, it was analyzing the decisions of The Hobbit adaptation to a movie format with someone who had never read any LOTR or seen the movies. I mentioned the changes (numerous) but suggested to keep them in their own categories for the reasons you mentioned. Thank you.
"The book was better" as a statement has always bothered me. The book has more time to delve into things vs a movie. They're very different experiences and should be judged by themselves.
I agree - but judged by themselves, a book can be a good book and the movie adaptation of it can be a bad movie. Conversely, there are some books I have not liked very much as books but really liked as movies.
This is why I always have a little niggling dread when books are turned into movies. I'm a sucker for tiny details and world-building. Sometimes I'm more interested in the background characters than the main protagonists. I think that's why I like Rogue One and Halo ODST. People see plot holes that are well explained in the written materials and side stories. All this to say, I'm still mad that the Star Wars extended universe is no longer canon.
But in the action of adapting any work, a connection between the original and the adaptation is created; in fact, that is often the point, leveraging the brand recognition, the world, plot, themes, characters, and so on. The adaptation is inviting comparison, because if the creator(s) of the adaptation did not want that comparison, they would have made something else.
This is so true, and it’s why I find that tv shows and miniseries are much better adaptations. For example, Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books, and the 2005 movie, in my opinion, is pretty average, but the 1995 miniseries is amazing. So, as a person who likes the details and even though I know it’s completely unrealistic, I think all book adaptations should be miniseries instead of films
But what if you're against a TV Series Adaptation? I think it's some of the little things, like: Something I can't get over was that TFIOS was one of the first books I actually read before watching the films (I wasn't much of a book person as a kid) One of the first things mentioned is that she always took the stairs with her oxygen trolley over the lift because it meant she hadn't given up ...then in the film, the first time we see her at the support group, she's taking the damn lift?!?!
Very, very excited. I want the most people possible to read the book and know that story, and so I think it's great news for the world that such an important book will be made into a film. I think The Hate U Give is going to be The Outsiders of this generation. I think it's going to be read in schools decades from now. -John
I actually love seeing the same topic taken in two very different ways, by two channels I enjoy, in the same day: Numberphile and vlogbrothers. It's interesting to see the contrast between the approach of a mathematician and as to that of an author and an insider to the process. Both videos went in very different directions and I am glad that this peculiar coincidence gave me two pieces of media that complimented each other well.
As an author, what makes you excited or interested in selling the rights of your story to be made into a movie (other than getting money for it)? What makes you unwilling or nervous to sell?
Money used to be a big motivator, for sure. The money you get for optioning your work isn't usually life-changing, but it can help a lot when you're trying to write full-time. And there's the knowledge that if they DO make a movie, even if it's not great, it will sell a lot of books. But honestly, the last two times I've sold movie rights (Paper Towns and Turtles All the Way Down to Fox 2000), money wasn't a factor, because we had enough money. What I wanted with Paper Towns was the chance to make something in collaboration with people I really love (Nat, especially, but also the producers and the studio people and much of the crew I'd gotten to know during the TFIOS movie), and so that's why I said yes. With TAtWD it was a lot more complicated, both because the story is more personal and because I got (to be honest) pretty burned out with being near the center of pop culture. I found it exhausting and kind of destabilizing. But in the end, the chance to work with many of the people I care about was a motivator, and the biggest motivator was the thought that it might get Aza's story to more people. I wrote the book in the hopes that it could make people who struggle with that stuff feel less alone. And if it can do that, and reach more people by becoming a movie, then I think (or at least hope) it can be valuable. So that's why. Sorry for the wall of text! -John
Well, I live in Italy and I saw "The fault in our stars" for the first time, because it was on TV a couple of hours ago, I'm not acquainted to your works and I stumbled here because obviously I'm still thinking about it. But I'll leave my opinion on this subject, because I do enjoy writing and I have an opinion. I think the most important difference between books and movies is that, well, books are usually longer and more detailed, and that's also because, for example, a movie just needs a second to send you lot of information (just by watching a character your brain elaborates a lot, like the actor expression, the surroundings can show you in one second what an author would describe in pages) That's the main difference, a movie gives you the interpretation of a story, books let your imagination not only interpret what you read in your own way but will let you fill all the blanks left by the author, who is the only "channel" between the audience and the story. A writer is a solitary "keeper" of a story, I mean, like a gardener. The author plants the seeds and see them grow and that's so fun! Because to figure out what's next is so amazing and you have to take care of so many things, and in the end you like what came out of it, well, most of the time. And if you're not satisfied by the result you can work on that, on your own and on your own terms. Okay, now I'm wandering off. Let's go back to cinema that on the other hand is the product of the efforts of lots of people, that all work for the same goal. You can see the pain of the actor behind his eyes, while the books may give you the thoughts of the character in a given situation. Books and movies may tell the same story but using different assets. The actors, the director and the whole crew, they all work hard to translate what the author put in the book, or screenplay in the phisical world. (coordinated by the director which I think tries to keep it together, and they have a schedule, that means less time, basically. An author can write anytime, anywhere, and take all the time is needed to create something, while people that do movies can't) Basically it's the work of one (Book) against the work of many (Movie) with all the good sides and bad sides (book is one, while there may be endless interpretations and reinterpretations of the same story, so looots of movies based on the same book). I like more writing books than writing screenplays, because I kinda feel that a book is a creature while the screenplay is more of a skeleton, because it's not meant to be readen as a story, but is a piece of a bigger thing meant to be interpreted by a crew of professionals that will like "dress the skeleton" and create something out of it. I don't know if any of this makes sense, but hey it's 1:33 a.m. and I'm supposed to be in bed. By the way, in my head, Hazel will survive from cancer and will have a happy life, i know it's unrealistic but fiction is meant to be unrealistic at times, and one day they're gonna find a cure for cancer, so it's not that unrealistic. I know that life is basically time and that we all have an expiration date, but growing old means living all of it and getting the chance to, well, read more books (in my case, write more stories) and watch more movies and spend more time with the people you love. So, yeah, I think Hazel Grace deserves that, everyone deserves that. Thanks for your story :). Have an happy life ^^ interesting video. That's it, I'm going to bed now.
Of course, everybody would get disappointed when they see a film adaptation of a book they read. Cos each one understands a book differently from the other. If you give two people the same book, you'll get two different perceptions of the same story.
This makes me wonder how many movies are secretly based on the rights to smaller-reaching books that are then changed quite a bit to make a hit movie. Feel like it must happen more than we realize...
there will be a hulu mini-series deadline.com/2018/10/looking-for-alaska-kristine-froseth-charlie-plummer-set-as-leads-in-hulu-limited-series-1202492255/
I'm also really excited for TATWD being a movie. I read that book during a really hard time with my depression and my therapist seen me reading it in the waiting room. She liked to talk to me about the book I was reading because she felt it was a nice ice breaker. I talked to her about thought spirals and how it was belling me deal with my own mental health. She said she'd never read a word of your books, but she was stealing the thought spirals idea and praised the book for being honest about mental health. I might never get a chance to thank you personally for the help that book gave me, so thank you.
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Really good insight that is often missed in common discourse around novel to film adaptations! I have studied adaptations for a while now, and although this insight (the fact that fidelity is not one of the big questions when discussing adaptations) has been around for a long time among several scholars, it is to this day almost always lively discussed in journalism or just generally around an adaptation. By a strange coincidence, I was just about to start reading a chapter concerning the history of fidelity criticism, but decided to watch Johns video that I missed yesterday first, only to get a shiver when I read the title. My point is this, take what John said here to heart. There are many more interesting questions to ask a film adaptation, or any adaptation for that matter, than, "how does it compare to the novel?" You just need to widen your horizon, look a second time, then maybe the common discourse can start asking the bigger questions.
Yeah. This is happening, actually, with some of Octavia Butler's books. She never sold her work to TV or movie studios, but now some of her books are being adapted. Those decisions are made by the people who end up administering an author's estate. For most of us, it won't matter much, because our books won't be widely read after we die. But if you're Toni Morrison or Octavia Butler or Philip Roth, it's definitely worth thinking about. -John
A similar thing happened with Lord of the Rings. The movie rights for LOTR and The Hobbit had been sold by JRR Tolkien himself, but the Tolkien Estate wasn't happy with what Peter Jackson has done, so the rights to the Silmarillion and many other amazing stories will probably never be sold. At least not as long as Christopher Tolkien has any say in it.
I can understand not being happy with the hobbit (i mean i enjoyed it, but it wasnt that artfully made), but LOTR was genuinely I feel one of the best adaptions, and not just because of how faithful it was, but because of the feeling I was left with after both the movies and the book.
2:41 I've heard an interview with DJ MacHale (Author of the "Pendragon" and "Morpheus Road" series) that has a similar quote. MacHale did a lot of screen writing before he published his novels, so he mentioned there were times when writing his novels that his thought process was along the lines of "Alright, I have to write about an explosion, can I afford that explo- Wait, of course I can afford that explosion, I can afford thirty explosions, ink is cheap!"
True indeed. To "their" defense, it's probably also one of the hardest experiences to turn into a film, because you lose that specific thing we love about games - which is the interaction :) In that regard books are more on the same page as movies. Best of the bunch is by far Wreck-It Ralph, but it's centered around video game as a concept with video game tropes, and not really a particular video game plot or origin.
I think certain games could turn into movies. The Last of Us could be a movie, but really that's because the game is just a movie with gameplay sections in between. Also I think that for games you already have an image of what those characters look/sound like, so the movie can be jarring. Also games are made to be much much longer than movies, so a lot is obviously going to be taken out.
There's actually a really interesting Extra Credits video on the subject- which basically talks about why it took so long to get good superhero movies, and touches on that question of interactivity. I wouldn't say there's not light at the end of the tunnel. ua-cam.com/video/JnP2boSC-FM/v-deo.html
3:10 YES! This is what I always felt about adaptations! The Harry Potter in the film can never be the Harry Potter in the book since Daniel Radcliffe can never be a bunch of words in a page (unless he's actually a wizard). I usually treat the books and the films (or any adaptation) separate continuities that should be judged separately, never to be compared, no matter the "faithfulness". The vision of the book writer can never be the film director's vision, even if he/she is the same person.
Thank you for making this video. I came here after watching a video on Numberphile talking about Hollywood, books and Berkson's paradox. You gave me new perspective to this book vs movie thing.
I have an agent, and it's sort of her job to field any interest and also send the book out to producers she wants to work with. I am only involved toward the end of the process, when it comes to actually making a decision. -John
Mr. Green, THANK YOU for this honest and insightful commentary on the process of going from text to film. My IB Literature class must do this for their graded presentation and examine how the text and the author translate to a different medium and also examine fidelity and authenticity, along with other film adaptation terms. Your video will become a corrnerstone of the process and I am grateful.
Some of the greatest movies ever are based on doing wrong by the author. Stanley Kubrick's filmography is basically an exercise in "how can I make a perfect movie without being respectful to the author or my entire cast and crew?" The same applies to the great horror films of the 1930s. There are also great films that are very respectful to the authors. Lord of the Rings comes to mind, even if Jackson did make a bunch of changes. Stephen King movies come in *both* varieties. The Shining pissed Stephen King off super hard, while IT was much more respectful, yet both came out great. I think the biggest thing for authors that they need to hear is: the book still exists. A movie that stays faithful to the book won't cause people to read the book because it'll feel repetitive. A movie that diverges from the book will create debate about which was better and create interest for reading the book. My favorite book is Frankenstein, and it's close to my favorite movie to. If Shelley was alive to see James Whale's adaptation, she would've hated it. But I think 100x more people have even read her book because of the movie. It still would've been popular either way, but having Frankenstein become the most oversaturated IP ever helps. The mystique of the novel isn't just how good it is, but how different is is from almost every pop culture interpretation. All of that lead me to read other books by her like The Last Man and Mathilda, which are books that may have been completely lost to time without Hollywood.
Yeah, I do For The Fault in Our Stars, I was on set probably 75% of the days; for Paper Towns, I was on set almost the entire time. It was a very positive experience in both cases, and super fun, although not without its stresses and worried and everything else. Plus, the rest of my life continued, so I still had to work on the other stuff I work on. But I loved being with the actors and the crew. It's a very special kind of camaraderie. I don't think I'll ever be able to be on a set that much again, because my kids are older and I feel terrible about traveling, but who knows! -John
This is why I love making book vs movie videos on my channel because generally I love both the book & the movie but I like pointing out similarities and differences just like you mentioned with conveying the same meaning or message. It's such an interesting process!
I started and finished TATWD in two different places in my life. When I had started it, leaves were still on the trees by my house and my family was getting ready to celebrate the holidays. By the time I had finished the book, it was cold and damp and I had lost my dad. While I had enjoyed the book before that happened, finishing the book after my dad had died opened it up to an entirely new meaning for me. Especially because the main character had lost her father in the same way that I had lost mine; unexpectedly and tragically. It really helped me put into perspective what it happened, and the very idea that eventually I was going to move past it and get better. It was a really powerful and important moment for me. Thank you, John.
I agree with this so much (granted, I'm not an author). When I go see a movie adaptation of a book (or other) that I'm familiar with, I go in curious to see how certain elements were adapted to the format and what had to be "changed" (I'll use that word lightly). I wasn't always this way, but I'm glad I decided to adapt that mindset, because it's a really neat place to be.
Hey John, I just wanted to tell you that I did my master's dissertation in film on book to film adaptations and how film critics should discuss them, and I used The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns as my case studies. I wish you'd put out this video 2 months ago so I could've included it! I won't hold it against you though, and can't wait to see any future adaptations made from your novels
I'm just so excited that TAWTD is going to be a movie, if they'll be able to show us how it feels to be stuck in your head and how it feels to be the friend of someone who's always stuck in her head just as beautifully as you did, I think it will be enough. This book has a special place in my heart, it will always be. Gotta go, I'm gonna read it again.
“Welcome to my book, two people are talking in a room, sometimes they go outside” is my new favorite John Green quote. Lol not all books need to be super heavy on action.
Isn‘t it incredible how we all see different things while reading? I have experienced that when the time comes for me to picture a house, apartment or room I most certainly base it on a piece of architecture I have already seen. In an abundance of Katherines his apartment was based on my grandmas old apartment. The house which they lived in during the summer was based on my godparents house. It‘s truly amazing
being a background actor is fairly simple. Travel to the place where the movie is shot and then submit online to be background actor. (you would be submitting "as a local" and so would pay for all your own food and lodging. To audition for any of John's films you would need an agent. I am an actor and I have been to many auditions. I have been in short films, on off-off broadway and even produced some videos, one of which has 20,000 views on UA-cam. I have even met agents and casting directors (that I paid to meet- that's how it goes). I don't have an agent. I could not get an audition for a John Green film. But that's also not currently my focus, as I am now focusing on musical theater, my first passion.
I'm the girl the most happy now ! Jennifer Niven and you, a movie based on the book the more personal you have written... I'm crying.. so much emotion ❤️
The book to movie adaption process is always something that has fascinated me ever since I read Stephen Chobsky talking about changing the song Sam stands onto the back of the car for to Heroes by David Bowie. Here you have an author who, in my mind, should have wanted to be as faithful as possible saying ‘no this is better’ in his decisions as a director. There was just something about that that intrigued me. This video was super cool to listen to. Really wishing (again) that vlogbrothers videos were longer so I learn more about it from you!
This is actually really cool and insightful! I always wondered how adaptations were made, as well as how much say an author had. Hearing it laid out as "you might get a seat at the table, but it's only one seat, and it's a big table." makes a lot of sense. You said something along the lines of hoping a movie can ask the same questions the book did, and I think that'll help reevaluate how I think about adaptations. Thanks for the great video!
One of the most personally useful things you and Hank have taught me is that it's okay that movies are different than the books they are based on and that doesn't necessarily make the movie worse than the book. As a person who aspires to make movies, but also loves books, this has been invaluable for my career. So thanks!
John, yesterday I finished papertowns (which I bought two days ago in the sweetest little bookshop!) and now I bought looking for Alaska and now I suddenly have five books instead of three and i am traveling with only carry-on stop writing so darn good there is no space in my backpack for more books! ;)
Best movie adaptions: 1. Lord of the Rings 2. Perks of Being a Wallflower 3. Prince Caspian 4. The Hunger Games (first film) 5. Forrest Gump 6. Holes Worst movie adaptations: 1. Eragon 2. Blood and Chocolate 3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 4. Twilight (first film) 5. The Hobbit trilogy
I’m curious why goblet of fire is on the list. I find most of the Harry Potter films to be very true to form, especially since JKR had so much input. Maybe it’s just been a while since I’ve read it
This is a good list. I would say Holes is #1 because as an actual adaptation it is almost the book plot point by plot point and yet it still feels like a movie so it succeeds at being both faithful and engaging. LOTR on the other hand is a great adaptation but in many ways is drastically different from the books. Eragon was horrible but let's not kid ourselves and claim the books were any good. The first one was cool because it was written by a guy who started writing it at 15 or 16 but to be fair, it read like a story written by a 16 year old for school just much, much longer. Every book after that; however, continued to feel like a book written by a 16 year old, but he wasn't 16 anymore. His poor writing has become inexcusable. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a terrible adaptation. Every character feels wrong, both when compared to the books and when compared to every other HP movie. I still can't get over Dumbledore yelling every line of dialogue he has like he is an unhinged raving lunatic would is completely out of control. So painful. And the Hobbit Trilogy is bad.
I think that I have gone into so many movies with this exact mimdset that you are talking about - expecting everyone to look like I expect them to and every scene to be like it was described in the book. And I think I have failed myself in doing that because I just never thought of it like that. Thank you John for talking about something that seems small but I think a lot of people like me should have heard a long time ago
As far as the most "faithful" book to movie adaptation I've ever seen and love, I would say it's The Perks of Being a Wallflower...but it's not very often that the author gets to be the screen writer, director, and be involved in the casting. I guess the impressive thing is that other movies ever sometimes get close.
This video made my top 10 favorite VB videos. I’ve never really thought about book to movie adaptations quite like this. Thank you for helping me see the world more complexly.
"Welcome to my book. Two people are talking in a room, sometimes they go outside." -John Green 2018
Saturn, had to rewatch just for that line ^_^
I chortled heartily at that line.
Wait until there is a car wreck that symbolizes our lack of control over our destinies. -John
Saturn +
+ what a self-roast
The people who wrote Love Simon wrote your screenplay? F***ing score, dude, that movie was fantastically well written (and maybe so is your book, it's on my list, but there's still four books left in my current series, then it's next!).
They are pretty great! I am really excited. -John
Read it. You will not be disappointed
"Sometimes bad decisions get made"
*cough* Percy Jackson *cough*
satherandfon Yep. When discussing book to movie adaptations I now always ask “on a scale of one to Percy Jackson, how bad is it?”
Like the green latern movie, *we musn't speak of that*
*cries into my copy of The Darkest Minds
*Mourns for Eragon*
So true. Now we'll never gonna see Nico and Will or Leo!
I remember reading Turtles All the Way Down at the exact right time in my life. My OCD had been at its worst state for months and it was so nice to realize I wasn't alone. Thank you John. One day I hope I can give you a hug (I'll probably start crying).
(I hope a handshake is okay!) But thank you for the kind words. I am very grateful to you for reading the book and letting it in to your life at such a painful time. -John
A handshake works 😂
That's beautiful, I hope you're doing better now.💞 And I hope you can always remember that you're not alone, the world is a big place afterall.
Hey, how you doing these days?
I'm so hyped for John Green's “Two People are Talking in a Room: Sometimes They Go Outside”, coming out September 25th and available for pre-order now.
Mister Apple wouldn't it be weird if Hank and John had a book come out on the same day?
What! Gimme the pre-order link.
Chrome says "The page isn't working."
+Sexy scientist Oh, maybe the page is down with all the people pre-ordering it.
Lol. Nice 👍
I am so nervous about "Turtles All The Way Down" being turned into a movie. I am afraid it will not show accurately what it is like to have OCD because it's so much harder to portray that on a screen than a book and it'll be such a mass audience seeing it and this book means so much to me because there were so many parts I related to in Aza's head as I have OCD myself. Thoughts on this, John? Any reassurances? Should I try to be more optimistic?
For what it's worth, I think it's also hard to accurately portray it in a book, and that it is frequently poorly portrayed. But I agree it's a very hard thing to do in a visual medium. All I can say is that it's a big focus for me, obviously, but it's a central concern of the screenwriters (who know this stuff intimately and personally and care deeply about getting it right). That's not a guarantee that it'll work, of course, but it's overwhelmingly the most important thing to me about the adaptation. -John
The writers doing screen play have proven they know how to genuinely portray mental illness... I habe absolutely no doubt theyll kick ass.
vlogbrothers - Thank you for sharing what you could. I shall try to remain hopeful. Thank you for your book, too. It might have been hard for you to accurately portray in words for you, but I thought you did a brilliant job at it. It helped me so much explaining to the people closest around me what it’s like inside my head.
for what it's worth, optimism *almost* never hurts. i have similar hopes for TATWD, but if those hopes are shared by the people making the movie, (which, from john's comment, they are) then at least it was made in the right spirit. and if it makes the story more popular, then perhaps some people will seek out the book and find its more accurate portrayal on their own! so a little optimism might not be misplaced :)
Noah Morris - I do hope that the movie will spread real awareness and help people seek out his book, but also other things related to OCD. I just want it to spread accurate awareness, but his comment makes me have a hope.
How likely do you think Hank’s new book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing-coming out Sept 25 and available for preorder now, will be turned into a movie? DFTBA
-Edit: typos
Well, I am quite certain that a lot of movie studios will want to make it into a movie. It would be a great movie. But that first choice is up to Hank, and I can't speak for him. -John
vlogbrothers Hank, you there?
Nikki Bakas usually it takes a year or two before we can watch it(of course this is based on the assumption it follows the path of John's books and even becomes a movie)
Many of your books are now either movies, might become movies or similar. If and when you write another book, do you think about that at all? Would you change something in your writing that would make it easier or better in a film?
If anything, I made TAtWD harder to film on purpose, because I wanted to put all that stuff out of my mind and just think about what written language can (and can't) do when it comes to fathoming and sharing internal, abstract experiences. -John
I find it inspiring that someone took a look at something you wrote explicitly to be difficult to represent in a visual medium like that, and despite it, came to you with their exciting idea of how to make it work.
@@vlogbrothers And I for one am very glad about this! Thank you John
That sounds like a challenge. Strive to make your books as unadaptable as possible
vlogbrothers can I be in your movie and act out those internal, abstract experiences?
Today has been a fascinating example of parallel thinking in the space of UA-cam. Hannah Fry just released a video on Numberphile (another of my favorite UA-cam channels) (EDIT to give attribution & credit to the amazing Brady Haran) about this exact concept of the book being better than the movie, except it studies the problem from a statistical point of view instead of an artistic one. Two different ways of looking at a common misconception, two totally different but equally valid reasons why it’s not true. I love it.
Seriously, go seek out her video on Numberphile and watch it. It’s amazing.
Lol, i should have looked at the comments before posting. posted the same thing ^^
About to say the same thing #accidentalcolab - ua-cam.com/video/FUD8h9JpEVQ/v-deo.html
interstingly, that video is the top video in the related video list...
The Venn diagram of people that saw both these videos today is my new band, or gang, or wedding party.
+
“A movie will never succeed at being a great book”. That is one of my new favorite quotes.
JK Rowling (with her billion dollar book and movie franchise) once mentioned she got the power to veto Kreacher getting cut from the fifth movie. Is such author veto power common (perhaps even one that you have used)?
Jonathan Blackwell she was able to do that because book 7 had not yet been released and the screenplay writers didn’t know that Kreacher was important in book 7, so he had to be introduced early. Also, ya know, the perks of being JKR I’m sure.
There is literally no one in publishing who has the kind of power JK Rowling has. But she is JK Rowling. There is a theme park in Orlando based on stuff she imagined. -John
JKR also told Alan Rickman the entire Snape story in advance, so when the director told him "I want you to do [that]", Rickman could say, "No, I'm not going to do [that], because I know my backstory and you don't".
@@rchard2scout JKR and Rickman both denied that. She did tell him that there was more to Snape than met the eye but didn't give any specifics
There should be a John Green theme park in Orlando. You'd go with a group of close friends, experience deep joy and connectivity, then one friend at random is offed and you have a nice cathartic cry in the car ride home.
Has anybody else realized that during John's deleted scene in the TFIOS movie he's in an airport?
Everyone on the crew got this joke and thought it was very funny. I was originally cast as Patrick, but it turned out that I was of course not nearly good enough to play Patrick. -John
I watched it again recently and I saw him in the airport. Was there more dialogue than what was shown as the final cut?
Old ISS person here as you know. This came up in my feed and I smiled. Save the more vapid shit most of us did ( Super Mario Kart obsessions(ha),the Saturday night Colonnade movies/smoking sessions/ Stuart wooing us girls with James Taylor songs, etc, etc), we considered books to be a gift that we rarely saw on a screen, but talked about all of the time. In fact, McAdam almost ruined Johnny Got His Gun for me with his grainy and shitty VCR recording that didn't match my own imagination. I'll never forgive him for that :). I'll take books over movies most times, but I can't say that I wouldn't mind seeing Alaska on the screen out of sheer curiosity.
And nunus channel is Lesley Burton. Kind of funny that I am still signed on to my dad's attempt at modernity.
@@vlogbrothers Maybe I'm dumb and I don't get this joke. Can someone explain?
I cannot wait for the tatwd movie
That's so nice to hear! I am also really excited, but I cannot shake the nervousness. Not even totally sure why. Everyone working on it is doing an amazing job. -John
vlogbrothers I think that’s normal, John. It’s your baby, and this is a big surrender of control. I’m sure the movie will be great, just give it time to come together. 👍🏻
Lindsay Johnson I mean like John has said before,once you finish a book it is no longer yours but it is the readers that that book belongs to 🙂
Same as OP! I'm very curious how the spirals will be incorporated without being cliche (eg- Dramatic music and echo-y surroundings)
Tah-tod
Do you think if TATWD becomes a movie it would have the impact that the book had in the way that showed the spiral in the mind, anxiety and the feelings that envolves the book in the way that you can visit the mind and be alive in it? I love the way the book is so if a movie goes on... i want to feel the movie, not watch it.
"I want to feel the movie not watch it," is a thing I am going to send to the producers. But yes that's exactly it! -John
Each day, i think we are the same person with a diferent age, thanks John.
@@vlogbrothers I was wondering the same thing ..whether the movie will be able to capture the inner turmoil going in Aza's head. But I think u talking to the producers is reassuring.
Is this all stemming from nerves about looking for Alaska? Are the nerves more intense or less intense with a web series compare to a movie?
No, I think it's mostly nerves from TAtWD, although I'm not very good at understanding why I'm nervous in general. It's not that things are less intense with a Hulu series; it's just that Looking for Alaska has been happening/not happening/happening/not happening in Hollywood for so long (13 years) that I just don't think about it in the same way. I am really excited that the people who originally believed in Alaska get to make the series, and I think they will do a great job. -John
@@vlogbrothers I'm more nervous for TAtWD too but because it is a much more personal book than Alaska for me. I loved Alaska, but TAtWD will be a movie that tries to explain The Spiral™ we live with everyday to a broad audience. Your book did it so well: I hope they can do just as well. dftba
What I find interesting is the self-deprecation within the 'two people talking in a room' statement. Sometimes you don't need cars with robots on fire. Sometimes the content in what the two people are saying to each other is what is important and any robots on fire would take away from that. Or maybe that's my personal taste.
I so agree! I went to a film once and LOVED it, so I went again...and then again. When people asked me what the movie was about, I didn't have much plot to give to them. My wise friend said, "Oh, so it's a 'people' film." Yes, it's a "people" film about the complexities and beautiful struggles of just being people.
@@kayligronski which film was it?
Sunset, Before Sunrise, Before Midnight trilogy one of best movie series of all times
Did you come to the realization that "movies will never be great books, but they can be great movies" during the book to movie adaption process of your own books, or was is prior?
Well, prior to The Fault in Our Stars being made, I did some work in Hollywood. I wrote a screenplay for Paper Towns (it was terrible), and I did a bunch of things to try to get Looking for Alaska made (all of which failed). And it was really in those years when I started thinking about the baked-in differences between movies and books. My biggest personal conclusion is that I am better suited on every level to the world of books, so that has allowed me to focus on work that I like doing for most of the last several years, and also allowed me to not feel like The Fault in Our Stars or Paper Towns were 'my' movie. They weren't. They were made by amazing people who were responding to my book. -John
First of all, I want to thank you for answering my question. Second of all, I reenacted your happy dance when I saw you replied to my question. Best wishes from a long time nerdfighter!
oh hey sister
oh Hey!
I must say, I absolutely adore the fact that John (and Hank) is so open with the authoring process and how the profession fits into the industry at large. While I have no intention of becoming an author (almost finished with my Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering), It's always nice to know how things tend to work in the industry without having to learn those lessons first-hand. Thanks for sharing and thanks for spending so much time in the comments responding to everyone!
Looking For Alaska for me was that book you originally borrow from a friend and eventually end up keeping ...)) excited to see the adaptation
That is such a kind thing to say about that book. That really made my day. (But seriously buy your friend a copy as an apology!) -John
I did that with Where the Red Fern Grows, except I never returned it because I lost it, and then I bought another copy for myself. Oops.
vlogbrothers YOU just made my day, John!!! But don't worry, i showed my friend this comment and she says she really doesnt mind
Could it really be adapted though? I still remember a lot of scenes that would make the movie borderline R if it were made.
This is so true! I did this
1:23 "But that's rarely the fault
IN OUR STARS."
The first time i read tatwd i thought a movie wouldn't be possible. My favourite parts of the book were mostly related to Aza and the stuff that was happening in her mind. I don't know how can one potray a person's thoughts on-screen. But anyway, i am really excited for the movie.
Yeah, that was my big concern too. I did not initially want to sell the rights. But I had a lot of conversations with Erin and Elizabeth at Fox 2000, and with Isaac at the production company (all of whom worked on TFIOS and Paper Towns) and they helped me to see how the challenge of the movie would be finding a visual language to express that psychic pain, and the fact that it was challenging is what made it interesting--just as the challenge of the book is trying to find a written expression for that pain. I think the screenplay does a great job of approaching it, but of course there is a long way to go! -John
Animated sequences could be cool....
It's very possible to capture emotion visually! One recent example of this I've seen is the TED Ed episode on PTSD, but non-animated movies have done this too, of course. Sound design can also be really powerful. There's a lot thet have to work with :) We'll just have to see if they do a good job
maybe some Lizzie McGuire inspo haha
One episode of Bojack Horseman did a good portrayal of a person's thought process during their "spiral" so I dont think its impossible
Turtles All The Way Down made me cry because of how relatable it was. I asked my grandma to read it so she can understand what I go through on my bad mental health days. It was beautiful and thank you for writing it
How do both you and Hank manage to upload outstanding, thought provoking videos every single week?
Oh, we've had some bad ones over the years. :) But I'm glad if you liked this one! -John
I don't know how to judge a vlog with a runtime of 4 to 7 minutes because every vlog hank and john present is more interesting than what I would have done if not watching it and I would love if john and hank present it on daily basis that would be great for me another 4 minutes of learning something new sometimes something completely out of the world and what to say about those lines which you john says during the video.
I have been asking myself the same question for last 4 years!
I love how the first minute of the video is a glorified "No, I do not cast movies," for the uninformed few who *still* don't get it after all this time. Props to you, John. Eventually you won't have to say it anymore.
a book to movie question: in your past two movie adaptations, what's been your favourite change the movies have made from the books? (I'm aware they're quite loyal adaptations, but I'm curious)
The movie version of The Fault in Our Stars made the end flow much, much more seamlessly. When I read it, I was like, "uggggg this is so much better than in the book." -John
As my sci-fi lit teacher said, "Is it a Katniss' hair situation? Or a Katniss' father was an important part of her life, situation?"
omg you're right. They sort of glossed over him in the films didnt they? I totally forgot about that!
EXACTLY
I've always wanted to know, how do you feel about about books that start using the movie poster as the front cover after a film adaptation comes out?
Well, in my case, they've always published both editions simultaneously, so I've never been 100% stuck with a movie tie-in edition.
I know that many book people hate them, and I have to say that when I'm BUYING a book, I almost never buy the movie tie-in edition, but as an author, I kind of like them. They don't actually sell that well (or at least mine didn't), but I think it's kind of nice for Shai and Ansel or Nat and Cara to be on the cover of a book they cared about so much and worked so hard to live inside of. So when I see those covers, I think about the actors on the cover and what that book has come to mean to them. -John
I'm not a huge fan of it. I understand that they want to promote the movie, but it also doesn't really give me a chance to imagine characters the way I would have otherwise. Like for Paper Towns, the copy I borrowed from the library was the movie poster, and then Margo Roth became Cara Delevingne, and I wouldn't have imagined Margo Roth as Cara Delevingne, and the opportunity to imagine stuff the way you want to is one of the things I really love about books.
In the case of something like "Me & Earl & The Dying Girl," Jesse Andrews actually got to add I believe some screenplay and a few notes about the movie adaption at the end of the movie tie in edition. So I think there are some cool pros to those editions of the books.
I usually dislike it, but it doesn't ruin the experience. My copy of Paper Towns has the movie cover and it's one of my favorite objects I own, so.
In some ways, my image of Margo will never change. Probably because Cara Delevingne looks so different that there's no way for me to connect them, unlike the Harry Potter characters. Actually, now that I think of it, my mental image never seems like much of a problem. Either the actors look the part enough that their appearance supplanting my original mental image isn't an issue, or they're so different in appearance that there's no way they could change my image.
Or maybe it's because I never saw the Paper Towns movie.
Oh a movie adaptation of Turtles All The Way Down makes me so nervous, the story is so personal to my own anxiety and metal health problems (as it is for you and for a lot of other people I know) but if you liked the script I trust you plus I really loved "Love, Simon" About the adaptation process because I love books and movies so much when they unite I'm happy and if the person is right for a role then I don't care about their hair. With a book like "Eleanor & Park" I would like for Eleanor to be curvy or plus size because we don't see that a lot in media and it would be nice to see myself in a movie of a book I love. I hope you're not too stressed out by the movie and the Hulu series DTFBA
Here we go… OH MY GOD TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING OH MY GOD AHHHHHHHHH 🐢
Paper towns was a totally different experience watching it in theater. I got the book from the library at 18:30, and was finished reading it at 4:30, when I had a test the following morning at 8AM. The movie didn't quite capture my attention as much, but I feel was more incisive in particular moments. That last scene... And the credits rolling to the sound of To The Top... Still leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth to this day
John, did you watch To All the Boys I Loved Before? I thought it was a really good adaptation.
I also thought it was great. I am so happy for Jenny (who I've known for a long time). -John
Great adaptation: the outsiders. That also has a cameo by the author in a hospital.
Also Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls, which the studio let him write.
is that a good book? i didnt buy it cause i thought it will be cliche. what do you think? it gives mw chick lit vibe. Should i read it or no
I live to watch John Green tugging his hair while talking 😍
Hey John! I'm glad you did get a seat at the table for your book-to-movie adaptations, but I was wondering, since many authors are not as involved, was it luck that you got a seat at the table? Were you specifically looking for involvement when selling the rights to TFIOS and Paper Towns? Thanks!
It wasn't entirely luck, no. I had some choice, because multiple movie studios wanted to option The Fault in Our Stars. I went with the people who had a reputation for being welcoming to authors and including authors in the process. So even though there was nothing in my contract saying I had a seat at the table, I knew they had a reputation for providing a seat at the table, and they lived up to that reputation much, much more than I expected. The whole reason I've stayed with Fox 2000 is because the relationship is so supportive and non-adversarial. But most writers do not have such positive experiences (and I've had very negative experiences elsewhere). -John
Just one thing: When I watched The Fault In Our Stars for the first time my first reaction was that this was the best book to movie adaptation I've ever seen (after I stopped crying my heart out of course)
The manga was better.
Man, I loved the TFioS manga.
PowahSlap Entertainmint lol
Lol that's what I was thinking about
I’m literally facepalming right now lol
AYYY MY FAVORITE UA-camR
i love the elegant and thoughtful way you explained this. you made your point by being humble, funny, and empathetic. this is what i love about vlogbrothers
How do you feel about a movie sequel to a movie adaptation of a book of which the book does not have a sequel? Put another way, how do you feel about Hollywood creating additional stories the original author didn't pen?
In a lot of cases, this is another thing that authors do not control. So if you don't approve, all you can really do is wish them well and wash your hands of it. But personally, if that were to happen to one of my books, I would be bummed out. I think I would be able to sincerely wish the filmmakers and studio good luck in expanding the story, but I would nonetheless be bummed. -John
I understand that so well. You write the ending the way you want the story to end and when someone continues that story in a way you did not intend, audiences aren't left with the emotions or thoughts that you wanted them to be left with after finishing the book.
So I should stop writing my screenplay of The Fault in Our Mars?
I've been thinking about this concept recently. I want to thank you for further articulating my thoughts on the book-to-movie process. Specifically, it was analyzing the decisions of The Hobbit adaptation to a movie format with someone who had never read any LOTR or seen the movies. I mentioned the changes (numerous) but suggested to keep them in their own categories for the reasons you mentioned. Thank you.
"The book was better" as a statement has always bothered me. The book has more time to delve into things vs a movie. They're very different experiences and should be judged by themselves.
I agree - but judged by themselves, a book can be a good book and the movie adaptation of it can be a bad movie. Conversely, there are some books I have not liked very much as books but really liked as movies.
This is why I always have a little niggling dread when books are turned into movies. I'm a sucker for tiny details and world-building. Sometimes I'm more interested in the background characters than the main protagonists. I think that's why I like Rogue One and Halo ODST. People see plot holes that are well explained in the written materials and side stories. All this to say, I'm still mad that the Star Wars extended universe is no longer canon.
But in the action of adapting any work, a connection between the original and the adaptation is created; in fact, that is often the point, leveraging the brand recognition, the world, plot, themes, characters, and so on. The adaptation is inviting comparison, because if the creator(s) of the adaptation did not want that comparison, they would have made something else.
This is so true, and it’s why I find that tv shows and miniseries are much better adaptations. For example, Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books, and the 2005 movie, in my opinion, is pretty average, but the 1995 miniseries is amazing. So, as a person who likes the details and even though I know it’s completely unrealistic, I think all book adaptations should be miniseries instead of films
But what if you're against a TV Series Adaptation?
I think it's some of the little things, like:
Something I can't get over was that TFIOS was one of the first books I actually read before watching the films (I wasn't much of a book person as a kid)
One of the first things mentioned is that she always took the stairs with her oxygen trolley over the lift because it meant she hadn't given up
...then in the film, the first time we see her at the support group, she's taking the damn lift?!?!
John Green Master's class in writing novels:
Put two people in a room. Have them talk.
Occasionally... have them go outside.
How do you feel about the Hate U Give being made into a movie?
Very, very excited. I want the most people possible to read the book and know that story, and so I think it's great news for the world that such an important book will be made into a film. I think The Hate U Give is going to be The Outsiders of this generation. I think it's going to be read in schools decades from now. -John
I actually love seeing the same topic taken in two very different ways, by two channels I enjoy, in the same day: Numberphile and vlogbrothers. It's interesting to see the contrast between the approach of a mathematician and as to that of an author and an insider to the process. Both videos went in very different directions and I am glad that this peculiar coincidence gave me two pieces of media that complimented each other well.
As an author, what makes you excited or interested in selling the rights of your story to be made into a movie (other than getting money for it)? What makes you unwilling or nervous to sell?
Money used to be a big motivator, for sure. The money you get for optioning your work isn't usually life-changing, but it can help a lot when you're trying to write full-time. And there's the knowledge that if they DO make a movie, even if it's not great, it will sell a lot of books.
But honestly, the last two times I've sold movie rights (Paper Towns and Turtles All the Way Down to Fox 2000), money wasn't a factor, because we had enough money. What I wanted with Paper Towns was the chance to make something in collaboration with people I really love (Nat, especially, but also the producers and the studio people and much of the crew I'd gotten to know during the TFIOS movie), and so that's why I said yes. With TAtWD it was a lot more complicated, both because the story is more personal and because I got (to be honest) pretty burned out with being near the center of pop culture. I found it exhausting and kind of destabilizing. But in the end, the chance to work with many of the people I care about was a motivator, and the biggest motivator was the thought that it might get Aza's story to more people. I wrote the book in the hopes that it could make people who struggle with that stuff feel less alone. And if it can do that, and reach more people by becoming a movie, then I think (or at least hope) it can be valuable. So that's why. Sorry for the wall of text! -John
@@vlogbrothers Thank you so much for the reply! Long time nerdfighter here. I'm super excited for a possible TATWD movie now!
I say thank you for the wall of text.
Well, I live in Italy and I saw "The fault in our stars" for the first time, because it was on TV a couple of hours ago, I'm not acquainted to your works and I stumbled here because obviously I'm still thinking about it. But I'll leave my opinion on this subject, because I do enjoy writing and I have an opinion.
I think the most important difference between books and movies is that, well, books are usually longer and more detailed, and that's also because, for example, a movie just needs a second to send you lot of information (just by watching a character your brain elaborates a lot, like the actor expression, the surroundings can show you in one second what an author would describe in pages)
That's the main difference, a movie gives you the interpretation of a story, books let your imagination not only interpret what you read in your own way but will let you fill all the blanks left by the author, who is the only "channel" between the audience and the story. A writer is a solitary "keeper" of a story, I mean, like a gardener. The author plants the seeds and see them grow and that's so fun! Because to figure out what's next is so amazing and you have to take care of so many things, and in the end you like what came out of it, well, most of the time. And if you're not satisfied by the result you can work on that, on your own and on your own terms. Okay, now I'm wandering off.
Let's go back to cinema that on the other hand is the product of the efforts of lots of people, that all work for the same goal. You can see the pain of the actor behind his eyes, while the books may give you the thoughts of the character in a given situation. Books and movies may tell the same story but using different assets. The actors, the director and the whole crew, they all work hard to translate what the author put in the book, or screenplay in the phisical world. (coordinated by the director which I think tries to keep it together, and they have a schedule, that means less time, basically. An author can write anytime, anywhere, and take all the time is needed to create something, while people that do movies can't)
Basically it's the work of one (Book) against the work of many (Movie) with all the good sides and bad sides (book is one, while there may be endless interpretations and reinterpretations of the same story, so looots of movies based on the same book).
I like more writing books than writing screenplays, because I kinda feel that a book is a creature while the screenplay is more of a skeleton, because it's not meant to be readen as a story, but is a piece of a bigger thing meant to be interpreted by a crew of professionals that will like "dress the skeleton" and create something out of it.
I don't know if any of this makes sense, but hey it's 1:33 a.m. and I'm supposed to be in bed.
By the way, in my head, Hazel will survive from cancer and will have a happy life, i know it's unrealistic but fiction is meant to be unrealistic at times, and one day they're gonna find a cure for cancer, so it's not that unrealistic. I know that life is basically time and that we all have an expiration date, but growing old means living all of it and getting the chance to, well, read more books (in my case, write more stories) and watch more movies and spend more time with the people you love. So, yeah, I think Hazel Grace deserves that, everyone deserves that.
Thanks for your story :). Have an happy life ^^ interesting video. That's it, I'm going to bed now.
Although Nat didn’t look like Isaac; he was indeed fabulous.
Of course, everybody would get disappointed when they see a film adaptation of a book they read. Cos each one understands a book differently from the other. If you give two people the same book, you'll get two different perceptions of the same story.
This makes me wonder how many movies are secretly based on the rights to smaller-reaching books that are then changed quite a bit to make a hit movie. Feel like it must happen more than we realize...
My favorite example of that is Die Hard. -John
We still want an adaptation of Looking for Alaska
there will be a hulu mini-series deadline.com/2018/10/looking-for-alaska-kristine-froseth-charlie-plummer-set-as-leads-in-hulu-limited-series-1202492255/
But you cast movies though, right.
This will never get old 😂👍
This is the only comment he didn't "heart"
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I'm also really excited for TATWD being a movie. I read that book during a really hard time with my depression and my therapist seen me reading it in the waiting room. She liked to talk to me about the book I was reading because she felt it was a nice ice breaker. I talked to her about thought spirals and how it was belling me deal with my own mental health. She said she'd never read a word of your books, but she was stealing the thought spirals idea and praised the book for being honest about mental health. I might never get a chance to thank you personally for the help that book gave me, so thank you.
The Carls are coming!
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, written by Hank Green (out September 25th, available for pre-order now) has Carls, and now you can too!
Join us spreading Carls all over the world. Download the paper Carl template, make it, take a picture of it, send it to us to have it added to the map.
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Really good insight that is often missed in common discourse around novel to film adaptations! I have studied adaptations for a while now, and although this insight (the fact that fidelity is not one of the big questions when discussing adaptations) has been around for a long time among several scholars, it is to this day almost always lively discussed in journalism or just generally around an adaptation. By a strange coincidence, I was just about to start reading a chapter concerning the history of fidelity criticism, but decided to watch Johns video that I missed yesterday first, only to get a shiver when I read the title.
My point is this, take what John said here to heart. There are many more interesting questions to ask a film adaptation, or any adaptation for that matter, than, "how does it compare to the novel?" You just need to widen your horizon, look a second time, then maybe the common discourse can start asking the bigger questions.
If an author dies and the copyright is inherited by the family are they allowed to sell the rights to a studio as well?
Yeah. This is happening, actually, with some of Octavia Butler's books. She never sold her work to TV or movie studios, but now some of her books are being adapted. Those decisions are made by the people who end up administering an author's estate. For most of us, it won't matter much, because our books won't be widely read after we die. But if you're Toni Morrison or Octavia Butler or Philip Roth, it's definitely worth thinking about. -John
A similar thing happened with Lord of the Rings. The movie rights for LOTR and The Hobbit had been sold by JRR Tolkien himself, but the Tolkien Estate wasn't happy with what Peter Jackson has done, so the rights to the Silmarillion and many other amazing stories will probably never be sold. At least not as long as Christopher Tolkien has any say in it.
I can understand not being happy with the hobbit (i mean i enjoyed it, but it wasnt that artfully made), but LOTR was genuinely I feel one of the best adaptions, and not just because of how faithful it was, but because of the feeling I was left with after both the movies and the book.
0:45 - I would definitely read "TFIOS, but on Mars", or would it be "The Fault on our Mars"?
How's the food service on movie sets?
Depends on the movie set, but generally excellent. I never lost weight on a movie set; that's for sure. -John
Is this your dying question?
2:41 I've heard an interview with DJ MacHale (Author of the "Pendragon" and "Morpheus Road" series) that has a similar quote. MacHale did a lot of screen writing before he published his novels, so he mentioned there were times when writing his novels that his thought process was along the lines of "Alright, I have to write about an explosion, can I afford that explo- Wait, of course I can afford that explosion, I can afford thirty explosions, ink is cheap!"
I think we can all agree that any movie based on a video game is just going to be not good. Not good at all.
They do not seem to have cracked that genre just yet. -John
True indeed. To "their" defense, it's probably also one of the hardest experiences to turn into a film, because you lose that specific thing we love about games - which is the interaction :) In that regard books are more on the same page as movies.
Best of the bunch is by far Wreck-It Ralph, but it's centered around video game as a concept with video game tropes, and not really a particular video game plot or origin.
Personally, I'm a big fan of the Animal Crossing movie, but I don't know if that counts 😂
I think certain games could turn into movies. The Last of Us could be a movie, but really that's because the game is just a movie with gameplay sections in between. Also I think that for games you already have an image of what those characters look/sound like, so the movie can be jarring. Also games are made to be much much longer than movies, so a lot is obviously going to be taken out.
There's actually a really interesting Extra Credits video on the subject- which basically talks about why it took so long to get good superhero movies, and touches on that question of interactivity. I wouldn't say there's not light at the end of the tunnel. ua-cam.com/video/JnP2boSC-FM/v-deo.html
3:10 YES! This is what I always felt about adaptations! The Harry Potter in the film can never be the Harry Potter in the book since Daniel Radcliffe can never be a bunch of words in a page (unless he's actually a wizard).
I usually treat the books and the films (or any adaptation) separate continuities that should be judged separately, never to be compared, no matter the "faithfulness". The vision of the book writer can never be the film director's vision, even if he/she is the same person.
Is it a coincidence that you did sort of the same topic as the most recent Numberphile video?
Joshua Hillerup almost certainly. But a cool coincidence
I was about to mention this.
+ Yeah! I watched numberphile video too. It was very interesting! As always.
@@Dalenthas me as well
If it wasn't, he would have said he had been inspired by them.
Thank you for making this video. I came here after watching a video on Numberphile talking about Hollywood, books and Berkson's paradox. You gave me new perspective to this book vs movie thing.
Were you approached to turn your films into movies or were you actively looking for someone to translate them to the silver screen?
I have an agent, and it's sort of her job to field any interest and also send the book out to producers she wants to work with. I am only involved toward the end of the process, when it comes to actually making a decision. -John
Mr. Green, THANK YOU for this honest and insightful commentary on the process of going from text to film. My IB Literature class must do this for their graded presentation and examine how the text and the author translate to a different medium and also examine fidelity and authenticity, along with other film adaptation terms. Your video will become a corrnerstone of the process and I am grateful.
I really hope TATWD becomes a movie and they do it justice. We'll see!
Some of the greatest movies ever are based on doing wrong by the author. Stanley Kubrick's filmography is basically an exercise in "how can I make a perfect movie without being respectful to the author or my entire cast and crew?" The same applies to the great horror films of the 1930s.
There are also great films that are very respectful to the authors. Lord of the Rings comes to mind, even if Jackson did make a bunch of changes. Stephen King movies come in *both* varieties. The Shining pissed Stephen King off super hard, while IT was much more respectful, yet both came out great.
I think the biggest thing for authors that they need to hear is: the book still exists. A movie that stays faithful to the book won't cause people to read the book because it'll feel repetitive. A movie that diverges from the book will create debate about which was better and create interest for reading the book.
My favorite book is Frankenstein, and it's close to my favorite movie to. If Shelley was alive to see James Whale's adaptation, she would've hated it. But I think 100x more people have even read her book because of the movie. It still would've been popular either way, but having Frankenstein become the most oversaturated IP ever helps. The mystique of the novel isn't just how good it is, but how different is is from almost every pop culture interpretation. All of that lead me to read other books by her like The Last Man and Mathilda, which are books that may have been completely lost to time without Hollywood.
Do you get to visit set? If so, is it fun?
Yeah, I do For The Fault in Our Stars, I was on set probably 75% of the days; for Paper Towns, I was on set almost the entire time. It was a very positive experience in both cases, and super fun, although not without its stresses and worried and everything else. Plus, the rest of my life continued, so I still had to work on the other stuff I work on. But I loved being with the actors and the crew. It's a very special kind of camaraderie. I don't think I'll ever be able to be on a set that much again, because my kids are older and I feel terrible about traveling, but who knows! -John
This is why I love making book vs movie videos on my channel because generally I love both the book & the movie but I like pointing out similarities and differences just like you mentioned with conveying the same meaning or message. It's such an interesting process!
I CANNOT WAIT FOR TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!
We're reading Turtles All the Way Down in my school's book club, and I really love it!
What do you think about book adaptations of movies? Do you think they are redundant?
That ended so suddenly! I was READY for some facts and fun stories about the industry! Can we get a longer video or more parts to this, please!? ♡
"Welcome to my book, Two People Talking in a Room, Sometimes They Go Outside" made me laugh SO HARD lol
I started and finished TATWD in two different places in my life. When I had started it, leaves were still on the trees by my house and my family was getting ready to celebrate the holidays. By the time I had finished the book, it was cold and damp and I had lost my dad. While I had enjoyed the book before that happened, finishing the book after my dad had died opened it up to an entirely new meaning for me. Especially because the main character had lost her father in the same way that I had lost mine; unexpectedly and tragically. It really helped me put into perspective what it happened, and the very idea that eventually I was going to move past it and get better. It was a really powerful and important moment for me.
Thank you, John.
THAT SELF ROAST WAS SO TRUE IM CRYING
I agree with this so much (granted, I'm not an author). When I go see a movie adaptation of a book (or other) that I'm familiar with, I go in curious to see how certain elements were adapted to the format and what had to be "changed" (I'll use that word lightly). I wasn't always this way, but I'm glad I decided to adapt that mindset, because it's a really neat place to be.
Numberphile just did a video on this too! (Though, obviously with an approach more math related, lol)
Hey John, I just wanted to tell you that I did my master's dissertation in film on book to film adaptations and how film critics should discuss them, and I used The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns as my case studies. I wish you'd put out this video 2 months ago so I could've included it! I won't hold it against you though, and can't wait to see any future adaptations made from your novels
on the same day as numberphiles video on the same topic. hmmm.
Cameron Alexander yeah that’s weird huh lol.
Just a coincidence, but it's odd how often that stuff happens on yt! -John
I'm just so excited that TAWTD is going to be a movie, if they'll be able to show us how it feels to be stuck in your head and how it feels to be the friend of someone who's always stuck in her head just as beautifully as you did, I think it will be enough. This book has a special place in my heart, it will always be. Gotta go, I'm gonna read it again.
So, wait...what you’re telling us, John, is that...you DON’T cast movies?
“Welcome to my book, two people are talking in a room, sometimes they go outside” is my new favorite John Green quote. Lol not all books need to be super heavy on action.
Isn‘t it incredible how we all see different things while reading? I have experienced that when the time comes for me to picture a house, apartment or room I most certainly base it on a piece of architecture I have already seen. In an abundance of Katherines his apartment was based on my grandmas old apartment. The house which they lived in during the summer was based on my godparents house. It‘s truly amazing
How does one go about auditioning for TATWD?
being a background actor is fairly simple. Travel to the place where the movie is shot and then submit online to be background actor. (you would be submitting "as a local" and so would pay for all your own food and lodging.
To audition for any of John's films you would need an agent. I am an actor and I have been to many auditions. I have been in short films, on off-off broadway and even produced some videos, one of which has 20,000 views on UA-cam. I have even met agents and casting directors (that I paid to meet- that's how it goes). I don't have an agent. I could not get an audition for a John Green film.
But that's also not currently my focus, as I am now focusing on musical theater, my first passion.
I'm the girl the most happy now ! Jennifer Niven and you, a movie based on the book the more personal you have written... I'm crying.. so much emotion ❤️
Anagram "Orinn", you’re looking for De Niro chase
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The book to movie adaption process is always something that has fascinated me ever since I read Stephen Chobsky talking about changing the song Sam stands onto the back of the car for to Heroes by David Bowie. Here you have an author who, in my mind, should have wanted to be as faithful as possible saying ‘no this is better’ in his decisions as a director. There was just something about that that intrigued me.
This video was super cool to listen to. Really wishing (again) that vlogbrothers videos were longer so I learn more about it from you!
Weird/cool crossover with Numberphile's video today!
ua-cam.com/video/FUD8h9JpEVQ/v-deo.html
Accidental! But yes, very weird! -John
This is actually really cool and insightful! I always wondered how adaptations were made, as well as how much say an author had. Hearing it laid out as "you might get a seat at the table, but it's only one seat, and it's a big table." makes a lot of sense. You said something along the lines of hoping a movie can ask the same questions the book did, and I think that'll help reevaluate how I think about adaptations. Thanks for the great video!
Did you drop an oddly specific part of Hank's book in your video?
One of the most personally useful things you and Hank have taught me is that it's okay that movies are different than the books they are based on and that doesn't necessarily make the movie worse than the book. As a person who aspires to make movies, but also loves books, this has been invaluable for my career. So thanks!
Forrest Gump the movie is definitely better than the book lol
Naomi Williams theres a book?
John, yesterday I finished papertowns (which I bought two days ago in the sweetest little bookshop!) and now I bought looking for Alaska and now I suddenly have five books instead of three and i am traveling with only carry-on stop writing so darn good there is no space in my backpack for more books!
;)
Best movie adaptions:
1. Lord of the Rings
2. Perks of Being a Wallflower
3. Prince Caspian
4. The Hunger Games (first film)
5. Forrest Gump
6. Holes
Worst movie adaptations:
1. Eragon
2. Blood and Chocolate
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
4. Twilight (first film)
5. The Hobbit trilogy
I’m curious why goblet of fire is on the list. I find most of the Harry Potter films to be very true to form, especially since JKR had so much input. Maybe it’s just been a while since I’ve read it
No the best adaptations are ones you don't know are adaptations because the book wasn't good enough to be popular
The first film of the Hobbit trilogy was good. It was also the one that followed the book the most.
This is a good list. I would say Holes is #1 because as an actual adaptation it is almost the book plot point by plot point and yet it still feels like a movie so it succeeds at being both faithful and engaging. LOTR on the other hand is a great adaptation but in many ways is drastically different from the books. Eragon was horrible but let's not kid ourselves and claim the books were any good. The first one was cool because it was written by a guy who started writing it at 15 or 16 but to be fair, it read like a story written by a 16 year old for school just much, much longer. Every book after that; however, continued to feel like a book written by a 16 year old, but he wasn't 16 anymore. His poor writing has become inexcusable.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a terrible adaptation. Every character feels wrong, both when compared to the books and when compared to every other HP movie. I still can't get over Dumbledore yelling every line of dialogue he has like he is an unhinged raving lunatic would is completely out of control. So painful.
And the Hobbit Trilogy is bad.
Percy Jackson was also one of the absolute worst movie adaptations I have ever seen
i think when i see the tatwd movie i’m gonna have to be sedated so i don’t just bawl my eyes out from opening shot through the credits
First?
Nawreen Ahamad yesss
I think that I have gone into so many movies with this exact mimdset that you are talking about - expecting everyone to look like I expect them to and every scene to be like it was described in the book. And I think I have failed myself in doing that because I just never thought of it like that. Thank you John for talking about something that seems small but I think a lot of people like me should have heard a long time ago
Read a book
Watch the movie adaptation
Get disappointed
Complain
Repeat × infinity
As far as the most "faithful" book to movie adaptation I've ever seen and love, I would say it's The Perks of Being a Wallflower...but it's not very often that the author gets to be the screen writer, director, and be involved in the casting. I guess the impressive thing is that other movies ever sometimes get close.
Hahahahaha the quote at 2:56. I’m dying because it’s so true about your novels but that’s also what I love about your writing!
Best quote ever 3:32 I seriously need to remember this when I go see an adaptation or talk to someone about an adaptation.
This video made my top 10 favorite VB videos. I’ve never really thought about book to movie adaptations quite like this. Thank you for helping me see the world more complexly.