When is the Movie coming out?
- At May 31, 2014
- By Niel
- In Opinion, Writing
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Since I became an author there are some questions that have come up again and again. They’re often to do with the writing process, how and when I write, where the ideas come from, how I got published, that sort of thing. But there’s one question that has nothing to do with creating books at all: “When is the movie coming out?”
I’d like to think this is a compliment on my visual writing style, or maybe it’s to do with the fast action scenes or Sorrowline‘s big climax that would probably translate quite well into a film. But I think the question has more to do with the general expectation for books today than with my personal writing adventure. We’re so used to modern children’s novels being turned into huge blockbuster franchises that it seems like the expected – the only – path they can take: write a children’s novel (preferably a series of novels), sell the movie rights, make a fortune, become momentarily famous, then step aside for the next big thing. Franchises like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia spring immediately to mind but this is hardly a new phenomenon, it dates back to the early days of cinema. Disney and most other studios have been at it for years! So the expectation that this is the norm is understandable.
If I’m honest I’ve hoped for this too, as I’m sure almost all authors do. Yes, a book is a self-contained world and it doesn’t need to be made into a movie to exist, but movies, even bad ones, bring the books they’re based on to a much wider audience. It’s basic economics: an author’s career is much more secure if there’s a movie or two based on their work. It can allow an author to keep doing the thing they love to do: write. And that’s not a bad thing, is it?
But the movie world is a notoriously fickle beast and many books are optioned by production companies and studios but never get much further than that. They sit on a shelf waiting for the right conditions to blossom. I’ve had this happen to me with an animation TV series I developed a few years ago. I sold the option to a Canadian production company, we negotiated a contract and I was to be Executive Producer and Story Editor! It all sounded too good to be true! And it was. The option ran for three years. In that time we had a few meetings, we did a bit of development work, but not enough to really get things moving. The option expired and that was that. It happens every day. But not to me. This was a potentially life-changing moment! We’d even started making plans to move to Toronto for the duration of the production! So when it almost happened again with Sorrowline I was a little bit more cautious – but it’s hard to keep my excitement in check!
Interest in the film rights came over a year before publication, from a Hollywood production company who had a track record in making films that I’d actually heard of! They’d even handled a few children’s book adaptations before! So when they asked to meet I’ll admit I forgot all of the pain I’d gone through with the TV option and jumped on a train to London. My literary agent, Juliet Mushens, had set the meeting up with the studio exec who insisted on a mid-morning breakfast at Claridges. I’m not sure if this was designed to intimidate or impress me but, as a northerner and a new writer it managed to do a bit of both.
We met, we ate breakfast, we talked about the movie(s), about the huge scale of them, and how they wanted me to be at the heart of them! Oh, and would I like to write the screenplay? How soon can you start? You can imagine how hard it was to keep my feet on the ground. Throughout the meeting I kept looking up at the beautiful Medusa chandelier directly above our table and thinking how odd and interesting it was. It pretty much summed up the whole meeting.
Over two years later and I’ve yet to write the screenplay and we’ve yet to sign a deal. All the urgency of the first meeting has fizzled out but we still hear from the production company from time to time. They’re still interested, they say. They still love the concept and want to make a movie. After all, this is Hollywood, where no one ever says NO, but rarely says YES!
There’s been other interest too, for TV rights, but for now I’m happy to put my energy into my third book. I’m enjoying the writing process without the worry of what to wear to the première. That said, if anyone wants to make a movie or two and has a big bucket of cash to burn do feel free to call.
Firsts and Lasts: my Read Regional adventure!
- At May 22, 2014
- By Niel
- In Events/News
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Niel ends his Read Regional adventure in Thorne. (Picture copyright Doncaster Libraries)
It’s hard to believe it’s over already! Yesterday was my last Read Regional event, at a library in Thorne near Doncaster. And what a great way to finish; the pupils from King Edward School were attentive, engaging and asked some great questions.
I’ve enjoyed all of the events I’ve done in very different ways. They’ve varied from small presentations and creative writing workshops for 20 or 30 pupils up to a 300 plus crowd of teenagers in a tiered school hall. I can imagine how comedians feel as they stare at those rows of seats, each set of eyes demanding to be entertained! I’ve certainly learned a lot doing these talks!
Young people are naturally creative and this is something that, for many reasons, they often lose as they grow up. Imagination and creativity are sometimes undervalued in school children, after all these are not things that can be easily measured by Ofsted or in a GCSE, but they are fundamental to almost every walk of life from innovation to business and even sport. The teachers and librarians I’ve met understand the value of creativity and do more than their bit to nurture it in their pupils.
But it’s not all been creative fun! I’ve had more than a few bizarre questions that have stopped me in my tracks. Most authors are used to the typical questions they might get at an event: Where do you get your ideas from? How much do you earn? What’s your favourite author? But it’s the left-field questions that linger in the mind the longest: What’s your favourite word? What do you regret most in your life? Can you do a back flip? (If you’re interested the answers to all those questions are: All over the place! About 50p per book. I have lots but I’d probably say Alan Moore, Arthur C Clarke and Douglas Adams. Follicle. Not going to University. No.)
The experience has challenged me, and I think I’ve grown into the role as I’ve done more events. The best part has been the overwhelming enthusiasm I’ve seen for books and stories, and being able to meet and talk with so many keen readers who have bought my books and asked me to sign them. Their love of reading is obvious to see.
I’ll leave you with a few stats from my Read Regional adventure:
Events: 8
Distance travelled: 897 miles
Wrong turns taken: 7
Cans of diet coke consumed: 15
Pupils at events: 615
Pupils falling off chairs: 1
Pupils with nosebleeds: 1
Questions asked: 136
HR Giger – master of nightmares
- At May 13, 2014
- By Niel
- In Artists
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When I was ten I got a poster of the alien from Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic of the same name. It would be years until I got to see the movie, but there was something about the unique design that grabbed my attention.
I shared a room with my brother back then and he didn’t take well to the giant poster going up on the back of our bedroom door. He complained to my mother and the poster had to go. But the memory of that strange elongated eyeless skull remained with me. HR Giger was the man responsible for the alien, as well as contributing to the look of the entire movie, from the space jockey and his derelict ship to the face-huggers. His iconic designs have been replicated, stolen and parodied by generations of artists and film-makers ever since.
And of course it didn’t end there. James Cameron’s Aliens was released when I was at college. Me and my friend, Gordon Fraser, bunked off lessons to go and see it as soon as it came out. It blew our young minds out of our ears. So it was no surprise that some of my comic art portfolio of that time would include a few Giger inspired pieces.
It was announced today that Giger, aged 74, died after falling down stairs at his Zurich home. He leaves behind a compelling, yet disturbing creative legacy, and I’m sure the creature that he helped create will continue to haunt young minds for a long time to come.
Snapshots from Sweden
- At May 10, 2014
- By Niel
- In Events/News, Talks/Events
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Last year I was lucky enough to be asked by New Writing North to go to the Gothenburg Book Fair in Sweden. I had a great time and made some new friends, including Jan Smedh from The English Bookshop in Uppsala, Sweden. Since then Jan and I have stayed in touch and he was kind enough to invite me over to his bookshop in Uppsala.
Jan arranged two events, the first was part of his regular Doctor Who night. I met his loyal and eccentric customers, many of them in costume (including a knitted Dalek dress!), and told them about my work on the Ice Warriors animation for the Doctor Who DVD range. The event was packed, and seemed to go down really well.
There was even Dalek themed cake. Afterwards Jan asked me to sign the stockroom door frame, alongside Sylvester McCoy and Robin Hobb! I was honoured! The shop itself is well worth a visit, crammed full of books and full of old fashioned bookshop charm.
The second event was in the nearby Upsalla Library where Jan interviewed me about my writing. A troupe of students from a nearby school had all read Sorrowline and were armed with some very in-depth questions. They were kind enough to buy copies of Timesmith as well!
Jan even took time out to take me on a grand walking tour of Uppsala, pointing out the town’s history – and it turns out everyone knows him! He’s living in the Swedish Bedford Falls! I had a really good time and Jan was the perfect host, he and his lovely wife, Isabella, kept me topped up with excellent home cooked Swedish delights! Hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m able to return to the beauty of Scandinavia.