Early in the morning on Wednesday, November, Ye Wei and Gia made an appointment to meet at the Barrington Dog Park, mainly for his morning exercise and dog walking, but Gia had been waiting in the parking lot earlier.
"There are 150 pictures here." Gia's face looked tired from staying up late, but her eyes were shining with excitement.
"Very good" Ye Wei took the thick stack of lined paper and turned it over. He saw that the words "plea" and "don't" were written in black pen on each page, and they were not written according to the grid. Write. He nodded. Gia completed the task brilliantly. This idea actually came up last night. Maybe this thing can really work wonders.
"What is this?" Gia shook her sore right hand. Now that she has done it, of course she has to ask, otherwise how can she learn.
"You haven't seen "The Lovely Bones"?" Ye Wei was still checking every piece of paper carefully. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, but there was absolutely no problem.
Gia shrugged her shoulders, "I am not very interested in this story. Now that I have joined, I will buy a copy today."
Ye Wei took out a brand new TLB from the dashboard of the Volkswagen car next to him, opened the page of the first chapter, and handed the book to her, "Have a look." He continued to check the paper, and was tied to Toto, who was beside the car, was impatient to wait, "Woof!"
Gia took the book and read it. When she read this paragraph, she suddenly understood:
(¡°Please,¡± I say; ¡°Don¡¯t do this,¡± I say; sometimes I use both: ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this¡± or ¡°No, please.¡± It¡¯s like the key doesn¡¯t work. , desperately holding it to open the door, or watching the softball fly past you and into the stands, and keep shouting: "I caught it, I caught it, I caught it.")
This is the passage when Susie was brutally raped by Mr. Harvey, and she begged after her resistance failed.
"Are you ready?" Gia asked. Ye Wei sighed deeply and said: "What is written on these papers is Susie's pain. It is a key that can open the source of pain. If Alice Sebold really loves Susie, then Peter - Jackson is finished.¡±
Gia was excited when she heard that, "Is it today? I'll go with you."
Ye Wei looked at her and said, "Go to school."
"Why don't you go to school?"
"Because even so, my test scores are still better than yours."
"Uh" Gia spread her hands, "I have already asked for leave. If you don't take me with you, I will just wander on the street."
¡¡
Alice Sebold and her writer husband Glenn David Gold live in Los Angeles, and Peter Jackson is also in Los Angeles for the upcoming release of "King Kong." The Thanksgiving holiday will be in two days, and everyone hopes to have an answer before then, so the interview will be held today.
In the morning it was Ye Wei¡¯s time, and then in the afternoon it was the tripartite talks.
Julia Roberts was very nervous about what happened today. Although it was just a matter of luck, she still had high expectations. After all, viy can always bring surprises.
She is not the only one who is nervous. Peter Jackson and Ye Wei's new projects have already attracted much attention. Now they meet together, and it is tlb, a project that affects the nerves of film producers. No matter who wins or loses this time, people Looking forward to the results.
It was almost time, Ye Wei took his assistant Gia and drove to Gold's house in Pasadena, north of the city, a villa near the beautiful mountains and forests.
"Welcome, welcome." Alice and Gold went to the front garden to greet the guests. The middle-aged couple, both in their early 40s, had warm smiles on their faces.
"Nice to meet you." Ye Wei was also very enthusiastic. After getting to know each other again in person, he praised: "Glenn, Alice, I have read all your works, they are great. Glenn, your "Carter Defeats" "Devils" also has the potential to be adapted into a movie, but its style is not something I'm good at, and I think Tim Burton would be perfect for it."
Gold smiled even more when he heard this, "Thank you."
At the moment, Ye Wei followed the Golds towards the quaint big house, laughing and chatting as they walked.
Gia followed with a smile, watching and learning. This is not the director's part, this is the producer's part, about how to obtain the right to adapt the novel.
Look at this guy! So clever, he didn't rush to talk about TLB as soon as he came, but he couldn't stop talking about "Carter Defeats the Devil", as if he came today just for it, but instead he ignored the real owner, Sebold. But everyone knows today¡¯s situation. Look at Sibald¡¯s smile.?Some women don¡¯t like others to praise their husbands, right?
The most amazing thing is that he is not just talking nonsense, he has obviously really read it carefully and appreciates it, and he speaks clearly and logically, such as "Magician" and "Big Fish".
Gold¡¯s reputation is much lower than that of his wife. Looking at his spirit, it is written on his face that he feels flattered.
They are famous writers, but this is viy, a 17-year-old film genius. Who doesn¡¯t have some joy and respect for him?
During the conversation, everyone went to an elegant living room in the house. Ye Wei and Gia both ordered tea and continued to talk with them about movies or literature. Gia had already been told by him not to talk nonsense, and she couldn't say anything. Her background in all aspects was too different.
Gradually, they started talking about TLB's adaptation rights, and the atmosphere became serious. However, after getting along for a while, Ye Wei and the Gold couple became like old friends, and they almost didn't make an appointment for the Thanksgiving holiday. Where to travel together.
Gia finally understood how she got on the pirate ship in the first place. This guy was a damn social butterfly.
"Wei, we are so happy that you want to film "The Lovely Bones."" Alice said sincerely, and Gold nodded and said, "We are really shocked."
Alice raised the cup and took a sip of tea, and then said: "I believe that with your talent, you can make it into a good movie. It's just that this work is too important to me, and I must make the most appropriate decision for it." There are three prerequisites. I want to make it clear first, and Peter has already agreed.¡±
"Please tell me." Ye Wei had already expected this. One of the main reasons why tlb was difficult to give birth to was that the original author sitting on the sofa opposite did not delegate power.
"First of all, I will hand over the adaptation rights to someone who respects the original work. I don't want the Lynne Ramsey incident to happen again." Alice said seriously and modestly, not wanting anyone to misunderstand her as being unreasonably arrogant. I don¡¯t want to completely follow the original work, I want the relationship between the characters and the ending not to be changed.¡±
Ye Wei nodded without hesitation, "No problem. I don't understand what Ramsey is thinking either. You don't know how much I hate 'Mr. Harvey'."
He allowed the anger in his heart to leak out and spoke in a low voice: "I don't just want him to die, I want to kill him with my own hands. I want him to go to hell and suffer forever after he dies."
Gia saw Alice's expression change, something was different, Master Gia, learn more, learn more
"I'm glad you said that." Alice nodded, Gold hugged her shoulders comfortingly, and Alice added: "I want to have the right to decide and recommend the actor of 'Susie'."
In other words, she needs to approve who will play Susie, and she can also recommend candidates.
"I don't mind." Ye Wei agreed without hesitation. Peter Jackson even agreed, could he say no? And this condition is not excessive.
It is normal for authors to want to recommend actors. Many authors have already thought of a list of actors when creating. The young author has no right to speak. It would be great to see the work adapted into a film and television. But for a super best-seller like TLB, it is strange that the original author did not ask the actors. Compared with JK Rowling, Alice's request is nothing.
But he still had another task. Ye Wei changed his mind and asked, "Do you have any favorite actors now?"
"I don't have a favorite one yet. A few years ago, I wanted Emily Browning to play the role. She looked very much like my Susie." Alice said with a smile, "Last year I watched "Raymond Sneezy" "The Unfortunate Adventures of Qi", she didn't look like her when she grew up, I don't know what she is like now."
"I don't know, I don't know her. Emily Browning is good." Ye Wei added in his heart, but it's not good enough. It has nothing to do with the past grudge of "avoiding sight". Browning has Susie's neighbor. A domestic girl, a little rebellious, but without spirit.
It¡¯s just the negotiation stage now. There¡¯s no need to argue if you have any ideas. Obtaining the adaptation rights is the first priority. Even if Alice recommends Kristen Stewart, he will say it¡¯s good. In fact, it has nothing to do with grudges, it really doesn't work, she is a completely different type.
"I can promise you this. I understand every creator's feelings about their works. This is a reasonable request. Of course, the final candidate needs to be an excellent actor, and preferably a good temper. In any case, I think 'Susie 'It's impossible to find them, we can only try to find a good one."
Ye Wei¡¯s words won Alice¡¯s heart. Gia noticed her little movements. When she was happy, the corners of her eyes would slightly curl.
"The other thing is that I hope the movie can be shot in Malvern, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I grew up." Alice said the last prerequisite.
¡°I think it¡¯s okay to shoot the subject there. The old feel of Philadelphia is very suitable for the story of 70 years.¡±?? background. "Ye Wei nodded after thinking for a while, and then said: "I miss it there too. When I was 7 or 8 years old, my parents and I went to Philadelphia for a trip. Ten years later, I still remember the unique taste of the cheesesteak sandwich. "
look! The corners of her eyes crinkled again. Gia secretly shouted, is he telling the truth or lies? Chee steak?
"I vaguely remember was it inside or outside the store we visited? The walls were covered with photos of celebrities. I thought, why not hang mine up?" Ye Wei said with a smile, "Next time I go back to Philadelphia, I must go to that store again, then my dream has come true, I wonder if it is still there.¡±
Alice and Gold were both smiling. She smiled and said, "The store you are talking about should be Pat's-King-of-Steak. That's the origin of the cheesesteak sandwich. It's still there." Gold "Every time we go back to Philadelphia, we almost always go there," he said.
"That's awesome." Ye Wei looked surprised.
Seeing the three of them talking enthusiastically about Chee Steak, a specialty delicacy in Philadelphia, Gia was really shocked. He must be serious, otherwise it would be too scary and too producer!
¡°Whether it¡¯s true or not, it¡¯s just that the producers can¡¯t win the adaptation rights of tlb. It¡¯s not that the Golds have no choice, and it¡¯s better on paper.
After discussing the prerequisites, Ye Wei took a sip of tea and formally talked about his understanding, feelings and assumptions about tlb. For a while, the only voice in the living room was:
"I will make it into a literary film. Unlike LMS, there will be no black humor. Although there is a lot of humor in the book, after Susie is killed, there will be no more humor on the screen.
We know that there is a huge difference in carrying capacity between movies and novels. The carrying capacity of movies is limited, but that of novels is unlimited. The default film length of tlb is 120 minutes. It is absolutely impossible to accommodate all the content and details in the book in such a short time. We need to select materials. The biggest question is, how to select materials to achieve emotional unity?
The story of the book breaks time and space. It has the present and the past, and the time span is very large. It has content about family, campus, and heaven. The different changes of different characters interweave and influence each other. When reading a novel, you can read it slowly and feel it carefully. Many atmospheres and emotions can coexist; but this cannot be done with a movie. The movie is too short and too fast. It is only enough to experience one emotion at a time. A comedy must be funny and a tragedy must be funny. Sad. "
Ye Wei spoke slowly, confidently and naturally. Gia felt that she really had something to learn as she watched and listened, while the Golds were all fascinated.
"I'm not saying it must be adapted this way. Let's try using a three-act structure.
The first scene shows Susie¡¯s wonderful life, warmth, true love and hope.
The first turning point was when Susie was killed and everything was destroyed.
In the second act, Susie undergoes various changes after her murder, from everyone falling into the abyss of darkness to the wounds gradually healing. The truth of the case is also gradually being discovered.
The second turning point is that something happened to Mr. Salmon and Mrs. Salmon went home.
In the third act, the whole family ushered in a new life, and Mr. Harvey also died, and Susie finally rested in peace.
¡°In 120 minutes, we can¡¯t film the fun and embarrassing stories of Susie, Lindsey or Buckley when they were children, and the love story of Mr. and Mrs. Shamoon. All these background introductions should be done at the beginning of the first act. These are easy to solve, but they are not paradise. Paradise is the real trouble. "
Ye Wei paused.
The entranced Alice woke up and asked: "What happened to heaven?"
"According to the paradise in the book, the setting and plot, if it were filmed like that, it would seriously damage the emotional unity."
Ye Wei spoke very slowly and seriously: "I know how important heaven is to this story. It is good in the novel. Readers can feel Susie's true emotions through her specific and delicate confessions, and they can also have their own imagination space.
But the movie! If, I mean, if it were shot according to Mr. Jackson's vision, it would definitely be too happy and gaudy, with the birds singing and the flowers fragrant when the mood is good?
When a fairyland scene appears after a person dies tragically, if she is still playing around there, like Susie and Hallie playing instruments and fashions in Chapter 2, it will be a disaster for the movie! Movies don't leave room for imagination, but movies realize people's imagination. From the text, we can imagine that Susie and Hallie are actually enjoying themselves in hardship. In the image, this kind of scene will wash away the whole story.
Think about it, at the first turning point, on one side is the grief in the world, and on the other side is Susie having fun in heaven? When we are on a sad track, we are suddenly pulled to another completely opposite track. This kind of emotional disunity, even if it only occurs once, will ruin the entire movie, making it confusing and funny, this is not okay. "
"Oh" Alice and Gold both frowned, seemed to be a little hesitant, what Peter Jackson said must be different. Alice asked: "What do you think?"
"I haven't completely thought about how to deal with heaven." Ye Wei pursed his lips and shrugged, "No matter what, my movie must achieve emotional unity."
Gia nodded with deep understanding.
One morning, Ye Wei and the Golds talked a lot. Gia discovered at such a close distance that the gap between herself and viy was already ten Buzz Lightyears. When "Wedding Day is Coming", she was probably just one, producer. , Director, this guy is really good! But he hasn't used the paper yet, and he doesn't know what he has in mind.
During lunch, everyone stopped talking about tlb and chatted about some relaxed daily life. In the afternoon, the Peter Jackson team came.
¡°Viy almost scolded Jackson in the morningbut Jackson and the others responded so nervously.