ADAPTATION VS EXPECTATION PART 2

To pick up where we last left I want to say that going to the movie should be a grand time and not just a run of the mill experience. Be it that you are a fan or you are someone that is interested in seeing a motion picture, going out of your house and traveling to a multiplex to seeing a motion picture on the big screen should be treated an event because you and a massive number of other individuals have flocked to the theater from all walks of life, all different beliefs and lifestyles and are sitting down in a dark room and sharing an experience. One that only one experiences by going to the theater to enjoy a film. It's a lot of money being spent between parking, concession, the ticket prices themselves and if you need babysitters for your children. So taking all of those things into account let us circle back into the discussion previously in the first part. 

For the moviegoers that have Pre-Knowledge and have been saving up money and made customs for the midnight showing or being at the theater for the first showing on opening day, it is a big deal for them and it is understandable if disappointment sets in that you're favorite moments from the source material were not captured or included in the film. It is understandable to rant about you having spent a lot of money on the traveling and expenses to make the night an epic experience that exceed your expectations. It is understandable that you feel as thought you do not agree with the direction that the plot was taken by the creative team behind it and that you may not agree with the casting choices and you have had your own group of actors in mind that would have done better in the roles then those that were officially cast. But it is not understandable to feel entitled. 

Entitlement is what is the massive issue that can be faced with dealing with fans of the original material. What makes it an issue is dealing once again that there are times that fans feel as though mentally that because they have invested money in buying the books and the merchandise, that they are owed an exact or a close to verbatim film version of the material. The big thing that fans have to take into account, first in foremost, is that the motion picture industry is a business before anything else. When a director and writer is signed on to create the film they are not signing the contract with stating anything with fans in mind, only to meet the obligations set forth by the company funding the production.

Often at times individuals do think that it is best to hire a director that is a fan of the source material and believing that it is  better for the film to appeal to the fans of the original material. Ideally this sounds good but the issue that can be brought up is that having a fan direct is one thing and it can help with the tone and the nature of the story of the film adaptation. But a fan could also muddy the waters for the creative process of the story trying to incorporate as much story from the original source material. The best kind of director that is also a fan is the one whom will add something new to the film adaptation and not revere the original material to the point that they shackle themselves to it. A good director and fan will be able to separate him or herself from their fandom and focus on the task at hand and make the best story as possible for both the fans and regular moviegoers alike. 

A filmmaker that is working for a big budget company is not going to have that much say in the final edit of things if he is not the main source of financing a film. The director can do the best job he or she can do to be able to make everything come together from preproduction to post production. As a fan, one must take into account that everything is good and that the production team really are trying their best to make the best film as possible.