This has nothing to do with the previous post

[ratherastory]

Okay, so say someone gave you a prompt to write a fic based off a well-known movie. You think "Hey, cool!" and start giving the story some serious thought.

How on earth do you manage to breathe originality into your fic while (mostly) sticking to the plot of the movie? Or do you have to deviate from the original plot?

Flist, I'm looking at you. Who here has written totally non-canon AUs based off movies or novels or TV shows? How did you do it?

Anyone else have theories? Suggestions? Crackpot notions?

Comments

[maerhys.livejournal.com]

I am getting ready to.... I am basically using the book canon as the first act and then the rest of the fic works as a coda of sorts to the original canon. It's a really hard thing to do, in my experience.

[nyoka.livejournal.com]

There's been tons and tons of movie AUs written in this fandom and people approach them all kinds of ways. Some do a rewrite of the movie, bringing in characters and traits from SPN/RPF canon but keeping close to the movie canon itself. Some do more of a fusion, where the characters enter the pre-existing movie universe and then branch off from there into their own story.

So it's up to you -- stick to the plot or deviate, it's all good. I've read and enjoyed both sorts of stories. I love movie!AUs.

[twirlycurls.livejournal.com]

I'm slowly working on an AU of the movie "Shutter Island" and finding it more difficult than I anticipated. I keep changing my mind about how closely I want to follow the plot and how much I just want to keep the general themes and feel and take it my own way.

I'll be watching the responses you get here closely, because right now I'm a bit stuck.

[claudiapriscus.livejournal.com]

I think it would depend on the movie. The simplest ones to do would be the kind where you could have the characters from fandom Y fight the bad guy/monster/serial killer, instead of characters from movie X. Like a crossover, but without the character interaction. Then all you have to do is be true to the threat; the characters can react to it as they actually would.

The tricky thing is the ones that simply force characters A into the plot of movie(/tv show/book) B- I mean, I've seen a couple where Sam and Dean have taken the place of River and Simon in Firefly, or the place of the brothers of the Boondock Saints etc etc. I find these kind of boring actually, because it's often the exact same story and characters, with a few random actual!show details thrown in.

The far trickiest thing but usually the more interesting that I've seen is where the movie is treated like a remix fic. So you've got an AU but utterly recognizable version of your characters running around in what was originally the background to the main plot (like... Edwardian Sam and Dean, running around the Titanic, having their own drama, sneaking into the upper class stuff and being really annoyed about the people getting it on in the backseat of their car). That's actually not the best example, but it's early and my brain isn't quite firing on all cylinders. But I think the idea is that you find an image or idea or theme from both texts and then warp them both around it, so that what comes out is something familiar but also utterly unexpected.

[icelily01.livejournal.com]

I sort of did. I wrote a fic based off of The Time Traveler's Wife and made it Dean/Sam. I took elements of that story (the time traveler, the having a wife in your present and a love in your past, the struggle with wanting to be one place or another) and then just developed it in a Supernatural way (as in Sam was still going to grow up and have to deal with the apocalypse, John was there, Dean was still the older protector just not his brother).

So I'd say in some cases, you can just pick and choose from pieces of canon and work them into your version, so that it's still recognizable as being based of the original but still has a new feel to it. Which probably didn't help at all. I fail at explaining. I'm sorry lol

[hiddenfacade.livejournal.com]

I didn't do it, but Goldenusagi wrote Advent, a Dean/Castiel fic based off of a movie.

Goldenusagi wrote this post http://goldenusagi.livejournal.com/288172.html explaining how she did it and how closely she followed the movie plot/storyline and where she deviated and even why.

She pointed out what she changed and why and what she didn't change. I think it'd help you if you read it.

[kasman.livejournal.com]

Zuben_eschamali did it pretty well in The Winchester Identity...

[liliaeth]

I'll admit, I'm not usually a fan of that kind of thing,but if you were to write something like that, I'd suggest to take the basic premise of the movie/story you're adapting and then think 'what would these characters actually do in this situation?'

Forget the basic plot of the movie, just think characters; How would they react, what would they say, things like that.

[harrigan.livejournal.com]

Now I'm SO curious what movie! And what makes it an intriguing fit for Supernatural?

I confess, I enjoy a well-written J2AU from time to time, and lots of those are rooted in movies. But then, they aren't Jensen and Jared in those stories - they are completely different individuals that look like Jensen and Jared (and that we could imagine playing those parts).

I think it's a lot harder to come up with a Supernatural AU based on a movie. Are they brothers? Are they ghosthunters? Did they have a gypsy lifestyle growing up? Are there trust issues as adults? What? (I'm reading an SPN AU WIP right now, and have no idea why she named the characters Sam and Dean: they have zero resemblance to the Winchester brothers.)

Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is, my vote would be to take all the liberties with movie plot that you need in order to make it recognizably about the characters we are so invested in, and their challenges. Can't wait to see what emerges!

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

*coughmumble* It'sactuallyJ2eventhoughItotallydon'twriteRPS*coughmumble*

The movie is Avatar. :)

[honeylocusttree.livejournal.com]

Play to your strengths. Stick with what you do best and play that up, and let the rest follow along. Every writer is unique and your own style with inject a fresh quality that differs at a fundamental level from that of the movie's original writers.

Plus, there's nothing new under the sun and every plot has already been done. Look for the fundamental elements and peel away all the window dressing. Start with the bare bones and layer your own reality over top.

[harrigan.livejournal.com]

[coughmumble] I have a J2AU all plotted and the first 5K written too [coughmumble]. But no time to pursue it... Anyway, have you ever looked at
j2_everafter? Lots of variety there to see what does and doesn't work for you in terms of making the fic your own.

Take the main premise, the setting, and then just go wild with it, not worrying about sticking too closely to plot details from the movie. I totally think you'll rock that movie!

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

I hadn't seen that, but I will check it out! Thanks!

This is roque_clasique's fault. Not only am I contemplating RPF, but it might turn into RPS. God. Since when do I write J2? Even if Jared turns out to be a big blue alien instead...

[roque-clasique.livejournal.com]

YAY OMG WAS IT THE MOVIE I WANTED OMG

[roque-clasique.livejournal.com]

OMG IT WAS I SHOULD'VE READ THE OTHER COMMENTS FIRST YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

This is all your fault.

The fic won't be written until December at the earliest, though. Don't hold your breath.

God. You're making me write RPS. I can't believe you.

[roque-clasique.livejournal.com]

I WON'T HOLD MY BREATH I AM TOTALLY BREATHING AS WE SPEAK. (my breath is held for more Fusion, LOL.)

You and your ambition, I LOVE IT.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

I'm cutting back on challenges with deadlines so that I have the breathing room to work on all the other cool stuff I want to do.

*headdesk*

I think I may be too ridiculously ambitious for my own good. I'm just having way too much fun to stop.