Hey, everyone! I've got a very special post for you today! This year I decided to give Nori's Book Blogger Creativity Project a try, and I was placed on Team Magenta. Our team is made up of a few different bloggers - Nori, Cody, Sarena + Sasha, Tamara, and Lynette. Together, we decided that it would be fun to try to take books that we loved and prepare them for adaptation for the silver screen.
First Things First
What is the Book Blogger Creativity Project?
The Book Blogger Creativity Project is hosted by Nori @ ReadWriteLove28. The event is being hosted this summer and featured on the blogs of 75 book bloggers from around the globe. The goal of the project is to bring creativity back into the world of book blogging.
Team Magenta
Pages to Pictures
Erin - Me
Together, the above bloggers and I make up Team Magenta of the Book Blogger Positivity Project. We tossed around a few different ideas, many of which are still top secret, and we came up with the idea of adapting beloved books into movies. Now obviously none of us have the wallet the size of Hollywood, but if we did, we would come up with some awesome movies for YA lovers.
Pages to Pictures: Eleanor & Park
Okay... so I went for a novel that it well loved among the book community and one that is technically in development to become a major motion picture. Because we haven't heard any news in a while, I decided to take this book that I loved so much and give it a Hollywood makeover.
The Book
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: February 23, 2013
Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.
Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.
Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.
Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.
The Movie
Cast
You can't make a film out of Eleanor & Park without having your central characters - Eleanor and Park. I know that Rainbow Rowell would rather have unknown/undiscovered actors play these two beloved characters, and I agree. Now I know friends who work in theatre, and I have heard of some up and coming actors from time to time, but I won't go that route. So instead of choosing completely unknown actors, I'm going to just cast people who I think would do an exemplary job of bringing these characters to life.
Emma Kenney isn't exactly new to show business, and her resume includes small roles in movies and TV shows. She has most recently appeared on Showtime's TV show, Shameless as Debbie Gallagher. She's also done some voice acting, playing Marigold Girl in Epic. I think her smaller resume would work for her right now because she's not too well known. She also kind of looks like what I imagine Eleanor to look like. Plus she's sixteen, so I think that would really make a film version of Eleanor & Park seem a bit more realistic.
Park - Yeo Jin Goo
Yeo Jin Goo is another teenage actor who I think would make a film version of Rainbow Rowell's beloved novel seem fun and practical. (I'm a fan of teenagers and young adults playing the characters from YA books.) I know he's not the way I imagined Park in my head, but I think he could pull off the part. He's been acting since he was a child, and has quite an impressive resume for someone so young. He's been in several TV shows and movies, as well as a few music videos. Now I'm not sure if he speaks English, but if he can, I think he'd make a pretty cool Park for all of us!
Film Location
Because of the book's setting and because it's Rainbow Rowell's hometown, I only think it's right to film this movie in Omaha, Nebraska. Now of course some things have probably changed in Omaha since 1986, so some scenes may have to be recorded on sound stages or edited, but I think it would be perfect to actually film most of the movie in Omaha. Plus can you imagine the scenes on the bus and actually being able to see bits and pieces of Omaha in the background? It would be perfect!
Wardrobe
So for Eleanor's wardrobe, I kind of wanted it to look like a young teenager with little to no money went to a thrift store and just bought whatever would fit her without even trying it on. As far as clothes go, I've included a lot of ripped jeans so Eleanor can personalize them over time with colorful patches. I also think she'd have a few men's shirts in her dresser drawers just because her clothes don't exactly fit her right.
For Park's look, I wanted to make him look a little more refined than Eleanor. As far as clothes, I think Park would have a closet full of t-shirts, so I included a few in this set. I also think he'd have a few different types of pants that he would be able to switch in and out of depending on where he'd have to go. I feel like he would never leave home without a pair of headphones, and I felt like the beanie would be a nice hat for winter in Nebraska.
Scenes to Include
I don't know about you, but I love seeing montages in films. I think it would be especially sweet to see a video montage of Eleanor and Park getting to know each other on the bus by reading comic and listening to music. I'd prefer this montage to be set to a song by The Smiths, but I'm sure any song that goes with the book would go great with it.
I also think some important scenes to include will be the ones that will be hard to watch. Yes, I'm talking about actually seeing some of the emotional abuse that goes on in Eleanor's home. I think it would really make moviegoers understand everything that Eleanor has to deal with when she's not at home or with Park.
What Do You Think?
Now you've seen how I would envision a movie for Eleanor & Park, but I want to know what you think of it. Do you agree with my casting and wardrobe choices or would you pick other actors and styles for them? Feel free to let me know below in the comments.
Oh, and be sure to check out the rest of the posts from Team Magenta's Pages to Pictures Book Blogger Creativity Project challenge throughout the week!
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