A few days ago The Movie Blog (as represented by Ann Ora) had a chance to sit down and chat with Twilight Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg about the film, the challenges that come along with adapting such a popular novel and how she approached it.
The Movie Blog: You were given the daunting task of condensing Twilight, a 600+ page book, into a 110 page screenplay, while at the same time trying to handle the expectations of the huge fan base that Twilight has gathered. Was it intimidating? What principles did you use in deciding what to cut out?
Melissa: In terms of “was it intimidating,” I was not all that aware of the fan base. The minute I became aware of it, I stopped looking because I knew that it would become intimidating. So I purposefully kept myself in the dark because I wanted to be in a place of being able to tell the story and translate the story without the outside influences of the fans. And just to be able to tell the best story possible.
The most important thing [principle] was to stay true to the characters’ emotional arts. There are going to be scenes that are either compilations of a couple of different scenes of the book or missing scenes, but the important thing is if the soul of the book is there and if you go away feeling the same way you feel when you read the book. That’s what my objective was – to keep the soul of the project.
The Movie Blog: Besides introducing the villains early on in the screenplay version, there were virtually no differences I was able to catch. and I guess that’s a good thing. Were there any significant changes you included in the script?
Melissa: That was my absolute objective, if you felt the same. There were actually a lot of adjustments, but again, it’s really about “Did you have the same experience? Am I taking you along for the same emotional ride that Stephenie did?” That was the objective for both Catherine [Hardwicke] and I – to make sure that nothing fell out.
In the middle of the book, there are several chapters that have got question and answer dialogue, which is all very compelling when you are reading, but to see two people sitting and talking for long periods of time is not very entertaining. One of the biggest challenges of condensing the book is that you want to be able to hear that mythology. It was a matter of picking and choosing the specific parts of dialogue and dispersing it through several scenes. As well as having other scenes where that information can come across that isn’t just two people sitting at a table talking.
The other thing that was different was, for example, with Bella’s discovery that Edward is a vampire. In the book, the way he is revealed as a vampire is through a conversation that rolls out over the course of several chapters. It’s the conversation Bella has with him [Edward] in the car that she approaches the idea. What we did was to condense all that and have that a real turning point in the movie, making it more of a confrontation. It was really about hyping up certain moments in the book, condensing long passages, while keeping it true to the book because you are still getting that emotional moment.
The Movie Blog: I did notice a lot of instances in the film where much of the conversation that occurs between characters, such as those between Bella and Edward, were illustrated not by dialogue, but through musical montages. Is that how you wanted to portray a lot of the lengthy dialogue from the book?
Melissa: As a writer, you have to recreate scenes to leave space for the actors to act and the director to direct. You always try to let something be portrayed visually as opposed to verbally.
The Movie Blog: What was the hardest scene(s) for you to cut?
Melissa: There were a few things, but ultimately when I saw the film it was hard to remember what those were. I have to say that I didn’t miss any of those scenes on screen.
The Movie Blog: Did you consult with Stephenie Meyer when writing the screenplay?
Melissa: Yes. Initially, I was very protective of my creative process. I was intimidated by her celebrity and sort of afraid, on some level that I would be overshadowed and my own creative voice would get drowned out. When I met her I realized that was completely unfounded. She is a very down to Earth, grounded and kind person, who was open to collaboration. She ended up being really valuable in terms of giving me insight into the development of the characters.
I approached Twilight the point of view of a reader and I really wanted to adapt the book without any outside influences and to have it be, in some ways, pure. So, when I say “Yeah, I collaborated with Stephenie,” I’m talking everyday, every line. It was like having a writing partner.
The Movie Blog: Was there a character in the book that you could not get a grasp of?
Melissa: Bella’s character was quite interesting. Initially, when I read the book, my first thought was that we should just shoot the entire film in Forks and forget about the parts of the book that are set in Arizona. It was Catherine who expressed how important it was to keep the scenes that were set to shoot in Arizona because it was such a significant part of the book. We then met with Stephenie and she spoke to us about being a normal girl in Phoenix, a land where there was a great deal of money and artificial beauty. She discussed how even an attractive girl would feel out of place in such an environment. Stephenie also touched on Bella’s relationship with her mother, Rene. She illustrated the idea that Rene is the only person that Bella would risk her life for because Rene can’t even take care of herself. Therefore, going back to Arizona to save her and risk her life for her made much more sense to me after Stephenie emphasized that point.
The Movie Blog: The Movie Blog is developing a post on the top 100 film adaptations of a novel. What would be your favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Melissa: I thought The World According to Garth was really well done. I’m also a big John Irving fan, so I would add Cider House Rules. The most recent one I saw was Brokeback Mountain, which is probably one of the best adaptations I’ve ever seen. If you’ve ever read the short story, it’s just so beautiful and spare. They had the opposite challenge that I did, turning 30 pages into a screenplay. It was a true lesson in how to adapt a book into a screenplay.
The Movie Blog: What’s next for you? Will you be involved with the next film, New Moon?
Melissa: We’re talking about it, but nothing has been decided in regard to me being involved in the Twilight saga. I can’t really say much more than that.
I was so excided to see this movie, but then when i saw it, I was so dissapointed, What Happen?. Like they cute a hole chunk out of the book, I was like hey that didnt happen… and what happen to the other scene. I really enjoyed reading the books, so I tought the movie was going to be amazing, and im starting to think that the only reason people (mostly girls) when to watch this movie is because of Edward and the other hotties that came out in the movie. I agree, this isnt the best movie in the world, but it’s also not the worst, I’m sure some of us have seen worst, and wanted our money back!. Hopefully the other films to come arnt as bad as the first, and will change our mind on it. Also peole need to stop obssesing about this film and get over it, Seriously people, our wrolds dont revolve around Twilight!
my e-mail is [email protected]
What happen the book was so good but the moive was lame. The moive left out everything. It made me want to get a refund. And what was in the moive was in a way different order from the book. It almost made me cry because i was so disappointed.
p.s. if you feel the same way e-mail me
please
Okay, I’m going to rant. Melissa since you are responsible for the script of the future New Moon movie PLEASE listen to the fans of the books and be sure include the nuances of the relationships. Twilight was totally lacking the simple little details that made the relationship seem so intense. The meadow scene was completely ruined, Edward did not touch Bella in the tender and endearing way he did in the book (touching her face gently or running his lips down her jawline etc.). They never even told each other the loved one another! The love shown on screen was rushed and completely unbelievable. So………..PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE write the scripts carefully for New Moon. I beg you. I am so upset about the butcher job that was done on Twilight!! You will need to make up for what was lost in Twilight in the beginning of New Moon by amping up the Edward/Bella relationship BEFORE he leaves. Also, please include Edward’s voice in Bella’s head so that it keeps the viewer wondering if he’s there or not. Please give Bella enough meaningful dialog to show her agony and Jacob’s growing love for her. This series deserves a “Harry Potter-ish” level of effort. Thank you.
…sounds like there aren’t many positive things to say about the film.
Are there any fans around here that could let us know what they think?
Trying to sit through that entire movie was just plain PAINFUL! Movie wise overall it was not acceptable. Though the movie did succeed in making the beautiful unique story of Twilight into utter crap. It was a sloppy piece of work as it seemed as if through the whole movie there were dozens of awkward scenes. The many of the actors failed to capture the real essence of their characters. There was horrible chemistry between the characters of Bella and Edward in the movie. Also the atmosphere that the music gave off was totally wrong. I know they were trying to pull off sneaking in some of Stephenie Meyer’s music in some scenes, but it just gave off a confusing emotion mixed in with the weird acting, I didn’t really know what to feel at certain points in the movie. I think that the worst part of all of was that these people who made the movie really just stole dozens of peoples money by giving us a really crappy movie, sticking a popular title in front of it and calling it good movie to watch. And now that this production company is gaining millions of dollars from this disaster they probably think they’ve done a great job and continue making such crap for the rest of the series. Right now I’m really just angry that i actually paid for such a movie. I’m surprised it didn’t just go straight to DVD it was so bad. Hearing that the same people who did this movie are going to make New Moon, i really pray that people get some sense to know what is good and acceptable and what should just be burned to save people the trouble of wasting their time on something a lot of people know could have been better. The thing about this movie is that it didn’t have to turn out THIS BAD! Other movies that were based on books turned out really great in the past such as the Harry Potter movies, and even Lord of the Rings. These are examples of how the Twilight movie was supposed to be like, not exactly like the book, but with the right amount of excitement and proper direction. To be honest this movie was just so bad that there is just no space possible to vent out the anger that I am feeling at this moment. I hope that people, especially Stephenie Meyer’s can be smarter in these very crucial decisions next time, but for now i don’t believe I’ll be trusting any work from people like Catherine Hardwicke with any of my precious money or my time, until someone smartens up and actually realizes that these books and story’s need to be taken into account and be made properly, preferably by someone who knows what they’re doing, has read the books, and can actually relate and understand the most important part of the story, the characters. Because the characters are the ones who carry the story on their backs and bring it to life, without good acting, good directing, then all that is left is something ugly and butchered like the Twilight movie. I hope and I pray that Stephenie Meyer can see this and realize it soon before it’s too late. SAVE TWILIGHT!!
It was very disappointing, from the acting to the lines. Mr. Pattinson looked horrible and co-star, Kristen Stewart, did not help with that. I can’t believe Stephenie Meyer agreed to that horrible version of her wonderful novel. Forgive me but they did not do the book justice. Or maybe it just wasn’t great because the Harry Potter trailer was shown right before, maybe I’m just hard to please. But honestly, if the next book is made into a film, and the acting doesn’t improve, then there’s no point in trusting the movie industry.
My sister is seeing this, but I’m not until the DVD comes out. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the book, and I kinda feel a bit sick when I see people carrying around the books in school, but I will say this: It is gonna make a shitload of bucks because of its huge fanbase. I mean, isn’t it the most read books since Potter? It’ll probably make a ton of money.
Gotta say, the movie was actually pretty good. They could have done more with the CGI. This movie will do big bucks, so hopefully they’ll have more money for the next installment to get the CGI right.
hey john didnt you see a screening already? how was it man? ahh i gotta see zack and miri this weekend so i wont know =/
i heard GREAT reviews on zack and miri
but seriously if anyone sees it tell us cuz…im not watching it THIS week
Melissa said she read ‘The World According to Garth’. Either that is a typo or Wayne Campbell wrote a book. Hope she meant Garp ;)
saw the film today (a friend made me come with) and it wasn’t too bad. most of the parts that i didn’t like had mostly to do with kristen’s ability to credibly deliver lines or lack thereof
Nice interview and a good set of questions. From the trailers it does appear she’s captured the essence of the book, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.
cesihj
the guy from never back down is playing james…
Phil Gee
whats so bad about it? theres been worse movies out there that this site has talked about and this ones getting so much shit…i read the book and they aere okaish…i mean who cares? why are people bitching abotu twilight? theres another fucking spoof movie coming out for christs sake
“oh no end twilight” “twilight is the reason i do drugs”
then dont fucking watch it dude
i dont think its great- the book had a shitload of flaws and the movie wont be great but….its an average movie its not horrible…theres really no reason to act like this over a movie that is getting so many fans.
the only times that its nessesary to bash a movie ALOT is spoofs or horrible movies…but not if they had 10,000 people at comic con
i just dont see why people who arent fans are so obsessed with it
Good God, we can’t get away from this thing can we? I’m starting to understand what people are talking about.
I wonder if Miss Rosenberg has ever read this site.
My wife it going crazy over this movie’s release. Tomorrow night is ‘Girl’s Night Out’. At least she’s not dragging me with her. Although, I’ll probably catch the movie on my own just so I can understand why she raves so much about the series and, eventually, the movie.
hey john whos your favorite character in the movie
i am seeing the movie tomorrow
who plays james in the movie
and were are the uncut podcast i cant watch the live show sometimes and those really help
John have you seen Twilight yet? And once again, I, and several others, ask, where is your Quantum of Solace review?!
I don’t have a good feeling about Twilight, and I probably won’t see the film, but this was an interesting interview.