Filmmaker Carol Morley discusses the challenges of adapting her own novel for the screen, including the difficulties she faced and the emotions it brought back. She also talks about the process of selling a screenplay and waiting for film companies' response. The podcast explores the inspirations for the film, the use of character profiles, and dealing with rejection. It emphasizes the power of self-belief and setting goals in the writing process.
Adapting her own work into a screenplay brought back difficult emotions surrounding her father's suicide, leading to a dark period of adaptation.
Creating a visually appealing pitch deck with details, inspiration from other films, and emphasis on universal themes is crucial for attracting financing and appealing to a wide audience.
Deep dives
Adapting Seven Miles Out for the Screen
Filmmaker Carol Moly adapts her novel, Seven Miles Out, into a screenplay. Initially, she thought the process would be simple, but she realizes she must revisit the emotions surrounding her own father's suicide. Moly delves into deep research to authentically portray the era and her own feelings, leading to a dark period of adaptation. She aims to be more objective in the screenplay and creates a structure that escalates the story more dramatically than the episodic nature of the novel.
Creating a Detailed Script and Receiving Feedback
Moly believes that a script must serve multiple purposes, attracting financing, department heads, and actors. She meticulously includes details in her script, using lighting and visual cues to enhance mood and tone. Moly embraces feedback from script editors and film companies, willing to consider changes that align with her vision but ensuring the story remains intact. She understands that the process of finding funding and maneuvering the film industry involves numerous rejections before eventual success.
Selling the Screenplay with a Pitch Deck
Moly develops a pitch deck, a visually appealing document condensing the screenplay and conveying the look, feel, and story of the film. The pitch deck includes images from the 70s and 80s, critical reviews, character descriptions, and inspiration from other films. She aims to appeal to a wide audience, emphasizing the film's universal themes while targeting specific demographics. Despite receiving negative responses from film companies, Moly remains determined and resilient, believing in the power of self-belief to make her film a reality.
Carol Morley is known for films like The Falling, Dreams Of A Life, and her most recent work, Typist Artist Pirate King.
Her next movie is an adaptation of her autobiographical novel Seven Miles Out. It’s about a teenage girl coming to terms with her father's suicide, and not one word of the book has made its way into the screenplay. Carol tells Stephen Hughes why she was surprised by how difficult it was to adapt her own work, and how it brought back thoughts and feelings she thought she'd learned to live with. Carol also reveals that selling a script is harder than writing one, as she waits patiently to hear back from film companies that she’d sent the screenplay to.
Produced and presented by Stephen Hughes
**This programme contains distressing content**
During this interview, Carol speaks frankly about the effect of her father’s suicide upon her. If you need support following anything you’ve hear in this episode, there’s information at bbc.com/actionline and help is also available at befrienders.org.
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