The Hunger Games Formula

[Cli-Fi]

I think, if written well enough and my work sells well enough. Sometime down the line I would love to see my time travel ideas to become a hollywood blockbuster trilogy. As long as they don't mess it up too much. Not sure if fellow Chroners would like to see their work on the big screen like that as well, but the idea got me thinking about what happens in the negotiating table and why certain books are fast to adapt and others take eons.

I've been reading a lot about the Hunger Games formula recently, and it seems that every Young Adult fiction story needs to have this formula in order to make it into a big screen adaption. Furthermore, every young adult actor looking to try and break out must have the leading role in these films.

I'm wondering if publishers are actually looking for this formula on purpose because they know millions of young adults will buy it regardless if it is the same thing over and over again... As they say in economics all bubbles pop. So there will be a time where in the near future publishers will not have this formula to lean on in order to make a few bucks. It seems like a surefire thing right now. Yet, I say it will fizzle out.

It also seems to me that because publishers are specifically looking for these types of YA sci-fi dystopian love stories they have to have some sort of clauses in the contract which states to the author that they believe the book has movie potential right after they read the book or even the query letter. It's unclear to me what the process is after the author knows the book is going to be published. Will they then negotiate about film/TV rights? Also is there a difference between film and TV negotiations? I'm assuming these days that these are million dollar deals when it all comes together.

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

My advice is write the darned thing first and only start dreaming about your name in lights after you've drafted, redrafted and edited to screaming pitch. By then you might have a book that will be the next Hunger Games, or you might not. If you don't write it, it can't possibly win you movie deals.

 

[Susan Boulton]

Write the story that is in your head with the characters you want to be in them. Remember that a book can take three years from being accepted to being published. What is the hot property now could not be the hot property then. Yes, use similar tropes and a miss-mash of the idea if that is what you want, but write it your way.

Personally I have found the best way to kill an idea is to try and write it to fit a, "theme or type." For me a story has to grow the way it needs to.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

It is indeed the death of something to force it into a particular shape. If your characters have any zing to them, they'll make their own novel, even if it is similar to other stuff. Forget those other novels!

 

[Toby Frost]

What is the Hunger Games formula, by the way? Presumably it involves turning the idea of teenage rebellion into rebelling against a dystopian government (and therefore legitimising throwing wobblies at your parents about staying out late). And presumably there is a pouty male model being “misunderstood” in there too. I would expect you get double points if you can make him both strong and silent and deep and sensitive at the same time (because, after all, those completely opposing traits are commonly found in the same person). Or am I being overly cynical about this?

But more seriously, somewhere in a how-to-write book (probably J.N. Williamson’s one) I read that it was best to avoid the idea of Hollywood and big money deals, and concentrating on writing a very good book. I think that's good advice. I’m not sure that writing to a formula is ever really a great idea. To use General Slim’s phrase, one should be wary of short cuts to victory.

 

[HareBrain]

Or am I being overly cynical about this?

Is it possibly to be too cynical about Hollywood?

I agree with the others: write the book on its own terms. Bear in mind that there must be hundreds or thousands of screenwriters pitching scripts at the moment designed to mimic the Hunger Games "formula", and that you'll be competing with all of them -- when you finish your book, by which time Hollywood might well have got bored of that formula had moved onto something else. Talking otters, hopefully.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

Hollywood might well have got bored of that formula had moved onto something else. Talking otters, hopefully.

What's not to love about talking otters? Except for the fact that they have a tendency to eat all the chocolate cake.

 

[HareBrain]

Well, agents seem immune to their charms. Maybe because they fear for their own cake supplies.

@Cli-Fi, reading your post again, I might have done you a bit of a disservice in my previous post. You're asking a more general question than "what can I do to get films made of my book" (which maybe you weren't really asking at all), but more about how Hollywood works in this sense. Alas, I have no real idea, but I'd be interested to know too, just out of general curiosity.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

I don't think they know how they work.
I don't believe there is a formula, except they prefer reboots, sequels, prequels, franchises, remakes etc. They don't like risks or innovation. Ignore them unless they knock at the door.

 

[Toby Frost]

I might have done you a bit of a disservice in my previous post.

Fair point, me too. I didn't mean to suggest that you were doing anything wrong, just that Hollywood was.

 

[Venusian Broon]

@Cli-Fi I totally agree with the advice given above, however on the mechanics of rights.

Basically I don't think publishers will be involved with film or tv rights at all - your contract with a publisher will be involved in the area of business that is relevant to them - namely the printed word. It would be in their financial interest for a book to also be put out in another media such as film as this would likely increase sales, but I don't see how a book publisher owning the film rights makes this more likely. If you were given a publishing contract that also stated they wanted to buy the film rights (and I bow to the wisdom of others that actually have such a contract in their possession) then I would expect that to be an extra item that they pay extra money on top of the basic book deal. However I would be surprised if a book publisher had such an all-encompassing attempt to buy every right.

So instead I believe that film studios/directors/tv executives basically have to pitch a sale directly to the author to buy the televisual/film rights if they want to do an adaptation of the work (usually via an agent who will have experience of such contracts and discussions.)

Published authors of Chrons - am I right? It seems commonsense to me, but I could be way off the mark.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I've been reading a lot about the Hunger Games formula recently

I'd be interested in seeing a link to that, but I suspect it's little different from anything we've seen before.

Where The Hunger Games excels is its use of conflict, a key storytelling tool, and one writing books especially tell us to focus on. The fact that it also has a significant romance subplot helps with accessibility, too.

It's unclear to me what the process is after the author knows the book is going to be published. Will they then negotiate about film/TV rights? Also is there a difference between film and TV negotiations? I'm assuming these days that these are million dollar deals when it all comes together.

Agents usually sell film rights to the novels they hold. However, no formula assures of selling these rights - film interest usually comes from proven book sales, because that demonstrates audience interest.

 

[Maieius]

Eventually the world will get bored and personally, I'm quite bored of hollywood. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan but I do enjoy a sci-fi story and the hunger games is somewhat entertaining but then I see divergent and mazerunner and I'm just not gripped by it because it's all the same. People will get bored. The same thing is done over and over again and decisions that are made are all for cash grabs. What's the point in putting mockingjay into two parts? And the third divergent movie? It's getting boring, it effectively ruins it and the franchise eventually looks bad. I rarely get excited about what's coming out in the cinema nowadays because I've seen it all before. If I could help it, I wouldn't have hollywood touch mine. I would do the very best I could to avoid that. I believe (though I might be mistaken in some cases) that the author has the say on any other adaptations.

Think about how many people write books and publish and compare them to the amount of films that get made from them. I don't think an author should write with the Hollywood sign reflected in their eyes. It's very unlikely you'll be so lucky.Don't chase what's popular, write what you want to read and it'll be free to be whatever you want it to be, or what it wants to be itself. If you use a "formula" you're limiting yourself from what it could actually be. I believe people read a lot in this day and age because you're offered far more than you could get from a film. So offer it. How does anything ever change if people use the same formula?

 

[HareBrain]

I believe (though I might be mistaken in some cases) that the author has the say on any other adaptations.

If the author hasn't sold the rights to anyone, then the film or other adaptation can't be made. But once the rights have been sold (depending on the contract) it's out of their hands. It's rare that a publisher will want film rights, and if they ask for them, the author should in almost all cases refuse.

 

[Toby Frost]

I looked for "Hunger Games Formula" on Google and found these articles:

https://katespofford.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/the-dystopian-formula/
http://goinswriter.com/hunger-games/
http://surlymuse.com/why-hunger-games-isnt-the-future-of-writing/

For what it's worth, I think the middle one is incorrect.

 

[Maieius]

If the author hasn't sold the rights to anyone, then the film or other adaptation can't be made. But once the rights have been sold (depending on the contract) it's out of their hands. It's rare that a publisher will want film rights, and if they ask for them, the author should in almost all cases refuse.

That's good, I wouldn't want to sell to Hollywood. There's too much sentimentality in it and I'd want to know that it'd be done right, which I've lost faith Hollywood could do. I'd feel terrible if I sold it for big bucks to be chopped up and ruined. It's like selling your talented child because they offered you more money and their talent has gone to waste because of it.

 

[Maieius]

I looked for "Hunger Games Formula" on Google and found these articles:

https://katespofford.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/the-dystopian-formula/
http://goinswriter.com/hunger-games/
http://surlymuse.com/why-hunger-games-isnt-the-future-of-writing/

For what it's worth, I think the middle one is incorrect.

I've literally just done the same thing, I was curious about this formula.

After reading the first one, it just baffles me as to how it could continue to be popular in the future. How could audiences not get bored? It'll get very predictable and logical ideas will soon wear out (not that all of these seem very logical in the first place.)

 

[Bowler1]

I can think of more movies made from good books than movies based on formula books, but whose to say that isn't changing. In general I'd say Hollywood is either knocking out the same old pap in movie after movie (Jaws 1 to 50, Fast and Spurious 15 and so on) or actually in search of a good story and tries to make a good go of a cover movie - see here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_based_on_books . Although, TV rights in Game of Thrones and others, - see here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Television_programs_based_on_novels, seem to have produced more.

My point being as follows.
1 - Write a good book.
2 - Sell to a TV producer.

 

[Cli-Fi]

Well, agents seem immune to their charms. Maybe because they fear for their own cake supplies.

@Cli-Fi, reading your post again, I might have done you a bit of a disservice in my previous post. You're asking a more general question than "what can I do to get films made of my book" (which maybe you weren't really asking at all), but more about how Hollywood works in this sense. Alas, I have no real idea, but I'd be interested to know too, just out of general curiosity.

You are exactly right. I thought I made this clear in my first sentence but people still felt for some reason I was asking for advice about how to make my book a film. That's not at all what I was asking and I think that's a stupid question that is too general anyway. Thanks for realizing it. I just wanted to be more aware of what goes on in that process and in particular The Hunger Games Formula which seems to be winning the hearts of publishers for now...Yet, apparently a lot of people haven't even heard of the formula.

 

[J Riff]

I know how Hollywood works. It's very depressing, the more you can see it. It's very small, a small group. It's a shame these 'big' movies are small-minded, and a shame that people think that the movies are representative of talent of any particular sort. There's good movies, but the preponderance is toward immature rubbish. Lots of advertising and probably even mind-control aspects in there as well. Ah well. Off to watch some rubbish.