As a shift from standard blog postings, I want to introduce a fun though experiment I’ve been playing with recently, one which has managed to keep my sane at work for most of last week. The game goes like this: if you received a phone call right now telling you that your novel had been optioned for a feature length Hollywood production, what song would play over the trailer? This started as a bit of fun pipe dreaming, but I came to realize that knowing what music matches your text is important in understanding the mood and message of your story. Also: who doesn’t like to dream about their names rolling in the credits to a blockbuster hit?
So what began as just toying with flashing images in my head derailed into full-fledged storyboarding, to the point that a book trailer could indeed be in the works, one that would really capture the essence of “Jupiter Symphony,” summing up the themes without words, but with strong visual imagery. The dark future, the corporate control, the government indifference, the struggle for the common man to survive, the death of the middle class, rising up, taking the power back. Even just the basic, Neolithic instincts that come with trying to stay alive in 2120. Eat. Sleep. Run. Hide. Kill.
Eventually I realized that the song which would make for a most epic movie trailer to “Jupiter Symphony” is the Rage Against the Machine rendition of “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” Funny enough, I never really liked “The Grapes of Wrath” or John Steinbeck, but the song itself, especially the RATM version, captures the frustration, the despair, and ultimately the anger and lashing out that comes with a society which is being trampled by the boot heel of those of power. It’s everything that was promised and then betrayed, the rage collective rage we all seem to feel more and more in today’s society. See for yourself, but be WARNED that this video contains some graphic and violent images:
So what began as just toying with flashing images in my head derailed into full-fledged storyboarding, to the point that a book trailer could indeed be in the works, one that would really capture the essence of “Jupiter Symphony,” summing up the themes without words, but with strong visual imagery. The dark future, the corporate control, the government indifference, the struggle for the common man to survive, the death of the middle class, rising up, taking the power back. Even just the basic, Neolithic instincts that come with trying to stay alive in 2120. Eat. Sleep. Run. Hide. Kill.
Eventually I realized that the song which would make for a most epic movie trailer to “Jupiter Symphony” is the Rage Against the Machine rendition of “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” Funny enough, I never really liked “The Grapes of Wrath” or John Steinbeck, but the song itself, especially the RATM version, captures the frustration, the despair, and ultimately the anger and lashing out that comes with a society which is being trampled by the boot heel of those of power. It’s everything that was promised and then betrayed, the rage collective rage we all seem to feel more and more in today’s society. See for yourself, but be WARNED that this video contains some graphic and violent images:
Of course, I couldn’t help myself and therefore refused to stop at just one novel. Even though the book is still gestating while I edit “Unto Persephone,” I have an image in my head of the ending to “The Long Night” that I just can’t shake off. Instead of letting this thought drive me (more) insane, though, I suddenly hit on a track that would make for a beautiful and artful ending to any movie adaptation of the book, rolling right into the credits. So now I still have the same image stuck in my head, only it’s set to “Words on Signs” by Archive. If the book turns out to hold any bit of the gravitas and eloquence of the scenes I can picture behind closed eyes, then good things are coming.
Interestingly enough, no track has come to mind when thinking of my second book, “Unto Persephone,” but I’ll chalk that up to the fact that I’m currently editing that manuscript and thus believe it to be the devil. I’m sure something will come to me when I can be excited about my book again and am not restructuring a sentence for the fifth time.
That said, excitement is exactly what this is about. We should be proud of our work and happy to share it. If you have a book you love to read, I’m sure you have a musical pairing that complements. Authors, I know you’ve thought about that phone ringing and a movie producer being on the other side. This is all about having some fun and indulging, of trying to distill a piece of literature that (for me) is 150,000+ words down into a pure essence of punctuated thought and emotion. So if you have a book/song pairing, or if you would like to send me all the money to have my Hollywood quality trailer made for “Jupiter Symphony,” then drop a line in the comments or reply on Twitter. I’d love to hear what great mash-ups result.
A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.
That said, excitement is exactly what this is about. We should be proud of our work and happy to share it. If you have a book you love to read, I’m sure you have a musical pairing that complements. Authors, I know you’ve thought about that phone ringing and a movie producer being on the other side. This is all about having some fun and indulging, of trying to distill a piece of literature that (for me) is 150,000+ words down into a pure essence of punctuated thought and emotion. So if you have a book/song pairing, or if you would like to send me all the money to have my Hollywood quality trailer made for “Jupiter Symphony,” then drop a line in the comments or reply on Twitter. I’d love to hear what great mash-ups result.
A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.
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