Live Action Adaptation of Checkmates · 3:33pm Apr 22nd, 2017
So this is fully awesome! TheBBofC, apparently known over on YouTube as Brawny Buck, made a live action adaptation of my story, Checkmates.
This is something that has been in the works for years. He talked with me a little bit about it after the story came out like five years ago, and he brought the subject up a few times since then. To be honest, I figured it would end up being one of those things that people fantasize about, but never really follow through with, but with each message, he seemed more serious and dedicated to the idea. Filming started quite some time ago, but I hadn't heard anything for quite a while. I figured the whole thing was dead. I know they had some sound issues initially, and I thought the footage just might not be useable.
Let me back up a little bit and reveal something about myself here. My degree is in cinema production. I've worked on a whole bunch of movies. No, not Hollywood movies. Crappy, low-budget movies. Let me tell you, making a short like this is HARD. I know people roll their eyes when actors talk about how tough their jobs are, but movies are a lot more than actors, and even their job is incredibly difficult. You try staying in an emotional space where you have to give a convincing performance of someone who is in a bitter fight with their spouse for twelve straight days of fifteen hour back to back shoots. Surrounding them are people working those same hours in an environment where one mistake ruins everything. Bad day for your camera assistant? Oops, all the shots are out of focus. Bad day for your gaffer? Oh, boy. No one noticed that the fill light is unnaturally bright. Footage looks bad upon review.
What I'm getting at is that making something like this is very difficult. I can see a ton of effort behind that scenes that I'd like people to recognize. Now, I have some critiques of the completed product, and I've sent that to TheBBofC, but overall, I'm thrilled with this. It's one of the highlights of my writing career here. It's so awesome that this came together!
I actually plan on going to Full Sail University to earn my degree in cinema as well. Though I mostly plan on getting into screenwriting, I hope to learn how to use a camera so I can direct my own movies. There was a film I had an idea for when I was sixteen. I plan on forwarding that idea someday plus another idea I'm going to be fanfictionizing in October.
Also, for someone on a fanfiction website for My Little Pony, this is a decent production. Probably should have put more research into how the audio could've been fixed, but it's not bad. I liked the use of occasional sound effects. And I do agree that the extra lighting was noticeable. There was also one moment where the camera was shaky. I think with the right amount of research and production, all of these problems can be fixed.
Also, I would love to see those films you worked on. Even if they are bad.
Yeah, that's awesome!
I remembered this fic when this video showed up in my YT feed. I think they did it justice! Esp. A.J.'s voice actor, who was basically spot on all the way through.
4506703 AJ was my favorite. She did a really good job. I'm pretty pleased with this adaptation.
4506544 I'm still in shock that it really happened.
4505966 I'll have to see what I can find online. I know a few of the shorts that I worked on are available, but a few are REALLY NSFW. One of them was declared one of the most screwed up things that has ever been shown at Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation.
4506925 Send them to me via PM if you do and I'll check them out when I can.