Book First or Movie?

I have no problem reading a book first. I don't feel anything is spoiled, and if anything, usually gives me better insight to the character development and an all around better detail as to what's going on. I find it easier, then, when I see the movie, to concentrate on the acting, visuals, and effects rather than try to take everything in at once. When I saw the original Alien back in 1979 I'd already read the book, the comic, and the "photonovel" (it took me about a month of pestering to get my parents to take me to see the movie; couldn't get in without them as I was only about 10 at the time). I knew what was going to happen in great detail and it still scared the crap out of me.

I Love reading the book first and then seeing how badly they screwed up on the film...I just LOVE doing this...just finished the Hunger Games Trilogy and something I discovered is that for the sound track for that film, the Perfect background score would be BABE RUTH : From the album "First base" the song: The Runaways. Of course there's no way for me to get them to do it now cause the movie is in the can and it releases on the 23rd, but I am positive the fun will come from seeing what they did choose, and how much they left in/out of the film...the acting...the scenery...but this is what I mean, the way we imagine things to be is never the way they are and with FILM that's the fun.

I can't tell you how many times that's happened to me... (the whole deleted post thing). I've written many, many paragraphs and lost them. How to prevent it? Make sure you're signed in and then don't take too much time writing your post or your "sign-in" times out. By the time you go to post... poof! Also, copy your post (Ctrl C) before you post anything... just in case. That way you've still got it if it's goes poof. On to your topic. I teach video/audio production, so I always appreciate knowing the ending/spoilers/SFX/VFX of a film before I see anything. I'm so busy catching the boom mics and reflections of the filming crew in the scenes, I rarely sit through a movie as a "fan". Knowing these things/or reading the book, (so to speak), doesn't take away my ability to suspend my disbefief if I truly want to. And I will truly want to for Prometheus. (Pressing Ctrl C as I speak...)

On most occasions i would agree but for this particular film imo i would like to see the film first because it really is ridleys baby and spaihts / lidelof s but i'm reading the game of thrones books right now and am so into those i'm way ahead of the tv release .

Yes, I agree with you there, me too, do not want anything spoiled for me, like so much already.

Here's the thing though Sparty, Does seeing the movie first ruin the book later? Don't you imagine the actors in their roles as you're reading instead of imagining their look yourself? Don't you have to rearange the layout of a ship as you imagine it yourself to make sense with what you've seen first in a movie? I guess what I'm curious about is how does viewing the movie first affect other people's reading of the book?

You got a good point there skyguy i remember seeing silence of the lambs at the cinema and then going out to get the book i couldn't help but perceive what i was reading as the characters portrayed in the film. but then again it fleshed them out all the more for it in some aspects.

For me NOPE, because in the book we can read what these characters think and feel, something we cannot do in the film. So when I get back to a book in a situation like this it is so cool to see the differences there were. But for the most part doing that way is inf act dangerous as far as spoiling the plot goes yes.

I would most definitely read the book first either way. I don't mind.

db it has happened to me many many times, and what i do now to prevent it at all costs is this... #1-Type the post. #2-When finished it Copy the entire thing #3-Hit Enter- paste the entire thing cause the damn thing got erased. LOL, works everytime but the trick is to remember to copy it...The Post... first... before hitting SUBMIT.

Yup, i've lost some great replies/threads because I didn't copy the text I had typed, resulting in me being very sad and frustrated. So for awhile i've just learned to copy my text.

Of course, since this conversation has been derailed anyway, I'd have to add with respect to Philip K. Dick, that Bladerunner was WAY better IMO than Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep. The bok reached for great ideas and got lost in its own details, whereas Scott's movie, while indulgent in its own art design, distilled the story down to what the director decided were the most essential elements.

@ Sparty & RC8... This site is alot like our real lives sometimes: If we're not careful, we can work our asses off and then... watch it all just vaporize.

lmfao...post of the day !!!

I'm plan'n on pick'n up the book as soon as it's out.

Has anyone heard for sure, will the book be out before the movie? Is there a date?

someone mentioned that they pre-ordered it so maybe you`ll get that info, I`d like to know as well to tell ya the truth...great question...

I read Aliens before I saw the film and it made me so much more excited about seeing the film and catching nuances they they put in the film from the book, like the half eaten donut sitting on the desk in the colony. I would love to read Prometheus before I see it because I can already see the actors as the characters and get more insight on their backgrounds and still have a visual feast for the film. I work in the visual effects field and visual indulgence like Blade Runner and Alien.

I remember in the Alien novel the hibernating crew were refered to as dreamers. I especially liked the mention of the one dreaming about dark places and warm, fat mice!

Sparty, I remember reading about some people pre-ordering a book about Prometheus too. Whether it was the one about the "Art of Prometheus", or the actual book of the story itself, I'm just not sure.

me neither but I think you nailed the name..."The Art" of it and come to think of it now I think they did say the book was about it;s making and that one would come about AFTER the film for ther story/script.

Movie is out on the 8th, I read that the "Art Of" book is to be released on the 10th.

Er..everybody.....will there *actually* be a novel is the question nobody here is asking. I made a post on this topic a few weeks ago. Are you all getting ahead of yourself and confusing the 'Art of' book with an actual novel? Like I mentioned in that other post, I hope there will indeed be a traditional paperback, but let's not get ahead of ourselves as I've seen lately on this board.

The movie isn't out until June. If we weren't all getting a little ahead of ourselves, there wouldn't be a forum! LOL!

Do I have this terminology right? A 'novel' is an original written work of fiction. A movies may or may not be 'adapted' from a novel. Movies are based on a 'script' used for shooting. A 'screenplay' is a novelization based on a movie. (Or are the terms 'script' and 'screenplay' interchangable, with the screenplay coming before the movie itself? By "before" I mean in the movie production process itself, not necessarily the order in which they are released to the public. I know we have some professional film folk on here who can clear this up for me.

I see the book as the fog that lays around our feet, but are too blind by the Media circus to notice it. I will see the movie first and then read the book as a research tool. Kind of like having h'orderves at a party dinner, then jumping on the dinner table and tearing someone's head off and eating it. No wait, this is not "The Walking Dead?!"