Some advice for the people making Ender’s Game:

First article I wrote about the Ender’s Game Movie.

The following is meant for discussion purposes. I’m qualified to say such things only on the grounds that I went to film school, have worked on movies, and know a lot about what makes them good — and what doesn’t. This is not definitive and I certainly won’t mention evolution as fact again, because a majority of the e-mails I received last article were explanations otherwise. So you creationists have shaken my resolve. The following video is probably required viewing to “prep” you for this article and to understand where I’m coming from:

Anyway, for what it is worth, if Card called me up today and asked my advice about the adaptation, this is what I’d say:

1. Ender’s Game, just as a book, would not translate perfectly to the screen — other material from the saga, or new material, must be added.

Though Ender’s Game is a fantastic and satisfying story, its adaptation to a movie makes me a little suspicious. Suspicious of what? Well, how exactly are they going to “tell” the story. I discussed this a little bit in my first article, but here I’ll try to explain the idea a little clearer.

Novels and screenplays are inherently different, obviously. What makes them truly different to “tell” is that inner monologues and voice overs are considered clunky when writing a film.

Exposition is a key element to any form of storytelling. Exposition, as defined by Wikipedia, is “one of four rhetorical modes of discourse, along with argumentation, description, and narration. It is also used for speeches. The purpose of exposition is to provide some background and inform the readers about the plot, character, setting, and theme of the essay/story or motion picture.” When you learn about making movies, especially from a greats like Mckee, you’re told to “show” the audience something — don’t “tell” them. This is what separates the men from the boys, as they say.

This is why so many great films open up with a stranger in a strange land. It is an easy way to have other characters explain the world and conflict to the main character, therefore the audience. Think Avatar for an easy example.

Now, before you stand up and flame me, saying that 70% of the best films have voice-overs, you have to stop and think (1) why they’re good, (2) who is making the movie, and (3) the purpose and perspective of said voice-overs. Voice-overs, for the most part, are a way lazy writers can tell the audience information easily. On the other hand, Guillermo Del Toro famously says that voice-overs are great way to get the information, or the boring stuff, out of the way and get to the visuals. So, famously, the debate rages on.

My point is that Ender’s Game should not just be a long voice-over. Ender’s Game, the novel, mostly takes place in Ender’s head. A very tough hurtle indeed. So what would be the natural response? Well, more conversations with fellow classmates and companions. A reasonable response, but this doesn’t fit perfectly for me. Or, have a clunky voice-over like in Dune or, more famously, Blade Runner.

Ender is a loner for the most part, if not all, of the story. Yes, he has friends, but he is always an outsider.

I have two betters solutions to the voice-over problem:

A. Bean is the only one smart enough to understand Ender’s motivations. If other students were shown to understand his strategies, in the Battle Room or socially, then it would undermine how truly special Ender is.  Therefore, I think it would be wise to have Bean explaining what Ender’s motivations are to their mutual superiors. This has two problems though, one is that Ender is there long before Bean is. Second, it would stray from the novels a bit — something that is going to happen anyway. Still, as a viewer, I wouldn’t want that and I don’t think you would either.

B. This one is controversial and hard to swallow for fans, but I think they should implement some type of computer companion or inner-monoluge computer to Battle School so that Ender’s voice-overs or explanations can be given to the audience.

Let me explain: The school is designed to understand and feel out how the students tick, hence the fantasy game, but maybe they could have a direct link to a computer or an A.I. companion that Ender can talk to via a voice link. There are thousands of problems with this, but perhaps it is the best way to show how truly brilliant Ender is. Maybe said link would only be used when deeply strategic methods are being considered or while in combat. Think of it as a vocal diary.

The biggest problem with this, in my opinion, is that Ender would certainly know how to work around the link if he didn’t want his motivations discovered. Regardless of what you think, I believe this is the best way to get to the heart of the “inner-strategy” problem that so many people e-mail me about and write comments on.