I enjoy reading screenplays and classical literature to modern book adaptations
Recently, I had the opportunity to communicate with Allen Wolf.
Allen has won multiple awards as an author, filmmaker, and game creator. He is also the host of the popular Navigating Hollywood podcast where he interviews film and TV professionals about what it takes to thrive in entertainment.
His debut novel is The Sound of Violet and the screenplay won numerous awards.
Allen consulted with several organizations that help victims of human trafficking and crafted the story into a novel.
The film will bring awareness to human trafficking and autism.
I asked Allen, what was the process like bringing The Sound of Violet to life from the novel to the screen?
Allen responded, "It was a monumental effort to bring The Sound of Violet to life on the screen. I first relocated the story from New York City to Seattle, which I knew would be a friendlier city to make the film.
I changed locations for scenes in the novel to be more visual for the movie. I wanted to explore Seattle’s beautiful landscapes for the film, so I featured scenes in Gas Works Park, the shipping yards, alongside the enormous bridges and different spots around the city that you usually don’t see featured in Hollywood movies.
I wanted to cast unknown actors in the lead roles so the audience wouldn’t have any preconceived notions of who they are during the film.
This movie is the debut for our two lead actors, and they pulled off stunning performances. I also had to find ways to tell the story in a tighter timeframe, so I condensed some scenes and took out others.
I wanted the experience of watching the movie to be different from the book, so while the story beats are identical, the movie’s journey takes you on various twists and turns than the novel. When I write a novel, I’m able to concentrate on the inner lives of the character. But in creating a movie, I have to communicate all of that through the actors’ performances.
There were several moments on the set when it struck me that the characters I had written for the page were walking and talking in front of me. That was surreal! I was so thankful to be surrounded by such a talented team of actors and the crew who worked tirelessly.
Composer Conrad Pope created the soundtrack for the movie, which we also recorded in Seattle with a 54 piece orchestra. I appreciate how he draws out the emotional beats of the story through his musical craftsmanship. I’m very much looking forward to the film premiering in theaters and hearing what the experience is like for our readers."
My thanks goes out to Allen Wolf and Publicist Don Fitzgerald.