Problems, problems, problems.........

[Chuck58]

I'm going to give it a try, using both voice over and talking to himself. I've nothing to lose. The novel is, as I said, train of thought from beginning to end, so everything is viewed from his point of view. I won't say it was a piece of cake to write. On the other hand, there were no secondary plots, conflicts, etc to deal with.

Next time I read, as was posted on another unrelated forum some months ago, that "writing a tv or movie script is easy. It's just chat, and I do that every day," I'll clue the idiot in.

[Runner]

In "Reign on Me," the Adam Sandler character talks to himself.  It's discreet and works nicely.

[seansshack]

would imagine more schizophrenia that autism.

But could be wrong.

[Shindig]

So he narrates his own life... only not off screen?  Sounds almost autistic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrative_Therapy

Or theraputic... on himself.

[ScriptNurse]

I'm sure there must be a medical condition wherein the afflicted talks to himself ... doesn't mean s/he hears voices, but just talks. This could also allow for some lighter moments, I'm sure.

[Chuck58]

I'm not sure about voice over, but talking to himself could solve the problem if I word it right. When I was a cop I can remember finding characters babbling away to themselves. On a couple of occasions, they were clearly carrying on conversations with some invisible something.

By the time I'm done with this, in conjunction with spending nearly a year with this guy while writing the book, I'm apt to be talking to invisible beings.

[seansshack]

Voice over and talking to himself might get boring I guess.

How about pull a fight club/beautiful mind and have him interact with someone that only exists in his head.

[rnbrewer]

How about a compulsion of some sort where he talks to himself

I like the compulsion idea. Talking to himself would be a great way of letting the audience know just how crazy this guy really is. As an added bonus I've rarely, if ever witnessed a main character in a film consistently talk to himself. If it were my script I think I would definitely go with this one.

You could actually take it a step further. I actually knew a guy that not only talked to himself, but he also had an "extension tool" of his other worldly banter. It was a pen. While he was alone and often talking to himself he would hold the pen in an almost admiring stance and the pen, as far as he was concerned became a physical extension of his conversation. A sort of focal point, almost like a key that allowed him to enter what ever strange world he was in. This guy wasn't homicidal (at least I don't think he was). He eventually got help and is doing better much better now, but I found it so very interesting that a small object could become something so big, so monumental a force in a persons life. He even kept the pen on him at all times like a security blanket. It made him comfortable, gave him assurance.

Perhaps your characters "extension" could be his weapon of choice. A blade that his keeps close by and plays with when ever he isn't occupied by something else. Perhaps it could be a gun that he never puts down. If it's not in its holster than it's in his hand, just waiting for that one fine moment when he pulls the trigger yet again.

[ScriptNurse]

How about a compulsion of some sort where he talks to himself ... might work better than a voice over.

[seansshack]

perhaps a diary of a killer type theme.

perhaps use voice over to let us into what he is thinking.

or someone following the killer's trail. Seeking revenge for a loved on. We learn more through they findings, in visual format (with maybe the person following telling is some of what they believe is driving the killer - their motivation).

Not easy to adapt between novels and movies. Might be easier to plan in a treatment first and refine this, before attempting the script.

[Chuck58]

No paying for a past transgression. I had a chapter in the book that I considered incorporating into the film explaining his problem. Basically, he was a small boy and picked on by the others in his class because of his size, chased home, beaten up regularly, and ignored the rest of the time.

He withdrew into himself and began to hear voices. These became imaginary friends who guided his life. I took the voices out of the movie script since I wasn't sure how to make them work. Basically, he's insane and gradually sinks deeper into his insanity as time goes by.

*edit* The above, too, is subject to change, although some serial killers have been known to hear and obey voices in their heads. Really, in the chapter in the book about his childhood, I think I have enough for an entire script. It would cover three or four days of his life. I'm not sure how popular killer children movies are these days, though.

[Runner]

To Chuck 58,

Is God allowing the protagonist to pay for some past transgression?  You've really got a great concept.  Maybe in some other incarnation, this guy was involved with a certain lifestyle (gambling, womanizing, marketing), something unsavory.  Now that he recruits for the Lord, he's constantly tempted by these former obsessions.  This sets up a nice conflict and gives the main character a flaw to work through.  You can even draw parallels to those he kills for heaven.  This concept spurs all kinds of God against man debates (which, of course, ultimately come to the understanding that God is man).  What a fun concept, it has enormous potential.   

[Shindig]

Maybe it's worth dwelling on the atmospherics?  I've got a similar problem.  Ish.  As mine's a spy thriller, the protagonist spends most of his time grilling others.  So I've started thinking more about the hows and whys of how he meets his mark.

[rnbrewer]

Yes, unfortunatly we can't all be Peter Jackson. Even he had to make a few changes to Tolkein's calssics in order to make them work for film. That's one of the reasons why I have yet to try my hand at translating someone elses work of art into a script. It's tough letting go of characters and details that you know in your heart are interesting, but all they do to a script is bog it down.

[Chuck58]

Why is the obvious sometimes the hardest to figure out? Both you guys came up with excellent ideas. I can see how, without too much difficulty, I can incorporate elements that I'd left out of the book, as well as his beginning to reach for better known individuals. It will mean losing about twenty pages, but that's no big deal. I've done that a couple of times already.

I'm beginning to understand why so many movie scripts based on novels bear little resemblance to the novel. My novel was good, and I've got a lot of praise from readers, including requests for a sequel, but I don't care about accuracy in relation to the book. If the potential exists, if only barely, for dollars to be made, I'll change everything but the name. Unless you're a big name author which I'm not, motion picture scripts pay much better.