writers vs filmmakers

Back when THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies came out, I bought the Extended Edition DVDs when they were released. I suppose this was like fifteen, sixteen years ago by now. The Extended Editions came with all these documentaries about the making of the movies, and I never got around to watching them.

But I spent a few days at home recently, and I wound up watching them. They’re actually really interesting, especially when they get into the titanic logistical and technical difficulties of making movies on an epic scale like THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Chiefly, I came away very grateful that my creative impulses extend to writing and not to film-making.

Like, when it comes to writing, I can (and usually do) whatever I want, at least in a creative sense. I don’t have to collaborate with anyone and make the final decisions for everything myself. For that matter, I don’t have to spend all that money to produce a book, and I don’t have to convince someone to fund the project. I hire out covers, but if I really had to, I could do everything I do for writing/publishing with a $199 laptop and free software. My only expense would be stock photographs for covers.

Filmmaking is nothing like that. For one, everything costs money. And it’s a hugely collaborative process – the director, the writer, the actors, the crew, the technicians, all of them have an influence on the final product. I would much rather try to do everything myself. That’s just possible with self-publishing if you have the right skill set. It is nearly impossible with filmmaking.

So I’m very glad I’m a writer and not a filmmaker! In that spirit, back to editing SEVENFOLD SWORD: TOWER. 🙂

-JM