The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) Review
As most of you know, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is now playing in theaters. Readers of Jeff Kinney's wildly popular series can finally see Greg Heffley's hilarious adventures come to life on the big screen. Coinciding with the film's release is the publication of THE WIMPY KID MOVIE DIARY, which will give you tons of insight into what it takes to turn a book into a movie (plus, it will make you laugh!).
Kinney begins by telling us all about the January 1998 "birth" of Greg Heffley, when he was first doodled into a sketch pad. Coincidentally, only one month later, Zachary Gordon, the baby destined to grow up and play the part of Greg in the Wimpy Kid movie, was born.
Kinney shows us how his ideas about a wimpy kid evolved, first into books and then into the film. We see early sketches of Greg, along with story ideas Kinney scribbled down. Just wait until you see the photo of his Wimpy Kid idea pages from his sketch pad. One page is literally crammed with snippets of ideas and drawings (Kinney says some of these single idea pages took him months to create). He worked on Wimpy Kid drawings and ideas for four years, inventing Greg and all the people and places in Greg's world. Next, he cut photocopied pages of the sketch pad into single jokes, drawings and ideas. He spent several years just pasting these scraps on big sheets of poster board. Then he began typing his ideas into a story. That book, in all its 1,300-page glory, was first published online. Eventually, Amulet Books decided to publish DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, and the rest is literary (and now film) history.
Zachary Gordon read DIARY OF A WIMPY KID and loved the book so much that he told his mother he wanted to be in a movie version if it was ever made. Little could he have guessed that his wish would someday come true!
Meanwhile, Hollywood filmmakers talked about how to transform the book into a movie. Kinney gives us (hilarious) sketches of some of these discussions. Then, step by step, we learn how a movie is made, starting with writers coming in to audition to write the screenplay. Writing a screenplay based on a book, it seems, is an intriguing and complicated process. The writers must choose what parts of the book they will use in the film, and they also add in new scenes to surprise viewers who have read the book. Lots of people have input into the screenplay, so it changes constantly.
Readers of THE WIMPY KID MOVIE DIARY get to meet some of the important people guiding the film, such as director Thor Freudenthal, who kept a diary similar to Greg's when he was a boy. (Some of his journal pages are included in the book.) Meanwhile, the search was on for actors who would bring the parts of Greg and Rowley and all the other characters in the Wimpy Kid world to life.
As Kinney walks us through the making of the film, you'll learn about things you've both wondered about and never even considered. For example, you'll discover how film crew members make such items as fake boogers and arm casts. You'll also learn exactly why Zachary Gordon gets queasy if anyone says "mashed potatoes" to him.
THE WIMPY KID MOVIE DIARY is a terrific book. Fans of the series will especially appreciate this hilarious and witty read, but even newcomers will be motivated to see the movie and read the books (though not necessarily in that order!).
The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) Feature
- ISBN13: 9780810996168
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) Overview
If you've ever wondered how a movie gets made, you're not alone. Author and illustrator Jeff Kinney didn't know either, but when his bestselling series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, was turned into a live-action movie by 20th Century Fox, he learned how a book gets adapted into a major motion picture.
Complete with photographs, script pages, storyboard sketches, costume designs, and original art by Jeff Kinney, The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary is the perfect companion to the bestselling series.
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