BS: Post #4 Adapting American Sniper

     The book I read was American Sniper by Chris Kyle. It is an autobiography about Navy Seal, Chris Kyle and his journey through becoming and being one. In this book, you will follow Kyle through the ups and the downs of his life.
     If I were to adapt this novel into something that people would be able to watch, I would make it into a movie. I feel that this make the most sense because the book has some action in it that would not transfer well into a play, and a TV series would be too long, plus it would get a little boring. With a movie, you would open up more possibilities than imaginable; stunt doubles, action, suspense until the end (unless you have read the book), and more!
     If I made American Sniper into a movie, I would want to keep it as close to the story line as possible. I personally hate it when directors stray from the plot line and add/remove key events. By keeping close to the story line, it would almost be like stepping into Kyle's shoes and living how he did. The audience would be able to develop a connection with all the characters that they read about.
     I would also feel inclined to add voice overs whenever necessary. When watching an autobiography, I personally believe that voice overs are a must so the author of the novel are able to go into a little more detail about that event than what is shown on the screen. Or if there is a particularly confusing part in the novel, the author would be able to explain what happened versus leaving the audience wondering. And sometimes by adding a voice over, you are adding suspense to a scene. Imagine you are watching a scene where there is a load of gunfire and bombing. Suddenly, you hear a grim voice saying, "On October 23, _____ died." You know who dies, but you don't know how, leaving you wanting more. The scene will then cut to a close up of Kyle and _____, along with some other members of their team. You will watch as they fight the enemy, when in semi-slow motion, you see _____ get shot. "_____!" Kyle screams. The scene fades out as fighting continues then back in to Kyle at ______'s funeral. You here the voice over say, "200 men showed up to his funeral, myself included. We all mourned the loss of not only a comrade, but a friend." By adding the voice over to this scene, suspense is created, leaving you on the edge of your seat.
     If I were to choose a casting for the film, I would want the actors to look as much like the characters as possible. Even the minor ones. So that way, the audience would feel like they aren't just watching another movie that had terrible casting, choosing people who looked and acted nothing like how the character was supposed to. For the movie, I would personally choose to keep the real casting of Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle and Sienna Miller as Taya Kyle because I believe that they actually look like the characters they are supposed to be portraying.