A "Novel in Visions" -- Could it be a New Trend in Literary Fiction?
I first read about Adam and Cache Girl Saves the World: A Novel in Visions while reading The Southern. When I read the story, I couldn't help but wonder if Adam's unique idea could become the next big trend in literary fiction. Whether it becomes a trend or not, it certainly captured my attention, and I wanted to know more about this "novel in visions" concept. So, what did I do? I contacted Adam with an interview request, and then a little while later, I met him in person at a
local book signing event. He's a really nice guy with great ideas. It was a pleasure to shake his hand!
Continue reading to discover how Adam came up with this idea, what his biggest challenge was putting it all together and much more. Once you finish reading the interview, I welcome your thoughts about this new idea for novels.
Misti: How did you come up with the "novel in visions" idea?
Adam: It's really something that evolved for me over time. I knew I wanted to do something other than a traditional print novel, but I also didn't want to make a traditional, mainstream film.
The relationship between novels and films has not, in general, been a mutually beneficial one: novels always seem to get the short end of the stick. They get condensed, dialogue is restructured or rewritten, and in the worst cases, endings are changed and entire themes are lost. So I wanted to do something large and expansive -- something that celebrated the genre of the novel, celebrated literary fiction and the art of language in general -- while at the same time using a visual element to try to reach out to new audiences. In a way, I guess, I was trying to re-define the relationship between novels and films, or at the very least, between the spoken word and visual images. To me, it's a relationship that could have been a good one from the outset, but for the most part has not been.
Instead of condensing and rewriting, as Hollywood film makers like to do, in this new art form we created the "novel in visions." You get every word of the novel: every internal thought of the narrator, every exchange of dialogue, spoken by myself and the other actors involved. Nothing is cut, not a word is lost. You also get the visual element: the still photos that depict some of the action of the novel. As someone recently put it to me, it's kind of like an enhanced audio book, but on DVD. It's something I hope will catch on -- something other writers will want to try with their own work.
Misti: What was your biggest challenge while producing "Cache Girl Saves the World: A Novel in Visions?"
Adam: I thought the photographs would be the biggest challenge, but Sarah Dalby, who took most of them, did such an excellent job that I literally had hundreds of great photos I couldn't use. On the other hand, I thought recording the audio would be easy, but it turned out to have challenges I never anticipated. I am very much a perfectionist, and getting each actor's intonation just right, getting rid of extraneous sounds, and getting all the sound levels exactly where we wanted them took a lot of work. Luckily, I had two great sound engineers I worked with: Mike Lescelius from Misunderstudio in Murphysboro, IL, and Jon Clarkson from Mattoon, IL. I'm sure at times I drove them both crazy, but we ended up with a piece we can all be very proud of.
Misti: Has this new literary fiction medium earned you a lot of buzz?
Adam: Well, the DVD has just come out, but yes, it's already starting to get some attention. We did an interactive presentation at the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in my hometown of Mt. Vernon, IL, where Thirza Defoe, Sarah Dalby and I showed excerpts from the DVD and answered questions about it. That was a lot of fun, we got some really interesting questions, and people seemed genuinely excited about this new art form. We are going to do another one on October 17, 2010, in conjunction with Wisconsin's 1st Annual Native American Film Fest and Celebration at Marquette University in Milwaukee. We are also planning one in the Chicago area in November, and one in Portland, OR in November or December. We're open to doing additional ones as well: wherever there is interest and excitement about the project.
The big media sources, like the big publishers, are pretty slow to respond to anything new, but I hope they will begin to see the value of this to themselves and to other writers, and will respond accordingly.
Misti: How have sales been for "Cache Girl Saves the World: A Novel in Visions?"
Adam: The DVD has only been available for a few weeks, but I'm really happy with the sales so far. In addition to sales from my website and Amazon, we are working with some new distributors this time, trying to get into some unconventional retail outlets. That's one of the challenges of something that isn't quite a book, and certainly isn't quite a traditional film, but so far, people have been very intrigued and excited about the project.
Misti: Will you be writing and making another "novel in visions?"
Adam: Yes, I think I will at some point, but to be honest, I'd kind of like to see what some other writers do with this new medium first. As we made "Cache Girl," there weren't really any rules to follow, which, in my opinion, is a good thing. So we made up the rules as we went: deciding how long each photo should be visible, how much movement (panning and zooming) there should be with each photo, how much balance between concrete photos and the more abstract ones, and how and where music should be incorporated. But a different author might take a completely different approach, which, of course, is how an art form moves forward.
I would like to be recognized for what we've done with "Cache Girl," but at the same time, I wouldn't want this medium associated only with me. My hope is that other writers and publishers will embrace this idea and run with it, and that if it takes off, if it proves to be an effective way to tell a story and reach new audiences, it will develop a life of its own. I think it will be really interesting to see where this art form is in five years, what directions different writers and publishers have taken it in.
Misti: If you could give just two tips to an author considering this unique "novel in visions" concept, what would they be?
Adam: Plan well and stay organized. If you don't, any project can easily get away from you and can become much more expensive than it needs to be. We shot the majority of the photos for this project in four days, because Thirza Defoe (the star of the piece) works all over the United States making films, dancing, recording music and doing other workshops and performances. Her schedule was tight, so we had to get her into and out of southern Illinois when we could.
I used a checklist for the photos I wanted to make sure I had, and I referred to it constantly as we traveled around southern Illinois, going to Ferne Clyffe, the Cache River, the jail museum in Benton and other places. I don't think we could have gotten all the photos I wanted without that checklist to refer to -- there was just too much going on, too many distractions. And it would have been a shame, after Thirza was gone, for me to realize I was missing a key photo I wanted for the project.
Misti: Where can readers purchase a copy of "Cache Girl Saves the World: A Novel in Visions?"
Adam: Online, you can purchase the DVD directly from my website, Amazon or Zango Music. Very soon, you will be able to purchase an electronic download of it from Amazon's Video on Demand service. For your local readers, you can get it at the Bookworm in Marion and Carbondale, or from Characters in Centralia, but for anyone
else, your local independent bookstore can order the DVD from New Leaf Distributing, if they don't already have it in stock.
Misti: Is there anything else you'd like to add or advice you'd like to share?
Adam: Do what you love, do it in new and innovative ways, and don't ever let anyone convince you that just because something hasn't been done a certain way before, it can't be done that way or it won't "work" it if is! As for "Cache Girl," check it out, and if you like it, rate it and review it for Amazon or IMDB!
For those of you who would like a better idea of what you'll get if you purchase Adam's "Cache Girl Saves the World: A Novel in Visions," watch a short preview on Amazon.
Once again, I'd like to thank Adam for his time. I really do love your idea and hope it all works out for you! Oh, yes, one other thing, Adam: As I was reading your bio, I noticed that you are a veteran of the United States Air Force. That said, I'd also like to take this time to thank you for your service to our country!
