However, i think it has potential and i wish to acquire the rights, develop a film treatment, and then try sell this idea to a producer. Feb 05, 2015 matterhorn zermatt tourismus betreute im jahr 2014 rund 767 journa. Climb the matterhorn summit zermatts most famous peak. Competing works many nonfiction publishers try to get an author to commit to a noncompete clause. There is a blizzard of names, ranks and military terms, for instance, and despite the glossary and unit schematic included in the book, i still felt lost much of. Some of the stuff near the end was pretty unnecessary and it would have been nicer if theyd explored the issues it very lightly touched upon in more depth but whats there still makes for a pleasant watch. Matterhorn by karl marlantes a stark, brutal vietnam war epic karl marlantes debut novel, 30 years in the making, follows waino mellas, a young ivy league student sent to.
In the case of a book or manuscript or screenplay for that. The unlikely economics of your book becoming a movie. It is a large, nearsymmetric pyramidal peak in the extended monte rosa area of the pennine alps, whose summit is 4,478 metres 14,692 ft high, making it one of the highest. But if this is the first time youve considered climbing the matterhorn, you. The author made a smart move, he simply literary worked on his own experience, marlantes was a reserve officer of the marine corps, at 24, was sent to the lieutenant commander of platoon of the best of the marine corps in vietnam, and he had there become a hero and even get the navy cross, so much so that he. You waste your time and set yourself up for heartache when you work on material that someone else controls unless of course the person in control of the rights has hired you to adapt the material. Matterhorn tells the story of the daytoday experience in a combat situation as well as any book i have read, and far better than most. The traditional approach is to option the film rights in the intellectual property. Weve all seen, at some point, the vietnam war dramatized on television or acted out in film.
And when you total up increased book sales and added value to subsequent contracts. As you may know, there are both literary agents who specialize in book publishing and film agents. How publishers bolster their bottom line by retaining film rights. It is the timeless story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in bravo company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood. Matterhorn is a visceral and spellbinding novel about what it is like to be a young man at war. Dramatic rights agents like holly frederick have the highly specialized job of arranging the sale of a book s film, tv, or stage rights for adaptation. The isbn of this book is 9780802145314 and the format is paperback.
Selling your books movie and tv rights what you need to. Film rights are the rights under law to make a derivative work, in this case a film, derived from an item of intellectual property 1, in the case of this article a book. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the more. Books similar to matterhorn meet your next favorite book. Paramount also gained the ownership rights to the rysher library, after. Matterhorn is a perfect complement to the vietnam documentary. Now out in paperback, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the. The blood pumping from the new machine gunners leg.
Paramount pictures corporation is an american film studio and subsidiary of viacomcbs. False modesty would be the order of the day once your book becomes film and is in every odeon multiplex. What is a standard or favorable agreement for an author. While written as a novel, it is obvious this book is based on reallife experiences by the author. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the naked and the dead and james joness the thin red line.
Moreover, from a personal point of view, as i have visited many of the. In his debut novel, matterhorn, vietnam combat veteran karl. The story is told from the point of view of lieutenant mellas, a college kid who realizes too late that because of his desire. Nov 16, 2010 the unlikely economics of your book becoming a movie. The title of this book is matterhorn and is written by author karl marlantes.
The matterhorn is the most easily recognised peak in the world. From book to screen how dramatic rights are sold sidebar. Option agreements come in various forms, but normally have certain key components. A big, powerful saga of men in combat, written over the course of thirtyfive years by a highly decorated vietnam veteran. A second lieutenant leads a troupe of teenaged soldiers at a u. Book contracts author royalties, advances and rights in. Jul 30, 2010 matterhorn is a story of men without women. For the film producer, it is critical to ascertain who actually controls the right to make an audiovisual project based on the book what ill refer to throughout this post as the av rights. The moment one is in zermatt, it is impossible to miss matterhorn. If the contract contains a rightoffirstrefusal clause, then the terms covering the rights to the second book. To increase your odds of selling your film rights without actually trying, write great stories with charismatic characters and marketable themes, design eyecatching covers, and position your books correctly in the marketplace. It is an unforgettable novel that transforms the tragedy of vietnam into a powerful and universal story of courage, camaraderie, and sacrifice. In 1907, the kalem company produced a onereel silent film version of general lew wallaces novel benhur without first securing film rights.
It is the timeless story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in b. Unless your screenplay is based on either a story of your own creation or on a nonfictional event based on your own research of public documents, one of the first steps you will need to take to develop a feature film or madefortelevision movie is to acquire the underlying story rights. Philadelphiabased distributor artsploitation has nabbed northamerican rights to matterhorn, a tragicomedy helmed by deutch firsttimer diederik ebbinge. Whats the story set in 1969, a young marine lieutenant and his comrades in bravo company are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam. Climb the matterhorn 810 hour climbing hut to hut and a 1,5 hour hike to the tram station at schwarzsee to return to zermatt. Almost all writers dream about their book becoming a movie. A beautiful, brutal vietnam war epic april 22, 2010 karl marlantes debut novel, 30 years in the making, follows waino mellas, a. Matterhorn is a novel of the vietnam war in which a company of marines build, abandon and retake an outpost on a remote hilltop in vietnam. When mellas thinks of the girl he left behind in virginia, marlantess prose becomes fluttery, as it does when mellas, suffering an eye injury, is cared. In the united states, the need to secure film rights of previously published or produced source materials still under stems from case law.
The german name matterhorn is named for mattertal and zermatt historically matt alpine meadow, the prefix zeris a preposition in the schalbetter map, printed by sebastian munster in 1545, the valley is labelled mattertal, but the mountain has the latin name mons silvius and the german name augstalberg, augstal being the german name of aosta valley from augusta praetoria salassorum. Fisher nodded back, put his thumb up in agreement, and entered the wire. Matterhorn was a lighthearted film that covered wellworn ground and didnt really attempt anything all that different. Some of the stuff near the end was pretty unnecessary and it would have been nicer if theyd explored the issues it very lightly touched upon in more depth but whats there still makes for a. Parts of this documentary capture the haunting spirit of the high sierra like no other film before. Interview karl marlantes, author of matterhorn historynet. Nov 03, 2016 entertainment contracts from book to screen. Matterhorn is overwhelming in this car free town of zermatt. Recently i read a nonfiction book from the 1970s that i think might be developed into a film or theatrical property.
If the contract contains an option clause, then the publisher is requesting the right to publish the authors next book under the same terms as the first. Feb 23, 2012 the book s debut was timed to the start of filming, and it sold about 1. Contact the publishers rights and acquisitions department. If the author believes the work is likely to become a smash tv hit or the next big christmas toy, the derivative rights could be the plum of the book contract. How publishers bolster their bottom line by retaining film. Vietnam vet karl marlantes on going to war and how he wrote. Matterhorn is a riveting but emotionally grueling read. Karl marlantess 35year struggle to write a true novel of the vietnam war has finally paid off matterhorn is a bestseller by robert mccrum sat 10 jul 2010 19. What are the typical deal points in an option contract, and what is a. If this is the case, do not attempt to work with the material. The books debut was timed to the start of filming, and it sold about 1. Cervin is a mountain of the alps, straddling the main watershed and border between switzerland and italy. Often this initial query can be done by faxing the publishing house a short letter inquiring about the film rights.
A novel of the vietnam war by karl marlantes and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Karl marlantes discusses his bestseller book, matterhorn, how he came to write it, how it got. Many companies offer matterhorn weeks, which are designed to cover the skills needed to climb the matterhorn and assist with acclimatisation. Matterhorn by karl marlantes 9780802145314 boomerang books. The contract language should define with specificity the rights being optioned. Holly, what can an author expect financially from a film. Film rights are rights under law to produce a film as a derivative work of a given item of intellectual property. The book matterhorn is published by grove press atlantic monthly press. The publisher has not provided a book description for matterhorn by karl marlantes. It is the timeless story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in bravo company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam as boys and forced to. Oct 03, 2017 matterhorn tells the story of the daytoday experience in a combat situation as well as any book i have read, and far better than most. Artsploitation takes northamerican rights to matterhorn. From the skipper right on down, they all wore the same filthy tattered. If you have a literary agent, look at your contract and see if the agent gets points for a film sale.
Jungers version is that the book may be one of the. A novel of the vietnam war is a novel by american author and decorated marine karl marlantes. Mar 27, 2014 for the film producer, it is critical to ascertain who actually controls the right to make an audiovisual project based on the book what ill refer to throughout this post as the av rights. Hike to the matterhorn tram and ride up to schwarzsee station 2,583 m and hike to the hoernli hut. So i signed a contract to give them the rights for a year, and then went. Here we revisit this dramatic story, with daily posts about what the 1860s climbers were doing each day. Zermatt tourismus betreute im jahr 2014 rund 767 journa. Early on, a film company optioned the book to adapt it into a tv series. Entertainment contracts film rights from book to screen. On the billboards at the entrance of the supermarket is a euros ad. The novel matterhorn opens at fire support base matterhorn, the fictional fortified hill in the middle of the jungle for which the novel is named, and begins shortly after the arrival of the protagonist, second lieutenant waino mellas. The film matterhorn a beautiful film that has a nice time image shows how the community and then dealt with deviant behavior.
How much do you think the answer to this question explains why the author wrote the book. The other thing is that the film might not end up anything like your book but think of the mega bucks, is the cry then, if you like to write exclusively thats probably off the table. Historically, the way producers, production companies, and studios went about securing rights in material for their development and production pipelines, has been to enter into an option agreement with the owner, author, or subject of the desired project. And you are not my client unless i agree to take you as a client in a signed agreement. Often the publisher of the book will have acquired the av rights in their publishing contract. Frederick works exclusively with authors whose books are published by curtis brown. A beautiful, brutal vietnam war epic april 22, 2010 karl marlantes debut novel, 30 years in the making, follows waino mellas, a young ivy league student sent to. How to option the film rights for a book new york film academy. In us law, these rights belong to the holder of the, who may sell or option them to someone in the film industryusually a producer or director, or sometimes a specialist broker of such propertieswho. Matterhorn by karl marlantes book club discussion questions.
I will leave you to take the train to go back to beatenberg. All matterhorn paintings ship within 48 hours and include a 30day moneyback guarantee. Karl marlantess 35year struggle to write a true novel of the vietnam war has finally paid off, says robert mccrum matterhorn is a bestseller. We are celebrating the 1st ascent of the matterhorn 150 years ago. How my novel carrie pilby became a netflix movie the atlantic. Dramatic rights agents like holly frederick have the highly specialized job of arranging the sale of a books film, tv, or stage rights for adaptation. The general definition of an option is that you are paying to have the exclusive option of purchasing the film rights at a future predetermined date for a specif. They are a good way to maximise your prospects of reaching the top. This book is fascinating because it describes so many first ascents in the alps at first hand, rather than having them retold by modern biographers. However, we dont just want you to read about the history we want to discuss with you. Join this community of adventure and nature lovers in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the 1st ascent of the matterhorn. How to option rights in a book for film comment screen.
Following the last assault on matterhorn, mellass mind is filled with troubling images. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the. When the dramatic rights to a book are sold, its important to manage expectations of the deal and the negotiation process. Isolated at the head of the zermatt valley, the perfectly shaped mountain needs little introduction and continues to top the must do list of thousands of climbers who aspire to climb it each year. Jul 10, 2010 karl marlantess 35year struggle to write a true novel of the vietnam war has finally paid off, says robert mccrum matterhorn is a bestseller.
Id work on it between contracts, mostly on weekends. Karl marlantes, author of the bestselling vietnam combat novel matterhorn and the nonfiction what it is like to go to war. How a books dramatic rights get sold the balance careers. If so, today were going to discuss a little bit about the process of optioningi. The unlikely economics of your book becoming a movie aol. Matterhorn by karl marlantes meet your next favorite book. Choose your favorite matterhorn paintings from millions of available designs.
There are passages in this book that are as good as anything i have ever read, etc. May 19, 2016 to increase your odds of getting struck by lightning, go stand on top of a bald hill with your hands in the air during a thunderstorm. The matterhorn zermatt 2020 all you need to know before. Not particularly a film about climbing, but rather the life and works of ansel adams whose plates of the high sierra and the yosemite remain as the datumpoint of california mountain imagery. Selling your books movie and tv rights what you need to know. As torontonians know, we are in the midst of a mayoral election campaign. Often the publisher of the book will have acquired the av rights in their publishing contract with the author but it certainly is not unusual. Standing in their way are not merely the north vietnamese but also monsoon rain and mud, leeches and tigers, disease and malnutrition. This was not a popular or widelydistributed book at the time. You can see it from the rail station, from the narrow lanes of the town and from glacier paradise, from sunnega, just about anywhere. Matterhorn by karl marlantes a stark, brutal vietnam war epic karl marlantes debut novel, 30 years in the making, follows waino mellas, a.
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