(This was originally posted at Ongoing Worlds.  And yes, it’s a Seventh Sanctum column that’s not an update.  A trend?  We’ll see!)

Look Back In Randomness . . .

In 1999 at a gathering of anime and Mystery Science Theater Fans, I commented how some anime attacks sounded randomly generated by computer.  Suddenly it struck me that it would be easy to write a program to do that, as I’d written code to do superhero names and names in the vein of Elfquest characters.  A few notes later I had enough ideas to try and I made an Anime Power Generator.

Then I began thinking of other options.  And more random generators emerged.  Then I put them on my web site.  Then they took over the website.

Then what is known today as Seventh Sanctum was born.  Eventually it encompassed over 150 generators.  I just kept making these things for 14 years.

So in 2013 I realized that perhaps I had to update the years old design, and go modern.  Fortunately Bootstrap provided me the framework I needed, and I proudly updated it in a mobile, adaptable, and honestly easier to read and simpler design.

This is when Dave contacted me.  He and I knew each other from when I interviewed him at MuseHack.  He noted that I had many random generators for people to use in writing, art, and of course RPGs.  But what is the role of randomizers in RPGs anyway?

I’d never thought of it.  I just sort of assumed it was obvious or instinctive.

Dave had challenged me, in short, to put into words what was rarely expressed.  I was up for the challenge – frankly I wanted to see my own thoughts in more solid form.

So, you run an RPG or play one, or are starting one.  How can randomness help you in something that’s so often the result of planning, phrasing, and writing?  Many, many ways . . . (more…)

Thanks for the continuous feedback folks.  So a few updates

• First, you may notice a color change at Seventh Sanctum – the Blue Is Back.  Frankly, a lot of people sort of missed it.  So hey, if it’s part of the brand, there you go.
• Several people would like options to choose results back.  I’m considering a few possibilities and debating if it’s worth restoring.  But the feedback is appreciated.
• I’m considering a slight layout change with the comments to leave less blank space – but it actually makes the layouts trickier in some cases.  Live and learn.
• Finally – and I really would like feedback on this – I’m considering how to add more content and interactive features.  A message board seems a bit excessive and basic, the Disqus comments are nice, a mailing list may be fun, but I’ve wondered what about some direct content with a blog/posting element?  It doesn’t even have to be me writing for it but could give a place for a lot of us to post ideas, creativity, theories, advice, and more.  I’ve got a rough idea of how I can embed a blog into the site without overstraining it, but it’s pretty basic right now.

Let me know!

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, publishes books on career and culture at http://www.informotron.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at http://www.stevensavage.com/.

If Seventh Sanctum looks a bit different that’s because it is.  After months of waiting, it’s out!  The updated, Bootstrap-driven version!

So, hopefully you’ve seen it, but if by some rare happenstance you saw this entry on my home site, go check it out!

Now, I’ve tested it, I’ve integrated feedback, but there still could be errors and issues.  So be sure to send me feedback!

So some features you should see:

• First of all, you’ve got a more modern, streamlined look.  The old site was a bit retro and frankly the text was just a bit too small.
• Secondly, this should scale on mobile and smaller devices.  So try it out on phone, tablet, and so on.
• Third, I streamlined the generators.  The choice-of-amount really didn’t bring much to the site because people would just have to click again to generate more – and that’s usually what a visitor would want.  The new layout should be a bit tighter.

So try it out and let me know if you have any questions or find any problems!

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, publishes books on career and culture at http://www.informotron.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at http://www.stevensavage.com/.

After over a year of writing Lost in Translation, two items recently stood out. One was the concept of the partial adaptation, as seen with Blade Runner and Scott Pilgrim vs the World. While neither movie adapted everything from their original works, what was adapted was true to the original.

Partial adaptations allow taking what is adaptable out of a story without having to sacrifice screen time to explaining an odd occurance. Blade Runner is a good example. The original, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, went further in setting up the time and the aftermath of a nuclear war. The nature of religion had changed drastically, with Mercerism and Buster Friendly at odds for the spiritual audience. In a movie, explaining the religions would detract from the main plot line, adding yet another level of complexity to a movie that was already getting the audience to question reality. The addition could have turned away audiences, or, worse, studio execs. The catch with a partial adaptation, especially when the original work is still being made, is figuring out what can be cut. A complete work makes it easy; the adapter can experience the original and pull out the plot threads needed. In larger works, such as the Harry Potter series, removal of a scene in the first book may cause problems several books later.

The other item that came up recently was the order of viewing. So far, I’ve made sure to watch/read/experience the original work first, then watch/read/experience the adaptation. What I’ve run into, though, is that I’ve watched movies that were remakes or adaptations without realizing it. Movies like Bedazzled and The Mummy* were remakes that weren’t touted as such. This brings about a change in methodology.

The normal way, with the original first, would have me looking for differences in the adaptation, looking at how the adaptation differed from the original. With the experiencing reversed, I’d be looking for similarities in the original. The reversal allows for the adaptation to feature on its own, at least at first, with any problems with it coming from script and casting instead of accuracy. The original work is now receiving the judgement instead of the adaptation. In the future, I will make note of when I approach a review backwards, that is, adaptation first. Chances are, Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter will be the first work looked at in this manner.

Next week, I am on hiatus. In fact, I am on hiatus for the month of November. I am lining up guest posts, though, and will have an adaptation news round up around mid-month. The reason for the hiatus is NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, where I will be applying what I’ve learned in Lost in Translation to write a novel in thirty days.
* Both remakes starred Brendan Fraser.

News has broken about NBC remaking the murder mystery series, Murder, She Wrote. This time around, Octavia Spencer, who won an Oscar for her role in The Help, will star as Jessica “J.B.” Fletcher, mystery writer and angel of death*. A few changes are being made to the series, beyond having an actress younger than Angela Lansbury was when she played Jessica. First, instead of the main character being a widow who wrote mysteries to supplement her income and getting a break, the new JB Fletcher will be a hospital administrator in her day job. With Jessica having a regular job, she won’t be able to travel around as much as in the original series. Second, Jessica will be a self-published author instead of going through a publishing company. This reflects the huge changes in the publishing industry since the original series left the air.

The usual question when anything is remade is, “Why do a remake?” In this case, NBC is still rebuilding after the fiasco of moving Jay Leno to a 10pm time slot, losing five dramas including the long-running Law & Order. NBC is still rebuilding, trying to regain the lost audience, a tough chore when the options available are almost boundless. The network has already cancelled one remake, Ironside, after three episodes, replacing it with Dateline for the most part in the time slot**.

The difference, though, between Ironside and Murder, She Wrote is familiarity. The original Ironside starred Raymond Burr, who was better known for Perry Mason. The old series, while falling one short of having 200 episodes over eight seasons, never received much syndication beyond the 70s; Murder, She Wrote lasted twelve seasons with 284 episodes, plus came out when syndication was far more established with the 500 channel cable line up looming. Murder, She Wrote had a larger impact, and, having ended its twelve season run in 1996, is better remembered. NBC may be counting on people wondering about the differences between the original and the remake to get a decent number of viewers for the pilot episode.

There will be complaints. With the Internet and social media, people have many places to vent about a series sight unseen. There are three areas of contention that I can see. First, Jessica has a day job. The original series was more an anthology series featuring whodunits, and with JB Fletcher being a successful author able to live off her royalties, there was no need to anchor her to any one location. If one episode needed her in LA one week and the next week’s show needed her in Miami, the script writers could hand wave her being in both cities as being on a book signing tour. Or she could visit friends and relatives anywhere in the world*** for any number of reasons. The new Jessica Fletcher, though, has a day job – hospital administrator. The new Jessica can’t gallivant around the country. Being self-published, she can’t yet live off her royalties. Book tours would either be self-funded or virtual. However, being at a hospital means that she would see the bodies that come in, giving her a chance to notice that the odd death isn’t of natural causes. This also means that, in a large enough city, she’s not going to be the harbinger of death. In the original Murder, She Wrote, everywhere JB Fletcher went, someone died, to the point where people could call her Entertainment’s most successful serial killer.

The second area of contention is the choice of actress in the new series. As mentioned about, Spencer is an Oscar winner. However, Angela Lansbury was much beloved in the role. It may be difficult to separate her from JB Fletcher. I’d have called it unremakable, alongside Columbo, for the same reason; the lead character and her actress have become one and the same to many viewers. Spencer will have to bring her own interpretation to the character and hope that people are willing to accept her version.

The third issue is tone. Remakes tend to go in one of two directions, the comedic approach or the dark and gritty approach. The original Murder, She Wrote was light fare. Sure, there was at least one body per episode, but to have a murder mystery, there needs to be a murder. At the same time, Jessica made the rounds, talking to suspects and investigating the crime scene, giving the viewers a way to solve the mystery alongside her. The end reveal showed the clues, letting viewers know that there wasn’t anything pulled out of thin air. The new series needs to keep the mystery aspect, keep the viewers following for clues. The level of gore might be raisable, thanks to shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and still remain light entertainment.

This isn’t to say that the show will be bad. Nothing has been filmed yet. The show can still succeed or fail on its own merits. NBC needs to have a deft touch with the new series, to bring in fans of the original, while still satisfying new viewers. Best of luck!

* Everywhere Jessica went, someone died. Her hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine, was probably happy to see her leave for a book signing; it gave the townsfolk a breather from waiting for the next murder.

** Also coming up in the Ironside timeslot, a live version of The Sound of Music.

*** World being, for the most part, the Lower 48 States with maybe a detour into Canada. Maybe.

AMC working on Walking Dead spin-off.
The spin-off of the TV series adapted from the comic is slated for a 2015 debut. Robert Kirkman, who created the original comic series, will use the spin-off to expand the world of /The Walking Dead/.

The Final Girls to star Jamie Lee Curtis.
The series will be a drama featuring a group of girls who survived horror stories as the sole survivor. The name comes from the trope where the last character to reach the end credtis of a horror movie is usually the well-behaved girl. Curtis herself played one in Halloween.

Stephen King nervous about reaction to The Shining sequel.
Doctor Sleep follows Danny Torrence after he has grown up. King hopes that people think that the book will be better than The Shining, reflecting the experience he has gained since the original book was published.

A Wrinkle in Time adapted as a graphic novel.
Madeleine L’Engle’s classic children’s novel has been adapted by Hope Larson as a graphic novel.

Star Wars adapted to, wait, Shakespeare? Really?
Verily. In an effort to help students grasp Shakespearean plays, Ian Doescher wrote William Shakespeare’s Star Wars. After Doescher sent in the first act, Lucas Films encouraged him to continue. “True it is, that these are not the droids for which thou search’st.”

Commissioner Gordon to get prequel series.
The announcement came on the same day that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered. Fox managed to outbid Warner Bros. TV on the series, which will focus on the time Gordon spent as a detective on the Gotham City Police Department. Bruno Heller, creator of The Mentalist, will helm the show.

Dark Horse announces Firefly/Serenity continuation comic.
Firefly is seeing a resurgence lately, with tabletop RPG, boardgame, and now a new comic. A release date and a writer have both not been set.

Constantine may be developed for NBC.
NBC has ordered a script based on the DC Comics character John Constantine. A pilot has still has yet to be greenlit.

Lost Three Stooges film found!
A copy of the seventeen minute short “Hello, Pop!” has been discovered in a shed in Austrailia. The short was thought to be lost in 1967 in a fire.

Voice work begins on Thunderbirds Are Go!
A remake of the Supermarionation TV series will be a mix of puppetry and CGI. David Graham will reprise the role of Parker, Lady Penelope’s driver. Lady Penelope will be played by Rosamund Pike.

Live action Cruella de Vil movie in works.
Glenn Close, who played the puppy-fur-loving villain in the live action 101 Dalmations and 102 Dalmations is the executive producer of the movie. Disney also has a live action Cinderella in the works.

CBS to adapt The Songs of the Seraphim novels.
Angel Time is in development with author Anne Rice signed on as executive producer. Vampires are not involved.

ReBoot rebooted.
Rainmaker Entertainment, who bought Mainframe Entertainment, has announced a reboot of the CGI animated series ReBoot. Rainmaker renamed its TV division to Mainframe Entertainment in conjunction with the news on the 20th anniversary of the creation of ReBoot.

There was much rejoicing.

Walter White’s obituary runs in Albuquerque newspaper.
Fans of Breaking Bad paid for an obituary for lead character Walter White after the series finale.

Harrison Ford open to Blade Runner sequel.
The adaptation of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep may have a sequel. A script is in the works.

Yep, the next generation of Seventh Sanctum is here, and ready for you to test at one of my experimental domains!

http://www.pageofgenerators.com/

I’ve been through my own beta testing, but I’m looking for:

• Any bugs.
• Any formatting/compatibility issues.
• How it works on mobile.

So let me know!

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at http://www.stevensavage.com/.

Some time back, I reviewed Spider-Man, the Sam Raimi helmed adaptations of the comics. Since then, the movie series has been rebooted, turning the new movie, The Amazing Spider-Man into an adaptation and a reboot at the same time.

The history of Spider-Man was covered in the previous review, but a brief recap of Amazing Fantasy #15 wouldn’t hurt. Nebbish, nerdy Peter Parker, a high school student, was bitten by a radioactive spider during a field trip. The venom interacted with Peter’s blood, giving him the proportional strength and agility of a spider and a preternatural sense for pending danger. As he learns how to handle his powers, he uses his knowledge and skills to create web-shooters; wrist-mounted devices that shoot out artificial webs. Peter then patrols the streets of New York as the Amazing Spider-Man.

For the movie, The Amazing Spider-Man, the writers returned to the classic stories instead of using Marvel’s Ultimate universe. The difference, beyond the source of Spider-Man’s powers*, is the love interest. The Raimi film used Mary Jane Watson, who, prior to One More Day, was Peter’s wife in the main line comic. However, early Spider-Man stories had Peter paired with Gwen Stacy, a fellow geek. The new movie explores their relationship, especially in light of the job Gwen’s father has, a police captain looking for the new spider-themed vigilante terrorizing New York. And, as in the comics, Spider-Man’s foe is someone that Peter has gotten close to; this time, the classic villain, The Lizard who is Gwen and Peter’s mentor, Dr. Curt Connors.

As mentioned previously in Lost in Translation, superhero comics tend to intertwine, making it hard to adapt everything the character has been involved in. Thus, the concept of various related-but-separate universes, such as the DC Animated Dini-verse and the Marvel Cinematic Universe of The Avengers. While Marvel Studios was busy with The Avengers Initiative, it had to work with Sony, owner of Columbia Pictures, to get the Daily Bugle into a shot in The Avengers**. Right now, Sony has the rights to Spider-Man and related characters, so cameos by other characters other than Ghost Rider is unlikely.***

The Amazing Spider-Man/ holds up on its own as a movie, without needing prior knowledge. All the characters are introduced, Spidey’s origin is shown again. This time around, the writers remembered that Spider-Man doesn’t just fight; he talks at his opponents. The comic version of Spider-Man always maintained snappy patter, in part to psych himself up and in part to keep his opponents off-balance. The rebooted version also had the patter, the insults, the taunts. The nature of the threat kept with the theme of runaway science that appeared in the comic; the Lizard looked to change the residents of the city into his subjects.

The movie does represent the core of Spider-Man well; the responsibility, the dangers of misusing science and radiation, and the heart of the character. Allowing the movie to create a new cinematic Spider-verse, separate from the prior Raimi films and from the Avengers-verse, allowed the filmmakers to explore what placing the duties of a superhero does to a teen.

Next week, the October adaptational news round out.
* Genetically altered spider versus radioactive spider. Both reflect the fears of the era the comics were created in.
** Ultimately, the shot wasn’t used.
*** Ironically, Spider-Man made guest appearances in every new Marvel title to establish that the book belonged to the overall universe and to bring attention to the title.

Last week, I reviewed Doom, a movie that adapted its source well for the most part but still fell flat. If the parts that didn’t work were fixed, what would happen?

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Okay, a bit of a stretch. Scott Pilgrim and Doom are in two different genres of movie. Doom went with a cross between horror, science fiction, and action. Scott Pilgrim isn’t as easy to define.

Before I get too far ahead, the background. Scott Pilgrim started, as creator Bryan Lee O’Malley puts it, as a “manga-influenced comic”. O’Malley wrote six manga-inspired graphic novels featuring the titular character as he tries to win the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers while still dealing with the rest of his life, his current girlfriend Knives Chau, and the other people in his band, Sex Bob-omb. Complicating things are Scott’s sister Stacey, his roommate Wallace, and life in Toronto. Oh, and Ramona’s seven evil exes. Through the six volumes, Scott must defeat Ramona’s evil exes in order to stay with her.

The movie adaptations, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, is a partial adaptation, like Blade Runner was. The graphic novels take place over the course of a year; the movie treats the time as malleable, with most of the events taking place in a snowy April. The core arc of the graphic novels, Scott dealing with Knives, Ramona, Ramona’s evil exes, and maturing, was kept; the rest had to be removed to keep the movie under two hours. However, that parts that were adapted are taken directly from the comic. “Taken” might not be the accurate word. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World may be the most accurate adaptation reviewed in Lost in Translation. Scenes that do appear in the movie appear exactly as the did in the comic, sound effects and titles included. The comic was the storyboard for the movie. The DVD extras includes a gallery that shows a side by side comparison of a panel in the comic and its corresponding scene in the movie.

Helping with the accuracy of the adaptation was the location for filming. O’Malley used real locations in Toronto in the comic. Edgar Wright, director of this movie and the Cornetto Trilogy, decided that Toronto should play Toronto, something that the city seldom plays. The fight at Casa Loma was filmed at the real Casa Loma, complete with the scaffolding up for the refurbishment the building was undergoing. The Pizza Pizza beside the Goodwill does exist.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World didn’t fare well at the box office, though. Both the comic and the movie can be described as a slice of life fantasy coming of age with video game elements. The movie really didn’t fit into any one slot. It’s a video game movie not based on a specific video game*. It’s a romance, but from the man’s point of view. It’s a comic book movie, without superheroes. The audience needed to know about video games, especially the fighting genre of games, comics, metafiction**, Toronto, television sitcoms, and music. Universal’s marketing department must have gone mad trying to figure out what approach to use to advertise Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The movie is seeing a better reception through DVD, though, becoming a cult hit.

The lack of reception, however, does not take away that Scott Pilgrim vs. the World may be the best adapation reviewed here at Lost in Translation. The director kept to the plot of comic, consulting with the creator to ensure that the original vision reached the screen.

Next week, The Amazing Spider-Man.
* There is a video game based on the movie, though.
** Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has shout-outs to the idea of it being a movie and the nature of movies. To quote Scott, “They make movies in Toronto?”