Contrast: Books vs Screen

So the #NZBloggers group and the #brunchclub group have this blog post inspiration challenge going this year called #bloggreatness where they are giving a topic for each week of the year to inspire bloggers to blog. Read more about it and the groups here. I've been wanting to do this for a while, especially the typography week, however I just haven't got around to it. This week however is Contrast and I thought it would be the perfect time to discuss my personal views on the endless debate: Books vs Screen. 

Now while I do love a good movie my personal favourites are books, I do have points where I just can't be bothered reading and it takes me over a month to finish one book. But if you couldn't tell from the increase of book posts over the past few months I've finally got my reading mojo back! Hope you don't mind about that by the way. 

My favourite book series of all time are the Harry Potter series. They never lose their magic no matter how many times you read them and I've read them a fair number of times. I remember when it took me an entire summer to read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when it first came out and now it takes me a few days. I wouldn't say the movies are a total let down, they're magical and I'd happily watch them again and again but there's just a few tiny details that would've made it so much better, even simply including Peeves the Poltergeist would have made it better. I know things like these have been mentioned time and again round the internet so I won't go on about it. But how magical would a tv series been? I don't know if it would be right to do it anymore as our recognisable Harry, Ron, and Hermione have grown up. I'm not sure if it would be right to have it recast even if we were to get something as magical as a tv series. Wouldn't it be cool though if they refilmed the 19 years later scene when they all got to that age? I'd accept that! 

I don't know if many of you have heard about the new thing coming to Netflix next year but I'm so bloody excited about it! A Series Of Unfortunate Events is going to be made into an actual series. Not a crappy movie that covers three books and then doesn't have any sequels... an actual series! I read this series when I was younger and having never owned them myself I would borrow them off my best friend one after the other until I caught up, we then went to different secondary schools so the newer ones I haven't actually read (but will get to in due time). The second one was always my favourite, followed closely by the third one which I now own after finding a copy in a charity shop a few years ago. I do admit I enjoyed the film, Jim Carrey was great and the story line was great for the fact they shoved 3 books into it but I just feel like a series like this would be done so much more justice from a TV series. I'm just in love with the fan cast of Lily Collins for Violet and pray it comes true really. 

Game of Thrones for example is a great example of this, I haven't actually read the books as I've never been able to get into them even after trying again and again - I will conquer them one day I promise. The series though just does works so well and tells all the different story lines in a way that isn't confusing and it's so good to a point where I don't feel like I really need to read the books. I know that there's so much more in the books and it's actually has some different story lines but it's just something that I'll get around to one day whereas I watch each episode as soon as I can obtain it! 

What are your thoughts towards this debate? I know some people just can't concentrate enough to read a book but only some on screen productions have been able to create magic equal to that in a book. Are there any books that you feel have been beaten by their on screen partners? Or is the pen always mightier than the um... tv? 

I want to dissect your brains...

Since the semester is over I thought I'd share some work I've done over the last 12 weeks. To new readers; hi I study Graphic Design! This was by far my favourite project I've worked on this semester, closely followed by App class where, as you've probably guessed, we had to design an app. For print however we had to design our own conference which from that we were to create a poster, a 12 page brochure, two banners, and a fourth item - I chose a hoodie and t-shirt combination. My conference, Dissect, is a typography based conference concentrating on the structure of type. I wanted to imply the idea of peeling back layers to really understand type. 

I thought this might give outsiders a look into what a normal six week project looks like for a third year designer! Makes me wonder what other professions would do? Other than essays of course. 

Eleanor & Park ~ Book Review

Image from DeviantArt user candy8496 ~ check out her other work it's great!

I've read Rainbow Rowell before and not being a big fan of Fangirl as much as anyone else I wasn't too sure about how I'd like this one. But after seeing it again and again mentioned throughout the internet I decided to give it a go. I wasn't that disappointed to be quite honest, I hadn't read any blurb about it so after diving in and finding it was another abnormal couple love story I had my doubts but I did enjoy it. I wasn't really keen on the ending and thought it could've been dealt with differently but I won't go giving away any spoilers. Sold as another 'star crossed lovers' book it's expressed in the early pages that Eleanor, your average unpopular redheaded girl, that she's not fond of Romeo and Juliet's story at all calling them 'shallow, confused and then dead'. So it's ironic that she finds herself in her own shallow confused love story with Park, the dated the popular girl in primary and then became invisible boy, all because they shared a seat on the bus to school. This book seems to be similar to those teen love story library books you rent, read once, and return never to read again. I personally would say go for it if you want to read it but although I enjoyed it I probably won't be reaching for it to read again.