Passionflix Panel : Tosca Musk and Jodi Ellen Malpas talk about screen adaptions at RareParis22

 Here is a summary of what was said during the second part of the panel with Tosca Musk, Jodie Ellen Malpas and Ali Whitaker

We obviously mentioned Gabriel's Rapture because we had just watched the second part. Part 3 should start shooting in about three weeks. Originally, she was thinking of doing one movie per book but the script was very long. So there was no need to rush and they couldn't cut out any important scenes. People prefer to watch all the movies at once because they don't like to wait. For Gabriel's Inferno, there were three parts and it will be the same for Gabriel's Rapture. Some scenes were shot in January 2020 just before the lockdown and the rest in April 2021. They've shot in various places like Syracuse, in Belize, in Italy. They have been all over the world. The third part is finished but Tosca has to start editing because for the moment there is no soundtrack. She took some notes on the plane about the work she has to do. The film will be released on August 12. When talking about Sylvain Reynard, the mystery has been kept because we don't know who this author is: is it a man? is it a woman? Are they several people?

The difficult scenes to shoot in this second part were the one in Belize and the scene of Juliane and Gabriel's audition. Tosca's favorite scene is when Juliane tells Gabriel that her decisions belong to her. This film is not eligible for any awards or prizes because it is in three parts. 

For This man, they will see how the characters will develop and if needed, they will also do different parts. Jodi's favorite book: it's hard to choose because she loves them all. But This Man is her first novel. In this book, Jesse is vulnerable at the end of book 1 because he has night terrors and his fears evolve. He meets this woman who is going to shake him up and wake up his heart which until then was dead. He knows that she loves him but his fears come back when he has to confess. But all her books have a special place in her heart. At the time of the panel, the actress who would play Ava had not been revealed (we now know it is Kristy Dawn) and we wondered if the chemistry between Tyler (who plays Jesse) and her was present. For Jodi, she is everything she was looking for. She has that sassy, cool vibe. Both actors are looking forward to bringing their characters to life and doing so with the respect they deserve. They have already done rehearsals together and Tosca is excited to be the one to direct them. They are invested, passionate, ask questions and want to make their characters realistic through their lines. 

This man may soon be translated into French. In the book, the playlist is important because the lyrics are related to the events. They express the feelings. She thought that she absolutely needed this music in this scene. So it's not possible to put all the songs. Tosca spoke with the composer of the soundtracks who will succeed in eliciting the same emotion with a music that he will have created. 

Regarding Tangled by Emma Chase, for the moment only the first book will be adapted. Tosca wants to see how it will work for this film and besides, she has not yet obtained the rights to adapt the sequels. 

The protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas: When she saw the first cut, she was blown away. She watched it a second time with her husband. She was there on the set so it's interesting to see the shooting on set but also to see the scene in the finished film. It's a totally different experience. 

As far as Passionflix is concerned, all the films are in VOSTFR but not in French audio because it is too expensive. 

With Tosca, we also talked about on-screen sex scenes. Is it difficult to shoot? It is indeed very difficult, especially for women, because some people take screenshots and post them on the internet. This is not respectful of the actors. It's even piracy. It's a movie so the actors are not totally naked and they don't really do the physical act. She talks to them all the time to indicate the gestures and it is the camera that follows their movement. 

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)