Where did Miss Simone come from?

Posted on October 4, 2011 (Subscribe to Blog)

I was watching TV the other day when I came across a movie that I haven't seen in a long time. It's a bit of a silly movie, but interesting all the same, and it's kind of "special" to me. See if you can guess why from the title:

Simone - The Movie

Watch the Movie Trailer

Yes. Back in 2002 when this was released, I was busy writing Island of Fog. I actually started the book in February that year, but I saw this movie on TV, and it was while watching it that my character of Miss Simone came to fruition. I can only assume that I didn't write her scenes until later that year when the movie ended up on TV.

If you haven't seen this movie, basically it's about a director who isn't recognized for his work. A huge fan devises a computer program and gives the director the software just before dying of a terminal illness. With this software, the director creates a movie using a computer-generated woman who is so realistic that she passes as a real actress. Spellbound audiences demand to know where this unknown star came from, but the director keeps her "private" and goes on to make several more movies. Other actors in his movies understand that they'll never actually meet the actress, that they're only to work with a green screen (so what's new these days?) against which Simone (or Simulation One) will be added later. The actress becomes a mega-star and the director has to figure out how to allow her to do live satellite interviews and somehow show up in public, even resorting to using a mannequin in the driver's seat of a car...

Of course there are some giant implausibilities and silliness in the movie, and even so-called advanced computers and graphics from 2002 look supremely dated nowadays. But it's fun nevertheless.

Miss Simone is nothing like S1m0ne except that she has the same name and looks nice. The idea of this utterly realistic computer-generated woman who wows everyone kind of crossed over into my books in the form of magical enchantment. However, unlike Simone in the movie, my own Miss Simone is a real woman. (Well, apart from the fact that she's a mermaid.)

Rebecca Romjin So if you want to envision Miss Simone, then you can't go too far wrong with the image above. It was, after all, my original inspiration.

Although, quite honestly, she's evolved a little since then and is probably now more like Rebecca Romijn (Mystique from X-Men). If a movie of Island of Fog were ever made, I'd let Rebecca play the part. Honest. I wouldn't mind too much.

Comment by BRIAN CLOPPER on Wednesday, October 5, 2011...

I remember seeing this film. Just so you know, your Simone is three dimensional and not at all a simulation of a real person.

Comment by C. LEE MCKENZIE on Friday, October 21, 2011...

Whether she three dimensional or a simulation, she's hot. I'd say she'd be great in a movie of your book.

Just stopping in from the WriteCampaign to say hi.

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