Movie Monday Week 2: Jocelyn’s Call

We are just over a year away from the the theatrical release of ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ and the hype for the adaptation of the internationally best selling series by Cassandra Clare will only continue to grow as the release draws nearer. 

With some help from fellow ‘Mortal Instruments’ fansites (TMI Institute, Mundie Moms,TMI Examiner and TMI News en Espanol) we’ve teamed up for a new weekly feature called Movie Monday.

Each Monday leading up to the August 23, 2013, release of ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,’ we will take a look at a scene, moment, detail, etc. and give our opinions on how we think it will be interpreted in the big screen adaptation.

Week 2: JOCELYN’S CALL TO CLARY

Alyssa, TMI Source: This is a scene that I’m real eager to see come to life. Cinematically there are several different ways that Jocelyn’s frantic call to Clary can play out in a way that it couldn’t in the book. In the book we see the moment from Clary’s perspective with Jocelyn’s voice as the emotional trigger.

In the film, however, I believe we will start with Clary answering her phone and then we will see the scene flash to Jocelyn and actually see the attack as she’s talking to Clary, with it flashing back to Clary and Jace and their reactions. That’s the cool thing in book-to-film adaptations. You often get to see different perspectives that add to scenes. Hopefully we’ll get some of that with this scene.

Amber, TMI Institute: Jocelyn’s phone call to Clary is an important transition from Clary’s conversation with Jace at Java Joe’s to a more complex situation in which Clary puts herself at risk in order to help her mom from an unknown terror. I can visualize this scene being in the film. I think it will break up the tension between Jace and Clary’s conversation and move the film along at a nice pace. I do, however, think that it may be a tricky scene to film because phone call scenes don’t always translate well on screen unless well written. It could be that they just show Clary’s reactions to the call instead of showing Jocelyn actually talking to her. This would provide a better effect when we actually see the demon attack on Clary.

Katie, Mundie Moms: This again is another crucial moment in the book that I hope they keep in the movie, because it leads Clary to question what exactly her Mom has been hiding from her. Even though the phone call is short, it allows for a few key things to happen in the book, like Clary battling a demon, Jace saving her, her being taking to the Institute, her quest for answers, the introduction to the Silent Brothers, followed by my favorite, Clay’s visit to Magnus. Just from the little bit we’ve learned about Clary we know she’s not going to do exactly what her mom asks her to do and she goes to the apartment.

I’m personally looking forward to seeing this scene on the big screen. This scene doesn’t need to be a long one, but it needs to be in the movie so we can get a glimpse of Jocelyn and Clary’s relationship, and see the chain of events that happens after this phone call takes place.

Natalie, TMI Examiner: I think that moment when Clary receives the phone call from Jocelyn is going to be heartbreaking. Clary would first be processing what she experienced in the club and now this! Again, like the Pandemonium Club scene, this scene will continue to drive the plot and maintain the mood for the movie. I can’t wait to see how Lily brings this scene to life!

Tita, TMI News en Español: So here we are, with Jace Wayland in the street, and the phone rings… Yes, this scene HAS TO BE in the movie, I really think this one will look a little bit different, in that case you can play a lot with the positions, the conversation, but, what you can’t change that much, it’s the phone call… We need to know that Jocelyn is in trouble, that she doesn’t want Clary to go there to help her, and how Clary’s life is changing in that precious moment.

The worst thing that could happened? That Clary doesn’t talk directly to her mom. Maybe she’ll find tons of missed calls and a message from her mum with an hysteric voice and that it’s cut off suddenly, but even in that case too, we’ll get into the situation that something is going really wrong.

Check back next Monday for the next edition of Movie Monday.