“I think essentially, we’re pretty lazy when it comes to communication with each other and we need to be motivated.”
writer/director Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine)
Up until six years ago I had lived my entire life in Florida and California so I looked at moving to Iowa in 2003 as a great adventure. Similar to moving to L.A. when I was 21 or backpacking across Europe ten years ago. All opportunities to experience something new and different.
Writers are like sponges soaking in an overheard phrase here and a interesting face there, making up little stories of where people are heading and where they have been. They contemplate. They ponder. It’s not that non-writers don’t, it’s just that the writer takes a little longer look trying to scratch beneath the surface to find a layer of truth. To connect. And as they point with their pen they hope others will see what they have seen. An epiphany of sorts.
The movie Everybody’s Fine written and directed by Kirk Jones is about connecting. And while the movie is rooted in Guiseppe Tomatore’s 1990 film Stanno tuti Benne, it was a three-week road trip that Jones took from New York to Las Vegas that gave Everybody’s Fine it’s American authenticity.
Taking Greyhound buses, Amtrak trains, as well as driving gave the English filmmaker a taste of America that many Americans never experienced. Jones has spoken in many interviews of how the road trip helped him develop the main character of the film (Frank played by Robert DeNiro).
“It inspired a number of ideas in the film, Frank’s occupation, for example. I was very keen that his occupation had some relevance to his story. I was traveling from St. Louis to Kansas City and I looked out the window and I saw the telephone polls and the wires. And I just appreciated the irony thinking that Frank had spent his life protecting the line of communication, making these wires on the telephone poles and helping millions of people communicate with each other, but he was unable communicate with his own family. I don’t think I would have been inspired to have ideas like that if I hadn’t actually come and sat on the train and traveled. I also appreciated how important meeting, at times, pretty eccentric and wonderful characters. I appreciated how much that was part of the journey.”
Kirk Jones Interview with Hannah Goodwyn
As I’ve said before, and many have proven before me, there is a lot of fertile land here in fly-over country. The key thing is you can’t just fly over it. Pictures of Jones’ trip can be see at Life.com in an article titled The Road Trip That Moved DeNiro.
Yesterday the National Board of Review named Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air as the best film of the year. The film is also getting early buzz for Academy Award consideration. Good news for a film that is just opening today. This is first feature Reitman has directed since the success of Juno. Up in the Air is based on a book by Walter Kim and Reitman co-wrote the script with Sheldon Turner and it has been in development for seven year since Reirman stumbled upon the book in 2002.
Reitman, who happens to be the son of Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, tackled smoking in his first feature film (Thank You for Smoking), then teen pregnacy in Juno, and now deals with corporate downsizing in Up in the Air. He’s the rare breed that knows how to get the laughs but also leave you thinking about deeper issues.
“If I could ask for anything with my movies, the rest of my career, it’s not that I be successful. There’ll be movies that are successful, and there’ll be movies that won’t. But I’d like to hold on to the idea that my movies are mirrors. They’re not going to tell you what to think but, rather, act like a mirror, so when you get to the end of the movie, you see yourself in it.”
Jason Reitman Interview with Charlie McCollum
I’ve always credited Diablo Cody for starting this blog in January ‘08 after seeing Juno (Juno Has Another Baby), but I must give a strong assist to Reitman for bringing that film to the big screen.
My favorite shot in Dreams on Spec, a documentary on screenwriting, is where one of the writers trying to breakthrough is eating out with his wife and child. He tries to tell his wife (who works full-time and has the insurance for the family) about trying to get actress Terri Hatcher to read his script. But his wife’s eyes are vacant and she appears uninterested probably from years (decades?) of hearing about his dreams deferred.
It’s a subtle moment and easy to miss. But the moment is not lost on the director and/or editor as they follow that moment with this quote by writer and therapist Dennis Palumbo;
“A writer’s life and a writer’s struggle can be really hard on relationships, very hard for your mate to understand. Your ups and downs, the fact that you’re spending all of these hours doing something that doesn’t seem to have a tangible reward. Not to mention the financial strain. Because for most writers they have to take day jobs that don’t bring them the kind of money and security that their mate would want, particularly if children start coming into the equation.”
When I was in film school in L.A. I worked for a short time at Frank’s Camera in Highland Park. I sold a camera one day to a fellow who worked in film production and I asked him if he had any advice and he looked at me dead in the eyes and said, “Don’t get married.”
It doesn’t take long to realize that 16 hour days (sometimes away from home), or days (or weeks, or months) without work is not usually conducive to a normal, healthy marriage. If you’re just starting out on your creative journey it’s best to be honest with yourself and your mate if you chose them to go on the journey with you (whether on the production side or the writing side), and you need to realize that if you go down this road it’s like joining the circus. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. But not everyone likes the freak show.)
(Nov. 5 insert: As an example here is a note in my diary from 2007 that I just came across while cleaning up. “Yesterday I flew after a shoot in Charlotte to New York to Minneapolis to Waterloo, Iowa arriving home just before midnight. I repacked my things and went to sleep around 2AM, woke up at 5:30 AM to catch a 7AM flight out of Waterloo to head to San Francisco for a shoot.” Not a typical 24-hour period, but not a totally unique experience. )
Over the years I’ve been able to make one keen observation from at least the perspective of my male friends who have pursued careers as musicians, artists, photographers, writers or filmmakers, and that is the number one occupation for their spouses to have is in nursing. (Second is physical therapist which is really in the same camp.) I’ve given it a little thought and I think the reason is that nurses tend to like what they do, make good money, work irregular schedules and tend to be nurturing individuals.
Just making an observation. They tend not to teach those things in school.
As you watch the documentary Dreams on Specyou wonder if writers as a group aren’t just plain delusional. They live in a world where they are creating fictious stories in their head. Stories that are sometimes clear in their minds but that others don’t always see. And there is a fine line between being delusional in your writing and being delusional in your life. It’s no wonder why so many writers struggle with drugs, alcohol, depression and strained relationships. (And sadly being published and produced doesn’t seem to be the cure.)
Every writer who has struggled with a story for years believes that there is a hill just beyond the horizon that if they can get over that hump then the waiting world will finally see their brilliance and shower them with adoration. (Or at least they’ll be able to pay the bills for a while.) So if you need a little hope today here’s a quote pulled from Dreams on Spec that may help you keep writing another day.
“I had a screenplay once where I was 90 pages in and I knew it was all over—I knew it was a disaster. It was driving me crazy because the studio had gone down a path with me so there was no getting out, and I didn’t knew how to get past these 90 pages. And then it all worked out. And the change which made it from absolute despair—that there was no way to save— it to it all working out was minute, but key.”
Producer/Director Writer James L. Brooks speaking about his script Terms of Endearment which went on to win five Academy Awards including three for Brooks (Best Director, Best Picture, & Best Writing).
Last night I watched the documentary Dreams on Spec which is a look at screenwriting from the perspective of those who’ve made it and those who are trying to make it. It’s reminiscent of Comedian which features Jerry Seinfeld’s behind the scene look of those trying to build a career as stand-up comedians. Both should be required viewing as they give a glimpse of the uphill battles, pitfalls, and realties of a creative career.
Dreams on Specwas written and directed by Daniel Snyder and in between profiling three screenwriters at various stages of trying to break into the industry he shows interviews with screenwriters Ed Solomon (Men in Black), James L. Brooks (As Good as it Gets), Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally) and others. I thought I’d pull some quotes for you this week, but I encourge you to watch the doc.
First up is writer/director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit):
“I think that it’s very easy to kind of give it away—give the definition of success away—empower other people in determining whether or not you have talent. And here’s the catch-22, the more you do that the less you’ll be able to write. That’s the hard thing, because writing is all about preservation, and strength and authority in your own voice. So if you give that voice away by guessing (Ross points to others) what you think, or what you think, or what you think as you go, you’re gonna have less to say and less to be able to write about, and less of an authoritative voice and then it goes away.”
Each of the up and coming screenwriters featured in the doc represents three common stages of writing. There is one who keeps plugging away despite year after year of rejection, one who has mild success in actually getting a low budget script produce (walking away with around $20,000 and keeping his day job), and one that appears to quit. That probably covers 99& of the writers who will write the tens of thousands of scripts this year.
And I thought it was pretty cool that Nebraska produced financial guru Warren Buffett, screenwriter Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election), and actor Marlon Brando, but now I’ve learned that ScriptGirl was born and partially raised in Nebraska (and has strong enough ties there to spend Thanksgiving in the Cornhusker state this year). And on top of that she was an Art History major at the University of Iowa.
I always thought that if Diablo Cody wouldn’t have broken through with Juno she would have evolved into something like ScriptGirl. (Actually, they are the same age so I imagine they attended the University of Iowa at the same time. Interesting.) ScriptGirl for the uninitiated is the persona of a sexy librarian/farm girl-type turned savvy Hollywood script sale reviewer. While she doesn’t cover her breasts much she does a fine job covering recent script sales in an informative and entertaining way.
Her coverage (and lack of coverage) has helped her build a fan base of around 8,000 You Tube subscribers (one video currently has 890,846 views). She is also well covered on the social media front including Facebook, Myspace, and twitter. Quentin Tarantino is said to be a fan.
So what prepared ScriptGirl for her online success?
“I didn’t go to film school. I studied art history. But, like so many others, I was drawn to the movie business and came to Los Angeles. I’ve tried or suffered through a lot of different industry jobs. But screenwriting to me was always the ultimate destination. After a couple years of flailing around, I managed to find an agent who liked my romantic comedy and shopped it around. It was optioned by the production company of an actor I shall not name, and I had some meetings on other projects. It was a pretty heady time for this Thai/German farmgirl from Nebraska. But before I could even put a down payment on a Prius, the rom-com was out on its keister, promises of other jobs dried up, and I was back to the harsh reality of 9-5 living.” ScriptGirl Interview with Kim Townsel
I’m not sure how much of a moneymaker it is for the small team that puts together ScriptGirl (there are You Tube ads and the occasional product placement of Red Bull or Final Draft) but it has to be good exposure. ScriptGirl now has a regular column at Script magazine. From a screenwriter’s perspective it’s a succinct way to follow script sales and it’s always encouraging to hear ScriptGirl’s closing words; ”You can’t sell it if you don’t write it.”
So if you’ve never seen the Bellview/Omaha, Nebraska native (and Iowa educated) ScriptGirl in action, welcome to her world. (In case you’re wondering, Bellview is just across the river from Iowa. I’m starting to think this Midwest thing is becoming trendy.)
BTW-Did you know that when Alexander Payne was growing up in Omaha that Warren Buffett was actually a neighbor? And did you know Warren Buffett and Jimmy Buffett are distantly related?
“A historic, music-affirming extravaganza. Hail, hail rock ‘n’ roll.”
USATODAY.com
Tonight HBO will broadcast the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert that was taped back in October. The concert features a solid line-up of Bruce Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, U2, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Brown, James Taylor, Smokey Robinson, John Fogerty, B.B. King, Sting, Billy Joel and other rock giants.
And while all those musicians perform under a touch of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Artist Gary Kelley was commissioned to create a multi-panel mural that arched above the stage at Madison Square Garden.
Kelley’s studio is just a couple blocks from my office and it’s fun to drop in from time to time and see what he’s working knowing it could be something for Rolling Stone magazine or another national venue. Kelley is most known for his murals of writers at Barnes & Nobel Booksellers across the county and in 2007 he was elected into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.
One more example of great work coming from the middle of nowhere.
It’s funny when you pick an area to focus on what you can uncover.
First I learned that screenwriter/producer/director Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Night at the Museum, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) was from the Youngstown, Ohio area.
Then I learned that the producer Paula Wagner (Mission Impossible, Vanilla Sky, Valkyrie) was born and raised in the Youngstown area.
Now I learn that E.T. was from Youngstown. Okay, technically E.T. was from space, but one of the key personnel responsible for being inside one of the E.T.’s was 2′10″ Pat Bilon of Youngstown, Ohio. There were many people (and actually several E.T.’s) responsible for E.T.’s movements depending on what was needed. Tamara De Treaux and Matthew De Meritt also wore E.T. suits, but according to Fred Skidmore, spokensman of Universal Studios, “Pat did do the majority of the movie.”
Bilon worked as dispatcher for the Mahoning Country Sheriff’s Department when he was discovered by a casting director at a Little People of America conference. He first appeared in Under the Rainbow that starred Chevy Chase. Upon auditioning for Steven Spielberg he was reportedly cast within a day.
His role in making E.T. move required him to wear the E.T. suit up to six hours a day with no ventilation. After the movie was released Bilon told Roma Sochan Hadzewycz that his favorite scene to play was a chase scene on a bike, “I was in a yoga position in the basket of Elliot’s bike, and a truck with a camera was pulling the bike. I couldn’t see how fast we were going, but I could feel the breeze and I could tell it was very fast.”
E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial was released in 1982 and in January 1983 it passed Star Wars at the #1 all-time box office champ. (It is currently #5 domestically.) Sadly, also in January of 1983 Pat Bilon died. But what a journey he must of had.
So while you’re dreaming (in between your writing), why not shoot for the moon?
The book that inspired Bruce Springsteen to write the song Youngstown on his TheGhost of Tom Joad album is Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass. The book was written by Dale Maharidge with photography by Michael Williamson. The book was out of print when the album came out in 1995, but the publishers reprinted the book with an intro by Springsteen who wrote, “I read it in one sitting and I lay awake frightened by its implications.”
The book has also inspired a film being developed by writer/director Aaron J. Wiederspahn at either/or films called Someplace Like America. My path crossed with Wiederspahn years going when we both lived in Orlando. Wiederspahn now lives in New Hampshire and his first film was The Sensation of Sightstarring David Strathairn. He’s doing his part to make films outside the Hollywood norm.
There is also a documentary being produced called Finding Someplace Like America that retraces with Maharidge and Williamson the places they first visited 25 years ago as they looked at the homeless and disenfranchised in America. As our economy struggles in this country for the past year or so it’s sobering to look at an area that’s been in a recession for about 30 years.
Before I take a circuitous route to point out yet one more connection between Youngstown and Hollywood let me first thank everyone for reading this screenwriting blog as it’s given me much encouragement in my quest to post daily. It’s not easy to write something original daily and finding odd connections really is a fun part of the process. Today is a good example.
My favorite movie with a Thanksgiving theme is Pieces of April. Granted, I don’t think there is a long list of films with Thanksgiving themes. So let me add that it’s also one of my favorite low-budget films of all time. Odd or relevant connection to Screenwriting from Iowa? Number one: Pieces of April writer/director Peter Hedges grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. Number Two: My recent posts have centered around Ohio, and Pieces of April stars Katie Holmes who grew up in Toledo.
But can I get from Toledo to Youngstown which has technically be the focus of recent blogs? Yes, but I have to take the indirect route via Cincinnati. Katie Holmes is married to Tom Cruise who lived for a time in Cincinnati as a teenager. The agent that got Cruise his breakout role in Risky Business was raised in Youngstown. That agent Paula Wagner, eventually became Cruise’s producing partner including all the Mission Impossible movies, Vanilla Sky and The Last Samurai.
What prepared Wagner to become one of the most powerful women in Hollywood? Being born Paula Kaufman in Youngstown back in 1946 didn’t hurt. Just this month she returned to Youngstown for the first time in 30 years to give a talk at Youngstown State University and said, “I really attribute so much of what I’ve done to having grown up in this city…Youngstown is very much a part of me.”
Her father was a fighter pilot in World War II and also a prisoner of war, and went on to run a steel mill in Youngstown. “Youngstown was founded on steel and we all have a spine of steel,” said Wagner at her Youngstown talk. It was at the Youngstown Playhouse where Wagner began acting as a child. (The same place advertising giant Mary Wells began acting at age 5.) She was known as a talented actress at Hubbard High School and then earned a BFA in theater at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh (just a little over an hour’s drive from Youngstown).
Wagner performed on Broadway and off-Broadway before heading to Los Angeles with $500. to her name. She ended up being an agent at Creative Artists Agency where her clients included Demi Moore, Val Kilmer and Oliver Stone. She formed Cruise/Wagner Productions in 1993 and the films they have produced together have earned around $3 billion at the box office.
And I thought it was impressive that former Youngstown resident and current producer/director/writer Chris Columbus (TheGoonies, Home Alone, and the first two Harry Potter movies) had a box office total over $1 billion. Is there another small city in America where people raised there went on to have a key role in movies that have earned around $4 billion?
Most recently Wagner has started a new company Chestnut Ridge Productions and is slated to produce the film version of Miss Saigon. What’s the significance of the name of her new company?Guy D’Astolfo reports,“Paula Wagner’s Hollywood career has taken her around the world, but she keeps coming back to Chestnut Ridge. That’s the road she grew up on in Hubbard Township”
So if you’re a screenwriter from the Youngstown area use that back of steel to get connect with Wagner. Remember, there’s no place like home.
By the way, if you’d like to see what Youngstown looked like back around the time Wagner was born watch the 15 minute movie Steel Town that Mike Gaunter, a news producer in Youngstown sent my way via You Tube.
