John Dahl Q and A
I haven't written in this thing forever which I guess is a sign that Columbia as a whole has been a much more stable experience than SCAD. I don't think like a blogger these days.
I'm taking Screenwriting II this Summer and we're about to start producing pages for a feature length screenplay. I have two ideas and chose one over the other because I know basically beat by beat what happens until the end which I've never settled on. The other has a killer ending. I mean fucking epitome of climax and merging of story threads, but I don't know exactly how to pad out the middle of it. Now I'm contemplating switching the idea before my pitch on Monday and either way, no matter what I choose, I think I'll be wishing I was writing the other one.
I know this is a lot to ask myself but I want a script that has a real potential to be made and not necessarily by me. Something that pops off the page and is a solid, marketable, practical story on its own and not just something I might try and produce by myself ... I know there are plenty of good scripts that don't get made, so this is all wishful thinking. My hang up is that there is only one feature screenwriting class that I know of, and I'm in it right now, so by the end of it I'll have one 80-120 page script in my hands. I don't want to look back at it in a year and think it was a waste.
Today I saw an advanced screening of John Dahl's new black comedy called You Kill Me. After the movie, John Dahl answered questions and it was really cool. I was there by myself, which was fine, because it was a full house at the AMC and was open to the general public.
John Dahl directed two great indie noirs - The Last Seduction, and Red Rock West ... two studio films, Rounders, and the movie I love more than anyone should, Joy Ride. You Kill Me is his first flat out comedy, although it's extremely dry - It stars Ben Kingsley as an alcoholic hitman who starts going to AA meetings where he very openly talks about his profession. It's sort of a romantic comedy, but too dark and cynical to be considered romantic. It also has Luke Wilson, Phillip Baker Hall, and Tea Leoni in it. It was good, not great, but such a little movie, shot in 26 days. I felt compelled to ask if John preferred independent work to studio movies like Joy Ride and Rounders.
His answer was pretty much expected. With studio pictures, there is more pressure to get it right and more chefs in the kitchen, but also there's a clear source of money. Independent films, there's no money, and you have to think on your feet. He then listed a number of different things that he wanted to do and wasn't able to because of weather, time, etc. For all the preproduction that goes into making a movie like this, you're still left with a result that is somewhat different from your original conception.
When he was talking, I realized how casual he was. He is not busting at the seams with enthusiasm like Quetin Tarantino. He knows a lot about movies, but he's more of a working professional ... he said he's not a rich guy, and I believed it. He makes a good living making movies, none of which have been huge successes.
Every movie he's made is in the same genre realm, even though You Kill Me is an indie comedy, Joy Ride is a horror thriller, Red Rock West is a western noir, etc. Every movie he makes is incredibly cynical, but darkly funny because of it. You Kill Me, despite being his lightest movie, is probably the most cynical. The more sober Ben Kinsley gets, the more in love he is with Tea Leoni, the closer he is to being a great killer again. It's the kind of movie people leave saying "it was cute" when really it's sick as hell.
I'm taking Screenwriting II this Summer and we're about to start producing pages for a feature length screenplay. I have two ideas and chose one over the other because I know basically beat by beat what happens until the end which I've never settled on. The other has a killer ending. I mean fucking epitome of climax and merging of story threads, but I don't know exactly how to pad out the middle of it. Now I'm contemplating switching the idea before my pitch on Monday and either way, no matter what I choose, I think I'll be wishing I was writing the other one.
I know this is a lot to ask myself but I want a script that has a real potential to be made and not necessarily by me. Something that pops off the page and is a solid, marketable, practical story on its own and not just something I might try and produce by myself ... I know there are plenty of good scripts that don't get made, so this is all wishful thinking. My hang up is that there is only one feature screenwriting class that I know of, and I'm in it right now, so by the end of it I'll have one 80-120 page script in my hands. I don't want to look back at it in a year and think it was a waste.
Today I saw an advanced screening of John Dahl's new black comedy called You Kill Me. After the movie, John Dahl answered questions and it was really cool. I was there by myself, which was fine, because it was a full house at the AMC and was open to the general public.
John Dahl directed two great indie noirs - The Last Seduction, and Red Rock West ... two studio films, Rounders, and the movie I love more than anyone should, Joy Ride. You Kill Me is his first flat out comedy, although it's extremely dry - It stars Ben Kingsley as an alcoholic hitman who starts going to AA meetings where he very openly talks about his profession. It's sort of a romantic comedy, but too dark and cynical to be considered romantic. It also has Luke Wilson, Phillip Baker Hall, and Tea Leoni in it. It was good, not great, but such a little movie, shot in 26 days. I felt compelled to ask if John preferred independent work to studio movies like Joy Ride and Rounders.
His answer was pretty much expected. With studio pictures, there is more pressure to get it right and more chefs in the kitchen, but also there's a clear source of money. Independent films, there's no money, and you have to think on your feet. He then listed a number of different things that he wanted to do and wasn't able to because of weather, time, etc. For all the preproduction that goes into making a movie like this, you're still left with a result that is somewhat different from your original conception.
When he was talking, I realized how casual he was. He is not busting at the seams with enthusiasm like Quetin Tarantino. He knows a lot about movies, but he's more of a working professional ... he said he's not a rich guy, and I believed it. He makes a good living making movies, none of which have been huge successes.
Every movie he's made is in the same genre realm, even though You Kill Me is an indie comedy, Joy Ride is a horror thriller, Red Rock West is a western noir, etc. Every movie he makes is incredibly cynical, but darkly funny because of it. You Kill Me, despite being his lightest movie, is probably the most cynical. The more sober Ben Kinsley gets, the more in love he is with Tea Leoni, the closer he is to being a great killer again. It's the kind of movie people leave saying "it was cute" when really it's sick as hell.