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Screenwriter - Devin Watson an interview with Mary J. Schirmer Devin
Watson, screenwriter and author of "Horror Screenwriting: The
Nature of Fear," took time from his busy schedule for an email
interview. Mary: How long have you been writing screenplays? Devin: Going on 14 years now. The first five or so I call practice. One would be kind if they called them garbage. But with each successive script I got more confident in my own style and in the stories I was telling, until the mechanics of it became second nature and the focus went solely on story. Mary: What kind of training did you have for screenwriting? Devin: I've had no formal training in terms of classes, unless you count the creative writing class I took in high school. That surprises a lot of people. I've read my share of books on the subject, of course, but many of them could not replace reading other people's scripts and writing my own. That's not to say those books gave me some guidance. Without them I would've been completely lost. But more often than not they ended up imposing too many biased viewpoints on "how you should write a screenplay," rather than focus on what makes a good screenplay good, and a bad one bad. That was when I realized that there was truth in the pages but to take it with a grain of salt. Watching movies was a good early teacher. Seeing how each scene was constructed, the dialogue, pacing, everything. When you're a novelist, you read a lot of books.. When you're a screenwriter, you watch a lot of movies, both good and bad. Experience has been the best teacher for me overall though. There are no shortcuts in writing a good story, whether prose, poetry, or screenplays. Being confident and truthful with yourself and what you write will go a long way. The rest is blood, sweat, and many tears. Mary: Would you please tell our readers about your first option? Devin: It happened rather quickly for me with Tenebrous. From the time I wrote it to the time it was optioned was about 3 months. Originally the plan was for me to direct it here where I live in Tennessee. Then the other producer got investor backing for the project and then it turned into a situation of, "Here, we need to write an option agreement, sign it and get you paid." That series of events leading to the script being optioned was not normal in most senses. We did follow the rules though every step of the way. I only wish the process could be as fun and pleasant for me with other screenwriters. What a lot of new screenwriters end up doing is become very defensive of their work, especially if they get invited to the set and see that changes have occurred. Change is inevitable if you do a studio project, although to a much lesser extent on indies, especially if you're at the helm or producing. But once that option is signed and paid for, and the rights have been transferred to the production company, your baby has been sold. Pat yourself on the back, and take the check. Welcome to the magic factory. Mary: What advice do you have for writers marketing screenplays on their own, i.e. screenwriters who don't have an agent helping them yet? Devin: The field is definitely not like it was when I first started back in 1996. Back then there were these huge payouts to studios for scripts, like they were refilling their script coffers. But that faded out quickly much like the dot-com boom and bust. You had to be in L.A. if you wanted to sell a script, and even then your chances were low. Having an agent was just another one of those necessary things. Now you have much more support from communities on the Internet, something I'm happy to see reaching maturity. Independent filmmakers are still around, even more so because of the Internet. If used properly, it can be a powerful marketing tool for yourself and your work, and also for networking with other screenwriters. I suspect that we've only hit the tip of the iceberg with this new form of marketing for writers and filmmakers. Mary: Why do you think the audience likes horror movies? Do people really like to be scared? Devin: I think there wouldn't be a market for horror movies if people didn't want to be scared. They like to see the monster shamble or the killer stalk around. It's the same kind of reasons for riding a roller coaster, that flirtation with a "safe" kind of danger. Films are experiences on rails for people. They know, even if only subconsciously, that they'll get scared but then the lights come up, the credits roll, and they're still there and they had an experience getting there. It's that same kind of "safe" danger. Mary: Is horror screenwriting about giving a certain age group the type of movies they'll pay to see? Devin: I don't think so, although many of the studios would have us believe that horror is only for the 18-25 audience. That audience is a lot larger than people think. Look at Stephen King's books. It's horror, of that there's no doubt, but many of the readers are more mature than that single demographic. And his books get adapted into feature films and mini-series all the time. Horror has a bad rap of being consistently shoved into a small box on a standardized form. It doesn't need to, nor should it. Certainly there are some horror films that are geared from the start to aim at the 18-25 crowd. Not every one of them can. The big studio horror films, mostly remakes now of old franchises, are even further watered down to PG-13 so as to try and reach a younger audience. I think they're looking in the wrong direction. When it becomes a marketing problem that studios can't understand how to look beyond that demographic, that's when I look to the independents to come out swinging and show them that you can't shoehorn every story, especially horror stories, into something that the young crowd will want to see. I define mature horror as a story that is R-rated for one reason or another, either through the violence, gore, language, and so on. By making more mature horror scarce, the demand goes up but is not met by anyone except the independents. They're trying new things and doing it because they love making movies and telling good stories. Mary: Is horror a genre that's more open to new screenwriters? Devin: Horror is a very open and inviting genre for any writer of any experience level out there, but I think it's also more accepting to new screenwriters than any others. That's not to say that the genre has training wheels built in either. You still have to write just like any other genre. But I would argue that it's more fun and more accepting of not just new writers but new concepts and stories than, say, a romantic comedy. There's an old punk song that goes, "We don't care where you came from, we're just glad you're here." That's what I think of about the genre. It's also one of those genres that is easier and less expensive to make compared to others. Many horror stories use claustrophobia, such as an old house, which translates to fewer locations, or even one. They can be made on a tighter and smaller budget if need be. This makes them more palatable to the budget-conscious filmmaker, which these days is all the way up to the studios. If you're looking for a similar vein, sci-fi is a cousin to horror. You can even mix them together with surprising results. Mary: What are a few of the important elements of horror screenwriting? Devin: Suspense and tension. Those are arguably the two most important. And they work hand-in-hand with each other. Too many times I've read horror scripts that fall flat because it's nothing but wall-to-wall slaughter without reason. This can desensitize an audience to any kind of impact you may want to have in your story. Dan O'Bannon had it right, I think; keep the suspense up and try not to reveal too much too soon (or at all). Horror is about looking at the darker side of life, and it all starts in the mind of the writer. Bad things happening to people because of something or someone. Monsters, ghosts, science gone awry, to name a few. That's it in a nutshell. If you accept that people want to be scared and give them reasonable expectations to suspend their disbelief in steps, by the time you get to that final plot twist they'll accept it without much questioning, if any. Know what scares you first, understand why it does, and you'll have a better grasp on how to scare an audience. Many who jump into horror writing don't realize the sheer amount of history it has, which goes back thousands of years, to the dawn of civilization itself. Horror, culture, and society are linked together, and will be for the foreseeable future. Horror was used for social hygiene and to teach. Look back at that material, see where we've come from before you start your script. Mary: Do you have a favorite older horror film? Devin: There's a few that come to mind. Older can be subjective of course, but I still like to go back to the early era of film. I grew up on the Hammer films from the late 50s and 60s (The Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy, Dracula, etc.). These films were just coming out on VHS then, which gave me a lot of entertainment as a kid. There's a few studio movies that still stand out in my mind, and I reference them in my book: The Shining, The Exorcist, The Thing, Poltergeist, Alien, and The Silence of the Lambs. Each of those had one or more story and visual elements that stayed with me my whole life. Mary: Do you live in LA or NY? Why or why not? Devin: I live in Tennesee now, but I did spend some time in L.A. briefly. Personally, I felt that there had to be a better way of doing what I loved, and it turned out that there is. You don't have to be in L.A. or New York all the time if you don't need to. I've been to New York on many occasions and I do love it there, but coming back home I realize quickly that this is where I like to be and draw a lot of my own inspiration. Again, with the Internet, many reasons for living there became moot. There are clients I've ghostwritten for in the past that have never even met me face-to-face. Without the kinds of communication we have now as opposed to 14 years ago, that wouldn't even be possible. Of course, to make a film you have to meet in person and actually make it, but that's a different story altogether. Mary: Are new screenwriters nuts to try to break into the film industry in this economy? Devin: No, and I'll tell you why. For every screenwriter trying to break in, there's also at least one or two independent filmmakers out there trying to do the same. The budgets are lower, but so are the barriers to entry and abilities to produce high-quality films. On an Internet radio show I do called ScreenTalk, I try to show that there's more to this business than aiming for a big studio to pick up your script. At this point in time, the odds are just like winning the lottery for a new writer to get a script sold into one. They're sticking with the writers that have been tried and true for them, not just because they're scared of any risk, and that includes a new name on the fly cover of a script, but because of the way studios are geared. Studios operate under a factory formula and won't touch anything now that might be under a $20 million budget. They want to make product, and a lot of it all the time, but any kind of smaller project, such as many horror films, might not fit in that factory formula. If that is what you are aiming for though, by all means pursue the studio option. But we as screenwriters should also realize we have other options. I think it's more realistic for a new screenwriter to hook up with an independent filmmaker that you trust if you want to see your script produced. Or follow the route of producing it yourself. A lot of screenwriters have intentionally distanced themselves from the rest of the process, which is a shame. It's created a chasm that shouldn't be there. Writers should at least have a cursory knowledge of the entire filmmaking process and realize that they are part of something bigger. If you're looking to get into horror writing, are just starting out, and are looking for an independent filmmaker or studio to pick up your story, here's a few things you can aim for that will make your story more readily acceptable by both: 1. Keep the story contemporary. This means no expensive period sets have to be built, or special locations scouted. If it can work in just about any place with little set dressing, that will make it easier to film with less money, but still achieve its goals. 2. Reduce the number of locations. Many horror stories are set in one or two locations to maintain the claustrophobia or simply heighten the sense of being trapped. The number of locations translates to money spent.. The more locations, the more it costs, not only for renting, but also for company moves. Company moves take time out of the schedule to pack up gear and haul it, which again comes out as money spent. It's a chain reaction that can eat a film's budget for breakfast. Mary: Would you advise screenwriters to write with a certain actor in mind and then try to get the script to that actor? Devin: If you're just starting out, I would say no. Write who you see in your mind's eye in terms of physical characteristics that serve the story. That doesn't mean you can't write with a specific actor in mind. It's a lot easier to picture a certain actor you may know from film or theater that fits the fabric of a character. Don't get your hopes up of ever seeing said actor working that role out. And you may even be surprised at what talent does take up the role. Keep an open mind.
Mary: Would you please tell the readers about your new
book? The book does not espouse a specific method of writing. That fact is introduced very early on so as not to disappoint. To me there is no one proven method of writing a script. Every story is different, and every script is different. That's not to say there are certain techniques and hints one can use to get a story written effectively, which is what the book covers. I also didn't want to couch the material in the book in academic terms. I wanted it to be very accessible, something anybody could pick up and read without having had a Master's in English. Screenwriting isn't rocket science, and it never should be.
Mary: Is there anything else you'd like to tell our
readers? Watson's book is available at bookstores and on http://shop.mwp.com/products/horror-screenwriting-the-nature-of-fear
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