M.C. did a questions-and-answers session for the April 2003 issue of Scottsdale College's
Tell me a little about yourself.
I was born and raised here in Phoenix, though I spent most of my 20's in San Francisco and Seattle, having crazy adventures.
In addition to writing screenplays, I'm also a humor columnist for the national edition of the Comic News and The Loon News, and have been published a few other places as well. I'm also a singer-songwriter and have done improv comedy and acting work.
A few of my favorite movies/screenplays: To Kill A Mockingbird, The Princess Bride, Rushmore, The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Detour, The Thin Man, anything by Orson Welles, City Lights, Nothing Sacred, Being John Malkovich, To Be Or Not To Be, The Apartment, Casablanca, Alphaville, Glen Or Glenda, Heathers, Edward Scissorshands, Victor/Victoria...I could go on, but I'll spare you....
A few directors I admire: Billy Wilder, Preston Sturges, F.W. Murnau, Georges Melies, Stanley Donen, John Cameron Mitchell, Ernst Lubitsch, Maya Deren, Richard Lester, Edward D. Wood, Orson Welles, Cameron Crowe, Wes Anderson...
1. How old are you? What year are you in school?
Hollywood being somewhat of an "ageist" business, I think I'll plead the fifth on my age, though I'll admit to being one of those just slightly older "non-traditional" students. I've been at SCC about 2 years.
2. What is your major? Have you obtained a degree yet? if so, in what? if not, what do you hope to obtain?
I'm in the screenwriting "track" of SCC's Motion Picture/TV program. After I graduated high school I intended to go to the U of A and study journalism, but financial concerns ended my education early. It took me several years to be able to have the luxury of attending college. It's something nobody should take for granted. I hope to get my bachelor's and master's degrees in creative writing at some point.
3. What type of career are you interested in? why?
I've worked a million jobs, and been everything from a Teamster to a record store manager to an assistant teacher for developmentally disabled children. Writing is the thing I always come back to, though, no matter how far I wander. I'd like to direct my own screenplays at some point, but at heart I'll always be a writer.
4. How long have you been writing screenplays? What got you interested?
Although I've been writing since I was 10, I didn't try writing a full-length screenplay until last year. In fact, "The People's Choice" was my first, although I've completed others since then. I've written a couple of stage plays, a novel and a half, and more short stories, columns and newspaper articles than I care to think about.
I've always loved the movies. A good movie can change your life. It can lift you out of the depths of despair, give you hope, help you find your way. From "Casablanca" to "Rushmore" to "The Bicycle Thief" to "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," a good movie can inspire joy and heartbreak, change the way you look at things, make you feel less alone. I'd like to be a part of any enterprise that can do such things.
5. Tell me about your screenplay, "The People's Choice." (How long is it, what is it about, how did you come up with the idea, etc)
"The People's Choice" is the story of Buck McKern, a car dealer who decides to run for Governor of Arizona, and Roy Marks, the man he blackmails into becoming campaign manager. Between them is a woman who has her own agenda for power. They go on a wild, fast-paced ride through the world of Arizona politics, with the usual insults, scandals and a hail of gunfire. It's a comedy, but it's definitely more of a "dark" comedy.
The idea came in part because as a native Arizonan I've grown up watching this state's wild politics. It has a real "truth is stranger than fiction" quality to it. It also gave me a chance to write a story that incorporates a lot of the features Arizona has to offer--architecture, culture, geography. The themes are, I hope, universal, but the settings and people are 100% Arizona.
6. How do you feel about this amazing accomplishment?
I'm honored, of course, and happy, and just a little bit nervous about the awards ceremony, and the screenwriting seminar. I've been asked to be a panelist at the Festival's seminar, answering questions and giving screenwriting advice to others. That's a new role for me, and it's exciting, but a little scary too.
7. What are the steps you took in order to win the award? (as far as submitting a contest entry,etc)
The screenplay was written in April and May of 2002, and it's been entered in a few competitions since; The process is usually simple, just download the applications, fill them out, and mail off the script with the entry fee, which varies according to the contest but is usually $20-30. Then just sit back, wait, check the mailbox everyday and hope.
8. You said that your screenplay also won the 2002-2003 Arizona Commission on the Arts screenwriting fellowship. Tell me more about this accomplishment and how it happened.
The Arizona FIlm Commission and the Arizona Commission on the Arts usually sponsor an annual "Film In Arizona" screenwriting competition--Unfortunately, I think it's been discontinued for this year due to extreme state arts budget cuts. Anyway, those organizations teamed up to sponsor this competition, which searches across the country for an outstanding screenplay which is set at least 85% in Arizona. It's designed to encourage filmmaking in the state, something that's a huge economic boon for everyone. "The People's Choice" got its start in that contest, and was a top five finalist. They flew us all to Hollywood for an awards ceremony attended by some of the top writers, agents and producers in the business. Marc Norman, who won the Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love," was the keynote speaker. I didn't win the grand prize, but as the top script from Arizona I was fortunate enough to win the Arizona Commission on the Arts fellowship. They've been extremely supportive and kind, I can't say enough good things about them.
9. What goals do you have set for the future? How do you plan on accomplishing them?
I'd very much like to be a published novelist, and to have one of my screenplays actually produced. The vast majority of screenplays that are bought by Hollywood never make it to the big screen. Hopefully I'll write some huge bestselling novels, then get paid to adapt my own books into movies. Okay, maybe I'm dreaming a little bit.
I've found the best way to succeed as a writer is to write, every day, regularly. Set aside distractions and do good work. Then you send things out and it's up to fate.
10. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? As a successful screenplay writer? A producer?
With a little luck I'll be a well-paid writer, as opposed to a starving one. Maybe screenplays, maybe novels, maybe "Bazooka Joe" wrappers. But regardless, I'll be writing.
11. What is some of the best advice you have received from someone about being a successful screenplay writer?
John Gay, who is a legendary Hollywood screenwriter and a great gentleman besides, told me it was all about persistence, and of course getting an agent. The SCC screenwriting program has given me some great advice, from both the business side of things and the artistic. None of this would have been possible without them. I'd have to single out Wendy Carroll and of course Kate Herbert for special thanks.
12. Who has had the most influence in your life/ who has taught you the most about what you know about writing? Why? What is he/she like?
The person who's had the most influence on my life was my great-grandmother. She appeared in one of my movies, "Grandma Shoots, Grandma Scores," when she was 99 years old. She raised me from the time I was five. I grew up listening to her stories, her tales of growing up on a farm in Nebraska, going to college in 1917, all the events of the 20th century from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake through both World Wars up till today, and, of course, all the people she met along the way. Her stories fired my imagination and gave me a love of history and of storytelling. She passed away in 2001, but I still carry those things with me every day.
13. Is there any advice you would give to future aspiring screenwriters?
I'm very passionate about the power of writing to change lives--both for the writer and the reader. Screenwriting can be intimidating, both because of the "fortress-like" nature of Hollywood and the unique formatting and storytelling requirements of screenplays. Format is important, and the Hollywood system is a tough nut to crack, but those things can be learned. Good writing is what's essential. Those new ideas, new points-of-view, make the world a better place.
The movies are probably the single most powerful tool for conveying ideas, hopes and dreams since Steve Guttenberg invented the printing press. Thanks to independent film and digital moviemaking, more people than ever can be a part of that. Even if you've never written before, I believe everyone has a story to tell.
We need people from outside the Hollywood system, the Hollywood mindset, to get to that keyboard and create new visions for the screen. I think we're seeing that the dream factory is breaking down, it's leaving too many of us out in the cold. We need new dreams tonight. I strongly encourage everyone to pack up your ideas and storm the gates.
14. How long did you attend SCC? When did you attend SCC?
I'm still attending SCC now on a part-time basis. At some point, circumstances permitting, I'll probably transfer to a university creative writing program. At this rate I should have my degree sometime before I turn 50.
15. What are you doing right now? (work, school, etc)
This is a busy time for aspiring screenwriters. There are numerous screenwriting contests and fellowships, many of which carry a large cash prize, a "foot in the door" to Hollywood or both. At the moment, I'm preparing "The People's Choice" for another round of contests, finishing off a second screenplay, and trying to get a third one finished for my screenwriting class. I also have a weekly syndicated humor column that's due every Sunday night, so my typing fingers are just about worn out at the moment.
16. What's a typical day for you like?
I've had the luxury of concentrating on my writing for the past couple of years. Like all good writers I stay up too late chasing down stray adjectives and commas. Between school, looking after my partner, our cats and dogs, my grandmother, and so on, I keep pretty busy.
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