Sources of Inspiration

Many films, shows, plays, albums, photos, and paintings I’ve loved over the years have inspired me in ways I can never attempt to describe in words with any justice. Even so, the largest inspiration for what might become an element of any script I write, or a film I make, is the dizzying array of unpredictably and unfathomably fascinating characters I’ve encountered in this strange world. For screenwriter and director, a character does as well as says, is as well as appears, moves as well as manifests. All of it amounts to a unique voice or presence, either in the literal vocalization of a character’s words, or in more physical and figurative manifestations of every ounce of the character’s perspective, personality, or predicament. Many of the voices I craft into characters come from actual voices I’ve heard in life. Some are strikingly bizarre. How could this person possibly sound like that? How could they ever think to say such a thing? My imagination takes over, filling in the blanks about what could animate such a remarkably strange voice and presence.ge voice and presence.

Inspiration for Walk Away Clean

In Walk Away Clean, Kenny’s voice is the cautious hesitation of responding in the moments when we all have to make grave decisions. The voice that came to me first, however, was Jimmy’s, based on a character I knew in high school. He’d talk in such a strange way about something as simple as intending to buy snacks at a 7-11. He was set to conquer the world, whether as some form of cosmic retribution or the thrill of self-actualization. It was funny because it was absurd, given his practical intentions. But it was fertile ground for a much more dramatic domain, and his shrill speechmaking was a treat for me to digest, in this case, for many years, and ultimately craft into dialogue. In the film, Kenny was given the perfect performance from Austin, who captured his skepticism, cautiousness, and determination. Likewise, Jimmy was given a perfect performance from Jantz, in the rawness of his vengeful rallying. In both cases, as in the nuanced performances from Coleen as Kenny’s streetsmart Mother, and Emiliano’s casual confidence game as Kenny’s Boss, we are all reminded that a character on a page is only as good as the talent on screen who embodies that voice. The inspiration from real life characters mimics the process of memory itself. Memory is selective, naturally accentuating the most coherent threads of narrative significance, reminding us what was worth remembering about those fleeting flashes of immersion in the moment. Memories become rough drafts of scenes. I usually end up writing down the dialogue, begin to tinker, then I ask myself why I’m so fascinated with it. This becomes a plot detail or the beginning of a story as I ask myself, “how the hell did this unfold this way?” All of that eventually gives me a script.

Filmmaking Process

There are countless resources from brilliant filmmakers and screenwriters who can explain the full process of each with more compelling impact than I ever could, but I will note that the task of the Director, regardless of whether he or she is also the writer, is one which requires an enormous amount of sociability, relationship building, and negotiation. All of these skills must be present on production days, but especially during preproduction, too. Preproduction is a massive plan for an event, from recruiting cast and crew, delegating responsibility, obviating distraction, to orchestrating the artistry of a diverse group of creative minds. Every idea must be discussed with a view to creating a shared vision of how the film will be shot. It is not a solitary art.

Future Projects

I am quite fascinated with gritty crime stories often associated with the noir genre in literature and in film, and am currently writing a script in this style. Actually, I keep coming back to similar themes and styles of storytelling in this genre. Perhaps this reveals more about my own fascination and sense of mystery, but I think audiences gravitate to these kinds of stories if they feel as though the world of crime in any genre reveals a universally constant point of moral mystery in humanity. Either we feel the temptations of criminality, and find a character on these moral margins appealing, or we see the corruption within the institutions that try to manage or eliminate criminality, and we look for justice but only find ourselves looking into the abyss, seeing only ourselves. It’s a compelling kind of storytelling that haunts us, from the dawn of drama to the dystopian dreams in the cinema of tomorrow.