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I knew I wanted to be a screenwriter........
Mark Beech: This didn’t happen all at
once. In college and shortly thereafter I wrote a couple silly little stage
comedies for “mellerdrammer” theaters popular at the time. Then I took a shot
at a PBS “solicitation” and wrote a one hour family drama (which they didn’t
buy). I liked the broad canvas and control of screenplays. Started thinking up
stories. When I met Linda she gave me the courage to pursue screenwriting as a
career.
Linda Gray: I wrote some magazine articles as a teenager, and always
wanted to write books, especially juvenile fiction. But life intervened. When
Mark wanted to do our first script I decided to try it. Now we are deep into
the screenwriting culture, reading books, submitting to contests, looking for
stories. We even have a “consultant.”
We know we've succeeded........
when we’re sitting in the theater
watching our own movie and the rest of the audience loves it.
My inspiration to write MOTHER LODE.......
Mark Beech: I love American history. We
had not yet written a comedy, and we certainly needed some lightheartedness in
our own lives. We also love the Black Hills. I read the historical account of
importing cats to the mining camps. That was intriguing in itself. But then I
read the story about the turkey drive. A guy and a kid drove a flock of
turkeys to Denver (I think). What if the cats and turkeys happened to meet out
in the middle of nowhere? I could see that big ol’ turkey silhouetted against
a romantic sunset while the characters talked about life. It was too good to
pass up.
Linda Gray: Before I met Mark I’d read about cats on the frontier in
brothels and mining camps. I thought the cats would make a good story. When we
found out we were both going after similar stories we had to write this
script.
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FilmMakers
Magazine:
What inspired you to write?
Mark Beech and
Linda Gray:
It’s born in a person. We both have been making up stories since grade
school. (Mark had a puppet theater in the 4th grade.) We are only now
seriously trying to put our stories into a format that will be
accessible to a large audience.
FilmMakers Magazine: What did you do to prepare yourself to write your first script?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray: We talked the owners of the Ericson
salebarn into letting us hang around, interview the cowboys, and take
pictures. We also interviewed other people in the area and made sure
that all the locations we wanted really existed. The kind folks of
Ericson probably thought we were loco, but they are far too polite to
say so.
FilmMakers Magazine: Is this your first script and how long did it take you to complete?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray: “Mother Lode” is our sixth feature.
Notes go back at least as far as early 1999. (We find it helpful to
date our idea notes to keep track of the story’s evolution.) We read
all or part of several books during outlining, especially “Old
Deadwood Days” by Estelline Bennett and “Deadwood: The Golden Years”
by the amazing Watson Parker. We made one trip to the Black Hills to
research this and another script. Family friend Don Mollhoff got us on
the mule tangent with his interesting stories. Mark wrote the first
draft in a concentrated period at about 5 pages per day. Mark, Linda,
and our consultant Craig Kellem went through two rewrites. There’s no
way to know how many hours all this took, but we were mighty glad when
our long-suffering heroes finally got their “big ol’ house on a hill.”
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you have a set routine, place and time management for writing?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
We go with as little structure as possible in the research and
outlining phase. We collect dated idea notes in a file folder. We talk
through ideas whenever we think of something. We read and consult
experts as needed. We work up a scenario with at least a clear
beginning and ending that has emotional impact for us. Then we scout
locations and gather more ideas. Mark does a scene outline if he’s
going to do the first draft. If Linda’s doing the first draft she jots
down a rough outline or just scene ideas. When we start writing full
script we try to do it as rapidly as possible with fewest
interruptions. Avoiding distractions is vital and difficult. Each of
us has an office and computer. Mark starts by 9:00 AM and goes to mid-
afternoon, or later if he’s on a roll. Linda can work any time but
prefers morning. Once you type that first FADE IN it does take a lot
of conscious effort and discipline to get to THE END. We try to get
with our consultant and do as many rewrites as he deems necessary as
soon as possible. Finally we put the script away for three or four
weeks before doing another edit and proofread.
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you believe screenplay contests are important for aspiring
screenwriters and why?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
Absolutely, if the contest publishes the “winners” of several “cuts”
on the way to the top and also promotes its “finalists” vigorously.
This offers real feedback that people actually like a script and for
the lucky top placing writers they have a chance to get through the
industry wall against unknowns.
FilmMakers Magazine: What influenced you to enter the
FilmMakers.com / The Radmin Company Screenwriting Competition?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
A few years ago we picked out what we thought were the major contests,
and you were on the list. We have entered in the past.
FilmMakers Magazine: What script would you urge aspiring writers to read and why?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
We are not organized film students. We can’t find time to see many of
the new films we’d like to. Once in a great while we watch something
as research on what we’re writing. It’s mostly good luck that we’ve
seen a few great films that are satisfying through and through
relative to the type of material we like. Elaine May and Warren
Beatty’s comedy “Heaven Can Wait” is a good example. Every beat is
perfect.
FilmMakers Magazine: Beside screenwriting what are you passionate about and why?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
We don’t know if this is a weakness or a strength, but we like way too
many things to keep track of: history, horses, wood carving, painting
(Linda’s Mom is a Western painter), trains, canals, civil engineering,
boats, music, pipe organs, architecture, science, esp. cosmology and
genetics, building things, etc., etc. We think this ties into seeking
creative satisfaction, either through making something oneself, or
understanding how someone else did it.
FilmMakers Magazine: Who is your favorite Screenwriter
and Why?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
Asking for favorites is like asking a doting mother which of her
children she loves best. There are so many great writers, directors,
and actors.
Mark Beech:
Mark: However, I’m going to say William Goldman, not only because he’s
a great writer and a legend, but also because he’s a superstar with a
high profile (for a screenwriter). When I started drifting toward
screenwriting he was making the profession seem very glamorous.
Linda Gray: Undecided.
FilmMakers Magazine: Name the director you would love to work with and why?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
Harold Ramis because we think “Groundhog Day” is another comic
masterpiece. It’s subtle, complex, and moving. And he made it look
easy. We would trust anything of ours to Ramis.
FilmMakers
Magazine: Name the actor you would love to work with and why?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
We’re going to be
greedy and self-indulgent here. We want two actors, Jack Nicholson and
Robin Williams. They would do a great job, and it would be amazing to
hang out with these guys. Nicholson might have fun with our villain
Black Bart in “Mother Lode.”
FilmMakers Magazine: Any tips and things learned along the way to pass on to others?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
1. Experience your
locations in person as much as possible. It’s fun and gives you lots
of ideas.
2. Don’t put any pressure on yourself during research and outlining.
Push as hard as you can during actual writing of full text.
3. Engage Craig Kellem as creative consultant.
FilmMakers Magazine: What's next for you?
Mark Beech:
Script about
my late father from 1927 to 1942. He was the quintessential Tom Sawyer
of his time.
Linda Gray: Script about two abandoned animals trying to find a
new home.
FilmMakers Magazine: Where will you be five years from now?
Mark Beech and Linda Gray:
This is more
of a wish than a prediction. We’d like to put our day jobs behind us
and do what we please, which is to spend about half our time turning
out a couple good scripts per year and the other half traveling and
following our many other interests.
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