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I knew I
wanted to be a screenwriter.......
When
I started studying as an actor and wanted to change the words -- then
I found the great dramatists and didn't want to change a thing, but
became inspired to try on my own.
I know I've
succeeded.......
I finish anything
that holds a reader or audience's attention. And gets a good overnight
rating.
My inspiration
to write NIGHT.......
was my wife's grandmother, who is in a wonderful senior facility
in Philly. She pointed out a wing of the facility, the medical ward,
and said, "nobody comes back from there." I realized that no
matter how old you are, nobody wants to die.
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FilmMakers
Magazine:
What inspired you to write?
Douglas
Stark: Great writers -- Sam Shepard, Arthur Miller, Neil LaBute -- and
great family and friends.
FilmMakers Magazine: How did you prepare yourself to
write your first script?
Douglas Stark:
There is no
preparation, just grueling hours and a willingness to finish. And
endless re-writing.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Is this your first script and how long did it take you to write
NIGHT?
Douglas Stark:
This is far from
my first script. And`it took countless hours to shape. I'm still
rewriting it (a friend just gave a terrific suggestion and I'd be an
idiot not to use it.)
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Do you have a set routine, place and time management for writing?
Douglas Stark:
Most of the time. Even though I have kids, it's
important to have something approaching a regular schedule. Having
said that, I end up working at all hours to catch up.
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you believe screenplay contests
are important for aspiring screenwriters and why?
Douglas Stark:
I don't think
they are the meat of a writer's character, but to get a start or to
gauge reaction, they can be helpful. The most impressive thing a
writer can have are the pages.
FilmMakers Magazine: What influenced you to enter the
American Gem Short Script Competition?
Douglas Stark:
I'd place highly in the feature contest last year and
had a short script that I'd slaved away on. I'm lucky it's been a
finalist in several other contests.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
What script would you urge aspiring writers to read and why?
Douglas Stark:
Read the scripts
of the movies you love, any of them, to see how they were constructed,
but most importantly, to tap into whatever passion went into them.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Beside screenwriting what are you passionate about and why?
Douglas Stark:
My family and friends
-- it's the stuff that shapes me and my work.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Who is your favorite Screenwriter and Why?
Douglas Stark:
Too numerous to
mention, but safe to say writers who have long careers, especially the
writer/directors (Wilder, Mamet, LaBute, etc.)
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Name the director you would love to work with and why?
Douglas Stark:
Scorsese -- can you
imagine what an education you'd get? • Name the actor you would love
to work with and why? Hanks. I can't imagine anybody who doesn't have
a script in their drawer in which he couldn't play some character.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Name the actor you would love to work with and why?
Douglas
Stark: Hanks. I can't imagine anybody who doesn't have a script in their
drawer in which he couldn't play some character.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Any tips and things learned along the way to pass on to others?
Douglas Stark:
There are no tips. It's all hard. The work is grueling...but every
once in a while the result can be extraordinary.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
What's next for you?
Douglas
Stark:
I'm writing
for "Close to Home" on CBS (Fridays at 9 pm) and working on two low
budget features with an eye to direct.
FilmMakers Magazine: Where will you be five years from
now?
Douglas
Stark: Doing what I'm
doing now, but hopefully on a grander level. I hope people would get
excited by something I'd written or directed. |
