when I feel comfortable referring to
myself as a screenwriter.
My inspiration to write THE SHOOTER.......
I used to play marbles all the time in
elementary school, so marbles have always been big for me. But mostly
I wanted to poke fun at the Rocky-type plot: the training montages,
the bad guy, the lowly character rising up to the challenge. And I
thought it would be fun to take that structure and put it in an
element in which the audience isn’t expected to take it seriously,
while at the same time asking the audience to care about the
character.
*****************************************************************
FilmMakers Magazine:
What inspired you to write?
Coert Voorhees: I was living in Santiago, Chile, about ten
years ago, working on a series of English translations of plays by
Jorge Díaz, a Chilean playwright. He was an older man, kind of
grandfatherly, and had been very successful, and I was thrilled to be
down there working with him. At one point he asked whether translating
his work made me happy and wouldn’t I rather write material of my own.
To that point, I had never considered writing, but when I returned to
the US a few months later, I began to tinker.
FilmMakers Magazine: How did you prepare yourself to
write your first script?
Coert Voorhees:
I went to the
bookstore and library and read as many screenplays as I could, as well
as books on screenwriting.
FilmMakers Magazine: Is
this your first script and how long did it take you to write THE SHOOTER?
Coert Voorhees:
It’s not my first
script. The writing itself took a couple weeks, but that was after a
longer prep time.
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you have a set routine, place and time management for writing?
Coert Voorhees:
I used to have have a
young child now, so I tend to grab writing time whenever I can get it.
I do have some corner tables staked out at a few of my favorite coffee
shops.
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you believe screenplay contests
are important for aspiring screenwriters and why?
Coert Voorhees:
I like screenplay
contests because they’re really the only place where a writer is
guaranteed that someone will read the script. It’s also nice to track
the progress of submissions—after a while, when scripts start
advancing, it feels like forward progress is being made.
FilmMakers Magazine:
What
influenced you to enter the
American Gem Short Script Competition?
Coert Voorhees:
A lot of contests
have categories for short script, but I appreciated what seemed to me
to be American Gem’s emphasis on the short screenplay.
FilmMakers Magazine: What script would you urge aspiring writers to read and why?
Coert Voorhees:
I’m a huge fan of
Kenneth Lonnergan’s You Can Count on Me. The way he’s able to create a
relationship between Rudy and Terry is amazing—pay particular
attention to the pool hall scene as it intercuts with Bob’s awkward
marriage proposal to Sammy. Just fantastic.
FilmMakers Magazine:
Beside screenwriting what are you
passionate about and why?
Coert Voorhees:
I love writing
fiction as well – I tend to use both screenwriting and fiction writing
as a way to get at a story. I’m often not sure which is the
appropriate form for a particular story until after a lot of
experimentation in each. I also like road cycling and golf, mostly
because they keep my body engaged so that my mind can wander.
FilmMakers Magazine: Who is your favorite Screenwriter
and Why?
Coert Voorhees:
Lawrence Kasdan’s
movies had a big effect on me when I was growing up. The Empire
Strikes back was clearly the best of the six Star Wars movies, but he
also has fantastic range – The Big Chill, Raiders of the Lost Ark,
Grand Canyon. And of course there’s Silverado, which is one of my
favorite Westerns.
FilmMakers Magazine: Name
the director you would love to work with and why?
Coert Voorhees:
I think Steven
Soderbergh would be great to work with because as much control over
the film as he seems to have, he also lets the actors act, and that
means that the script always gets a fair shake.
FilmMakers Magazine:
Name the actor you would love to work with and why?
Coert Voorhees:
Edward Norton,
because he’s great in everything he does. And I mean that he never
mails anything in. He’s smart, hard-working, and a great actor. I love
Don Cheadle, too.
FilmMakers Magazine:
Any tips and things learned along
the way to pass on to others?
