Interview with Screenwriter Boaz Yakin
Writer/Director/Producer of Death in Love
by Jaden
Death in Love is an R-rated film drama coming out this Friday from Writer/Director/Producer Boaz Yakin.
I’m not sure what to expect, but if producers say it has a tole “too dark” for the masses, I believe it.
Boaz and I had the pleasure of meeting each other back in 2003 when I moved next door to one of his horror film buddies, Scotty Spiegel, Director of From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999), on which Boaz was a story writer.
The horror film trio, Boaz, Scotty, and Eli Roth, often explored the shadowy crevices of life, film, and future projects such as Hostel and 2001 Maniacs.
Boaz Yakin is by no means exclusively horror, he is writer of action thriller The Rookie directed by Clint Eastwood; he is writer of crime drama Fresh starring Samuel L. Jackson; he is producer of comedy romance Uptown Girls starring Brittany Murphy; and he is a writer on romance drama Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights starring Diego Luna.
Making movies is like dating; filmmakers delve wholeheartedly and blindly into a life that is not necessarily with his or her soulmate, but good lessons are learned and, in the making, a void is temporarily filled while waiting for the right one to come along.
Boaz’s film Death in Love sounds like it is not just a flyby gal, but rather his true love.
(Click here to read the plot summary.)
INTERVIEW WITH BOAZ YAKIN
Boaz, what was the inspiration for Death in Love? True story or totally fiction?
The inspiration for DIL was the last 43 years of my life. I can best describe it as psychologically and emotionally personal as anything I have ever written, but the events in the story are pretty much all fabricated. Almost.
Please talk about the writing process for this script, inlcuding how long it took and how many edits and rewrites until you arrived at the shooting script.
Once I decided to write this, after researching one particular aspect of the story, I just sat down and wrote in the most intuitive fashion I have ever written. Just asked myself every morning, “How do I make myself uncomfortable today?” and put down what came to mind and heart.
It took me about a month to write, I showed it to a few friends, got some of their thoughts, added a few important scenes, and that was the shooting script.
What sort of frustrating story problems did you encounter along your way writing Death in Love?
I didn’t, really. Like I said, it was very intuitive, this being a completely independent project I wasn’t worrying about things “working” in the ususal way, just that it felt right to me, and once it did I went with it.
How much research was involved?
I researched one aspect of the story, which involved the main character’s profession. Though quite a personal piece, I didn’t want to do a film about a filmmaker, or a writer— so I needed to find something that reflected how I feel about working in the film business. I came upon the concept of a kind of con that was practiced quite frequently in the mid 90′s (when this film takes place) involving a modeling agency scam. This felt like the right metaphor for me… using one’s skills or talents in a very cynical fashion, and in a way that objectifies other people, women in particular— which is another theme of the film.
I did some reading and interviews on the way those scams worked (and work) and off I went.
Many of the SfH readers surely will think you are a lucky guy and would love to walk in your shoes right now.
You know, I have to say— anyone who wants to think me a lucky guy, should save that for someone who can actually get his films financed. This film was made with my life savings, every penny of it.
I was lucky, truthfully, in that when I ran out of money half way through shooting, and was going to have to take out a loan on my apartment in NYC to finish it, a check for a horror film I had been an executive producer on several years earlier came in— literally the next day— and saved my ass. So I was able to finish the movie and continue paying rent. The checks for that horror movie are still paying my bills.
In past discussions, we talked about the Hollywood curse of having a looming feeling of never being good enough; how is the curse treating you these days?
It’s not that I don’t feel good enough. It’s that I feel what I as a specific individual have to offer is not particularly valued here. And the things that I am valued for are skills that I do possess, but are not in the least bit specific.
Active artists and writers are often on to their next project before the current one hits the public, is that the case with you; do you have another story you are eager to write?
I’ve written a number of things since then. A book and about three scripts. The book is sitting on my shelf and the scripts are as of yet unproduced.
What existing film most influenced your film Death in Love?
Not sure. Scenes from a Marriage? The Piano Teacher? Irreversible? Persona?
Do you like the guy who directed your script? *wink* Did he do a good job?
I am not an unbiased party, here…. but I definitely tried to interpret the script in as interesting a way as I could. You gain things, you lose things. It’s the nature of the work, it seems.
Before funding the film yourself, did you initially try all the regular Hollywood avenues for resources? For how long?
For a film with a low budget such as this the expression “Hollywood” avenues doesn’t quite apply. There are, or were, a group of the usual suspects one goes to when trying to finance a small budget film, producers, financiers, etc. And I did meet with and show the script to nearly all of them.
Having read some of your work, I know you are a quality writer. Were you given any reasons why they did not want to fund Death in Love?
Yeah, they didn’t think it was commercial enough. Thought it was too “dark”, too bleak and depressing. It’s also quite sexual and full of anger, so not many people wanted to deal with it. No one, actually.
How are you finding theatrical venues and distribution for your film?
A year after the film premiered at The Sundance Film Festival the president of a distribution company called Screen Media met with the lead actor of the film, who told him he ought to revisit the picture, which he did, and decided to come on board and provide the film with its limited distribution, which I am extremely happy about. It’s very difficult to get a small film onto even a few screens nowadays— particularly odd, difficult ones such as Death in Love.
You have been both a big production studio writer / director and an independent writer / director, right? Please talk about the differences.
Well, you know— when most people say “Independent” film what they really mean is “low budget” film. A movie, even a very small one, is extremely expensive to make, and needs a lot of support; financiers for a million dollar movie care about their million dollars as much, or more, as the financiers of a hundred million dollar movie, so in both cases the filmmaker’s neck is being breathed down with equal fervor. Perhaps slightly less so on an smaller budget film.
The only way to be truly independent is to finance the film yourself— but that’s hardly practical, more than once or twice in a lifetime.
Thank you for taking the time to interview with me and Screenwriting for Hollywood.
Congratulations! I am excited to see your film this Friday and hear more details at your Q&A.
Thanks Jaden — look forward to it.
Death in Love opens July 17, 2009 in NY & LA
Stars Josh Lucas, Lukas Haas, Adam Brody, and Jacqueline Bisset
Laemmle Music Hall
9036 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, 90211
310-274-6869
Movies in Memory of Michael Jackson
Going Down the Yellow Brick Road with Michael Jackson
by Jaden
Born in Gary, Indiana, USA on August 29, 1958, Michael Joseph Jackson departed this world June 25, 2009. Most known for his dance moves, musical accomplishments, plastic surgery, and child-love scandals, what has been neglected are his magical movie moments on screen.
Bringing zombie horror cinema to music and television, the epic music video Thriller (1983), written and directed by The Blues Brothers director John Landis, was something of a scale that no other artist had touched before or ever since.
At the time of its release, MTV played Thriller night and day ad nauseam.
I remember they did a television special about the casting of the girlfriend in the video, Ola Ray, and talked at length about her historic scream. Of course they left out the most interesting detail that she was Playboy Playmate of the Month June 1980.
Below is dialog from the Thriller script:
Michael’s Girl: Can we get out of here?
Michael: No, I’m enjoying this!
Michael’s Girl: Well, I can’t watch!
Michael: It’s only a movie!
Michael’s Girl: It’s not funny.
Michael: You were scared, weren’t you?
Michael’s Girl: I wasn’t that scared.
Michael: Yeah, you were scared.
Michael’s smile in the opening sequence of this video, as he courts the girl, exemplifies the unique charm of Michael that will most be missed.
My favorite image of Michael Jackson is his sweet soft humble role as Scarecrow in The Wiz (1978), which is a Black musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. No one ever talks much about this movie, but it is a vibrant genius piece of film history. With its innocence and purity, it is an excellent movie for the whole family.
Wiz Costar singers are Diana Ross as Dorothy, Nipsey Russel as Tinman, and Ted Ross as Lion. Legend Lena Horne plays Glinda the Good Witch and Richard Pryor plays The Wiz. Directed by Sidney Lumet, the play was written by William F. Brown and the screenplay adaptation was written by Joel Schumacher.
SCARECROW
Do? Why, if I had a brain, I could –
(sings)
I could while away the hours,
Conferrin’ with the flowers,
Consultin’ with the rain.
And my head I’d be scratchin’
While my thoughts were busy hatchin’
If I only had a brain.
I’d unravel every riddle
For any individ’le
In trouble or in pain.
The genuine camaraderie of the performers, of Michael and of Diana, dives out of the screen at you. The Wiz is a great movie for a family fun night. It will probably be hard to rent in the wake of Michael’s death, so you might as well just buy it. Anyway, the kids will enjoy having it to watch over and over again so they can sing along.
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