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The Imposter!

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Site by Kat Montagu.

By Colleen Patrick

(Reproduced with the kind permission of SCREENTALK Magazine)

When you speak with John Frizzell about screenwriting, stick with qualities. Like passion. Ideas. Dedication. Vision. Inspiration. Discipline. Images. Words. Conviction. Perseverance.

Skip "scrwrito babble." Like plot points, inciting incident, paradigms, charts, diagrams or that this should happen on that specific page. He's not interested.

Frizzell, who now splits his time between working in Los Angeles and Canada is one of Canada's most successful and respected writers for the big and little screens.

Among his vast screenwriting credits: A Winter Tan, which he also co-directed (seven Genie nominations; winner-best film and best actress, Jackie Burroughs); Dance Me Outside (three Genie nominations); On My Own (screenplay nomination for the Australian Academy Award). He's currently writing two feature scripts, including "Biggest Modern Woman of the World" (Tryptich Media), his adaptation of a book about the eight foot-tall giantess who performed with PT Barnum's circus.

"One of Canada's most successful and respected writers for the big and little screens."

His many television feature scripts include "Life With Billy" (six Gemini wins, including best screenplay and best film; and best film from the San Francisco Film Festival); "Getting Married in Buffalo" (six Gemini nominations, including best screenplay); "I Love A Man In Uniform" (Gemini winner, best screenplay).

He has acted as executive producer or story editor on numerous Canadian television series, including hit shows like "The Rez" and "Airwaves."

In other words, Frizzell makes his living as an outstanding, prolific writer.

He has another career as well. The hours are long, the stress undeniable and the money-hardly what he commands for writing multiple award-winning screenplays and TV programs.

He works with screenwriters who want or need help with their scripts. He is a feature story editor. He has assisted writers compose such heralded and multi-award-winning features as The Hanging Garden, Lillies, Hard Core Logo, and Double Happiness.

In television, the power of the story editor is extensive. This person can rewrite, revise, redirect and in some cases assume the responsibilities of a producer.

The feature script story editor assumes a very different role. It is similar to that of a dramaturge in theater. Essentially she or he is a personal trainer for screenwriters. And Frizzell is one of the world's best.

This concept is almost unheard of in the US. There, if a producer wants a script rewritten, a new writer is usually hired to replace the now fired original or current writer. In the UK, Canada and other countries, if a producer wants a rewrite, a story editor is hired to coach the original writer through the rough spots until the script is camera ready.

"The most important thing a story editor can do is suspend judgment. Make certain you know what the writer wants to say, to show," says Frizzell. "I can't try to make their script fit what I think it 'should' be. I work with a lot of original thinkers, so it is always a challenge to help them write their personal vision in a way that can be properly translated visually for the screen."

He establishes an understanding of writers' work by asking them to relate their story, their idea. Frizzell says this is the best starting place for all writers. "If you can tell the story clearly, succinctly-out loud-you not only help your writing process, you sharpen your pitching skills. And no matter where you work in the world, all screenwriters must pitch their scripts." Talk your story through, even into a tape recorder. If you don't make your story, your characters, your images, sound engaging and vivid-how can others recognize their value?

"Articulating does not limit you, it empowers you," he adds.

Although he doesn't insist on it, Frizzell encourages writers to do more story and character defining work before delving into their screenplays. Hone your theme, draw your characters, understand your story's structure, refine your ideas and images. Frizzell says even excellent screenwriters he knows who used to "just start writing" have come to realize they can finish their scripts much sooner if they give them more attention at the top.

Toronto screenwriter Wil Zmak's gritty screenplay "Double Duke," a near-finalist in the US Nicholl Fellowship and Chesterfield screenwriting competitions, was selected to undergo a complimentary story editing process at the Praxis Center for Screenwriting in Vancouver, BC last year. His story editor: John Frizzell.

He expected Frizzell to do the usual script critique and work from there. Frizzell doesn't operate like that. Zmak recalls, "The first question John asked me was, 'What do you want to work on?' To be honest, I was somewhat taken aback. John seemed to be more interested in where I wanted the script to go; how I wanted to proceed-a weak character maybe, a stronger opening, or a crisper third act. I told him to just plough through the whole thing and boy did he tear that fucker up."

Frizzell's commitment to "Double Duke" was deeply appreciated by Zmak. Nonetheless, "You need a strong stomach to sit through a story session with John. Although his wit and affability can act as an anaesthetic, he has a very, very sharp scalpel. He isn't afraid to cut deep and amputate if necessary. There is going to be blood. If you don't have confidence in your writing, you may faint from the surgery." He is quick to add, "It's all done with great elan and compassion."

Struggling with a lack of confidence is a common experience of all the writers with whom Frizzell has worked. "Even those who have every reason to have plenty of self-confidence seem to be vulnerable."

This lack of self-assurance might derive from the plethora of mixed messages being sold as screenwriting "facts." You needn't look far for the massive lists of "do's" and "don'ts," screenwriting "gurus," how-to books, seminars, instructional tapes, software and "axioms" being sold to anyone gullible enough to buy. "This is a confusing, mystifying industry," says Frizzell, "and there are so many desperate for advice."

Frizzell suggests that instead of attending seminars, buying expensive software, tapes and books, new writers can learn more from reading screenplays. A lot of them. ScreenTalk has scripts for you to download and read free of charge, as well as links to other free screenplay sites.

Too often those who want to be screenwriters are so busy looking outside for answers to "how to" questions they fail to understand that the real work comes from inside. Heart, soul, spirit, inspiration and plenty of hard work.

One way to build your confidence is to act like a successful screenwriter. "You're successful if you're sitting on your ass, writing," insists Frizzell. "Are you writing things you're proud of? Are you writing something that makes you see the world differently? That's what successful screenwriters do."

Frizzell says he doesn't believe in any of the screenwriting axioms being passed around, like: don't use a narrator, your lead character must always be likable, the happy ending is the best ending and your script should only be a certain number of pages.

"The only two near axioms I would suggest. One, don't write in camera angles or movements-unless it's absolutely crucial to your story. And two, don't use specific music or artist references-again, unless it's absolutely critical to the scene. On second thought, I guess I just don't believe in axioms. Just try to tell your story in the best way you possibly can."

While every script and writer is different, these are the problems Frizzell sees most often:

Uncertainties in the script and characters-the writer doesn't know where the story and characters should be going and it shows.

OK. You see the problems. You just don't know how to fix them.

"When I met with John, I was at the point where I couldn't see the forest for the trees," says Zmak. "I had probably gone through ten drafts and it just became a blur. I was almost ready to give up." Enter, John Frizzell. "The process of story editing," adds Zmak, "gave me a new perspective on the script-a way of looking at it that I'd never thought of before. It energized me and gave me impetus to attack the story again."

I know what you're thinking. "Sensational! A story editor reads my script, and presto! S/he will give me all the answers I need to fix that sucker! Script sale, here I come!"

Wrong.

You fix your own script; the story editor helps you understand the many additional choices you now have for your story and characters. Does a personal trainer do your push-ups for you? No. The PT shows you how to work out properly so you can avoid injuries or being killed by an unbridled barbell. Likewise, the story editor provides the guidance; you supply the discipline, details and dedication.

There are a many insights the knowledgeable story editor can offer you, however.

Like when writers only address one job or one problem in a scene. Frizzell suggests you deal with three things in each scene.

"Frequently writers don't understand the process of how a film is made from their scripts," Frizzell says. "Grab a camcorder and have your friends act out the scene. See for yourself how they get from here to there!"

To help get into the heads of characters, Frizzell, who also has an acting background, recommends taking acting lessons and, interestingly, undergoing therapy.

"Therapy is not only humbling; it lets you see that all people are as complicated as you. Everyone has as much going on in their lives as you do," says Frizzell. "It also shows how and why we are complicated." For the screen, he adds, "A character can't be too complicated."

When it comes to developing complete, distinct characters, Frizzell warns that simple contradictions are not the solution. You know, the "whore with a heart of gold," the "heartless rich business guy who is secretly generous," the "killer who loves his dog." It takes much more than a contradiction to make your characters complex.

When it comes to setting up a character, Frizzell cautions against slamming us with every contradiction, idiosyncrasy, and quirk in his or her introduction scene. Let the personality, qualities and behaviors of the character unfold gradually, throughout the script.

Here's a simple dialogue exercise he recommends: Go to a coffee shop and tape record conversations around you. Type them, word for word, then create a scene that takes place before and after the dialogue.

This does not mean you ought to transcribe conversations for your scripts. It just gives you a good sense of how people speak in your culture at this point in time. "We aren't as poetic as we think," chuckles Frizzell. Listen for common speaking patterns, like how we interrupt ourselves, how we take time to think before we say something important, and don't taking time to think before we utter something unimportant-or when we lie.

Frizzell improvises all his own characters. He becomes each one, understands his or her motivation, what drives the character. He explains, "I say something as one character, then switch characters and speak as that character. I can feel what it's like to be each one."

And he means every shade of character. "Freeing yourself from judgment is a must when you create your characters," he says. "Villains believe they have a valid reason for doing and saying what they do. Go inside the character. Empathize, humanize, sympathize."

Zmak says Frizzell not only helped him discover dramatic and character development techniques to improve "Double Duke." He learned to openly discuss his writing problems. "Don't fear good criticism," he says. "There is always a way to improve your script. The minute you think it's perfect, you've lost. A story editor can help focus the re-write."

While the actor looks for a script with a juicy role, the producer a script that will find a distributor, the agent a script that will sell, Zmak says, "A story editor is probably the only person who will read your material with no agenda of their own. They are interested in the story and the writer's vision. How can it be clearer? What are the weaknesses? They approach the script from a writer's perspective, and from what I've seen, a healthy respect for the original author's intentions."

Working with a story editor is not just about the script at hand. It's about building your skills, talent and a career. What's more, Zmak can now see himself becoming a story editor. "It was such a positive experience for me that I would like to help other writers in the same way."

The reason non-US producers hire story editors for writers is that often government money is used to fund film projects, even those destined for commercial distribution. Because of the cultural and government mandate to cultivate artists, including screenwriters, producers must help develop their writers' skills.

The "down" side of this system is that the producer might lose the government share of the film's funding if the writer is fired, and some writers are simply not capable of taking their scripts into a final, camera-ready form.

It seems to me that the US would benefit from a good story editor system, since hiring a story editor would probably be considerably less expensive than hiring a new re-writer. Producers are still free to fire a writer who can't adequately write a script to completion with the assistance of a story editor. The good will that could be built among producers and writers might make this worth considering; producers would have to learn how to work with writers, rather than only look at the script as the product. The development of US writers would be tremendous benefit for the film industry.

To find a good story editor, Frizzell says to first, look for a good writer. Does s/he has any experience being a story editor? Just as important as great skills and techniques, the good story editor knows how to deal with writers honestly, compassionately and inspirationally.

"They shouldn't use terms like 'good' or 'bad,'" he insists. "But rather point out what works and what doesn't. They should approach the work positively. And inspire writers. This industry already has too many cynical, negative people in it."

He is careful about choosing writers with whom he works now, partly because his overwhelming writing schedule, and he only works with people in person, "face to face." He doesn't understand screenwriting evaluation services that are conducted long distance.

Despite the demands of his own flourishing career, Frizzell will continue to conduct screenwriting workshops at the Canadian Film Center in Toronto and Praxis. Being part of the inception of the remarkable evolution of internationally influential films from his native country, he says, "my commitment to first-time and emerging independent Canadian filmmakers is stronger than ever."

April/May 1999 SCREENTALK Magazine

Interviews, Seminars & Online Mentions

Praxis News 2002
Praxis News 1999 Story Editing Secrets Revealed (with Lynne Stopkewich and Stephen Hegyes)
Praxis News 1998
CBC: This Morning Toronto 1998