Jan 24, 2019
Mick Garris is one of the most
prominent names in horror history; he is a prolific writer,
prolific director, a prolific human being in every sense of the
word.
One of the most interesting
things about Mick is that he’s been working in horror in one way or
another since the 70’s and has watched cinematic history unfold. He
began his career answering phones on Star Wars and went on to do
publicity work on An American Werewolf in London and he even makes
a cameo appearance in The Howling (he’s the guy on the couch at the
end watching Dee Wallace turn into a werewolf on TV).
Mick has produced, written and
directed a countless amount of movies and TV shows and has had a
famously long standing collaborative relationship with Stephen
King. Mick has also worked on such films as: Critters 2, The Fly 2,
Psycho 4 - The Beginning, The Shining (TV movie), Bag of Bones,
Hocus Pocus, The Stand, Riding the Bullet, Sleepwalkers, Batteries
Not Included & multiple TV series including: Tales from the
Crypt, Amazing Stories, Freddy’s Nightmares, and Masters of
Horror.
Mick has been interviewing big
names in horror for decades and you probably know him best for his
podcast, Post Mortem with Mick Garris - if you haven’t heard it,
turn this off right now and go listen to Post Mortem, right now.
Seriously, I’ll wait…
Also be sure to check out Mick’s
new film, Nightmare Cinema, coming to theaters in
February.
In addition to having worked in
horror for so many decades, on so many movies in so many
different capacities (writer, producer, director), Mick is beloved
in the industry has had close friendships with some of the biggest
names in horror; Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, George Romero, John
Carpenter, Joe Dante, Guillermo Del Toro all have the pleasure of
Mick’s friendship --- on top of being incredibly knowledgeable,
Mick is a genuinely sweet and kind person. I had a wonderful
time speaking to him, and hope you enjoy this interview as much as
I did.
Now, here are 3 keys from Mick
Garris for aspiring horror filmmakers:
- Keep Calm and Write On
- Even if your script
doesn’t get bought, it can still have an impact later down the
line. A lot of aspiring screenwriters are put off by the risk of
spending months on a spec script because there’s always a chance it
won’t get made. Mick tells us that’s not the point. Even if it
doesn’t get made, a producer may still read it, take note of your
style, dialogue, or storytelling ability and contact you for
something else later on. Because of this, it’s important to
approach everything you write or create as a potential calling card
and potential stepping stone. Don’t skimp on quality because it’s
“just a spec script.” Spec scripts matter.
-
- The
other thing about writing on spec, is that when you do, the script
is entirely yours. Mick has written a ton of projects, a lot of
which have gotten made, but some of which haven’t gotten made. In
Mick's experience, pitching a fully developed script, as opposed to
just a concept or treatment, enables you to have way more control
over the project. When you pitch a concept, producers are likely to
assign multiple writers, other producers and multiple others who
will want to weigh in and leave their mark on your project - this
quickly causes ‘film by committee’ which no director
wants.
- Lastly, and possibly the most important thing
about writing spec scripts, is this: it enables you to work on your
craft. Each script you write makes you a better screenwriter - so
to avoid writing that script because you’re afraid it won’t get
sold is preposterous, because the more scripts you write, the
better your writing gets and the more and the more likely you’ll be
to sell a script. It’s important to hone your storytelling,
dialogue and writing skills, and spec scripts allow you to do all
of those. So write that script as well as you can - if it doesn’t
get bought it can open doors for you and if it does get bought,
you’ll have more control over the project but regardless, you’ll be
a better writer and storyteller having written it. Which segues
nicely into the next point.
- Read On
Writing By Stephen King - In an interview, George RR Martin (of
Game of Thrones
Fame) asked Stephen King, and I
quote, "how the fuck do you write so many books so fast?" This book
tells you how. It’s the most straightforward, no nonsense,
actionable guide for not just aspiring writers and screenwriters,
but artists in general. A lot of important people cite it as a
critical volume and it’s an easy read. I’ve read it and
listened to it, and I recommend doing both. Stephen King does the
narration, and he’s not only hilarious at times but, it feels like
he’s sitting down talking to you and giving you writing advice,
which is super cool. So listen to it to get the basic principles,
then read it to really let those principles sink in.
On Writing by Stephen King. CHECK
IT OUT.
- Ego is the Enemy
- Mick touched on something that
doesn’t get discussed very often, but makes a huge difference in
careers - be the kind of person people enjoy working with.
You know those actors that fall of the map and you never hear from
them again and you think to yourself ‘what ever happened to so and
so?’ Most likely they were assholes on set and were never hired
again. Same goes for directors, same goes for writers. Be the kind
of person who is enjoyable to work with. Mick is adored in the
industry and always have been, and it’s because he’s not only a
sweet and wonderful human being, he’s also a great collaborator.
Being collaborative is a big element of Mick’s success both as a
director, writer and producer - there is no more communal job than
filmmaking, so while it’s important to fight for your vision,
always, be open to the fact that some of the best ideas can come
from outside of yourself.
- BONUS: Don’t network - be a
good friend - Your
immediate circle of friends can be a huge part of your success.
Mostly because of the inspirational value they can bring you.
Mick's closest friends were people like Tobe Hooper, Stephen King,
George Romero, Wes Craven, the list goes on. Imagine how much they
shaped him as an artist, and imagine how much he helped shape all
of them. Organize dinners and hang outs with people who inspire you
- you are the sum total of the five people you spend the most
amount of time with - so choose your circle of friends
wisely.
That’s all we have for this
week, big huge thanks to Mick Garris for being so generous with his
knowledge. Be sure to check out Mick’s podcast, Post Mortem on the
Blumhouse network.
Links: