JEFF EYAMIESearch WILDsound  11 Questions with JEFF EYAMIE. A WILDsound SPRING 2009 Feature Screenplay Finalist 1. What is your screenplay about? Sons of Lasagna is an "it could happen" thriller where the Minister of Indian Affairs is kidnapped by a First Nation chief and taken to his remote Manitoba community. Lasagna was the famous masked Mohawk warrior who is credited with staring down a Van Doo soldier at Oka. The spectre of Lasagna has spread all the way to this place in the middle of northern Manitoba. And the war that Lasagna wished for could happen if the Minister is murdered. When Tim and his boss at the Winnipeg office of Indian Affairs are tipped off that the Minister is being held hostage, they know what the consequences of this could be for all First Nation people in Canada. They put together a rescue party and head north. Tim tags along because he wants to find the First Nation man who invaded Tim's childhood home and crippled Tim's mother. The home invader shares the same last name as the Chief. Could they be related? In the end, Tim must choose between exacting the revenge he has longed for all his life or changing the face of Canada forever. 2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay? I worked for the Department of Indian Affairs in Winnipeg doing public relations for seven years. In that time, I had an opportunity to see some amazing things and some frightening things. I got a sense of how much we non-Aboriginal Canadians take for granted, and how easily it could be taken away. I've seen how close we've come to having national acts of protest that could have cost us lives. I've seen how the game is played, how high the stakes are, and how hard it is to fathom a solution to the problem. Living on a reserve in Northern Manitoba is about as bad as it gets. I wrote this screenplay because we all need a wake-up call on the best way to fix this "Indian Problem" we tend to sweep under the carpet when something else gets our attention. Hopefully this screenplay will get people talking before something bad happens. I can tell you from first-hand experience, the plot in Sons of Lasagna is more than just plausible. I wrote this story to exorcise some demons too. It's not easy to work for Indian Affairs. Few people want to. I admire anyone who goes through that trauma. 3. How long have you been writing screenplays? When I was in Grade 2, I had a little brown scribbler where I scripted a stop-action movie involving my little green army men. My executive producer halted development on the project when I demanded a camera. She said I would have to learn how to vacuum. We were at an impasse. I've been working on something or other ever since. This is the third feature screenplay I've completed. 4. What film have you seen the most in your lifetime? That's a really good question. A Christmas Story is probably number one, but others I've seen a bunch include Apocalypse Now, City Lights, The Third Man, A Clockwork Orange, Citizen Kane, and Curious George (I have a three-year-old daughter). 5. What artist in the industry would you love to work with? At this point in my career, I'd like to work with an artist in the industry. I'm hoping that Guy Maddin will do something Winnipeg with me someday. I think I'm wearing his defenses down, slowly but surely ... I'd like to get some critique from Paul Haggis someday. I'd like to convince Allan Moore that he wants me to adapt one of his books for the screen. I'd like Oliver Stone to read my script and say "this is some irreverent shit." 6. Who was your hero growing up? Reggie Jackson, Gregg Lloyd, Pierre Trudeau, Allan Moore, Frank Miller. My mom. 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years? Out of my government job and barely scraping by, writing movies that people remember. 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing? I think it's important to stick to a routine but have flexibility at the same time. Pressure kills the creative process in many ways, almost like drunkenness, where you think you've got an original idea but in actuality you don't when you look back on it with sober eyes. For me, I daydream a lot. I try to start with an image or premise, then ponder on it in a theta-thought mode, almost asleep. Then the real work begins. Once I've got enough clay, I start shaping. I write a brainstorming document with every idea and character and image I've collected, then I start asking myself questions. Next I do character sketches. Then a short treatment. At that point, I can barely keep myself from starting to write the script, so I do as much as I can before it all spills out in screenplay form. Once everything is as precisely planned out and fulsome as I want it to be, then pressure is a good thing. I like to have a deadline at this point. Also for re-writes. I guess I do have a set routine, although I try not to admit it to myself. And I would never set it in stone. 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Life. My best girl Tiffany. My daughter Sophie. Football - playing it and watching it. Visual storytelling on screens and on pages. Drumming in Rock Band. Tool. 10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest? Found out about WILDsound on Twitter; wanted to get some feedback from an impartial source for a reasonable price. I probably shouldn't say that because now you'll KNOW I'm fine with just getting feedback. Having actors read my work would be such a huge learning opportunity for me, though. :) 11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? Never stop. Secret to success: find the thing you can't live without doing. Do it as best as you can for ten years. Get mentors and coaches. Keep working at it until good luck finds you. Do it because you have no choice but to do it.
Jeff Eyamie
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