JEFF PALMERSearch WILDsound  11 Questions with JEFF PALMER. A WILDsound SPRING 2009 Feature Screenplay Finalist 1. What is your screenplay about? The Sleeping Deep is about a young travel writer and a psychiatric nurse who are both drawn into the mystery of a drowned woman in the backwoods of Maine. Their journey leads them to a sacred lake, an ancient Indian tribe, and a dreamworld of gruesome demon-spirits. 2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay? I was reading a lot of H.P. Lovecraft at the time, about five years ago, and was taken by the labyrinthian qualities of his work. One of his stories “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” struck a chord with me and spurred some ideas. It was about this man who would go on a journey into his dreams to find a hidden truth. The Sleeping Deep isn’t based on that story, but more an homage to Lovecraft and that style of macabre writing. I also love to see what I call “Möbius strip movies”, films that loop back on themselves by the end and leave you reeling and rocking with a head full of twists and turns to decipher and sort through. There’s a delicate balance in leaving an audience both satisfied and guessing when they walk out of the theater. Films like The Usual Suspects or Memento or North by Northwest are reminders of why it takes a great screenplay to make an equally great and memorable film. I suppose that’s why I wanted to write The Sleeping Deep, to weave an intricate story that might reach and entertain a wide audience… and make enough at the box office to keep the cameras rolling. : ) 3. How long have you been writing screenplays? I wrote my first feature script in 1995, so almost fifteen years now. 4. What film have you seen the most in your lifetime? I have no idea! But what’s funny is that it’s probably a holiday movie, like Scrooge with Albert Finney or Merry Christmas Charlie Brown. 5. What artist in the industry would you love to work with? Without a doubt, David Lynch. He is truly one of our living legends. In fact I play the online personality of David Lunch (at DavidLunch.com) which is my attempt at recreating his bizarre world. I’m a huge fan. 6. Who was your hero growing up? I don’t think I had one. 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years? I’d love to be shooting The Sleeping Deep: Part III, but I’d settle for securing representation or a literary agent. Huzzah! 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing? I could be more disciplined at writing, that’s for certain. I’d probably have a dozen scripts to show at this point in time, but for better or worse, that’s not how I approach the creative process. In fact, the creative process is something rather elusive to me. If I’m struck with a concept or idea that sparks a flame that catches… then away I go. But I can get really scattered with my thinking which takes me in too many directions at once. For the moment, I’m obsessed with The Sleeping Deep and the world in which the characters exist, which on one hand is great because I’m focused on making the script as tight as it can be. On the other hand, this fixation makes it difficult for me to shift gears and take on other endeavors. I’m not the best at multi-tasking! I’m better off if I can focus on one project, get in the zone, put a frame around it and call it done. But I’m working on this. I am trying to set aside more time for writing and trying to juggle more things simutaneously. That’s an art unto itself. 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Art, cinema, music, architecture, food… anything that adds flavor to our surroundings. I also enjoy running, which seems incongruent with the “artist’s way”. However, I find it incredibly useful, like meditation. When I’m in a running-writing cycle it helps me sort through the details of a scene that I might be struggling with and by mile five I’ve usually worked it out. Seriously. It’s an amazing and effective way to let your thoughts wander and percolate. I’ll choose something that needs ironing out and hit the pavement. When I return, my mind is sorted and I can then get to work on the script. Plus, it’s essential to get some exercise in considering how much time I spend in front of the computer! Ugh! I’d like to run a marathon by the end of the year. We’ll see… 10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest? I’m trying to get as much exposure with The Sleeping Deep as possible and the WILDsound Script Contest seemed like a good fit. Plus, it was awesome to get feedback from the judges. I can’t tell you how important it is to have a fresh set of eyes reading the work. Every bit of audience reaction is key to crafting a better story. 11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? Forget about the budget. Just write a great story in the most invetive way you can imagine. Let the producers worry about the money! Allow yourself the freedom and joy of writing whatever kind of story you want to tell. If you’re in love with science fiction, then pull out the stops and shoot for the moon. If you like adventure, take your characters around the world and back. Don’t constrain yourself, especially with the first draft. Get all your ideas on the page. You can always go back and edit, which is inevitable. Just do a “save as” and move forward. And always listen to your audience, your readers. This doesn’t mean that you have to take everyone’s advice on how to make your script better or different, but LISTEN to what your readers have to say. Afterall, we’re screenwriters because we want to tell stories to an audience and we need to respect that. If people are scratching their heads because they can’t figure out what’s going on in your story or things don’t add up, then maybe it’s an indication you need to go back to the computer and hammer those details out a bit more. Don’t be afraid to take chances and, lastly, try to have fun with the writing process. Give your mind a long leash and space to wander and it will surprise you.
Jeff Palmer
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