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PAUL BELLINI INTERVIEWYou can see Paul Moderating WILDsound's July 24th Film Festival at the National Film Board Cinema's at 7pm Meet Paul Bellini: And…yep… you guessed it, still struggling to make ends meet in the streets of Toronto. Paul sits down and has a frank heart to heart about his experiences as a success in the Canadian entertainment industry with Wildsound’s Jules Ross. It’s been said that you wanted to write since you could spell. When did you learn to spell? I wasn’t that bright. Not until grade 1 or 2. I don’t even remember that quote; it’s just one of those things. Where did you find it anyway? In your bio! [Laughs] Well, I liked movies and TV shows. I responded to narrative. More to the point, I found the magic. That’s really what writing is about. When you write you create your own world. And in the world you create there is order. That’s not the case in the real world. Still - to this day - I long to live in the worlds that I create. Is it about control? A lot of it is. It’s a God complex. Although, having said that, at a certain point, the characters control you. You set the story up and then your characters will take you to places that you never thought you go. For example, you’re writing dialogue and suddenly one of your characters says something inappropriate, but at the same time, it’s perfect! That’s the gem. If you push story to meet your own agenda it will seem stiff. If you allow it to take its own direction, it’ll feel fresh. That’s not to say you don’t follow an agenda. It’s important to have a good roadmap. You basically know what your ending will be. You should always know your ending, even before your first word. There’s some comfort in that. How you get there… that’s another story. [Note to readers: picture a wink in his voice]. It’s all negotiable. Is there a character that you’ve created that you enjoy more than real people? No! I’m not that nuts!!! [Laughs] A lot of times, the characters are based on people I like. I make myself like them more, because I have them do things they wouldn’t do in life. Maybe braver, or funnier. I combo of the real and the imagination. Better. Have you had a favourite work-for-hire experience? Writing always has to be fun. I have to enjoy what’s happening. The minute it feels like work, well you know… [trails off]. I write for hire all the time. I write all sorts of crap all the time. None of the TV stuff is my favourite. I’d have to say I enjoyed the features I co-wrote the most. Hayseed was about a young farm boy who goes in search of his lost love, his dog. All the while, he meets all these people who try to hurt him. But he’s too innocent to absorb their pain. It was a great story but very hard to cast. We needed someone who could play innocent and sexually attractive at the same time. It sounds like a dark version of Lassie. It was. You can be freer with movies. In TV land you have producers that go on and on about the story arc. They do it even though they really don’t get the point. You get a pile of notes that are idiotic and self-serving. The fun is sucked right out of the story. But in features, there is no story editor. It’s a pure experience. How did Kids in the Hall come about? I went to university with Scott Thompson. We were in a rock band together. After that he joined a comedy troupe. I wasn’t really a performer so I hung out in the audience. Then five years later, when it came time to do the show, they asked me to write. I call it a ‘gift job’. I mean, I had training, but I’d never had a writing job. We were all new to it, but we knew what we wanted – and it was fun! We had a rule: NEVER DO PARODY! The closest we came to it was doing an impersonation of the Queen. We’d write the original character first and then the original premise. It’s a great way do to comedy. That rule set us apart from SCTV and SNL. It’s a big switch to kids programming. How did you find yourself on Sharon, Lois and Bram? We’d the season and had some downtime. One producer from the show also worked on Kids in the Hall. One day he came up to me and said, “You’d be great in lederhosen!” It was a fun time. Having said that; it was just a one day shoot. It doesn’t compare with five years on TV and five years on stage before that. What’s your next goal? I think you’ll find it pretty humble. Make money and survive. We’ve got the most pock-marked industry in the business. In ‘97 when the multi-channel universe entered our consciousness, we all thought there’d be so much work. The truth was more dismal than that. All of the channels are owned by the same 3 companies: CBC, CTV and Global. So you really only have 3 places to pitch. And in 2000, the horror of Reality TV came about. Those shows employ writers in dumb ways – you watch hours of footage and build a story. It’s not writing, it’s editing and it’s boring and a horrible way to make a living. TV is a bad business. When you’re hot, everyone wants to employ you. When you’re cold, no one gives a flying fuck about you. Your reputation means nothing. Your awards mean nothing. So where does a sketch comedy writer go? To ANIMATION!!! [Insert canned applause here]. But here’s the thing about animation. It’s producer driven. They focus on children’s demographic and break it down by year. For example: 6-8 year olds. How the hell to you write for a 6 year old? What makes them different than a 5 ½ year old?! I watch these cartoons and they’re crap. We grew up with good cartoons … the stuff we feed children now is bland. By the time it’s finished, there’s not one funny line or character. It’s just a job. That’s what sad. At least when I was doing sketch comedy work, there was a thrill. I thought ‘everyone was screaming for content’. They are, but there are very few producers who are risk takers; mostly because they use their own money. In this country it’s a tiny business that feeds on itself. There’s a lot of second guessing. So in Canada, the writer is the bottom of the barrel in TV. In the US, the writers and producers are stars. What about a making a feature? If it was that easy, everyone would do it. They’ve tried and you don’t see it happening. Look at Dave Foley. Either THEY don’t get it or THEY do get it and it’s SLAUGHTERED by notes. It’s so disheartening that you want to kill yourself. I’ve learned not to spend too much time on a pitch. First see if you’ll get money for it and take it from there. The planning is all wrong. I’ll tell you a true story. The network phones and says, “We have a spot in the schedule we need to fill.” Producers say to the creators, “We need to make this show and do it within 3 months.” They make a crap program and it made it on the air. So rather than developing great ideas, bad stuff is made. Successful programming in this country is an anomaly. ‘This Hour has 22 Minutes’ was made in Halifax where no one cared, so the producers let the creators reign. ‘Kids in the Hall’ was made by a producer. See what I’m getting at?William Goldman said, “No one knows anything.” So are you saying that if you had a good producer, your problems would be solved? Nah. Producers have to keep their jobs. They answer to the broadcaster. Don’t sound this way, we need sage hope from the great Paul! [Laughs] We started this conversation by talking about how great writing is. Then we got sidetracked to the shit of pitching. The truth is, if you love writing, you’ll keep doing it. There’s the thrill of putting something in production. But you cannot rely on your past successes as a stepping stone. And don’t let yourself be compromised. I’ve done a lot of great things [Note to readers: NO KIDDING!] and I never let anything get in the way of stopping me from what I wanted to achieve. That drive has been with me for life. I still write every day in Fab and it keeps me sharp. I’m constantly researching and interviewing. It doesn’t matter to me that it’s a small mag distributed in downtown Toronto. They give me lots of freedom and rarely ask for changes. [Laugh] That’s what my boyfriend said! He said, “I’m tired of hearing you complain about the changes. Write a novel!” So, I started writing one. I like books because you can’t change them. Well, they certainly changed ‘Cider House Rules’ when they made it into a movie! True, but it doesn’t change the book. The book will always exist. As a writer you have to find a way to satisfy yourself. Publishers seem to have more trust in a writer. I co-wrote a novel and we got 2 notes from the publisher: So the story of Paul is that he loves to write and hasn’t figured out how to control his writing yet. I guess so. I’m always getting notes from non-writers. In the writing sense I consider them inferior. They know about non-writing things, like merchandising, but they don’t know about character development. When I create something and am forced to change it, it’s like I’m being forced to hurt my own children. It’s depressing. I know the notes are wrong. But then again, even bad notes can cause a great rewrite. A re-write is always a good thing. I don’t mean to sounds negative. Don’t worry, I’ll add some notes ;) Cheeky! The bottom line is: I love what I do. My dad was an underground miner in Timmins. I don’t have to do that. I can sit in front of a computer and say, “This is funny!” I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wish I had more control, more money and more consistency. But I am lucky! Any advice for those starting out? Yes: Save every penny – you’ll need it. At the beginning of your career carve out your niche… either you are comedy or drama. People will see you as one or the other, you can’t be both! You can see Paul Moderating WILDsound's July 24th Film Festival at the National Film Board Cinema's at 7pm You can learn more about Jules Ross at her website www.julessite.com.
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