This is a transcript of SYS 461 – The Friendship Game With Scooter Corkle .
Welcome to Episode 461 of the Selling Your Screenplay Podcast. I’m Ashley Scott Meyers, screenwriter and blogger with sellingyourscreenplay.com. Today, I am interviewing director Scooter Corkle. He just did a horror film called The Friendship Game starring Peyton List. We talk about this project and how it all came together for him. It’s a teen horror film. So, we also talk a little bit about casting and working with younger actors, which is something screenwriters need to sort of understand. Working with young actors presents a number of challenges, both on the business front and on the creative front. So, we do get into that a little bit, so stay tuned for that interview.
If you find this episode valuable, please help me out by giving me a review in iTunes or leaving a comment on YouTube or retweeting the podcast on Twitter or liking or sharing it on Facebook. These social media shares really do help spread word about the podcast, so they’re very much appreciated. Any websites or links that I mentioned in the podcast can be found on my blog in the show notes. I also publish the transcript with every episode in case you’d rather read the show or look at something later on. You can find all the podcast show notes at www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/podcast and then just look for episode number 461. If you want my free guide How to Sell a Screenplay in five weeks, you can pick that up by going to sellingyourscreenplay.com/guide. It’s completely free. You just put in your email address and I’ll send you a new lesson once per week for five weeks along with a bunch of bonus lessons. I teach the whole process of how to sell your screenplay in that guide. I’ll teach you how to write a professional logline and query letter, and how to find agents, managers and producers who are looking for material. Really is everything you need to know to sell your screenplay just go to sellingyourscreenplay.com/guide.
So now let’s get into the main segment today I’m interviewing director scooter Corky. Here’s the interview.
Ashley
Welcome, Scooter, to the Selling Your Screenplay Podcast really appreciate you coming on the show with me today.
Scooter
Yeah, thank you. Thank you for having me.
Ashley
So, to start out, maybe you can tell us a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up, and how did you get interested in the entertainment business?
Scooter
Yeah, I’m a small-town Canadian kid. I’m not a kid anymore, but I wasn’t. And I moved to Vancouver, BC, Canada, it’s a big movie hub. I moved there when I was a kid to be an actor, and really didn’t like it. I didn’t really like the lifestyle. I love acting, but I didn’t love the lifestyle. So, I kind of fell behind the camera. And I started where a lot of people start straight from a PA, volunteering for my first year. And then I went into camera grip electric. And I was a gaffer for many, many moons before I started writing and directing my own stuff, which was a while ago now.
Ashley
So, talk about that transition a little bit. So, you’re working in the business, behind the camera, are you writing scripts? And are you telling people and how do you cross that bridge? I know there’s a lot of screenwriters that listen to this, you know, they might be working as an assistant or, you know, something in the industry, but not necessarily as a writer, or a director. How did you make that bridge, without making people feel uncomfortable? There’s always a saying; Hey, man, well, you read my script. So maybe give us a little tips about how you were able to go from you know, grip, move your way up, and then ultimately be a writer director.
Scooter
Yeah, it’s funny, I’ve sort of spoke to a couple of different gaffer friends of mine in town who are now making that same leap. And honestly, I think it starts with just writing stuff, and trying to get enough people to believe in you to do a short film. And if you can do a short film, or two short films, or six short films, that people can really see that you’re able to tell a story, you’ll kind of get people behind you regardless. It helped working crew because I could get all of my friends who I worked with, for a decade to come out and support me and help me. And that eventually, yeah, it doesn’t really matter who you are anymore. Because you’re not hitting the same people. My first feature I was hitting, you know, Brian, Kevin Jones and Chris Ferguson over at Odd Fellows and Jesse Savitz, and all these kids who just kind of wanted to see my career develop. And I had worked with them before as a gaffer, but it was more as favors knowing that I wanted to do something to move on. So, I really think it’s, you know, you got to prove yourself with good writing. And you got to prove yourself with a good short film.
Ashley
Yeah. Excellent advice. I’m curious, too, now that you’re 12 years removed from those beginning jobs on set. Well, looking back on that now, if you were starting over again today, is that a path that you would recommend? I mean, obviously, it’s great now that you have all this onset experience as a writer and director. That’s invaluable and I’m sure you’re very glad to have it. But would you recommend that someone coming into the business if they know they want to be a writer, what do you think is the path for them? Should they try and get these PA jobs and work their way up?
Scooter
I think if you want to be a writer, you should write and you should try and get things into people’s hands. If you want to be a writer director. I do think you need time working crew, I think you need to know the people that you’re working with a lot of first-time directors that I worked with, when I was starting, didn’t really understand how a set worked. And I think that’s important because it is a machine that you can utilize to tell your story. And you need to utilize to tell your story. It is a collaborative industry, we hear it all the time. But that’s completely true. Even if it’s just you know, taking some PA days and seeing how the machine works. Once you start making gametime decisions, you got five shots you need to get and your son’s going down, you only got to you better know how to run a crew, or you’re not going to get any. So, I do feel like you need to have some experience. And that doesn’t mean you need, you know, 9, 10 years’ worth of gaffing experience like I had, but I do think you need to know how that works for sure.
Ashley
Yeah, yeah, sound advice. So, let’s dig into your latest film The Friendship Game. Maybe just start out you can give us a quick pitch or logline. What is this film all about?
Scooter
Yeah, the Friendship Games. It’s a fun cosmic horror movie. It’s a group of teenagers who are leaving high school and are nervous about leaving high school leaving their friends behind. And they sort of stumble upon this friendship game, that when you play it, it literally tests your friendships. So, it’s sort of a metaphor for, what it feels like these life and death stakes of leaving your friends behind in high school. And then, yeah, what happens when those stakes are actually life and death? That’s sort of the end for what the horror movie is, for sure.
Ashley
Gotcha. So, the script was written by Damien Ober. Maybe you can talk about that a little bit? How did you get brought into this project to be a director, you have written some scripts yourself. So, you have a background in writing? Do you like to direct other people’s material? So maybe that’s the first question. But then the second question is, how were you brought into this project?
Scooter
I just sent some texts around after my first movie, I was looking for something a little weirder than my first one, it’s a small-town thriller that we shot in my hometown. And in this one, yeah, I was just I sent a message to Dan Beckerman, one of our producers, and he said, I got just the ticket for you. This one’s weird. Like, here you go. You tell me if you want to do this. And I was instantly drawn to it like it was, the last 20 pages had me hooked. And I didn’t really know what was happening. But I had such a visceral reaction to it. So yeah, I ended up meeting with Damien. And he liked me enough to give me the opportunity to direct his work. So yeah, I’m very thankful there. And I think we’ve bonded over the last like, three, four years, or however long we’ve been with this project. We’ve become pretty good friends. So yeah, that’s sort of where it started.
Ashley
I’m curious. I always like to try and get a sense of the scope of this. So, you sent out a bunch of text messages to your contacts in the industry. You know, how many scripts came back to you that they didn’t resonate? Like this producer said; Oh, this is really weird. You’re going to love it. I’m sure other producers probably said that as well. You read it, and you didn’t love it. So maybe you can talk about that, what was the scope? How many scripts that you have to go through to find this one, or was it fairly quick? You read one or two scripts, and this was it?
Scooter
Yeah, I think it was actually fairly quick. Because I also am a writer. So, I did have my own scripts that I was also sort of shopping around and still shopping around. So, I really just wanted something that had people sort of attached already, which isn’t, you know, there aren’t a ton of those. And this one had a whole different team associated to it multiple times, I think. Damian had it like 10 years ago. And it just so happened that in this lightning in a bottle situation, I picked it up and rolled with it. But I mean, after my first movie, I was getting a lot of different submissions, mostly in the same genre at the small-town thriller. And I wasn’t really looking to do another one of those.
Ashley
Yeah, gotcha, gotcha. Were there some things with this screenplay that maybe didn’t work for you when you read that first draft? And I’m just sort of looking for, you know, how did you work with Damien, what did that relationship look like? Did you do some rewriting? And just again, just sort of describe that relationship and sort of what your outlook is. How do you approach a screenwriter?
Scooter
Yeah, there I mean, there’s always anytime a director is attached is always going to be changes. And that’s just the life of a screenwriter, unfortunately. But it is that person trying to kind of put their own stamp on it and try and tell the story that the way they know how to. So, we work together for, you know, over those three years, we did a lot of different rewrites. The ending never really changed. But we did have a different ending that we did shoot. That then changed when we were in editorial. So, you know, working with Damien himself, a lot of the time I would give him My notes with him. So wouldn’t be like, I’m just sending him arbitrary notes, we would have a discussion on it, come up with a plan. And then he would sort of deliver pages. And then we would talk about those and throw them back into the screenplay and see how they’re working. And kind of go from there. And then we’d have feedback from producers and, and those sort of folk who also want what they want out of the project. And that’s a big lesson too, as a screenwriter is that everybody wants their own something out of the project. And that’s just the nature of making movies. It’s not something to get offended by. It’s just how the process works.
Ashley
What advice would you have for writers who are maybe new in the industry, they optioned a script to a producer, they bring in a director, this can be a very, contentious process. A lot of people go into this screenwriting, they want to see their vision, they’re very protective of sort of their vision of the of the material. What advice would you have for writers that are coming into the business and are going to have to deal with directors and producers who exactly what you’re saying, and even actors, to some degree are going to want to put their stamp on the material?
Scooter
When you first look to even give your material to somebody, do your research there. Because once somebody kind of falls for it, falls in love with a project and they want to do it, you better have already vetted them to understand who they are. So, look at the other movies they’ve done. Look at our enthusiastic they are about projects in general, not just your project. And really submit to the people you want first. That’s sort of the biggest piece of information I can sort of say. And with this movie, Damien approach Zack Kohlberg for social construct. And then he brought in Dan, and then Dan brought in me so you know, it can kind of go either you bring in a producer, and then they’ll find you a team or at least interview a team with you, or you find a director you really want, and try and get them on board. You know, you’re not going to get David Fincher, you’re not going to get a lot of these really big-name directors. But you will find cool indie folk, or whoever you think is going to be a champion for your movie, and try and get it to them. You know, try and get it to people that you think are not just realistic, but are exciting to you, because that’s the only way to protect your movie. It really is.
Ashley
So yeah, and that is excellent advice. Exactly. Just be careful who you go into business with. Exactly. So, once you once you had a script that you liked, did the producer who brought it to you Did he already have funding in place, so you knew this was already pretty much greenlit once you kind of got that piece ready?
Scooter
There was sort of like soft money, we’re talking about soft money, because we’re in Canada, so we have really good tax credits. And a lot of the time you can get funding from our government, which when we were looking for funding, there was a big sort of transfer of power happening. So, we didn’t end up going that route anyways. And ended up getting all sorts of American money and pre sailing to different territories, and all the sort of weird amalgamation of things of money that you need in order to build an indie film in this day and age. So, there wasn’t really anything attached. But the first step is always cast, you know, who who’s going to be good to be in that role, and who’s sort of valuable from a sales perspective, which is a weird thing to think about, as like a human being valuable. But it is how casting works for an indie movie, especially but, you know, when you’re $50 million, if you can snag a Brad Pitt, you’re going to make that movie. But if you don’t, you’re not going to make the movie and certain people are worth a certain amount of money.
Ashley
Yeah. And as a producer, I would look at this project, and they would have been a little bit hesitant. You know, you got Peyton List as your lead. And that’s excellent. But generally speaking, aren’t young adults and teens more difficult to cast, the ones that have some name recognition, or typically their careers are going on the rise, so they’re not as interested in doing indie films, as opposed to older actors who may have some name recognition, their stars on the demise, so, they’re a little happier to do this. So as an independent film, looking at casting this, I would have a little some hesitation with it. So maybe talk about that a little bit. How did you guys go about getting cast? And did that give you any hesitation having a group of teams sort of central to your story?
Scooter
There is sort of and to your point, yeah, there is a niche around like 25 years of age. There are very like a lot of the powerhouse. Kids like young adults. That’s the range that if you can put that write that into your screenplay, there’s a good chance that you’re going to find somebody who’s valuable to somebody, they’ve just had enough of their career where they’re just getting exciting. And you’ve got a lot of fervent young fans, we got lucky with Peyton because her fan base is very loyal. And they love her to death. And she’s very good to them. So, you know, trying to get somebody on board who can sell something, we got really lucky with Peyton, and even you know, Peyton auditioned for it two years prior, and we couldn’t get it off the ground. And then, you know, we actually signed Bella Thorne for a little while, which triggered some financing. And then the schedules didn’t quite land. And then Peyton came back. It was like she was always meant to do the movie. And the financing stage. And yeah, we were able to kind of really push it over the line. And her fans, I mean, she’s, you know, 20 million strong. Like, I think they’re going to be really surprised and really excited about what she’s bringing to this movie for sure.
Ashley
Yeah, perfect. So, what’s the biggest lesson that you’ve learned from doing this movie from start to finish the whole process? What’s a good lesson you can you can give our listeners?
Scooter
Oh, man, your writing listeners or just general?
Ashley
General. Yeah, no, it doesn’t have to be writing. But just in general, what’s the big lesson from this project that you’re going to just take away from it?
Scooter
I think is probably be true. And really seek out the truth in your genre is if you’re trying to sell a movie, as something in our cause, the horror movie, commit. Commit to what you think the audience is expecting. And really go there like we in this picture itself, there’s a lot of tropes that we kind of play with. And we try and give the audience some tropes to try to woo them into a sense of safety, and then push the boundaries of what that is. So, they don’t actually know what’s going on. Because this movie is quite weird. It’s quite out there. But we want to kind of glad hand them in. I don’t know if gladhand is the right word, but we’re trying to kind of leave them in with what they’re expecting, and then breaking that expectation. But I think committing to the genre and knowing that we are a horror movie, kind of let our post like all the way through editing, become more horror focused. And then the movie really started to shine. So, I think with the performances we were able to get and even with our cinematographer, Farhad, who’s a very dramatic, or drama-based photographer, the tendency could have been to make a slower, sort of dramatic horror movie. But once we really leaned into the genre, all of a sudden it started to shine. So, I would say that that was a big learning lesson for sure.
Ashley
Okay, perfect, perfect. And how can people see The Friendship Game? Do you know what the release schedule is going to be like?
Scooter
I certainly kind of do. RLJ is releasing it November 11th in the USA, and in Canada, it’s coming out in December. And then the rest of the world, I believe is also November 11th. And it will be VOD, and theatre. And it would be great. If you can see it in the theatre. We pushed the sound design and the score quite a bit. And that’s the theatre experience. You’re just not going to get that at home. And we’ve spent a long time trying to just like really develop a tone. So, it would be cool people see in the theatre. It wouldn’t make any sales difference for us. So, it’s just about experience. You know what I mean?
Ashley
Yeah, for sure. What’s the best way for people to keep up with what you’re doing? Twitter, Facebook, a blog, anything you’re comfortable sharing, I will round up for the show notes.
Scooter
Yeah, there’s Instagram. I’m @scootercorkle. So, beauty is having the Scooter Corkle name. There isn’t another one. So yeah, I think Instagram is probably the best way to find me.
Ashley
Perfect. Scooter, Congratulations, getting this film done. I look forward to following your career and talking to you later.
Scooter
I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me.
Ashley
Thank you. I will talk to you later.
I just want to talk quickly about SYS Select. It’s a service for screenwriters to help them sell their screenplays and get writing assignments. The first part of the service is the SYS Select Screenplay Database. Screenwriters upload their screenplays, along with a logline, synopsis and other pertinent information like budget and genre, and then producers search for and hopefully find screenplays they want to produce. Dozens of producers are in the system looking for screenplays right now. There have been a number of success stories come out of the service. You can find out about all the SYS select successes by going to sellingyourscreenplay.com/success. Also, on SYS Podcast episode 222. I talked with Steve Daring who was the first official success story to come out of the SYS Select Database. When you join SYS Select you get access to the screenplay data base on with all the other services that we’re providing to SYS select members. These services include the newsletter, this monthly newsletter goes out to a list of over 400 producers who are actively seeking writers and screenplays. Each SYS select member can pitch one screenplay in this monthly newsletter. We also provide screenwriting leads, we have partnered with one of the premier paid screenwriting leads services, so I can syndicate their leads to SYS Select members, there are lots of great paid leads coming in each week from our partner. Recently, we’ve been getting 5 to 10 high quality paid leads per week. These leads run the gamut. There are producers looking for a specific type of spec script, to producers looking to hire a screenwriter to write up one of their ideas or properties. They’re looking for shorts, features, TV and web series, pilots, all types of projects. If you sign up for SYS Select, you’ll get these leads emailed directly to you several times per week. Also, you get access to the SYS Select forum, where we will help you with your logline and query letter and answer any screenwriting related questions that you might have. We also have a number of screenwriting classes that are recorded and available in the SYS Select forum. These classes these are all the classes that I’ve done over the years, so you’ll have access to those whenever you want once you join. The classes cover every part of writing your screenplay, from concept to outlining to the first act, second act, third act, as well as other topics like writing short films, and pitching your projects in person. Once again, if this sounds like something you’d like to learn more about, please go to sellingyourscreenplayselect.com. Again, that is sellingyourscreenplayselect.com.
On the next episode of the podcast, I’m going to be interviewing screenwriter Jennifer Dornbusch. She is a screenwriter with a background in Forensics. So, she’s written in the crime genre and has actually written a book called Forensic Speak – how to write realistic crime dramas. So, we talk about her own writing her own career, how she got her start, but we also dig into some very practical tips for writers who want to write in the crime genre. A lot of really, as I said, just really practical, authentic tips to just make your writing just feel a little bit more real. So, keep an eye out for that episode next week. That’s the show. Thank you for listening.