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Interview with Eric
Bress and J. Mackye Gruber
Scripteaser.com: Tell me about FROZEN, your spec which recently sold to Phoenix. Eric:
It’s THE MATRIX meets IN THE LINE OF FIRE & SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. As kids,
these two people get the power to freeze time and move through it. As a result,
when they grow up one of them becomes the world’s greatest illusionist and the
other becomes the world’s greatest assassin. An FBI agent discovers a link
between the killer and the illusionist and recruits him to help her track the
killer down before he can assassinate the US President. E: A mutual friend told me he knew a guy at USC doing his senior thesis who needed a sound guy, and I had a huge background in sound, so we hooked up there. So I start working on this thing, and it’s one depressing piece. It is melodrama. It’s incest between father and daughter and she’s pregnant– really depressing stuff. But even though it was really dark stuff… Jonathan: We couldn’t stop
laughing. And that’s where we realized we had the same sick sense of humor. E:
(laughing) Yep. J: Eric had written a script for somebody that he knew. They said, “We want a script that’s really offensive. We want a comedy that’s in the vein of CLERKS. Something that’s really outrageous and can be made cheap. E: Something with a lot of dick jokes. So two weeks later when I handed it in, he said he loved it and wanted to make it, but didn’t have any money. He asked me to apply for ten credit cards with five grand each and finance the movie myself. So I told him, “Dude– if I had any credit and could do that, I’d be in Tahiti with hookers and coke. Why am I talking to you? J: (laughing) So he came to
me all pissed off and when we took a look at it we realized BLUNT was cheap
enough to pull off ourselves. J: The premiere. We had a packed theater. People were sitting in the aisles and when we showed it, there was a bigger response than we ever thought we would’ve had. It was awesome. Another cool moment was when BLUNT was named Best Comedy of the New York International Independent Film Festival. That was pretty cool. Things like that and being able to work with some really great, amazing, talented people who were all psyched to make it happen really made it great. E: One of the coolest things for me was dealing with the talent. It was great, coming from a performer background myself, to see and work with some really solid performers who appreciated the work and the chance to perform. Normally there’s not a lot of time to enjoy it while it’s happening [making a film] because you’re juggling a million different things, like trying to keep the crew happy and solving problems on the fly. But then next thing you know, you’re standing there watching a scene being shot and when the actor hits the mark and gives you exactly what you’re looking for, makes you laugh or cry or whatever you wrote— Those moments are golden. They’re great. That’s what’s exciting for me. J: Definitely. E: The amazing thing to me
was that it didn’t. The more time you spend in this town, you realize that
when you go to big festivals like Sundance, you’re not really going to check
out new talent and watch films. You’re going to go to great parties, hopefully
get in some skiing and if you happen to catch some screenings you just pray that
they don’t suck. E: (grinning) Yeah, yeah,
yeah. Sometimes you hear stories about a Miramax distributor who saw a film they
had to have on the spot so they paid $2,000,000 for it right then and there, but
those stories are rare. As are stories about filmmakers who win fests and get
recruited to the big leagues right away. It doesn’t happen overnight. J: A friend of mine named
Chris Shellen had slipped a script of ours to Zide Entertainment, and one day
while editing BLUNT I got a call from a guy named JC Spink who was a manager
there. He set up a meeting with us to discuss other projects we had going, and
while we were there we told them about this really dark idea we had, which was
just a really crappy first draft. So we ended the meeting and left the script
behind. A few hours later we got a call from them saying they wanted us to come
in the next day and sign contracts. That script was the one they wanted to
develop. It was called BLACKOUTS then, and eventually went on to become The
BUTTERFLY EFFECT. J:
We were in NY for the festival when it went out and we were so wrapped up in the
festival we didn’t really think much about it. Then we got called a day or two
later and were told we had 50 meetings set up when we got back because everybody
wanted to take it into studios. J:
No. Because the subject matter was really dark. Everyone liked the story but
were afraid it was pushing the envelope. E: Because it’s a BACK TO
THE FUTURE type premise dealing with some harsh elements like; prison rape,
pedophilia and kiddie porn. A great overriding story with subject matter so dark
nobody really knew what to do with it. J: It can be really frustrating because the people who were in love with it most, the ones who kept saying, ‘We must get this made!’ were all the younger execs. And the older execs– the ones with the power of the pen– were saying, ‘Uh, I don’t know about this.’ E. So most of the young execs were as flustered as we were. They were willing to bet their jobs on this product and went upstairs with a big smile on their face and came down with a big bruise on their ass having no idea what the hell just happened (laughs). The frustration got as contagious as the joy. J: It all worked out pretty
cool though, because it put us on the map, which led to more work and more sales,
which validated us. J:
We’d met with a lot of agents previously and had yet to find one we were
completely comfortable with and weren’t that nervous because our managers
(Bender/Spink) were doing a great job for us. So when they sent out FROZEN they
slipped Chris a copy and he really liked it. He took us out for drinks the next
day and told us he’d like to rep us and instantly we knew this was the guy. He
got it and he got us. It felt right. So we went with Endeavor and it’s been
great ever since. E: (laughs) Yeah. It seems like three people can all of a sudden do the work of six or seven. Bender and Spink (Chris and JC) were doing a thank-God almighty fantastic job with us before, and with the addition of Endeavor, we now have more avenues open than ever before. J: Bender/Spink also introduced us to our lawyer David Krentzman over at Barnes, Morris, Klein and Yorn- E: Who’s probably the best, coolest lawyer in the frigging business. No bullshit. J: So we get calls all the
time from them telling us people are interested in working with us and they have
consistently, for a year, gotten us job after job after job. They’re like an
army. Their support is great. J: Because the project was so close to us, we wanted to direct it ourselves, but it’s hard to find a company willing to do that with today’s market being as blockbuster driven as it is. So while we were shopping it we became acquainted with a young actor who no one had really seen much of before. I saw a piece of videotape from his manager and felt very strongly that this guy was perfect for it. So when we finally found a company willing to let us make it and let us direct I went out on a limb and told them I wanted him for the lead but no one saw it. “Who is this kid? He means nothing. He’s not going to get you the money.” But I wanted him as the lead, so I told them I wanted him and would cast around him and do anything else they wanted, but he had to be the guy. E: It was a lot of pressure.
They were coming at us with, “We’ve got 20 million we’re willing to offer
Leo. We can get Tobey Maguire.” But we said "No. We want this kid. This
is the guy for us." E: Yeah. J: So we stayed strong on our
one demand for this guy and he keeps telling us how thankful he is and how much
he appreciates our faith and belief in him. And while this was going on, over
about a year, he was shooting this film that was getting some early buzz and he
said, “Just wait ‘til that movie comes out because it’s going to give us
all the juice for the movie and it’s going to put it together. We’ll be
set!” And his agency thanked me for sticking with him and told us they’d
support the project fully due to our risking it all for their client and would
do everything they could to make it happen. J: We waited and waited and
then the film he did came out and ended up being one of the biggest, most
rewarded films of the year. And this guy, our guy, suddenly became a huge star
overnight. (they both laugh) E: Not exactly. J: They got angry. E: They were pissed off that
the money we’d attached him for, money which was exceedingly generous when he
was a no one, was a lot smaller than the offers he was being offered now. How
could he do an independent dark, indie drama when the floodgates had now opened?
In their eyes we were holding him back. J:
Yeah. Calls were no longer returned and his people got more and more difficult
to deal with. And not too long after that the option ran out and we just put it
back in the drawer and waited. We knew it was good. We knew it’d eventually
happen somewhere. E:
Not so much pissed off as hurt. Jonathan spent more than a year hanging out with
him and fighting for him pretty hard. Then once he exploded, we never
heard back from him again. That was kind of disappointing. J:
We’re going to co-direct it. That call we just got was Chris Donnelly calling
to tell us the good news. J: Digital Domain and Bender/Spink. E: Which is a great example
of the little guy fighting and winning. Kevin Cooper over at Digital Domain read
the script and loved it, and he was one of those special few people that got it,
really wanted to make it and more than anybody we’ve dealt with in a long
time, put his ass on the line for us and the script. So because of his
enthusiasm in the project and his belief in us, it’s finally getting made,
which just goes to show that sometimes someone’s vision and enthusiasm can
actually make things happen despite the odds and naysayers around you. E:
I nearly shit myself— twice. E: Because when it first went
out we knew were dealing with a 100 million dollar movie. Something completely
opposite from our little low-budget, independent film. So we knew there’d only
be maybe two or three studios in the world that could possibly have anything to
do with it, so we already knew the dice were figured against us and figured
it’d just be another interesting spec that got us meetings and writing gigs.
Then when it was actually picked up by Phoenix, I could hardly believe it. It
was too incredible. THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT is one of my favorite movies. Phoenix
makes great pictures and has the actual wherewithal to make a film this big. It
was just too big. It was amazing. It almost took a week for it to set in,
because in this business, you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop,
but once we signed the contracts it hit home. We did it. We sold the fucking
thing. Holy shit. J:
You go in with an idea that you thought was great. An idea that was good enough
for someone to purchase for several hundred thousand dollars, and then you find
out that what they liked was “elements” of it. Elements that can be made
better. And then it becomes all about re-examining the script and listening to
notes and suggestions. J: Yeah. But you have to keep open to it. You can’t say, “You know what? It’s all bullshit. Screw these guys! They don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about!” You have to listen. Thank God for Phoenix because we got some really great execs who had some really good ideas. E: We went in there with a
script that was great. It had a cool concept with $100,000,000.00 box office
potential. But now, with the development we’ve done with them, it’s become
$400,000,000.00 potential box office. They’ve helped us make it a better
movie. E: Human nature makes us very
resistant to change anything, and it’s what bogs down so many projects. If you
can go into a notes meeting with a filter that separates the not-so-great ideas
from the good ones, you’ll improve the hell out of your project and not drive
yourself so crazy. J:
Bottom line is if you’re dealing with someone with a half-a-brain in their
head and you can break down your disagreement logically, you’ll win. You
can’t fight logic. But if you come at them all hot and heavy and make them
feel like an animal trapped in the corner, you’re going to lose. You’ve got
to give people the option of a way to move, that they’ll be more receptive. E:
Definitely. We met with someone a few months ago where we walked into their
office and saw posters of other movies they’d done, all of which we’d seen.
We sat down and they told us they had a discretionary fund which was about to
run out at the end of the year and since they loved our stuff so much they
wanted to offer us $40,000.00 for any idea we had which we could develop
together later. E: (laughs) Almost. You’re trying not to let your jaw hit the table because someone’s just offered you a nice piece of change just to sit around a table and talk about ideas. J: It was the first time
leaving a meeting with a complete hard-on going, “Oh my God. Free money to
just sit and think about things.” J: No. We’re too busy right
now with BUTTERFLY, FROZEN and FD 2. We don’t have time to think. E:
Zide/Perry (producers FINAL DESTINATION) gave us a call and asked us for our
ideas. We hadn’t seen it so we went expecting it to be some I STILL KNOW WHAT
YOU DID LAST SUMMER teen horror crap, but we came out having giggled throughout
it all because it hooked us. And for guys like us— skewed dark puppies, it was
a great opportunity to have some fun and really get interesting. J: No, it isn’t, because Craig Perry helped us develop BUTTERFLY EFFECT while we were at Zide/Perry and our experience with him was awesome. E: To be honest, I was a
little nervous before our first meeting because when Bender/Spink pulled their
Jerry Maguire bit, we went over with them. But it was only awkward for about two
seconds because the minute we walked into the room Craig Perry was the same old
cool, sincere, down to earth guy he’s always been. He shoots straight. You can
rarely argue his notes. E: Craig Perry’s one of the best development guys in this industry. His mind, when it comes to story sense, is sharper than 100 idiot savants put in a room. J: We were talking earlier about execs who have really stupid ideas? Craig’s a guy who has really great ideas. He helped make BUTTERFLY EFFECT what it is today, so as soon as we started FD2 we were happy. He’ll look at you and say, ‘On page 54 in the third paragraph, this sentence doesn’t work.’ And he’s right. E:
And he’s not one of these guys who says, “My dog’s name is Sparkles! Could
we have a character named Sparkles?” Every one of his ideas is in the interest
of making it a better film. E: Jonathan gives out the
blowjobs. I wash the cars. E:
A director has a pretty big hat to wear. We’re going to split that hat into
two distinct jobs where I’ll be working with the actors while Jonathan sets up
shot designs and works to create the visual aspect of it so that we’re not
wasting time. J: Yeah. We write these things together, why not direct them together? We know the ultimate vision we want to portray on the screen so it’s like we share a brain. We discuss everything way before hand so there’s no surprise on set. We know the idea going into it. So splitting the functions means we’ll end up with a better product. E: Too many times you hear
actors complaining because the director spends more time talking with the DP and
gaffer than with them but that won’t happen with us. We’ll have someone
focused on the actors. That’s important. E: I think the goal is to straddle the line between being a Coen brothers and doing solo projects on the side. We work great as partners. Yesterday, we weren’t together and I was trying to think, and I swear to God my brain didn’t work right. I need him in a room for me to even get thoughts working. So I know we’ll always work together, but I also know we both want to do side things when luck gives us the opportunity. J: In this business it’s
hard enough to go at it alone. You go day after day facing the wall of bullshit,
but when you have a partner who thinks the same and where you’re able to
connect in a special way, it makes everything easier. Two brains are better than
one. E: I’d say our writing process is one big argument. When we show up to work, half of it’s arguing and a lot of times it’s heated and it’s hostile. But the beautiful thing is at the end of the day we look at the sheets and say, “Holy shit. We just did a great day’s worth of work,” and that’s where it all pays off. J: The thing you have to
remember at the end of the day is that no matter how nasty it gets sometimes,
you guys are still friends and it’s just the process. J: We’re developing a story now to bring us back into comedy. We did the sci-fi stuff and that’s cool, but our hearts lie in comedy. That’s where we come from. E: Possibly the greatest,
kick ass teen comedy of all time. E: (quickly) No. Fuck off. E: In this town, when
you’re sitting around in a restaurant talking about your new idea, you’re
worried about who’s going to hear it. Most of that’s delusional paranoia
because nobody’s going to give a shit. But with this one concept? No fucking
way are we going to talk about it. It’s too good. J: When I came out here, I was unhealthily optimistic. I was like, “You can make a movie if you want it! It’s all about hard work and persistence!” Yes, persistence is great. It’s gotten us where we are today. But also be a realist. No one’s going to come and knock on your door and say, “Hey! Here’s this movie! We want you to do it!” It’s not going to happen that way. You have to set up a game plan and find smart ways to make the pieces fit. That and write everyday. It’s the only way to get better. E: If you don’t have 10 years to devote to this crazy dream– don’t bother coming out. It will not happen in two years. It will not happen in four years. 10 years is what it’s going to take. If you don’t have 10 years, go study psychology so you can be a social worker. Anything else to help better the world. The other thing is to realize that there’s a machine in place. You can’t swim upstream and fight the machine. The quicker you realize that you’re going to have to play by Hollywood’s rules, the quicker you’ll have a chance at success. If you try to reinvent the wheel, you’ll lose. Three act structure works. It’s the greatest structure ever invented. We fought it the first four years and I wish we could go back and change it. The sooner you learn to accept that, the sooner you’ll have something someone will want to read. Interview reprinted with permission from Scripteaser (www.scripteaser.com.)
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Eric
Bress and J. Mackye Gruber are among Hollywood's newest, hottest screenwriting
teams. They wrote and produced BLUNT, named best comedy in the New York
Independent Film Festival. They are now directing THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT for
New Line in Canada, starring Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Eric Stoltz, Jason Scott
Lee and Eldon Henson. Watch for news about their upcoming films, FROZEN and FINAL DESTINATION II.
