Interview with Mark Ezra Stokes

Today I'm going to interview screenwriter and Director of Creative Media for JamesWorks Entertainment Mark Ezra Stokes.

1. What is the current project you are working on? I'm rewriting a script I did in grad school about a middle-aged pharmacist who decides to step out from his self-imposed quarantine after the death of his live-in mother. And he also doesn't take any pharmaceutical drugs, which makes him an odd sort of hypocrite right off the bat.

2. Did you always want to be a filmmaker? I suppose so, in some form or fashion. I remember, at the age of three, telling people that I wanted to be a cartoonist. Then, it switched to stuntman until I saw a scary documentary at nine. After that, it was magician and clown, and finally in college I realized that a screenwriter would be the culmination of all of these things, except I wouldn't have to wear a trench coat and glasses in the street when I needed to get groceries. I went with screenwriter.

3. What inspired you to become filmmaker? It was this little "pro-family" propaganda piece called "Hollywood vs. Religion." No lie. I came away from that documentary thinking, "What if religious people quit boycotting, started opening their ears to the cinematic language that already exists, and tried making movies that told stories instead of heavy-handedly Bible-beating the audience into submission?" I don't think that's what the filmmakers intended.

4. What is your opinion on movie remakes in Hollywood? I was just talking to some guys about this on a shoot. I wouldn't give a blanket statement and say, "I hate movie remakes," but nine times out of ten, they end up being terrible. Why is that? I'd say because the number one reason remakes get the greenlight is that they're "safe." They've got a built-in audience, and there are numbers to prove that, at one time, a lot of people liked the product. And so the ones that stink to high heaven are the ones that STAY safe. They may do something "edgy" like put the characters in a modern-day setting, or change the race of one of the main characters, but otherwise it's the same-ole, same-ole, but with enough differences to tick off the hardcore fans. The remakes that DO work, however, understand and respect the original work, and they incorporate something new and thematically fitting to that original story. Films like King Kong,Ocean's 11, and a lot of B-movie remakes work, because they're using the advanced technology and bigger budgets to their advantage. Stuff like the Psycho remake that tries to emulate Hitchcock shot-by-shot doesn't work, because who wouldn't rather just watch Hitchcock?

5. What is the best thing about being one? As a screenwriter, I get to tell whatever story I want to, infusing my own perspective and internal debates where fitting. Sure, that story may be so out there that no audience would ever want to see it, but during that exciting, sloppy and unintelligible first draft, I play God.

6. What is the worst thing about being one? Re-reading over that exciting, sloppy first draft and trying to turn it into something non-crappish.

7. What is the estimated number of projects you have worked on? According to IMDB, it's seven, but only four of those are writing credits. Because filmmaking is so complex and collaborative, I love trying out the different aspects: producing, directing, PA-ing, being an extra. In film school, I was the gullible idiot who would star in everybody's short, looking a lot like a melodramatic mashup of Bruce Campbell and Jim Carey.

8. Who is is your favorite filmmaker? These are the few who inspire my own voice: Jean-Pierre Jeunet (for the lighthearted storybook aspect to his films), The Coens (for their mastery of dramedy and memorable characters), Roberto Benigni (a modern-day Charlie Chaplin whose blend of slapstick comedy and serious subject matter is pitch perfect) and Werner Herzog (mostly for his maniacal filmmaking philosophy, though, and not so much his movies)

9. How has your life changed since you became a filmmaker? Well, other than being the object of lust and adoration for all the ladies in the lower southeast, not much has changed. I guess the big thing is that I can't just watch a movie as "entertainment." It's all business now. I'm always in critic mode, dissecting every form of storytelling I encounter and figuring out what works and what doesn't work. So there's no real vacation from being a filmmaker, but luckily it's something I love.

10. What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to make it in the movie business? One, don't see it as "the movie business." There are far too many sacrifices and profitless risks you'll go through at first, and as long as you're focusing on the joy of telling a good story you can make it past these hurdles without being completely crushed. Two, don't sit around and talk about what has to fall in place before you can make your opus. Make the absolute best film you can right now with the resources you have. Obsess over improving your art the next go-round, and stay busy. The "making it" part of the equation will come eventually. Even if you completely suck but you're persistent, you can make a career as the next Ed Wood.

11. What are some of your favorite American films? Well, off of the top of my head… Raising Arizona, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Paper Moon, To Be or Not to Be (1942), Memento, Adaptation., Modern Times, Chinatown, The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Signs, Koyaanisqatsi Foreign films? Life is Beautiful, Amelie, The Tin Drum, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Hero, Old Boy, In July, Love Actually Television shows? I'm currently free from T.V. now that my favorite shows are either off the air or cancelled (R.I.P. "Arrested Development" and "Pushing Daisies"), but I do love watching "Community" on Hulu. I was also pleasantly surprised when I discovered that "Weeds" is far more than a show for druggies, and "True Blood" isn't just anotherTwilight.

12. How would you describe your film education? Refreshing. I got an M.A. in Screenwriting & Film Studies, and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from Hollins University. It was a great writing-intensive program, with cool screenings I wouldn't normally get to see, and a brilliantly-chosen diverse faculty. Half of them were making movies in Hollywood, and the other half were doing it in Europe. Because of this, I was equally introduced to the industry and the art of filmmaking. Of course the other half of that education is going out and doing what I'd been studying all of those years. It's important, and most post-graduates I know tend to sit and think, "Okay, the world's gonna beg for my filmmaking prowess now." And they fool themselves into believing that for the majority of their lifelong tenure at Starbucks or some box factory in the middle of nowhere.

13.  How would you describe the film "scene" where you live? Savannah, Georgia, is at a great place right now. There are a few key local production companies here, and we have a pretty steady stream of big-budget Hollywood films that come through (thanks to awesome Georgia tax incentives). So a filmmaker can pretty much do his own thing without the cutthroat game, but he can still get involved with the big dogs when the urge comes for that.

14. How has social media changed the independent film industry? It puts the control in the hands of the innovative. Your audience can be everywhere in the world at no additional cost to the filmmaker. You just need to communicate well and have a great story to tell. James probably told you that social media has been huge for JamesWorks in that we've found both investors and a very passionate fan base through social media.

15. What is the casting process like? Exciting. You can imagine such rich backstories the minute a potential actor or extra walks through that door. And you know they're so nervous--especially if they really want the part--that it's your job as a producer to lighten them up. It's like being a stand-up comedian, but your audience is required to laugh at your cheesy jokes.

16. How does independent film differ from the mainstream? More freedom; more constraints. More freedom in the sense that you can, within reason, tell your own story. More constraints in that very rarely will an indie filmmaker get a blank check to go and make a movie. But both of these factors often breed more creativity, so I'm cool with it.

17.  You could go back in time and see any classic film being made. Which film would it be? I could pick any one--be itCitizen Kane or Good Burger--and be inspired in some way. I really believe that, because a film set is such a vibrant school with very visceral examples of good and bad filmmaking happening all around you. If I could somehow guarantee my own survival before going onto the shoot, I'd pick one of the harshest film shoots to observe: Apocalypse Now or Fitzcarraldo. Something that reminds me all of the pain and anguish some filmmakers have gone through just to get their story in the can. That first-hand perspective would be invaluable.

18. You could be any animal. Which would you be? I'd be the year-round equivalent of a hibernating bear--whatever animal is reclusive and sleepy all the time. An agoraphobic, narcoleptic bald eagle would be fun. That way if I wanted to spread my wings and be majestic someday I could, but I'd also be perfectly comfortable reading Bird's Life magazine back in my quiet nest.

19. You could have any super power. What would it be? I think I'd kick it old-school and be invisible. Just because that whole philosophical question of "What would I do if I could get away with it?" haunts my thoughts. I need to prove to myself that I'm just as pious as I pretend to be, and I'd also have the opportunity to write for hours on end without being noticed. Preferably from the comfort of my own bald eagle's nest.

20. Do you believe on life on other planets? I guess I'm indifferent. I think the possibility is just as valid as the impossibility. What a bland way to end a riveting interview, huh? Aren't you glad you made it all the way to question 20?

Thanks to Mark for allowing me to interview him. For more information on Mark please click the web link below.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3200883/ Mark Ezra Stokes IMDB Page