This week we’re joined by Writer-Director William Dickerson. William has been keeping himself busy with a plethora of titles since 2013 and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. From his love of David Lynch, through to that oldest of writing advice – SHOW, DON’T TELL – and some wonderful tips for dialogue, Dickerson is a delight to listen to on this edition of Scream Writing Questions.
What first got you interested in screenwriting?
I started to become curious about how films and television were made when I began watching Twin Peaks in the early 90’s. It was the first time I became aware of a hand behind the filmmaking, a hand that was controlling my emotions by the artistic choices being made. It was a revelation. At that point, I decided to start writing and shooting as many stories as I possibly could.
Do you have an example of a lesson you learned from reading a script (rather than watching the movie made from it)?
Yes, I do. Even though I had seen The Godfather (1972) numerous times, when I read the script for the first time, it became quite clear how important “theme” was to the art and craft of making movies. The Godfather is one of those films that if it’s on television, no matter what point in the film I pick it up from, I have to sit down and watch it. It just pulls me in. And that’s not because it’s a mob movie. That might be what the plot consists of – the inner workings of the mafia – but what pulls me in is the theme that operates underneath the surface, and that is the theme of “family.” It’s a movie about family – everyone can relate to the characters’ interactions with each other, because the entire film is couched in the idea of family – specifically familial expectations and hierarchies. This only became clear to me, intellectually, when I read the script.
What’s the strongest piece of advice you have for aspiring screenwriters?
There is no such thing as writer’s block. If you sit down for an hour, every day, and write five pages, you will have a draft of a script in three weeks. Then the writing becomes rewriting. Writing is work, like anything else – it just takes discipline.
What is your relationship with genre film (love, hate, indifference)? What led to that?
My films, Detour (2013) and Don’t Look Back (2014), are genre films; namely, thrillers. However, my films, The Mirror (2013) and No Alternative (2018), fall outside of what is typically thought of as “genre.” I love genre films, especially when genre is used as a vehicle for a deeper meaning. For example, Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) is technically a horror movie; however, it is really about the coming-of-age of a young woman living with a repressive single mother. That experience is inherently horrible for the main character, so De Palma used the genre of the “horror” film as a metaphor for her experience. When used in this fashion, genre films have the potential, and ability, to rise to the level of high art.
What was something that surprised you in the process of writing your own screenplay?
The more I’ve written screenplays, the more I’ve come to realize how unimportant dialogue is. Unimportant in the sense that characters don’t say what they mean. Quite often, you can say more as a writer if your characters are talking about the weather, or the ball game, as opposed to what’s specifically going on in the scene. The more meaning the audience can extract on their own, without the writer spelling it out for them in the dialogue, the more connected they will be to the characters and the movie as a whole.
What’s your favorite thing about screenwriting that doesn’t apply to other kinds of writing?
Show, don’t tell! If the reader can’t see it, then it won’t work on the screen. That’s why the kind of emotion-driven inner monologues that work so well in prose don’t work in screenplays.
What are some of the films and stories that inspired you?
As I mentioned, David Lynch’s films and television work have inspired me and continue to inspire me to this day. I tend to like darker fare. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy comedies, but I think think the best type of humor is derived from the darkest of human situations.
If you could adapt any story in any medium into a screenplay, what is your dream project?
“The Albertine Notes” by Rick Moody.
Where can people find you online and support your work (present or upcoming)?
I just finished my latest film, No Alternative, which premiered at the Dances With Films Festival. We hope to release it later this year. Please stay tuned to its Facebook page, and Twitter and Instagram. Please check me out on Twitter and Instagram and also on my website.
