Do you feel that the Hollywood system tends to drag independent filmmakers down, then? ^ (laughs) Dude – Hollywood is a bright, sunny place with blue skies and hot women, and you can probably f**k a lot of women if you gotta a lot of money makin’ movies, and Hollywood’d be really cool for that. But no, dude, it’s a business, man. I go to Hollywood to audition and do films and do this s**t, man, I was just there a week, or two weeks, or three weeks – whatever. But I mean, for me doing my poetry, my films and that, I would never involve Hollywood with that. They’re doin’ a business, dude, a commercial thing. I’m tryin’ to get into my soul and get God to forgive me, and s**t like that, and Hollywood ain’t down with that. You know, they want to see some commercial product.
So film festivals like Austin, then, are definitely an integral part of that process, it seems, for you. ^ Oh, no, no, no. I’m just here because they called me on the phone. (Laughs) I don’t get into this. I mean, yeah, man, they have this beer, and I hang out, but there really isn’t nothin’ to talk about, because I’m makin’ my own… you know, the first thing some dude is comin’ up to me with a digital camera and tells me this is what I need to do. He’s a cool dude, and all that, s**t, but man, I’m getting’ me another CP-16 when I come home. I make film, man, not digital smears. But, no offense, no offense to anybody – that’s not what I meant; but I’m just stickin’ up for my own beliefs, that’s all.
What’s your writing process? How do you come up with your stories? ^ Oh, dude. Oh, here. (Shows me a small pad filled with pencilled notes) All of the scripts, and all that… ’cause you know what, when I face a blank piece of paper – it is an art and a craft to write Hollywood films and independent films, but what I want to do is – the language that people use is so beautiful and experiences in real life, that’s why it took me years to write a script, because I can’t write. I write this corny s**t, ’cause the creative side of my brain don’t work. I’m really good at math, and all of that stuff, but I can’t think creatively, so I write what people do, and I’m trying, trying, trying, to put it all together. So my process will be to pick up a final draft, throw it into the computer – but everything that I write script-wise is all in hand, and legal pads, and everywhere. ^ Some dude said yesterday, “Either he’s a pathological liar, or he knows a lot of s**t, man,” ’cause some dude just knew a lot of s**t, man. So that I can’t write myself, so that’s how I write scripts. But, no dude, I see beautiful roads, beautiful women – but not Hollywood women – fuckin’ long-haired beautiful freak chicks with Levis on, and cars, rusted cars, and beer, and beautiful space music, and that – and Hollywood don’t wanna hear about that. So that’s how I write my scripts.
These are all images of your own life? ^ No, nothin’ to do with my own life at all. But a little bit; I suppose I gotta throw some stuff in there. But everything, dude, these four or five films that I’ve had in my mind for the last twenty years, that’s the only things I ever work on – they’re my obsession. You know, it’s really cool, for me; I’m only one person out of six billion.
So how long does it take you to write an entire script, then? ^ Oh, I usually spend years on this s**t. But no, I don’t write scripts. I only wrote one, I wrote a lot of… I produced radio drama for the air, wrote those scripts. I wrote “Coven” in four drafts, which took months and months and months, and “Northwestern,” I’ve been writing for like ten years, now, or so, like that. And with “Witchhunter,” I’ve gotta write that quick, ’cause I think I gotta shoot it in the fall, man. It’ll be a cool film, too, man.
So where do you want your career to be like five, ten years from now down the road? ^ Just to have a good relationship with my kids, and not have cirrhosis of the liver (aside, out of earshot of his girlfriend) a lot of women (continuing normally) and a good wife. That’s it – and make these four or five films I really wanna make. I don’t give a s**t about anything else.
It was really great meeting you, Mark. Thanks for talking to me. ^ It was really cool meeting you. It was a great, positive vibe. Thank you, man.
Get more Mark Borchardt than you can handle at ZeroTV where he hosts an online TV show.
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