Dave Callaham speaks about his Godzilla LP script somewhat

[Blackout286]

FV: How do you approach the blank page? Where do you go to find inspiration?

DC: I watch recent movies that I like. I read a lot of comic books because to me it has the right combination of text and story-telling and visuals. If I’m writing a small character piece I could read fiction and be fine. But on Godzilla I wanted to always be thinking in giant, sweeping science fiction terms. So I was watching a lot of those types of movies. You know, I could be watching Star Trek and it would help me with Godzilla just because it put me in the right mindset of “the universe is yours to play with.” I watch a lot of Discovery channel stuff, History Channel and that always helps.

On Godzilla as an example and Doom I did this too. I watched a lot of nature documentaries because I felt like I’m writing about an animal; it’s just a giant animal. But if I can get some cool set pieces out of behavior that I see animals doing in the wild in the show, then I can maybe translate that into something. Just whatever’s appropriate. And then I read a lot. I’ll be reading fiction for the sake of constant creativity, but I also I feel like on everything I write there’s research I could be doing.

On the script that became The Expendables I read all about mercenaries. I read biographies of mercenaries and I read about first hand accounts of armed conflicts and things like that. On Godzilla I read about the history of Godzilla, Godzilla’s history through film. But I also read a 600 page manual that is handed out to municipal areas, cities, counties, states, about disaster preparedness and how to react when a disaster does hit and how to make sure that you rebound from it. Because I was trying to tell the story from a perspective of Godzilla being treated as a disaster. So anything that I find appropriate I’ll read. Even if I don’t get a specific idea out of it creativity-wise, it gets me in the right mindset. I don’t want to be doing anything while I’m writing a script other than living in the world of the script. So if I’m not writing it and I turn around, I’m trying to spend time with my wife and have fun, but if I’m reading, I’m reading something that’s gonna help me in the right mindset, and if I’m watching something hopefully it’s gonna help me do that too.

FV: So if you’ve got act 1 and act 2 pretty well laid out, how long does it take you to write that first draft? How long do you want to spend?

DC: Horsemen and Godzilla, the first and last things I’ve done, are pretty similar. I think they both took 3 months for a first draft. And they were both 2 ½ months to write the first 2 acts, and I wrote the last act in a week on both of them. Because it’s a runaway train at that point, and there’s no more questions. Act 2 is the hardest, because I know where I need to get them, how am I gonna get them there? By act 3, if you can’t just roll with act 3 you’ve messed up somewhere. Act 3 should write itself.

I get really emotional writing act 3. It’s coming out of me at that point. A lot of times I have to struggle to force myself to write the first two acts. First act’s easy, second act is hard. Third act, I’m just dying to do it. I’ve spent all this time leading you to a place, now it’s time to show you.

FV: Ho much time do you spend rewriting?

DC: Depends. Like on Godzilla I was under a pretty strict time crunch. So I wrote it, it was very, very long. I sent it to a couple friends and I did a week of super intensive rewriting. If you’re writing on spec you’ve got the luxury of time so it just depends on how long it takes to get it right. Usually once or twice. I don’t like to rewrite.

FV: Going back to the writing process. What’s your philosophy or mentality as a writer?

DC: I want to elevate. My philosophy as a writer is to always make something better than it ought to be. This is obvious. I’m sure every writer says that. But I really want to, if it’s an action movie I want to make it, like Heat is a good example, again, I want it to be an action movie with characters you actually care about, and stakes and themes. I always want the story to have themes even if it’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard. Godzilla is a pretty cut and dry, giant monster smashes stuff. But the reason I got excited about it is because I saw themes and relationships to the modern world that I could tell in this story that was important. I always strive to elevate. And you see a movie like The Dark Knight and it tells you, or Inception, another Chris Nolan movie, it tells you, you can make giant movies that work on many different levels, that are intellectual, that are important, that are valuable and they work on a commercial level. And they’re exciting and they’re fun and they’re popcorn. People don’t do it too much, and I don’t think they try hard enough to do it. But I’d like to try. I do try. And you know, you learn that sometimes you try and things get changed. But if you don’t try then no one will.

http://www.fresh-voices.com/interviews.html

[shinmattiathekaiju]

So basically he said that Godzilla is just a giant animal with no personality and he wanted to make a Dark Knight-style script?

[Eunectes]

So basically he said that Godzilla is just a giant animal with no personality and he wanted to make a Dark Knight-style script?

I guess lol

[Tormentor]

So...He wants a Dark Knight Godzilla?

Now, giving Godzilla animal characteristics is fine, so long as its done right. GINO held the same thing, but since the director wasn't a fan or didn't bother to understand the character enough, it turned out bad. As a result, it equaled back-lashing from the fans.

Now, if Dave was going with something to make Godzilla stand out, then why not take a page from Dark Horse? Their characterization of Godzilla was nicely well done.

The characterization of Godzilla, however, is great. This is a bold claim, but it needs to be said: The Godzilla in these stories is a deeper, more focused, character than the Godzilla of the movies. That is in part to the narration. Through captions, we are told what Godzilla is thinking or experiencing at different moments. One of these moments stands apart from the rest. Godzilla wakes up only to immediately begin fighting a bat-like creature called Bagorah. After a few moments, Bagorah flies off to follow some jets, which it sees to be easier prey than Godzilla. After his adversary flies away, we see this statement in the captions: ‘Godzilla is not a vengeful creature. In fact, his emotional range is negligible at best. He is a creature of instinct, of territorialism, of survival. He doesn’t understand the tact of retreat or the compassion of surrender. He doesn’t realize the fight is over’. Then, Godzilla begins moving slowly in the direction that Bagorah left, to continue the battle with his opponent.

Overall, I'm glad the script is being rewritten. Or reworked on. Dave's script doesn't sound like a acceptable one, the movie probably would have turned out slightly better than GINO, but still bad if it went through without being improved. Plus, knowing that Dave doesn't like to look over his work more then twice shows how much effort he places into his work most of the time.

[Legion1979]

We're so f@cked.

Then again, this is an American=made film, so I'm really not surprised.

[Hellspawn28]

At least we got some new info on this project. I'm glad that LP is finding a new writer for the movie, good to know that they are taking this project serious.

[HeiseiGodzilla117]

Dave Callaham isn't on the project anymore. Move along people. Nothing to see here.

[Legion1979]

Dave Callaham isn't on the project anymore.

Thank God.

[shinmattiathekaiju]

Dave Callaham isn't on the project anymore. Move along people. Nothing to see here.

We are lucky after all.

[tenup]

Well it seems like Dave wasn't the man for the job. After Roland Emmerich made the statement that his Godzilla movie was made to be a fun popcorn flick I never want to hear Godzilla and popcorn in the same sentence again as Dave seemed to put it. LP giving him a chance in the first place makes me wonder. Wonder who else stepped up to the writers table since Callaham?

[Darkness]

Dave Callaham isn't on the project anymore. Move along people. Nothing to see here.

Please tell me that is actually confirmed. Because I don't want the person writing this movie thinking Godzilla is 'just an animal'.

[TokyoVigilante]

Well it seems like Dave wasn't the man for the job. After Roland Emmerich made the statement that his Godzilla movie was made to be a fun popcorn flick I never want to hear Godzilla and popcorn in the same sentence again as Dave seemed to put it. LP giving him a chance in the first place makes me wonder. Wonder who else stepped up to the writers table since Callaham?

So what's wrong with Godzilla being fun, escapist fantasy again?

[Biollante]

Fun, escapist fantasy and Good aren't mutually exclusive.

[Blackout286]

Dave Callaham isn't on the project anymore. Move along people. Nothing to see here.

Please tell me that is actually confirmed. Because I don't want the person writing this movie thinking Godzilla is 'just an animal'.

Its been confirmed that Dave was let go and that his script was being rewritten by Gareth Edwards, but LP will also have another script writer that has yet to be announced/hired. So far, the film is safe. But without a script writer and a good script that can be approved, the film can't go into the production stage. Hopefully a good writer will be announced soon over the
summer.

[TokyoVigilante]

Fun, escapist fantasy and Good aren't mutually exclusive.

I've had this discussion a dozen times before, but the sixties managed to pull off a balance of relevant and varied social commentary with colorful, over-the-top dramatic fantasy and comedy. They're as smart, if not smarter, then Gojira and they're as bright and viscerally as engaging as anything that would come after the sixties or of any science-fiction film of that era. Godzilla can do it, some of his best outings are that. It's such a shame to regress back to the "Good ole' days" of Gojira with its simple, blunt, one-note message of the dangers of the nuclear arms race.

Anyway, Dave Callahan's relevance to this project seems dubious and elements that he provided could have already been scrapped. I like his method, sorta' speak for how he goes about writing.

[Legion1979]

It's such a shame to regress back to the "Good ole' days" of Gojira with its simple, blunt, one-note message of the dangers of the nuclear arms race.

But that's what the kids want these days. It's the only way for Godzilla to be taken seriously. The mainstream must respect Godzilla. They have to. They have to!!

[Biollante]

Fun, escapist fantasy and Good aren't mutually exclusive.

I've had this discussion a dozen times before, but the sixties managed to pull off a balance of relevant and varied social commentary with colorful, over-the-top dramatic fantasy and comedy. They're as smart, if not smarter, then Gojira and they're as bright and viscerally as engaging as anything that would come after the sixties or of any science-fiction film of that era. Godzilla can do it, some of his best outings are that. It's such a shame to regress back to the "Good ole' days" of Gojira with its simple, blunt, one-note message of the dangers of the nuclear arms race.

Anyway, Dave Callahan's relevance to this project seems dubious and elements that he provided could have already been scrapped. I like his method, sorta' speak for how he goes about writing.

I'm not sure if you were adding on to what I was saying or not, but for the record I agree with you. I was just complaining about directors such as Emmerich that fallback on the "popcorn film" excuse to justify making a generally poor film.

[shinmattiathekaiju]

So...He wants a Dark Knight Godzilla?

Now, giving Godzilla animal characteristics is fine, .

Yes because Godzilla is an animal but i want a smart animal capable of showing emotions.

[GodzillaIsCool]

Wow, this guy is a shitty writer.

"Lol, when I need to write about Godzilla, I watch Star Trek and Discovery Channel to get the juices flowing..."

What a c u next tuesday.

[TokyoVigilante]

Ah, understood. Yeah, that is a problem. It's a shame that "it's just for fun!" is used as a justification for something bad or shallow. Who say's you can't read a book on a roller coaster?

Wow, this guy is a shitty writer.

"Lol, when I need to write about Godzilla, I watch Star Trek and Discovery Channel to get the juices flowing..."

What a vjj.

How is that bad? Star Trek is socially relevant science-fiction and takes place in a sprawling universe (IE; like Godzilla has always had the capacity to be) and Discovery Channel is a good place to learn about recent scientific advancements and to observe large animals in their natural habitat and how they behave. I'd love to see Godzilla give the lazy expression of an Alpha Male Lion and flick his ears around after hearing some jets fly over head. That's natural characterization of a silent, mostly destructive and non-mammalian character.

But I guess to write a Godzilla movie you CAN ONLY WATCH GODZILLA MOVIES, DUH.