Interview: Daniel Turkewitz — Part 3

It’s always interesting to interview “first-timers,” writers who break into the business by selling a spec script. Such is the case of Daniel Turkewitz, a proverbial overnight success who spent years of hard work before writing “Tranquility Base” which 20th Century Fox acquired in June 2013 for a reported mid-six figures.

Recently I had a wide-ranging conversation with Daniel about his background, “Tranquility Base,” screenwriting, and what it’s like to finally get that phone call: “They want your script.”

Today in Part 3, Daniel shares more about the creative decision-making that went into writing “Tranquility Base”:

Scott: This is a big idea. You’re talking about an event on Earth that is of earth‑shattering importance and scope. You’re talking about a big science fiction tableau, the moon base, the International Space Station, and a space transport. Yet, in a way, because the focus is on this small group of people in these three locations, it’s really a contained thriller in a sense, isn’t it?

Daniel: Yeah, it is. It sounds odd because I’ve never actually watched the TV show. But one, I wouldn’t say “inspiration,” but a model for this sort of thing is the TV show “Survivor.” You’ve got these different groups. Maybe there’s two. Maybe there’s three. They all have to battle with each other but then there are also battles going on within each group. Who are we going to get rid of? Who’s the weak guy? That really transfers to this storyline. You’ve got the three locations, and they’re each contained. But within each location, there are these fights going on.

Scott: That’s really interesting, to see those dynamics play out because there’s a philosophical question at play with all the characters, which is, “How do you decide the value of one individual human life?”

Daniel: It’s tough. Every once in a while, somebody has to step up and play the hero role. In the Space Shuttle, it’s certainly Gus. There are a couple of moments like that when people do step up and say, “I’m going to think of the others here.”

Scott: Then there are other times when people think, “I’m going to think of myself.”

Daniel: Right. When things get hairy, then yes.

Scott: How much science research did you do for this?

Daniel: Obviously, there are a whole lot of sci‑fi movies that I watched. I was fortunate to have two astronauts as consultants. When the story was just a 15‑page treatment, I was able to get Commander William Readdy to read the story. He flew on the Space Shuttle three times. He was a Space Shuttle pilot. He was a Space Shuttle commander. He worked in Star City, Russia with their space program. He was an incredibly valuable resource. After he read the story, he called me, and we talked for half an hour. He gave me his thoughts on how astronauts would actually behave in this type of situation and what they would do. That was very helpful in pointing me in the right direction.

After the script was done, I was able to get another astronaut to review it who not only had flown on three shuttle flights but actually lived in the space station for four months. She gave me tremendous feedback on all the little details that, of course, you’re not really going to think of unless you’ve been up there yourself, just to make the whole thing more realistic.

Scott: That key word, “realistic.” It really does come across that way. It feels like this is authentic.

Daniel: That was the goal. There are certain obvious things…It’s set in the future, of course. When you say, “in the future,” that gives you some creative license to do things. But I didn’t want anyone at some point to pull out a gun or to pull out a laser or a light saber or anything like that. The moment you see that, that disconnects you from reality. Who the hell is bringing a gun up into space? That was a big deal. Oddly enough, the most futuristic thing that I wrote into the script was that the characters are constantly talking on these handheld video tablets. When I first wrote this, there was no iPad. It didn’t exist. [laughs] Technology caught up to my script.

Scott: There’s a deep irony, isn’t there, about the title “Tranquility Base,” that word “tranquility,” compared to what goes on with these people.

Daniel: Right. It obviously is a reference to the landing point for Apollo 11. But that plays a role, and things aren’t all that tranquil.

Scott: How long from hitting on the story idea, when you’re standing there in that Virgin Megastore and you see that scene again from The Day After Tomorrow, and you have that initial inspiration…How long from that moment to the point where you had a script that you were showing to people who were in Hollywood?

Daniel: [laughs] “Showing to people in Hollywood” is a funny term. I don’t know that I was showing anybody. I was showing them pitch letters. I finished my first script in 2001, and I finally hooked up with Brooklyn Weaver [Energy Entertainment] last month, this June, 2013. I’m sure you’re well aware of just how incredibly difficult it is for somebody who doesn’t have representation to get anybody to read your stuff. It’s very, very difficult. I had two avenues. It was unsolicited pitch letters and screenwriting competitions, and I did both.

Just because I was sending out letters to people doesn’t necessarily mean they were reading the scripts. Far from it. A very, very, very small percentage of those letters ever do any good. I was certainly trying to pitch it, but I couldn’t in all honesty say it was being shopped around. You would only say the script is being shopped if people are actually reading the darn thing.

From start to finish, it was probably a year and a half, but I didn’t sit there and write this script straight through. Everyone has their own method of working. Sometimes you get stopped. Sometimes you get writer’s block or whatever. My personal habit is just to jump onto a different project. Halfway through writing the script, an idea came to me for script number five. I don’t want to throw away a good idea, so I just pushed “Tranquility Base” aside. I spent a couple of weeks writing a treatment for script number five. Only after that 15‑page treatment was done, and I was confident I had that idea all saved and ready to go, only then would I jump back to “Tranquility Base.”

I often will jump around from project to project. A good idea is the most valuable thing a writer can have. When an idea comes to me, I don’t want to throw it away. I’ve got to get it down right then and there, even if I’m working on something else.

Tomorrow in Part 4, Daniel gets into the details about how the script sale went down with “Tranquility Base.”

For Part 1, go here.

Part 2, go here.

Please stop by comments to thank Daniel and ask any questions you may have.

Daniel is repped by Energy Entertainment.

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