Exclusive Q&A: Dale Zawada (“Worth the Weight”)

There are all sorts of spec script success stories. You can write a spec targeting a major studio. You can also write a script for a low-budget independent movie. That’s what writer-comic Dale Zawada did with his screenplay Worth the Weight which is currently in post-production. Here is a Q&A with Dale, another ‘first-timer’:

What is your background in the entertainment business?

I’ve been doing standup comedy since 2009 and currently host a comedy\screenwriting podcast Sad Clown Radio. That’s as “in” the entertainment business as I am. Hopefully that changes shortly!

How did you find your way into screenwriting?

Like most people, I’ve always loved film. In around 2003 I had a killer idea for a screenplay and had no choice but to write it myself. I started reading up on the subject, checked out the popular books, and gave it a go. Needless to say that first screenplay with that killer idea was not so great as I look back on it. I fell in love with the craft of screenwriting though and knew it was something I was going to do for the rest of my life, regardless of the level of success I reached.

You wrote a romantic comedy spec script that is now being produced called “Worth the Weight.” What is the premise of the movie?

“Worth the Weight” is a movie about a big guy trying to get his life together. He wants the girl. He wants the good body. He wants happiness. But wanting those things and getting those things are two different things. He vows to lose some pounds and his friends have no faith in him. They decide to have a weight war to see who can lose the most weight in two months. On his journey he falls for a trainer at the gym and tries to get the girl. It’s a movie about perseverance and not quitting if things start to go south, and things definitely go south for the main character Sam. “Worth the Weight” is a fat guy comedy, giving all big guys out there hope.

How did you come up with the story concept?

I became interested in the concept of weight loss contests. I thought that was a neat way to keep people motivated to lose weight, by making it competitive. That was the genesis of the idea. From there the characters came and started telling their own stories and the actual weight war in the film is more of a subplot than when I originally came up with the idea.

What was your writing process like (i.e., research, prep time, how many drafts, how long did it take for you to write the script)?

It only took about three months start to finish. Most of my screenplay writing consists of what I call “pre-writing.” That’s everything that comes before fading in. Research, character bios, funny dialogue, notes, potential scenes, and outlining take up the first two months of the process for me. Then when I get things where they need to be, the last month is actually me in Final Draft bringing it all to life.

I only do a couple drafts of a script. I know “writing is re-writing” but I try SO hard to get things right in my pre-writing that several re-writes shouldn’t be necessary. At least in theory. To me, and this is probably just me, “writing is pre-writing!”

The director of the movie is Ryan Sage and the producer is Kristina Denton. How did you get the script to them? How did you learn they wanted to make your movie?

I was actually shopping a different screenplay at the time I sold this. I was doing everything an aspiring screenwriter does when they want their film made. I was looking up production companies. I was checking out craigslist. I was making cold calls, and cold e-mails. If I didn’t sell the screenplay it wasn’t going to be for lack of effort. And I contacted director Ryan Sage one day because he was looking to move from (award winning) shorts to feature films. I was trying to pitch him “The Adoption” which is a horror comedy script I had finished at the time. He said he really liked that script but it had kids and animals and other things that really make a low budget indy movie a pain in the butt. Just when I thought I hit another dead end he said “but I really like this other one you have…” and after several conversations and a couple rewrites, we made the deal, and my first feature film was going to go into production.

How much rewriting did you have to do before production? What areas did you focus on in the rewrite?

A lot of re-writes. A LOT. I knew going into the situation there would be rewrites. I know how the game is played. But there was more than I thought there would be. The first couple of rewrites were basically budget related things. I would get notes like “We can’t get that many cop cars” and “This location would be hard to get, can we move it here instead?”

The second half of the rewrite process was all story and character. I had to make sure every page, every line, every word pushed the story forward and was quality.

This is when I learned communication between a screenwriter and director is the most important thing in the world. Being able to communicate what you want, and being respectful when doing it, is so key. I would give suggestions he didn’t like, and he would do the same, but we would always give our reasons with respect. We knew the goal was to make the best movie we could and that drove that relationship and the rewrite note process to a strong place. It’s easy to go “this guy doesn’t know what he’s doing! He’s ruining my story!” but you’re going to get curveballs. You have to be able to adapt and work through these things and that was the most exciting part, being able to answer the call when requests came. For example, we had to change a location from a Walmart-type store to a Bowling Alley because they have access to a bowling alley. Now I had to change all that and try my hardest not to make 100 Big Lebowski references.

What details can you give us about the production of the movie (i.e., how long was the shoot, how many characters in the story, where did they shoot the movie)?

Production is pretty much wrapping up now. It was about a 4 month shoot in California, mostly on weekends. I would get updates from the director every week, I would have to do IN-PRODUCTION rewrites which is extremely exciting. Knowing they’re shooting a specific scene in four days and you have to tweak the script for certain reasons is a fun challenge. I also credit the communication with the director as a reason I was still involved at this stage of production. Communication is key!

There’s four main characters in the story besides our loveable overweight protagonist Sam. It’s almost an ensemble piece in a way because everyone has their own thing going on. I take a lot of pride in the story and the interactions going on. It doesn’t hurt that Ryan Sage and Kristina Denton cast some phenomenal actors as well.

What are the plans for the movie’s distribution at this point?

“Worth the Weight” is going to be hitting the festival circuit later this year\early next year. Ryan Sage has done Sundance before for his short work and we’re hoping he makes a triumphant return there in 2012 with his first feature. I have high expectations for the film and think it will do well. Hopefully when it’s picked up, the distributor does whatever they feel is the best choice, be it theatrical run or DVD sales.

You’re a stand-up comedian based out of Chicago and play all the major comedy clubs in that area. Are there any ‘lessons’ you’ve learned as a comic and performer that you have been able to bring to your screenwriting? If so, what?

I’ve been able to bring a lot of the things I’ve learned from standup to screenwriting. Let’s see how a standup set translates to a screenplay: As a comedian you want to get on stage and establish who you are, the tone of your act, and get the people on your side. Sound familiar?

After that, pacing is a big part of standup. You have to have some highs and lows, some fast and some slows, some gut busters but also some knee slappers. You need the ups and downs, the emotional roller coaster. Very similar to the pacing one might take on a screenplay.

On stage, you don’t want to waste any time. You want to tell the joke in the least amount of words as possible without losing any of the punch. Same goes for writing a scene. Don’t waste time. One of the screenwriting “rules” is to get into a scene as late as possible. You don’t need to see them parking the car, walking to the house, knocking on the door, (can you tell I watched Birdermic recently?), and saying hi to each other. Get in there as late as possible. The pages of a screenplay start piling up fast and you don’t want a lot of that to be fluff for the sake of being fluff. Get right into it. “Go into the story” so to speak.

You’ve seen an assembly cut of Worth The Weight. What was that experience like seeing your words translated onto the screen?

I’m glad you asked this question. The feeling of pressing play on your DVD player to watch your film is a feeling I hope every aspiring screenwriter feels some day. It was amazing just pressing play. But it was scary too! I thought “In 90 minutes I’ll be on top of the world….or I might want to jump off a bridge.” Let’s face it, we hope the people we work with in making our movies do a bang up job, but you never know. I was lucky enough to work with talented and passionate people and it was an amazing experience to watch.

Watching a scene hit everything it was supposed to hit is a great feeling. It’s also fun to see your dialogue being performed by actors who know what they’re doing, saying it and performing it exactly how you pictured it in your head. That’s another thing. Before I watched it I thought “it’s not going to be exactly how you imagined it” but a lot of it was and that’s why I’m so high on the project.

What’s next for Dale Zawada?

I’m hoping “Worth the Weight” helps me land an agent. I have over 10 screenplays under my belt, some of them actually quite good. I figure a screenwriter\standup who has a produced feature film under their belt is someone an agent would like to have for a client. I’ll just keep writing and performing and hosting Sad Clown Radio. Whatever happens happens. I do plan on being a part of the film festivals “Worth the Weight” gets in to.

I also plan on continuing to be a student of the screenwriting game. I’ll continue to read all the books, listen to other screenwriters, and visit GREAT screenwriting sites that have helped me like www.gointothestory.com.

Congratulations to Dale on the production of his movie and best wishes on all his creative endeavors!