Interview (Part 4): Destin Daniel Cretton
One of my favorite movies of 2013 is Short Term 12, so I was understandably excited when its talented writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton agreed to an interview. Our hour-long conversation did not disappoint.
Destin’s script “Short Term 12″ won a 2010 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship. He used that to write the script for the 2012 movie I Am Not A Hipster which Destin also directed.
Today in Part 4, Destin relates how he approached the narrative structure of Short Term 12:
Scott: Let’s talk about that organization of the elements. Even though this is an indie film it feels like it has a three acts structure. I know you’ve said your writing process is “pretty mathematical.” What do you mean by mathematical? Is the overall structure of Short Term 12, the three acts, tied to that mathematical instinct?
Destin: There’s a certain looseness to it when I start writing. I try to map out where I think things are going to go, but I don’t try to map out exactly what’s going to happen in every scene. Usually once I get in the zone I’m often surprised by things that come out as I’m writing, which is a really fun part of the process to me.
There’s always a point in the writing process where, to me, it feels very mathematical or it feels very like I’m creating a grid of emotional cues. I don’t want things to get dark for too long, I don’t want things to get too sappy or too sad. I’m creating an emotional grid and trying to balance out some of the emotions that are happening throughout the movie, also with setups and payoffs and things like that. There’s a part of it that does feel like crunching numbers or something.
Scott: Could I assume you’re one of the writers who uses those three by five index cards and tacks them up on the wall and wants to see the story laid out that way?
Destin: I don’t use index cards but, yeah, I try to organize things with just colored grids with words and highlighting certain things, what they represent. When I was working with my composer, we had everything mapped out, every song mapped out and color coordinated with the instruments that we’re using and the scenes that they’re using.
That’s another part of it that also felt very, I don’t know if mathematical is the right word, but it feels like that. We were just organizing it in such a way that felt like the right emotional journey.
Scott: Speaking of story structure, Grace goes on something of a heroine’s journey, a combination of events happen to her. She’s pregnant. This character Jaden enters her world, some disturbing news about her father. That basically forces her out of her Old World into a New World where she confronts dark aspects of her past and psyche.
I’m curious, did you study the hero’s journey? Were you even thinking about that or is this more generally an expression of Grace’s psychological journey?
Destin: I never officially studied those Joseph Campbell or any of the screenwriting books. I have a general idea of three acts structure. I wasn’t trying to go for that in this movie, but it strangely just naturally happened. The mapping out initially of Grace’s journey just naturally fell into that structure and it just felt right for the story. I didn’t have the outline of that structure on my desk and I wasn’t trying to hit certain page number points or something like that.
Tomorrow in Part 5, Destin tells us about how both I Am Not A Hipster and Short Term 12 went from concept to produced films.
For Part 1, go here.
Part 2, go here.
Part 3, go here.
The official movie site is here.
Destin is repped by WME.
UPDATE: Could it be Destin Daniel Cretton directing Jennifer Lawrence in The Glass Castle? That’s what Variety is reporting. Can’t think of a better combination!