FIN MAKERS: AN INTERVIEW WITH DARCY SPIDLE
FIN Makers supports, promotes and celebrates all Atlantic Canadian filmmakers, championing local voices with initiatives like the RBC Script Development Program. A guided journey where participants develop their feature film ideas from an outline to the first draft.
Our Volunteer & External Relations Manager Nadine d’Entremont sat down to chat with screenwriter Darcy Spidle, a participant from our 2014 Script Development Program. This accomplished ‘FIN Maker’ had some real-world advice for those with the desire to write and then pitch their projects..
Nadine: Tell us a bit about yourself.
Darcy Spidle: I'm a screenwriter from the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. I also work as a jaw harpist and actor under the name chik white.
N: How did you get started writing and making films?
DS: Seth Smith and I had been friends through the music scene for a lot of years. He was into making music videos, and I was doing a bit of fiction writing back then. Eventually, we came up with the idea to write a feature film, which ended up being LOWLIFE. Seth went on to direct the movie, and his wife Nancy Urich produced it. I played one of the leads—a living drug in the form of a human named Asa. That was over ten years ago.
N: What kinds of films do you write/make?
DS: Seth and I have written five features together; our company Cut/Off/Tail (which also includes Nancy) has produced and released three of them. These films are hard to categorize. We tend to focus on dark themes, with an emphasis on body horror, aesthetic detail, and unusual story structure.
N: Which films and filmmakers have had the biggest impact on your work, and how?
DS: Lately, I've seen David Cronenberg mentioned a lot in reviews of our work. It's nice to read this, of course! Cronenberg's abstract narratives and obsession with bodily themes are certainly a massive influence. He was one of the first directors I came across who made horror films that were also philosophical art pieces of a sort. I like to think that our scripts follow that tradition (I say this with humility—Cronenberg's the best). Other directors/writers who influenced me early on include David Lynch, Werner Herzog, Andrei Tarkovsky, John Waters, and many more.
N: What project(s) are you currently working on?
DS: Seth and I spent most of the pandemic writing a screen adaptation of Algernon Blackwood's 1907 novella The Willows. And we're starting on a new feature-length screenplay right now. I've also been toying around with a mini-series concept based on the journal of Meister Frantz Schmidt. Frantz was a 17th-century executioner. Grim material!
N: How did you find the Script Development Program experience useful?
DS: The program was a crucial step in our careers as writers. Noel Baker (writer of HARD CORE LOGO) ran the workshops when we attended. He couldn't have been a better teacher. Going into the program, Seth and I didn't exactly know how to write and format a script correctly. Noel pushed us to learn the craft. He was critical but also encouraging. It was a productive time that allowed Seth and me to grow as writing partners, and the program opened many doors for us. I'm glad FIN still offers this opportunity for folks new to the industry.
N: What advice would you give an aspiring screenwriter?
DS: It's a rough business! I'm fortunate to be teamed up with Seth and Nancy. Those two make things happen. But there are always hurdles, haters, disappointments. It's crucial to stay motivated. Just keep writing. Also, collaboration is a big part of screenwriting; you need to be open to feedback and compromise. And always remember that dozens of people could be looking at your script as a launching pad for their own creative contribution to the film—actors, art directors, makeup artists, costume people, etc.
N: What’s your best piece of advice related to pitching a project?
When we went into the Script Development Program, I was terrified of public speaking. The only thing I could do to get ready was practice. I guess that's my advice! Seth and I worked on our pitch every day for weeks. We tried to hit all the vital plot points of our script, and I worked on my delivery for hours a day. I knew I'd be too nervous to think clearly on stage, so I wanted to ingrain the pitch in my subconscious. Luckily it all worked out. But I don't miss the experience!
The RBC Script Development Program is presented by RBC with support from Nova Scotia Communities Culture and Heritage & Telefilm Canada. Stay tuned for more updates on our 2021 participants as they continue developing their scripts throughout the summer, culminating in the Script Pitch event during FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, September 16-23, 2021.