"I'm a child of the 90's"
There is a new screenwriting Guru who goes by the name of R.J. Mendoza. He is a Stockton native who has jumped pen first into the San Francisco Bay Area writing scene with his notepad and hipster hair, all the while dreaming of a Woody Allen takeover, and front row at Coachella. Follow him as he weaves his dark comedic fantasies about life and love hoping to laugh his way right into Hollywood.
Give me your background in 10 sentences or less.
Born and raised in Stockton, CA, in the Central Valley. I was a total geek as a kid; was really into comics, music and movies/TV. I was a huge wise-ass and I usually got in trouble for it, both at school and at home. That was probably the most rebellious thing about me was how quick I was to say something that was usually pretty inappropriate. But deep down I was always a goodie-goodie. Still am, really. My friends would all be like, “Yeah, we gonna smoke and we’re underage so it’s cooler.” and I would be saying “Yeah, totally, right on, just let me have a moment to reflect on what this decision means to me in the grand scheme of things.”
Were there any movies you saw as a kid that made you want to be a filmmaker?
My mom was big into movies so we’d watch movies all the time in my house and I remember “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” really stood out to me. Jimmy Stewart just seemed like such a good guy and I rooted for him to come out on top. And that filibuster scene towards the end - this guy fighting tooth and nail, doing what he can to fix all that’s gone wrong and clear his name in a room full of people who think he’s a fraud - that killed me. That’s one of the first movies that I can remember having such an effect on me. I really felt that movie.
When did you catch the screenwriting/director bug?
I’d always written short stories, but they were just crazy little ideas that I just didn’t want myself to forget so I’d write ‘em down. I think I was about 15 when a guy who would go on to be one of my best friends and biggest supporters found some of my stories just laying on my desk in class. He read a couple of ‘em, sought me out, told me he thought they were great and asked me whether or not I’d be down to write ‘em up as short films. He pretty much got me started thinking that maybe I could do that.
What screenwriters have had a major impact on your writing style?
Woody Allen is a huge influence. His characters are amazing and his dialogue is so perfect it’s infuriating sometimes. Martin McDonagh is another one who writes so well that I want to just quit writing altogether. I remember Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five” being a huge influence to me in high school. His voice is so clear and he can switch gears like a mother; light and funny as hell on one page and then just heartbreaking stuff on the next.
What is your biggest obstacle you faced when you first began writing?
Trusting myself. That’s still a big issue for me. Even with all the prep work I do now before I even sit down to write the actual script, almost everything locked down in my head, I’ll still have major doubts after every sentence I type. But it sort of helps me in a way to keep my eye on the ball, to make sure I have all my bases covered in the outline phase. A couple of pages into a session, I start to relax, realize I’ve got it all lined up, and then the pages come easier, the character voices are easier to hear and I’m off.
Do you have an agent?
Nope. I honestly haven’t even tried getting an agent, really. I’m more focused right now on getting the work down, on figuring out where I’m going with all this.
What is the best advice you can give to other upcoming screenwriters?
Learn the rules. Read the Screenwriter’s Bible, read scripts, get a feel formatting and story structure. Beat that into your head until it’s second nature. And then don’t be afraid to deviate.
If you weren’t pursuing filmmaking now, what kind of job would be working?
I'd probably would've gone into music, specifically the production side of things.
What projects have you worked on?
Currently working on, and future plans, for 2013.
Some friends and I want to put together a sort of company, more of a club really, we’re calling “Ratboy.” I’ve got a load of sketches that I need to finish up for that this summer. So that and writing a few features.
When you first get a script, what do you look for, in terms of structure that leads you to believe it is a good script?
I try not to look at anything technical at first look. I just go by feel, mostly about characters. If I like the characters then I’ll usually like the script.
Who are you favorite directors and why?
Well, Allen and McDonagh I mentioned before. Jason Reitman has some great stuff too. Affleck hasn’t made a bad movie yet, in my opinion. Nolan does some pretty crazy stuff.
Do you want to direct movies as well?
I don’t know about me directing, though. Maybe some way down the line, but not right now.
What are your top 5 films of all time?
Alright, so this list changes all the time, but right now it’s: Wonder Boys, Annie Hall, In Bruges, L.A. Confidential and As Good As It Gets. That list seriously changes like every month.
What’s the last movie you saw in theaters, what did you think?
Last movie I saw in the theater was Iron Man 3. I wasn’t crazy about it. There were just some moments that really annoyed me, moments where the script didn’t even adhere to its own logic. It was funny as hell, though. The jokes in that script are classic Shane Black.
What direction is Hollywood heading in terms of stories? Is it more big budget blockbusters or indie films?
Well, Hollywood’s always going to be about getting people in the theaters with the latest spectacle, which works out great since it leaves the independent films to pick up the slack on the artistic or emotional side of things. You need that balance, I think. And that’s not to say that a blockbuster can’t have a great emotional beat or two or that an indie can’t have huge moments either.
What is your dream script? If you could direct any movie, past, present, or maybe a story not even filmed yet, what would it be?
I wouldn’t want to touch any of my favorite films. Who’s to say they’d still be my favorites after I got my hands on them? I really want to do a big action movie that’s grounded in some great characters, like the action flicks I watched growing up. Most of the stuff I tend to write is in the drama/comedy side of things so it’d be nice to do something fun where I can blow up some cars and write cheesy one-liners. I’m a child of the 90’s though, so who knows?
For screenwriting collaborations:
Check out my shorts: http://rjmendoza.weebly.com/shorts.html
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