More Questions for Phil
Tiff had some great questions for me recently, so I thought I’d answer them in a post.
You've mentioned that you're a pretty avid consumer of film. What is it about film that resonates with you so much?
I’ve been a fan of film since I was really little. Some of my most vivid memories as a kid are of seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters and Gremlins. I think what I like about movies is that there’s a real economy to the storytelling. Most films run times are anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours, which has some psychological reason (which I haven’t researched) for being the ideal amount of time for what we’re willing to sit through for a story. It’s actually not a lot of time. The pacing of film tends to be faster and the stories themselves have a much tighter plot. Whereas a novel can meander or have exraneous characters and plotlines, films typically have to be succinct about the story they want to tell.
Not every film is a masterpiece, I know that. I tend to be much more forgiving with films than I am with books. For a movie to be worth my time, it has to show me one thing that makes me gasp or smile, laugh or think. It’s actually a pretty low bar. But I love film and I want every movie I see to be good, versus going in ready to hate it for any reason.
I know you also enjoy a book from time to time. What are your top recommendations of us? Limit to no more than five.
Here’s my favorite books of recent memory:
Blood Meridian, Or That Evening Redness in the West, by Cormac McCarthy - The story is both brutal and beautiful, with some of the most elegant prose and truly the best villain ever put to the page with Judge Holden. I try to re-read this book at least once a year.
The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones. Great horror story by one of it’s best contemporary horror authors. Jones writes about Native American characters as well, which I think is so awesome to hear stories from other cultural perspectives.
All The Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. Pulitzer prize winner for fiction. It tells the story of two characters set in the backdrop of WW2. One is a German boy with an aptitude for electonics. The other is a French girl who is blind and whose father has sent her away to escape the war, but unknowingly has a rare, valuable jewel with her.
Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin - I loved this series before the movies ever came out. I listened to them all on audiobook and was just hooked. There’s plenty of differences between the books and the HBO series, so you’re certainly in for a treat if you do check them out at this point.
City of Thieves, by David Benioff - Speaking of Game of Thrones, before he was a showruner on the series, David Benihoff wrote this amazign story about two young Russian soldiers during WW2, who are sent on an absurd quest to find eggs in a city that’s under constant threat from the encroaching Germans. It’s funny, exciting, terrifying and heartbreaking.
I have more but, as the rules stipulate, I’ll stop there.
We've talked before about you enjoying the "Hard Boiled Detective" genre. What do you enjoy most about this genre? Any favorite books or movies from this genre that you would recommend to someone who is new that genre?
I became interested in the genre after listeing to the Out of The Past Podcast, which talks about Film Noir, which is based on stories from Hard Boiled fiction. We’re all sort of generally familiar with the Film Noir visual style, but it was fascinating to learn more about the historical context and what was happening in the culture and the world as these stories were coming out. We all kinda know the quick-witted (and possibly alcoholic) detective, the femme fatale, the gangster tropes. These were all reactions to the lives of Americans post-WW2, and knowing that gave me new insight into the stories beyond just the superficial. In hard boiled fiction we see a rise of the anti-hero and reflections of the anxiety that men felt with women in the workplace and men unsure of their place after returning home from war.
As far as which Hard Boiled fiction to read, the two big names in that world are Dashiell Hammet and Raymond Chandler, which gave us detectives Sam Spade and Philip Marlow, both brought to life on screen by the incredibly Humphrey Bogart. If you’re looking to dip your toe in the water of Hard Boiled fiction, that’s definitely the place to start.
You've done all kinds of writing. What made you decide to take up the pen? What is your favorite thing to write? (Scripts, comics, novels, etc).
Yeah, I’ve written everything from children’s books, screenplays, short stories, nonfiction and even an episode of Veggie Tales. I love the creative process of making stories and I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing it. I personally love writing screenplays, just because the pacing is fast and demands an economy to the words you put on the page. Aside from the story I’m working on for the world of Galhadria, I’m also writing a graphic novel, which is both a new experience and a story that’s totally different from anything I’ve ever done. It’s just fun to create, so any opportunity I have, I’m going to use it.
At what point do you feel like you transitioned into a mentorship role? What advice do you have for anyone else who might be finding themselves in a mentor role?
It’s a interesting experinece going from someone who’s been asking questions, to one that’s answering them for others. I firmly believe that mentorship is the best way to help the next generation of artists find their place in the world. My background was in animation and I was dismayed at how closed off this world was. There seemed to be an attitude that the younger generation of aniamtors were gunning for the limited jobs held by the mid and senior level workers in this world, so I found no one willing to help me grow in that career. This was tremendously disappointing for me and probably began my shift out of that occupation as my career.
The fact is that mentorship and helping others be successful in your field benefits the industry as a whole. The more talented people doing cool things in your area of expertise helps lift that visibilty and status. A rising tide truly does raise all ships. Instead of cutting off those below you, I think it’s imperitive that you help foster talent and encourage growth.
Perhaps you’re in a mid-level posiontion and don’t feel exactly like an ‘expert’. There’s still good, important things that you’ve learned, either through experience or just “the hard way” that can help someone who is just getting started, do better in their career. Don’t miss those opportunities. Don’t be afraid to make yourself avaialble to talk or give advice to the younger generation. They will not only appreicaite it more than you’ll know, but they’ll remember the person who helped them and made their dreams possible.
