Entertaiment

Dagen knew what the question meant even before Chris finished. His anxious dreams had been tangled with the faces of African children and the expectation of the most challenging competition for young filmmakers in existence.

Project Greenlight

“You’ve been selected as a finalist in Project Greenlight.”

Maputo, Mozambique is 10,169 miles from Park City, Utah. Dagen was dressed, packed and on the airplane within 3 hours. He had no time for mosquitoes and only a few minutes to say goodbye to the friends at the orphanage he’d come to know and love. 

40 hours of non-stop travel later he arrived at the Sun Dance Film Festival amidst the off-Hollywood hoopla of this famous annual event. His wife Ali was there to meet him for the flurry of interviews, evaluations and good old-fashioned pitching that would follow.

Project Greenlight was conceived by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the Oscar-winning writers/actors and producer, Chris Moore. It is an opportunity for first-time writers and directors to compete for a chance to make a movie.

Project Greenlight began in 2000 with an open invitation to aspiring filmmakers to submit a script in a sort of on-line cyber competition. The big prize: a million dollar budget and chance to direct your own movie.

For this year’s contest it was wisely decided that the writers and directors would be separated into their own category of competition. Writers submitted scripts. Directors submitted “reels” [A “reel” is a sample of a film maker’s work on DVD or video.]

Over 7000 wanna-be writers and directors entered the dream competition. They filled out the entry form, paid a small fee and became official contestants. 

The Competition

The competition began.

In Round # 1 thousands of anxious artists were winnowed to a manageable congeries of promising talent. Contestants judged one another. Each writer and director was required to read and evaluate four scripts or watch and critique four reels. Contestants judged the submissions in accordance with a rigid criteria established by the rules of Project Greenlight.

By the end of Round # 1, the 7000 original entries had been reduced to 250.  The intensity went up.  An even more critical evaluation of scripts and reels among Round One winners began anew.

The fallout was brutal. 200 would-be writers and aspiring directors — some with remarkable talent– were dropped from the competition by the objective judgment of their peers. 

250 contestants were now down to 50.

The 50 writers and directors “still standing” at the end of Round # 2 were asked to submit an on-tape interview.  At that point, the innovative and sometimes quirky creativity of this community of talented young filmmakers began to show. Some of the interviews were no less than creative mini-movies. 

With the field of competitors at 50, the super stars appeared.

The interviews submitted on tape and DVD were personally screened by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Greenlight Producer, Chris Moore. Joining them were executives from the major sponsors, Blockbuster Video, HBO and Miramax film.

Top Ten Finalists

Based on the 50 interviews, ten writers and ten directors were selected as semi-finalists.

Dagen remembers the phone call that followed this crucial Round # 3.

“Hi Dagen, Chris Moore, with Project Greenlight.  I am here with Matt Damon…”

“Hey Dagen. How ya doing’?

 “And Ben Affleck.”

“Hi Dagen. Congratulations.”

“We are calling to let you know that you are a top ten finalist as a director for Project Greenlight. Way to go man.”

Dagen remembers, “I thought for sure it was one of my buddies playing a cruel joke on me, but then I recognized Matt and Ben’s voice and thought, ‘man they sound just like they do in the movies.'”

The Challenge

The top ten finalists in the director’s category were asked to make a short film to demonstrate their style, exhibit their talent and “show their stuff.” 

To level the playing field, the film had to be no longer than 3 minutes and based on the short script prepared by Project Greenlight. The script was two-and-a-half pages of dialogue. It was essentially nonsense. The dialogue was disjointed, abstract and could mean anything.

No time or setting was given.  The characters were not identified. Each was simply designated as “character” and could be one character or 20. Oh, and the film had to use all of the dialogue in order. In truth, it was a remarkably innovative and challenging way to tap into the inner core of creativity.

Dagen plunged into the making of the film. While most would likely use digital video, Dagen tapped into the resources of USC and his Hollywood connections and shot on 35 mm – full blown feature film style. His concept was bold. The cast terrific. The look like feature film.

Matt Damon was impressed, “Dagen made it here because his assignment was incredible, just unbelievable. He based his entire thing on the JFK assassination.”

When I asked Dagen where that idea came from he said, “I wrote a bunch of stuff and bounced it off a lot of people. I asked people to send me ideas. But then in the 11th hour, I simply realized that I had to do it. I had to come up with a Big Idea.

“I was thinking to myself, even though the film is short it needs to have a BIG IDEA. It needs to be hung on something big. like two guys just hanging out and then suddenly find themselves caught up and implicated in the JFK assassination. 

Bingo! It came to me just like that.”

Dagen’s short film, Accomplice did exactly what the contest required. It used every word of dialogue in order, and turned what was otherwise nonsensical dialogue into an intense mini-drama. But more than that, it demonstrated what Ben Affleck called “the most raw talent” of all the shooters among the Director candidates of Project Greenlight.

A Picture That Never Left

Dagen left with his dad for his first film location when he was ten days old.  He grew up around movie making. The most vivid image he remembers was walking onto a major set for the filming of Alamo – The Price of Freedom.

“I was probably 12,” he recalls, “but I remember so vividly the lingering smell of the explosives.  It was exciting to me. The director was floating over my head at the end of a giant Titan crane and there were 5000 people in period costumes preparing to re-fight the battle of the Alamo. They were all standing there looking up at the man with the megaphone, and willing to do exactly what the director told them to do.

“It was more of a nostalgic memory than a determination to make movies, but I have never forgotten that moment. Something just sort of clicked – my mind just took a picture that has never gone away.”

Upon graduating from BYU in communications the decision to go to USC seemed to come quite suddenly. Remarkably he fought his way into one of the best of the best, the Peter Stark Producing Program at University of Southern California. He quickly emerged as the “go-to guy” and ended up producing films for both AFI [American Film Institute] and UCLA while still producing and directing his own projects at USC.

He was a top ten finalist in the Coca Cola Refreshing filmmaker’s competition beating out over 5000 other student filmmakers, and winning the money to make a theatrical promo film for Coke.

The Sundance Competition

From the moment Dagen arrived at Sundance, HBO cameras and crews were watching. He and the other candidates were suddenly the stars of a new HBO original series – a kind of reality television behind the scene — documenting the heart-rending, gut-crunching, mind-blowing anxiety of the final days of what many considered a make-it-or-break-it career competition.

Four directors and ten writers were summoned to Sundance. In the first few hours, six writers were dropped The final four in each category sprinted into the gauntlet of interviews with Miramax and Blockbuster and the intense scrutiny by none other than, mega movie stars, Benn Affleck and Matt Damon.

Pending the big announcement of the final winners, all were treated like celebrities, taken on shopping sprees and lavished with cool Sundance gifts.

Dagen remembers. “It was great to be around other really talented writers and directors. What made it fun for us, of course, was that we were all in it together and all pretty much had the same awareness living this bizarre, reality-show existence.”

The series of interviews culminated in what everyone called “the final pitch meeting.” Even though he had spoken with them on the phone, this is where Dagen first met the big names that made Project Greenlight possible, actor/writers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

Dagen recalls, “The highlight for me was the final pitch meeting with Ben, Matt, Chris and the people from Blockbuster and Miramax. Having graduated from USC with an understanding of how the movie business works, I really appreciated what a phenomenal experience it was to be pitching people at the that level. As a young director you are usually talking to people who talk to ‘the people’. Not this time.  These were ‘the people.’ Part of the fun of making movies is having ideas, selling ideas, pitching your vision of what can be.”

Dagen reminded me that the entire event was filmed.  Having watched Dagen’s final pitch on HBO I had to know that already, but hearing him explain the added pressure of cameras following his every move gave me a new appreciation for the pressure he was under.

“I admit, it was a little distracting and made me self conscious to have a camera poking in my face and chasing me around the room, but it was great fun –intensely enjoyable really.”

Final Pitch

When Dagen arrived for the final pitch, both Matt and Ben complimented him on his assignment.  “You did a fantastic job with the assignment,” said Ben.

Matt had said behind the scenes, “Dagen made it here because his assignment was incredible.”

Questions were asked. Answers were given. To everyone’s surprise Dagen’s favorite script was not Battle of Shaker Heights that went on to win the script competition, but a kind of offbeat romantic comedy he felt was less clichd.

As the session wound down Dagen was asked if there was anything else he’d like to say.  “I just wanted to congratulate all of you guys. I mean just for having the vision to allow people like me who have no real ‘ins’ anywhere – to be given this opportunity. I just wanted to congratulate you and thank you.”

Ben Affleck stood up and shook Dagen’s hand. “You’re the real thing. A real director.” Matt Damon laughed as they said goodbye. “You’re awesome. We’ll all be asking you for a job someday.”

Playing It Cool

The next day Ben Affleck was walking through the lobby of the hotel with Jennifer Lopez. He saw Dagen across the room and waved him over, “Hey Dagen, come here I want you to meet Jennifer.” A casual introduction followed.

Dagen remembers, “The thing that was so interesting meeting Jennifer Lopez, is that under the circumstances – having already been more of less blown away by the swirl of events and the intensity of being here at all – is the instinctive need to act like it is no big deal.  So you are trying to be all cool because you have cameras following you around which makes the whole thing big act.

And just at that moment Jennifer looked at me and said, “You have the most gorgeous blue eyes.”  She is so casual, so genuine and so nice — and even though deep down you honestly understand this is no big deal – still my brain turned to Jell-O and I just sort of stood there talking to her, but I have to admit that I am a little foggy as to exactly what happened.”

Talented Young Filmmakers

The buzz among the contestants about Battle of Shaker Heights by Erica Beeney, even before it was announced as the winning entry, left Dagen doubtful that he would be matched to the script if it won, because he had been open and honest about liking it the least.

It was clear to anyone who followed the process that Project Greenlight had identified 8 remarkably talented young filmmakers. Those left with the very difficult decision of picking one writer and one director emphasized that the final round was ultimately about picking and pairing a script and director.  It is likely that sponsors brought strong commercial considerations to the final decision as well.

No one who met the final candidates could doubt that in almost any teaming these talented young filmmakers would produce something very good – perhaps indeed, great.

In the end, the directing team of Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle was selected to direct Battle of Shaker Heights .  The script had been their enthusiastic first choice.

Even in the minutes following the announcement of the winning director Dagen was upbeat, excited and supportive of his new friends, Kyle and Efram who drew the winning ticket.

Victory Without the Prize

“It was a victory for me to make it as far as I did, ” Dagen reflected. “There were a lot of very talented people. The only way I could make it all the way was for all of the pieces to come together perfectly, the script, the writer, and my kind of material.

“I knew going into it that everything had to be just right and that if it was right I would feel it and it would all come together. In the midst of it of course I got caught up in the competition of it all and only wanted to win, but philosophically, I figured if it happened it was destiny. If not, it would be fine. “

“It’s the gospel perspective really, believing that God has a plan for you. You do your best and work hard and hope everything turns out well. The hard part is trying to stay open and know the will of the Lord.”

I caught up with Dagen at the premier of American Gulag, his USC thesis film project. We were at the magnificent Norris Theater on the USC campus. The place was packed.

Gulag was shot in HD digital video and converted to 35 mm film using a chemical bleaching process at the laboratory that gave the film a gritty film-like look that impressed even Kodak. It was the first time filmmakers had utilized a bleach on the digital film out. The film looked great.

The film was remarkably well done for a student project with little experience and no budget. In fact, nothing about the design, the direction, the locations, the photography or the performances revealed that it was the work of a first-time director and crew working with a few borrowed bucks and a lot of generous donations. Quite extraordinary.

An Interview

Dagen agreed to a short interview.

Q – What is your earliest memory of wanting to make movies?

A – Oh, probably those early videos I made in the woods near our home – the ones where I used a lot of catsup and shocked my parents. Or being on the set of the Alamo or going to work on a film crew in the jungles of Western Samoa when I was 13 years old.

Q- Did you know then that you wanted to be a film maker?

A – Not really. I made films in High School because it was more fun to shoot video than do projects. Our teachers at Pinewood private school were very progressive that way. Anything I made as a movie, I remember perfectly.

Q – You are off to a very impressive start with Project Greenlight. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

A – Making films that I really care about, films that are very entertaining and that have something worthwhile to say. Come to think of it – that’s what I see myself doing next year. I am not going to wait ten years.

Q- What about making a movie for the so-called ‘Mormon Cinema’ genre?

A – I don’t really see it as a genre – as much as a targeted market. I really haven’t given it a lot of thought because the films that I am interested in making will have broad commercial audience appeal – you know, “Hollywood-type films”.

Q- So you would not consider making a film about Mormons for Mormons?

A – Given the right script I would be VERY interested in doing something. I think like a lot of current Mormon directors who are hoping to cross over into the mainstream movie audience if I did make “a Mormon Film” I would want to make sure that it could cross over and appeal to the broader audience.

I am really impressed by the number of Mormon films being made by young LDS film makers because I know how hard it is to make a film – and most of all, how difficult it is to get a film funded. 

Q – Is it difficult to be a Mormon in Hollywood?

A – Hollywood is considered to be very liberal. But “liberal” is an attitude of vigorous anti-discrimination and open mindedness. Liberal means you accept all kinds of people, left, right or in between. That means I accept them and they accept me. I have not encountered any discrimination even though I am very open about my beliefs. I find that most people really respect anyone with a belief system and a set of values, even if they disagree.

Let me make another point. This shouldn’t need to be said at all. The idea that everyone in Hollywood is corrupt is ridiculous.

Basically the majority of people who work in Hollywood – the rank and file artists, craftsmen and technicians – are great people with families who go to church on Sundays – or Saturdays — and have values and dreams similar to my own.

People I have worked with are truly salt of the earth. Great people.

The media focuses on the 1-2 % of Hollywood that America loves to watch, and then judge “all of us” on the basis of the sensational and often scandalous morality.

Q – So you don’t feel a need to compromise to succeed?

A – Absolutely not. Maybe I’m nave, but I have never run across anyone saying, “Where is the sex, we need more sex.” No one is forcing directors to put that stuff it. You can do anything you want.

Hollywood is about telling stories; there should not be boundaries. If there are boundaries for the things that offend us, then we must be prepared to encounter boundaries for the things of most importance to us.

Filmmakers and writers have responsibility. Some accept that responsibility. Many don’t. There is nothing wrong with the system. It is the people who make movies that reflect their attitudes and the people willing to buy what they have to say that taints the industry.

Q- Do LDS filmmakers have a special responsibility?

A – I don’t think that Mormon filmmakers have any greater responsibility than other Mormon professionals. Basically be your best, be honest and live your life in a way that reflects the values that we embrace.

Some think we should use our films to tell people who we are. I believe that if we are who we are supposed to be, our films will reflect those ideals no matter what we say.

Q – Most of the young filmmakers you are competing against are single, 24/7 types that have no other focus.

A – Is that a question?  Movie making is a time intensive industry but, on balance, almost every entrepreneurial effort is time intensive.

To make it in the movie business as a married man with children demands only one thing. Marry WAY over your head – just like my father always taught me. You must have someone to take care of you and the kids and support you all the way.

I am very blessed in that way. My wife Ali is incredible. Whatever we achieve – including going all the way to the wire with Project Greenlight – is just as much Ali’s success as it is mine. She has put just as much effort into what we are doing as I have.

Author’s note:  Only hours before this interview, during the introduction of his film at the special premier, Dagen used most of his time to pay tribute and give thanks to his partner, wife and friend, Ali.

Q – What advice do you have for aspiring LDS filmmakers?

A – Get the best education about filmmaking that you can, whether it comes from a book or “official film school education,” go for it.

The biggest consideration in selecting a school may be the opportunity it provides for networking within the real industry. My mentor at USC, for example, is Sean Daniel, producer of Mummy, Mummy II, etc. I have open access to Sean and he has been enormously helpful to me. 

Equally important, get connected and keep a good Rolodex. Of great importance to me are the hundreds of people I have met and the close friends I have made who will all be “growing up” in the industry at the same time as I do.

That said, there are other ways to network that don’t require such huge student loans. BYU has a great undergraduate film program in my opinion.

My core advice is very simple, based on a single reality.  In Hollywood, the only thing that matters is “the material” – something physical, tangible, touchable, a finished screenplay, an optioned book, a treatment based on other material. You need something “they” can touch and give you money for.

In selecting material, remember that the most important thing is finding or creating a story that people are going to want to watch, a story that someone in Hollywood is going to want to tell, and a story that actors are going to want to act in.

And whatever it is, you must be passionate about it.

Q – How do you break in?

A – Better ask me that next year when I am in the middle of directing my first big feature. One suggestion, of course, is to enter Project Greenlight and get to the finals. The doors that have opened and the opportunities that continue to come have been most exciting.

I don’t know. There is no one-way to get into this business. I have found that people in the business will bend over backwards and help young filmmakers. At some point it is the only way into the business and at some point everyone got help – so everyone owes everyone.

Q- What is your dream project?

A – I am still trying to figure that out.

****

Dagen worked for me as my personal assistant during the making of The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd, the 70 mm film I wrote and directed for the LDS church. I know him very well.

We worked together before he had formally announced his intention to go to USC and become a filmmaker.  What an incredible experience it was to work with this talented young man. I sensed then his remarkable instincts as director. His suggestions over my shoulder were uncanny.

If you’ve seen the film, The Testaments, you may remember the scene between Jacob and his father on the caravan road. It is a touching moment. Shortly after the completion of The Testaments, Dagen gave me a framed picture of us standing together on the set.

Engraved on the wooden frame are the words spoken by faithful Helam.

“God gives us sons to take our place when we are old, to carry our faith and be a friend when there is no one else.”

When I wrote these words for Helam, I could not have imagined that one day his thoughts would become my own, and in creating that imaginary moment, I was actually etching an moment of my own destiny and the promise of my own posterity.

You see – and I hope you will forgive me for being so very personal – Dagen is my son. He bears my name, Dagen Kieth Walker Merrill.

I am not old like Helam – but I am certainly headed in that direction. With Dagen’s remarkable beginning in the marvelous world of movie making, he will certainly do more than take my place when I am old – he will take all of my dreams for the great movies that must be made to a whole new level.

**** ****

The HBO Project Greenlight series is currently playing on HBO.
For show times go to:

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