DARK SOIL BACKGROUND — AN INTERVIEW WITH WRITER RW MARKS ON HIS LONG AWAITED FEATURE SCREENPLAY ‘THE DON OF THE DEAD’

In PART ONE of this exclusive interview, RW Marks reveals the elaborate origins behind his monumental genre-blending story, set between 1871 Italy and 1933 New York.

With his background in photography of all things, we ask him,“Why a screenplay?” and discuss events over the 10 year writing process. Third Draft completed as of Feb 2020, reviewed by a professional script consultant and four screenplay competitions with written feedback provided throughout the interview, and featuring exclusive artwork by Jeff Dywelska.

SKIP TO PART TWO HERE >>>

All featured illustrations created by Jeff Dywelska
© 2020 (Instagram @jeffdywelska)

RW— “Almost can’t believe it’s actually finished. I’ve only told my closest friends what the real title is this entire time. A bit of a superstition. The pun of all puns. My secret weapon. But the title was easy. The writing was another matter. You could say, that this is a story, all about how, my life got flipped, turned upside down, by a mafia-zombie-1930’s-prohibition-era story that took me 10 years to write, and wouldn’t go away, no matter how long I stared. But I had to finish it. I wouldn’t be able to live with the regret if I didn’t. I owed it to myself to see those words on screen, THE END. I think real zombie fans need this story. And die-hard mob fans deserve this story. Two of the most loyal and passionate audiences there are. Both tough crowds with carefully protected traditions, now together for the first time. I need them on my side. The story has to earn their attention if it is going to be successful, so it took a long time to get it right.

— At long last, please allow me to introduce you to Anton Capuzzo. He is, “The Don of the Dead.”

Did any other movies inspire you to write this?

“Originally it was just supposed to be a joke on the title. A straight up zombie parody on the Godfather series. Hammy jokes about an undead mob-boss that mumble-growls with the same inflection as Marlon Brando playing Don Corleone. I can’t tell you how many sitcoms and stand-up comedians I saw doing that Brando impression during the 80’s and 90’s. You know the line. We were obsessed with it.

But besides the Brando-zombie gag, what was the story going to be about? I didn’t know how it could work. A decomposing Don Zombie, telling his zombie goons what to do, growling with cotton balls in his cheeks? Would never fly. There’s no room for camp in the mob genre. I didn’t want to make fun of Brando’s Godfather. I wanted to pay tribute. And since everyone compares all mob films to Godfather anyways, why not admit it? Maybe even try to exceed it, in some twisted way.”

“I think the ‘Scary Movie’ series was winding down around the time I started writing, and I thought it would be fun to work on something silly but ambitious like that. But it really didn’t work out that way at all. I tried. It was terrible. Of course zombies aren’t real, but even their world has rules you can’t really break. You just can’t have organized zombies, never mind organized crime zombies.

So I asked the great muse to guide me and soon enough realized this story was turning into a complete drama/horror with an alternate history twist. An ultimate tragedy. Like, ultimate.

Really all came down to some luck with a nugget of prohibition research I found where the government had poisoned the alcohol supply of the mob in the mid 20’s, causing more than 10,000 deaths by the end of prohibition in 1933. Seriously? The article called it ‘denaturing’ which I thought was kind of perfect.”

“The symptoms for anyone who consumed denatured alcohol were all very zombie like as well; respiratory problems, vocal dysfunction, confusion, blurred vision, coordination, etc. Pretty evil, gov. But did they care? Basically I think it went like this, ‘Attention citizens, alcohol is illegal, and you deserve to die if you drink it.’ then it just got buried with time. Somehow I managed to put an even bigger twist on it.”

Twist? Can you tell us anything about it?

“You want me to spoil the biggest twist in zombie movie history? Not bloody likely. Well, I can tell you I had the exact ending in mind from very early on, but had no idea how I was going to get there. And I knew that if zombie fans were going to sit through a movie with no zombies until the 3rd act, that it had better blow their minds to make up for it. So that’s what I did. Some of the most intense, horrifying, and original zombie kill scenes ever written to date. And almost zombified my own brain in the process. You really have to live in the scenes, it’s a gruesome thing to immerse yourself in, especially when you have so many different action sequences happening at such a fast pace. Keeping it all straight was definitely challenging. Major brain melt.”

So in your story the goverment poisoned the alcohol and created the zombie outbreak?

“That sounds like another twist spoiler question. Let’s say I’m just glad the plot finally had a reasonable cause to create my zombie outbreak and a way to tie this story to some true historical events. I was morbidly ecstatic when I read about the denaturing. It was perfect given the prohibition timeline.

Even the original ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978), which my title is obviously an homage to, didn’t really tell you how the zombies came about. They just happen. The opening credits show over a news montage of increasing confusion and violence. Probably my favorite zombie movie of all time, with it’s wry take on consumerism and great cast chemistry. Shopping zombies, so classic.”

Any other films you gave an homage to?

“In my mind, to not pay homage to other zombie and gangster films is like trying to make hip-hop without sampling James Brown and Marvin Gaye. There are influences sewn throughout this script, but ask the RZA if he’ll tell you exactly who he sampled in C.R.E.A.M. Not going to happen. Speaking of RZA, have you seen ‘The Man with the Iron Fists”? I loved this film, but wow. Absolutely supernatural. And you’re telling me my script has too much going on? Come on now. It’s zombies. Let’s remember to have some fun.”

You said it all started as a parody based on the title. Does it still have comedic elements?

“The story and characters took over on their own at some point. I had very little control. It was a relief to be honest. That meant it was real in some sense. I had to finish the concept and honor my creation. Things turned dramatic very quickly. But there is definitely still some comedy in between the lines.

I did manage to sneak one Brando-mumble reference in there near the end. I had to. It was law. And that’s when I knew I was getting close to the finish line. That, and a really positive script consultation with the prolific Pilar Alessandra of On The Page (author, consultant, teacher, podcast host). She was really tough, but her notes and guidance gave me new life to push through to the ending.”

Ten years to finish writing?

“Well, I certainly wasn’t writing the whole time. There were…delays. The whole project started before a road-trip across Canada in 2010. I was at peak production just before we left for the east coast.”

“I think I was on page 90 or so already, excited to break over the 100 page mark, but a bit concerned that I was no where near the end of the story. It was then that I realized how big this thing might actually become. I definitely knew I was in for a battle. I could already see it being 200 pages easily. Not good for a first time writer hoping to find a producer to read and possibly buy the script. Please. But I wasn’t going to hold anything back. It would have to be cut down later if I had any hope of getting it read.

The summer was going to be over if we delayed the trip any longer, so we packed up the camper van and I thought for sure I was going to work on it during the trip. Absolutely for certain. I even brought an actual typewriter for inspiration. Essential cargo. We weren’t planning to be back for a few months, so I’d probably be finished by the time we got through Quebec.”

The year is now 2020.
The 3rd draft is complete.

“And then at some point during the process, unfortunately for my writer’s block, I heard that it took James Cameron 14 years to make Avatar. He was waiting for technology to catch up to his ideas, so what was my excuse? And then again, heard it took 10 years or so to finish writing one of the films created by my absolute favorite screenwriter of all time, Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Synecdoche New York, Being John Malcovich). Sweet, sweet validation.”

“Of course I’m not nearly the caliber of these supremely practiced and talented masters, this is my first attempt at screenwriting. But who else to look up to but your heroes? Likely why my story is so purposefully chopped up with flashbacks and hallucinogenic zombie transformation mind-trips. I like my movies on the wild side. I have a rampant visual imagination. Combination of only-child syndrome and photography influence. So if this ever gets to the screen, and I truly think it could be amazing if I can get in touch with the right people — it’s going to cause quite the stir. Hello? Hollywood? Are you there?”

”This is a great concept on paper, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. This is a script that blends two of the most prolific genres in film; gangster and zombies. However, the jarring way that this story makes that big leap does more to harm the concept than benefit it, and feels like two different genre movies very marginally linked by a specific time period and characters. I would just recommend adding slight, subtle horror elements to the first part of the story, in order to make this transition easier, and the concept more realized.”

— THE SCRIPT LAB SCREENPLAY CONTEST ~ ANALYST B141D

Flashbacks?

“Definitely. Some have said too many. Several in fact. But I can’t bring myself to agree. I’ve been studying films my entire life. Immersed in television and movies from a young age. My third parent. Remember when Godfather II has a flashback to Vito Corleone in Sicily? Childhood and everything? And it’s so long that you forget that you’re in a flashback and when you finally get back to the present time it takes you a minute to adjust again. I really love that sort of thing. Stories within stories. Everything intentional and intertwined. An equation of sorts. Nothing without reason or connection. Screenwriting 101: If you set it up, make sure it pays off. And well, in my case sometimes if you need something particular to pay off, then you’d better go back and set it up. And then edit down your 194 page monster whenever you’re ready to begin doing that.”

How far back does it go?

“Before we left on the RV trip, the story had sprawled all the way back to 1871. The day of baby Anton’s baptism when his father was killed protecting his employer, the most powerful man in Sicily, and his son’s new Godfather, Don Carlo Vespone. I realized I had an epic on my hands and started meticulously calculating all the character birth dates so their ages and relationships would be consistent through all the time-jumps right up to the ending in 1933. A date which intentionally aligns with the true historical end of prohibition. But this time, more than just prohibition comes to an end.”

What about the hallucinogenic mind-trips?

“Me? Oh the script. The mind-trip vision sequences break all sorts of rules. But don’t you want to know what goes through the mind of the most powerful and tactically skilled mob movie son of all time, slowly transforming into a zombie through excruciating visions? I want to see what he sees. It can’t be described simply with facial expressions. His mind slipping away into something dark, vicious, without any aspect of control or remorse. A living nightmare.”

“I also thought it would be a great way to introduce some mixed 2D and 3D animation into the ending. Really go off the rails with it. Something like a mix between Sin City, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Heavy Metal from 1981. With big honourable mention to Enter the Void (Gaspar Noé) and Waking Life (Richard Linklater) for similar inspirations.

This is when I started working with my great friend and crazy good artist, painter and illustrator Jeff Dywelska. He’s the guy. We both got excited about the potential for the imagery and started with the general idea of a graphic novel look. ‘The Walking Dead’ had already set strong precedence in that world, so maybe it would have an audience. Jeff’s artwork was already in that vein and we’re still working on a series of illustrations, even toying with the idea of hiring additional artists to work towards the graphic novel idea. He’s just going wild with it. It’s almost a better format than a movie to be honest. Hello? Graphic Novel Hollywood Equivalent? Are you there?”

How much did you get done when you were on the RV trip?

“Are you kidding? It was such an amazing adventure, so much open road. I did write, but not on this. Mainly journaling and took a lot of film and digital photographs. Lots of freedom. Bit of kite-flying.

There was one major moment in Winnipeg however. I think this was June of 2010. I had a chance to pitch the idea to a real production studio. I met with Kyle Irving and Jennifer Low at Eagle Vision Productions. I was so nervous. The story wasn’t even finished. But I had a basic printout of the outline. I had no idea what they were going to ask or expect me to say. I had barely mentioned anything about it to anyone, let alone film industry professionals.”

How did you manage to arrange the meeting?

“The universe. And another great friend, Daniel McRorie, known professionally as Rickard Guy. An artist, actor, designer, skater, carpenter and professional cobbler of all things. We met in Vancouver and hit it off. He used to hand-stitch his custom moccasins at my apartment while we’d watch Faulty Towers and I’d be scanning film negatives for hours on end.”

“Dan was originally from Winnipeg, and still had many good connections back home. When he realized I was starting to get serious about the story, mentioned his connection with Mr. Irving and offered to introduce us by email. And the rest just sort of worked out. Their office was so nice. I was blessed. Even that day was gorgeous. And my 1992 Ford Econoline camper van conversion was parked outside. Really professional, Rob. But they hadn’t called security yet, so I was relieved.”

“During the meeting at some point, Kyle asked me who I could envision as the director. I was completely baffled. I had just seen the Truman Capote movie with the great Philip Seymour Hoffman. I fell in love with the long, quiet visuals and was thinking something similar for the early Italian countryside scenes. I didn’t know the name of the director at the time, I still don’t, but I quoted the movie anyways. I couldn’t believe when they said that Eagle Vision had been part of that production working with Sony Pictures. What are the chances?

I was shocked and grateful that they took the time to sit with me. They even said they were interested to hear from me when the story was finished. Of course I said I would be in touch again when it was ready to read. I think we both thought it would be sooner than 10 years. But I kept my promise. I sent the email to Kyle a few weeks back, not expecting anything but to fulfill the promise and follow up. Time will tell if I hear back from them. Definitely not expecting anything. I’ve held onto both Kyle and Jennifer’s business cards ever since the day of that meeting. The carrot dangling, just out of reach. A reminder to keep going.”

Have you sent it to anyone else to read?

“My Mom really liked it. And she wouldn’t lie to me. She read both the 2nd and the 3rd drafts and really got into the story. Nice we can chat about the details now. Luca, the youngest Capuzzo brother was her favorite character. And If any screenwriters out there need a Mom that is now fully versed in screenplay format to proofread their scripts — call me. She has an excellent sticky note system that we used for both sets of revisions.

I also submitted it to four screenplay competitions that I found through links sent from Pilar’s consultation. The Script Lab, Scriptapolooza, Slamdance, and The Golden Script Competition. If a great title and premise can win you a script competition, I might get lucky, but otherwise I know that this story is probably not the usual mold. But who knows?”

Have you heard from any of the competitions?

“So far three out of the four in regards to feedback. The actual competition results won’t be released for several months yet. They all had some general criticism of course, and mostly pretty similar. But overall I was pleasantly surprised. After all this time it was difficult to have a true perspective on it. And I’m honored that they were so thorough with the feedback. One even mentioned reading it twice. I can really tell they paid close attention to the details.”

”This script is about twenty to thirty pages too long. Not only could this negatively affect selling prospects, but it also kills the script’s momentum (only to be put into overdrive for the third act). The flashback to Anton’s childhood is particularly too long. The flashback to Italy establishes Vespone’s animosity with Capuzzo, Luca’s budding romance with Allesia, and Capuzzo’s reason for moving to America. While this does a better job at conveying necessary information than a lengthy monologue would, it is much too detailed and would work just as well if the flashback were half as long as it is. For example, Capuzzo’s green thumb, Capuzzo’s growing hand in the mafia, and how specifically his parents died are all bits of unnecessary information. It is a well-written sequence, but for the sake of time, it should be trimmed.”

— THE GOLDEN SCRIPT COMPETITION ~ ANDREI F.

“I’m happy to be pushing the boundaries with such a drastic story. I know it’s a crazy script. Let it be crazy. If I never write another one, I can be happy that I made this exactly the way I wanted it to turn out. The only way I knew how. There is always room for re-writes. But now it’s finally time for a break.”

Are there zombies in the scenes from 1800’s Italy?

“Not at all. Despite a deadly dose of carefully placed violent foreshadowing to keep the zombie fans satisfied. Sit tight until the end my gory friends. The main criticism is about the length and how it seems like two different movies smashed together. Yes. And yes. It was the only way. A coming to America Italian mafia empire story, with an acid-trip zombie ending. You have to be patient for these zombies. But don’t worry, it’s worth it.”

”That would be my suggestion for restructuring it. The backstory goes for your prequel. ‘Congratulations you wrote two movies.’ Unfortunately you have more writing to do. Jeff was right, okay?”

— PILAR ALESSANDRA ~ SCRIPT CONSULTANT OnThePage.tv

So the road trip was only 3 months but it still took you 10 years to finish the 3rd draft? Is this the final draft?

“Listen. Let’s not talk about the years in between. At least not yet. And, no, it’s probably not the real final draft. I’m still thinking about all the parts of the story that were left out. This could easily be two movies. I even have a few notes on a third. The Capuzzo family’s story has it’s own life now. But I’m not made of money or time, so unless there is interest out there for this story to come to life, I may have to move on. But I would dive back and expand in a second if I could. But I’ve been missing photography a whole lot.”

“I’m just so happy to have the script finished. It’s over. I really hope the promotion I have planned gets noticed and it can be made into a movie or graphic novel series. I believe Don Anton Capuzzo can stand toe-to-toe with any of the great mob bosses that came before him.”

”Being the titular ‘Don’ of the dead, Don Capuzzo is essential to this story, and I think he is overall a great character. His history is given ample time throughout the story, and by the midpoint, we can fully understand his motivations, demeanor, and goals. He is very reminiscent to the Corleone family they are based off of, but I think he still stands on his own as a separate character. He is everything a mob boss and head of a family should be; strong, wise, and very calm and collected. He is the most interesting character in the script, and I think this is his story overall.”

— THE SCRIPT LAB ~ CONT’D

So we’d like to finally ask you: Why a screenplay? How did all this come out of your photography background?

“I think the idea for the title was conceived when I was living near city hall in the ‘400sqft deluxe apartment in the sky’ back in 2008, working at a very busy headshot and food photography studio run by Kevin and Trish Clark. My coworker Andrea and I, putting the glamour into glamorous with our photoshop skills at a break neck pace. The heyday of Hollywood North, while it lasted. Many of our clients were actors and I suppose a screenplay made sense given those surroundings. Plus my affinity for films and cinematography through my education in the photo program at Langara College back in 2001. I think it’s pretty obvious to anyone that reads the script that it was written by a highly visual person.”

Robert Wayne Marks

“🙂”

So after all this time, do you now consider yourself a writer, a photographer, or both?

“It’s a little confusing to be sure. I really had to restrict myself with other creative endeavors to motivate myself to get to the end of the script. But I think they work well together now. I learned a lot about myself and my work habits throughout the process. I feel much stronger now about taking on big ideas.

I’m excited for what’s next. Just dusted off my 35mm camera, bought some decent used equipment and got my hands on a small studio space in January, but clearly can’t stop writing stories. Look at this blog post for example. Interviewing myself. What the hell.”

‘Un inferno da sbornia —
di scriturra’

STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO OF THIS INTERVIEW:

— RW Marks will continue to breakdown his 10 year writing journey for “The Don of the Dead” and go deeper into the analysis received from the screenplay competitions.

— A first look at ALL NEW graphic illustrations from Jeff Dywelska created to enhance the script and graphic novel concepts.

— And we’ll reveal a surprising list of potential Hollywood Actors and Directors, tailored specifically for each role of this ambitious and unique project. Why not?

— PLUS A MINI-CONTEST
We may even try to contact one of the potential Actors who grew up close to RW’s hometown and see if they might be interested to read the script and offer their thoughts. Wish us luck! Who could it be?

(HINT: Raised in Vancouver BC, mostly known for comedy, but also a talented writer and director.)

Think you know who it is? Send your best guess to courtesybrandsocial@gmail.com The mini-contest winner gets an official “The Don of the Dead” limited edition illustration (1/8) signed by writer RW Marks, artist Jeff Dywelska, and if you’re lucky, the secret actor. But only if they’re real nice about it. No presh.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

To keep up with the latest updates and exclusive artwork releases for “The Don of the Dead” please follow the official twitter page @capuzzoempire and help sell this script with your support.

Please direct all sales, production or graphic novel opportunities to rwagency.space@gmail.com. Many kind thanks for your consideration.

To commission Jeff Dywelska for custom illustrations or mural work please contact rwagency.space@gmail.com or visit his instagram page @jeffdywelska.

Questions or comments about this article? Reach out anytime to courtesybrandsocial@gmail.com with your thoughts.

READ PART TWO OF THIS INTERVIEW HERE >>>

— COURTESY BRAND © 2020