|
From idea to feature film
“It’s not usually done this way” The story behind the film Tomten är far till alla barnen, witch means Santa is father to all the children, but the english title is: In bed with Santa. It started as early as 1995 with a short story, but I couldn't let go of my characters... 1997 I started writing a screenplay. How did you come up with the original title (in Swedish)? Answer: I have absolutely no idea. I was sitting there and all of a sudden I just wrote it as the title of a short story of mine, which was about a step family celebrating Christmas. Five years later it’s a film title which a lot of Swedes are familiar with. What a feeling! Especially as it’s an unusual and “new” title. I mean, it’s nothing like “Brothers” or “Sisters” or any other commonly named film. Ever since I read the novel “The Serpent’s Way” I have preferred a bit more descriptive titles. Honestly, “In bed with Santa” was a working title for a long time. We, meaning the Producer Börje Hansson at Filmlance, the Director Kjell Sundvall and myself, were totally convinced that the film was going to be called something else upon release. But it had to wait, we had a script that needed working on and to be re-written, discussed and dissected. Time went by and nobody came up with another or better title. The script was sent to Peter Possne at Sonet, who eventually distributed the film. While on the phone to Börje Hansson, Peter opened the envelope. Börje was just about to say “don’t worry about the film title, we’ll come up with something else”, when Peter Possne cut in before him and blurted out “what a terrific title!”. That was the end of that little problem. I’m glad the film got to keep the original title – it’s both imaginative and fun, I think. I wrote version one of the script. Only someone with really good imagination would recognise it as the same story that later made it into film. Lots of things were changed. Some things, however, do remain the same: The names of the characters, with one exception, Erika became Marika. The relationships between the characters were left the way the originally were. The characters, the slightly loopy ones, remain the same as in the original. Add to that, that I was enormously lucky to have a director and a producer who understood what I was trying to convey and who didn’t make me change it. I did change a lot of other things, but not the basic idea, the “message”, and that was of course very important to me. I wrote and re-wrote. Not until the fifth version is it possible to see “In bed with Santa” the way it ended up. Eventually it was the twelfth version that was filmed. But even so, a lot was altered. The actors had their own ideas, Kjell Sundvall changed a few things and so on. Also, quite a few scenes, especially with the kids, were filmed, but ended up on the cutting room floor. It’s a long way between idea and final film. The script – script versions (drafts) – the producer – the art director – the director – the actors – the photographer – the sound equipment – the music – the editing – the final film – and before then a LOT happens. “It’s not usually done this way” There is so much in this whole story that’s unusual. A lot of people have said throughout the journey that “It’s not usually done this way”. And all I’ve been able to say is “really” because I don’t have anything to compare with. Now, eight years later, I have begun to understand HOW unique this was. In the beginning most people were probably meaning that it’s not very common that a former telephone operator (and more), in their 40’s, get their first scripts made into a movie. I have been very very lucky. I happened to find myself amongst highly professional people who were all moving in the same direction, which was to make a damn funny and great movie. It’s amazing they actually could see that the first version had potential. Not everyone is able to do that, instead they’d refuse the script if it’s not at least close to completion. But not in this case. What got most of them, or perhaps all of them, was the dialogue and the oddball characters, because there was no structure to the story. The producer, the director and also writer Eva Callenbo and writer/director Harald Hamrell helped me with that, and after that the script was returned to me to reinstate the “Rolfnerian dialogue”. Imagine how proud and happy that made me! I was later told that “it’s not usually done that way”. Finally, finally the day had come. Raise the Yellow Jack!– the Screenwriter is on her way! I wish all screenwriters who would want to, the same opportunity I was given, to be able to be present during the whole shooting process of the film. I probably learnt more during those seven weeks than I would in a year at filmschool. At least the hands-on experience and how it appears to the script writer. I didn’t know anything about the shooting process when I arrived on the first day on the set. Not anything at all. I hadn’t REALLY understood what a director does. The fact I had a chance to be there will always be of help in my future writing of scripts. The director and the actors usually don’t want to have the writer on the set. The director doesn’t want anyone to interfere with his job and it may affect the actor’s performance. But day three, which was outdoors, I had been given permission to “do a Hitchcock” – I’m the lady on the bus – so my presence was justified at that point. And there and then I got the chance to chat for a while with the people involved. I kept asking questions, wanted to learn as much as possible. I didn’t know if I’d ever get that chance again. Later in the studio, everyone became used to me being there. I had an invisible band-aid covering my mouth, I really didn’t interfere with Kjell’s directing. I was very flattered when, once in a while, he asked what I thought or if I had an opinion on a scene or something. I also gave the actors – if they wanted to – the background behind their characters. It was actually appreciated. I felt that because I was so close to the script and the characters, and to their complicated relationships, I could answer all the questions and sometimes be of help. I had after all lived with them for four years. But I’m jumping ahead When we had got up to about the tenth version, the script had long ago (version five) been sent to some of the actors, but I wasn’t aware of that fact. I was asked to write down a “wish list” of who I’d prefer in the various roles. Not because they should take that into consideration, but maybe they wanted to see if we had the same mental image of the characters. And we really did! It was almost ridiculous. About 80% of my names were they same as theirs. That’s yet another reason I’m so pleased with the final film. Also, Casting Director Martin Cronström had an idea which I had never had the nerve to even consider, which was to have the brothers Dan and Anders Ekborg play the brothers Gunnar and Thomas. Brilliant! At this point an idea popped up from the producer Börje Hansson. It was about creating a new character for the film. A pouty teenage daughter, who was already thought to be played by Alexandra Dahlström. Naturally it was a bit of patch work to write her into the script, she wasn’t only going to be in the scenes where she has lines to speak, but a bit all over the place. It worked, though, and Alexandra plays Eva’s truth loving and plain speaking daughter Jeanette. Flexibility without selling your soul
As
a screenwriter you have to be flexible. I think you’d starting
having problems if you would stubbornly stick to your script and
only grudgingly agree to change things. At least if you’re as new at
this as I was. What it was about, was that they wanted to swap around the sauna scene and the scene where Sara announces her pregnancy. Which would have meant that when Sara says she’s pregnant, the audience wouldn’t realise that Janne had had a vasectomy. I didn’t know then that that was going to be revealed in articles and ads. My personal opinion is that it was wrong to reveal it, but that’s history now. Lucky again. If they had kept to their decision to swap the scenes, well then they had done that, but I wouldn’t have been pleased. Not that anybody cares what the scriptwriter thinks. But who knows, perhaps it would have worked either way. Future collaboration will definitely be easier when you know that you’ll get along and can discuss things like that openly. To be held back doesn’t get you anywhere. The whole time I was convinced that we all wanted the same thing. To make a great movie. Together. So to be open to new ideas is probably wise. Inexpensive shooting – everything in a studio. Almost “In bed with Santa” takes place at the same location 90% of the time, which gave me a chance to talk to the actors. Learn how they work, get to know them a little. Very interesting and fun. All the actors in “In bed with Santa” are after all true professionals. And not only that, they have a sense of humour and are just as much fun outside of as inside the studio, so it was a great experience in so many ways. That they really liked my script for example, stuff like that makes a screenwriter happy. I had a discussion with Katarina Ewerlöf, who plays Sara, about Sara’s basic outlook on life, her attitude and person. Katarina had picked up a small plastic bangle which she wore. Typically something one of the kids would have made at the day-care centre. It was so perfect. Sara in a nutshell. There were many situations like that. I also added some scenes specially for some of the characters. We would discuss it during the day and I went home and returned with it the next morning. With Kjell’s approval, of course. “It’s not usually done this way” people said again. And again, all I could say was “really”. It was time for previews and the air was buzzing with nervous tension. Nobody knew what Thomas Täng had been doing in the editing room. Well, except for Kjell, of course. The final scene had been talked about at length. Almost everybody wanted the film to end the way it does now. But someone thought that Sara should be saying what she wanted to say in the end there when everyone’s covering their ears and the camera leaves them. But she didn’t get to do that... and I think I was right. I was lucky again. Monica Rolfner, Screenwriter
|