Writer/Director Doug Atchison

by Sonya Alexander

Many aspiring screenwriters are leery about entering screenplay contests. However, 39 year-old former school teacher Doug Atchison can attest to their credibility after winning the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in 2000 and having his screenwriting career change over night.

Q: How does it feel to be going into production on your first feature, "Akeelah and the Bee"?

A: Well, technically this isn't my first feature. I did a film in '99 after graduating from USC Film School. The film was "The Pornographer," which had $150,000 budget, of which only $90,000 was used for the 18-day shoot. The process of putting "Akeelah" together has been kind of like waiting in line for a rollercoaster - exhilarating, nerve-wracking, unpredictable. Lion's Gate has been a great help on the casting level. Sid Ganis, who's a producer on the film and a VP on the Governor's Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, has been an incredible help, also.

Q: Are you directing it?

A: Yes. I think I have the personality for directing - I like to listen, I like to delegate and I love actors. Also, I didn't want to just sell the script because I know that my story would have been changed to the point of undermining the true meaning.

Q: Which is?

A: That this little girl, Akeelah, can overcome her environment. She's been taught that there's nothing valuable in her community, which would lead her to believe there's nothing valuable about her. She has an untapped genius that Dr. Larrabee helps her discover by leading her to the National Spelling Bee. I fought to keep the character of Dr. Larrabee Black because otherwise it would change the whole context of the film.

Q: What was the impetus for this story?

A: An amalgam of children. I used to teach at A Place Called Home. This is completely unique from anything I've written.

Q: What do you have in common with Akeelah?

A: Well, a lot of people didn't want me to direct this initially because I'm not African-American, but no one understands this character like I do. We share ambition, a fear of trying something I've been told not supposed to try, a love of competition, an affection for words, and an ability to inspire others.

Q: Who's been cast so far?

A: I couldn't have asked for a better cast. Laurence Fishburne has been cast as Dr. Larrabee, Angela Bassett as Akeelah's mother, Wanda, and Keke Palmer as Akeelah. She was just nominated for a SAG Award for "The Wool Cap". Angela and Laurence have a great chemistry, they've worked together twice before, on "Boys in the Hood" and "What's Love Got to Do With It?"

Q: What's the budget for the film?

A: $5 million, which means the actors are taking a bit of a pay cut. They really love the material.

Q: How many scripts had you written before you won the Nicholl Fellowship?

A: About half-a-dozen.

Q: How did winning the Nicholl Fellowship change your life?

A: Well, I like to say I have a pre-Nicholl and a post-Nicholl period in my life. My career was jumpstarted overnight after winning the Nicholl. I've managed to live three years off of earnings from writing jobs garnered via the Fellowship. I wrote an adaptation of the award-winning play "Spinning into Butter" by Rebecca Gilman. I also adapted the novel, "The Bread Winner," for Glenn Close and ABC/Touchstone. I still have the same process for writing, there are just more people involved now. In my pre-Nicholl period, I had jobs that were primarily outside of the entertainment industry - I worked in the medical industry, I taught, I managed an apartment building. When I'd previously worked production jobs, I found there was constant baiting as to what I should be doing. It was much easier to focus on my writing by not working in entertainment. I wouldn't say winning the Nicholl has changed me, I just have more people around me. I've surrounded myself with humble people, which helps. I think the message of the script has grounded people. I'm more stressed now, but its for good reason.

Q: How many agencies did you meet with after winning the Nicholl?

A: I met with 6 agencies and ended up going with ICM.

Q: What's your background?

A: I was born in Detroit, lived there until I was 7 years old, then moved to Arizona until I was 18. Moved to L.A. and went to USC Film School.

Q: What's next on your plate?

A: A WWI "big budget" film that I've written.

Q: How do you think all of the instability in the world , i.e. Iraq and the recent tsunamis, will affect the film industry?

A: Since the studios operate within their own world, I don't think they've been affected much. Filmmakers, though, I think are affected. To keep their work honest, they have to be affected by what goes on in the world.

Q: What do you think is the difference between a good and a great film?

A: A good film exhibits a proficiency in the craft of filmmaking, like "Finding Neverland". A great film conveys a thematic truth, and has a commitment to that belief, like "The Exorcist".

Q: What are your top five films of all time?

A: Oh, that's a tough one. Off hand, I'd say "The Rules of the Game," "Taxi Driver," "Husbands and Wives," "The Exorcist," and "The Wizard of Oz".

Q: Now that the door is open for you, who would you like to work with?

A: You mean actors? Oh, there are lots of people whose work I respect. Of course, I'd say DeNiro, Streep, Denzel. I think DiCaprio would be good for my next project.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A: With a body of work I'm proud of.

Q: What advice would you give aspiring screenwriters?

A: Well, people always say, "Write what you know." I would alter that a bit and say, find yourself in the character(s) you're writing and write about that. Find empathy through distance. Find enjoyment in the process, don't find worth in the outward measure of success. I have fun writing and learn something from whatever I write. It can't just be about the money. For me, writing is a birthing process. My scripts are something that belong to me, that then get passed on to actors, then passed on to audience. Don't participate in destructive commentary about the industry. Avoid the negative, otherwise you'll stop enjoying the process of writing and filmmaking and be self-defeating. Don't resist things when they don't go your way, the system is not supposed to solely serve your ego. Sometimes when things don't follow the narrative you've created in your head, things come out even better than you may have anticipated. A few years ago, I had the chance to have "Akeelah" independently produced for $1-3 million, and I was hungry to get it done, but both my agent and lawyer advised me not to do so. I'm glad I held out, because now it's better than I could have hoped for.

Updated: 06/05/2005