Michael Normand: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
Interview with Guernslye Honorés
“Don’t believe your exec producer when he tells you to prepare for production unless he shows you a bank statement proving the finance is there”, is something I could have done with hearing prior to engaging a story-board artist out of my own pocket.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Michael Normand.
Michael most recently made the mini-feature mockumentary BLISTERS FOR BLIGHTY: THE CURIOUS WORLD OF RACE WALKING (Film Nouveau), and the black comedy shot on the streets of Glasgow JOE SMEAL’S WHEELS (Film Nouveau); both of which got noticed on the festival circuit with official selections and those life-affirming honourable mentions.
Prior to co-scripting LEON THE PIG FARMER (Beyond Films) in the mid-90s, Michael worked in publishing, wrote educational dramas for Oxford University Press, was on the stand-up circuit for five years and wrote comedy for BBC radio and TV.
‘Leon’ became a ground-breaking ‘cult’ comedy, achieving critical acclaim both in the U.K. and around the world, and winning a handful of awards — — International Critics’ Prize — Venice Film Festival. Chaplin Award — Edinburgh Film Festival. Best Newcomers — Evening Standard. Best First Film — London Critics’ Circle.
After ‘Leon’ Michael wrote, associate-produced and co-directed (with Robert Sherwin) the American comedy DIRTY LAUNDRY, sold internationally through Trident releasing, and still popping up on TV here & there.
Michael either works on the scrips of others’ film projects, or on his own — either way, “… it’s glorious self-flagellation.” Michael currently has three feature screenplays promisingly itching on his laptop — THE HOLY COW, THE VISA and FLY ME TO DUNOON.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Well, obviously, I can’t remember much about the first few years of my life, but it was spent in Falkirk… a town in Scotland in-between Glasgow & Edinburgh — I was officially the first Jewish birth in Falkirk Royal Infirmary — so I suppose I’ve managed to retain that sense of being an ‘outsider’.
The formative years were spent in Glasgow. My father had graduated from the rag trade and had become Scotland’s ‘boutique king’. Although we lived in a fairly well-to-do district, I wouldn’t describe my school life as happy… my predominant memory always being ‘the only Jew in the class’. A less-than-stellar academic progression led me to Glasgow’s 3rd university, Glasgow Caledonian, where I stumbled through a business degree.
From there, it was down to London and a job in publishing, which led me to ‘moonlight’ as a stand-up comedian. I thought that if I was writing a few pages of material and getting laughs on stage, why not try writing 100 pages and getting laughs on screen!
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Two short stories. In the mid-70s I saw Ken Russell’s ‘Tommy’ — I was mesmerised. I few years later I was in on my own and watched ‘The Graduate’ on TV (which was a devious treat because I hadn’t been allowed to see it previously) — I literally basked in it — I had no conception of how to get into the film world, but after watching that film I knew that’s what I wanted to do.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
My most interesting story is also my most fortuitous, and it starts with the LA earthquake of ’94. I was living there at the time, having adventurously thought I could turn up in Hollywood with a screenplay under my arm, and that it would be made within the year. Wrong. Foolhardy. Naive. I literally bumped into Robert Sherwin, a filmmaker out of NY, at a post-earthquake garage sale — he was a producer looking for a script; I was a screenwriter looking for a producer. Synchronicity, from nowhere. A year later we we shooting ‘Dirty Laundry’ in New Jersey.
It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I don’t know if it’s my funniest but an incident that sticks out from my early days certainly was a mistake. Excited by attaching the great Rod Steiger as the lead in ‘Fly me to Dunoon’ (the film project that got away), I was desperately seeking that final chunk of finance from a producer that was currently ‘hot’ — he passed on it — I faxed him (as you did in those bygone 90s) with a stinging missive — he faxed back with an even more, quite rightly, stinging lecture on my presumptuousness and told me not to contact him again, with anything. The lesson — don’t burn bridges. (As a postscript, I flew out to LA to meet with Steiger, only to find a message on my hotel phone telling me he’d died overnight).
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’m currently pitching two feature projects, the scripts of which I’ve written over several years, have been extensively developed and which are getting noticed and scoring highly. ‘The Holy Cow’ is set in Edison, New Jersey, or more specifically the restaurant enclave known as ‘Little India’ — it concerns the personal struggle of a Manhattan corporate suit who just happens to be the heir to a crumbling Indian restaurant. ‘The Visa’ is set in London, and traces the relationship between an immigration lawyer and an illegal immigrant after they enter into a quid-pro-quo that will challenge the legal system.
As a rising star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated and overcome obstacles in your career?
The way for me to stay motivated is to believe that what I’m writing has some point to it — and that it’s a good (potentially really good) piece of work with something to say beyond the words on the page — and that if my peers’ films can get made then so can mine. Cliché as it is, you gotta keep believing; and believing means spending days crying over the feedback to your latest draft, followed by months of sparks on the keyboard over the next draft.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Well… imagine a film world devoid of diversity! Exactly. Imagine a life of film-watching that never exposes you to differing cultures, races, religions, ethnicities and political beliefs. It’s unthinkable. Intercultural contact is important! We consume entertainment with our eyes & ears — if we aspire to understand our world, where we are, where we came from, where we’re going, and to think about new points of view and perspectives, surely we need to hear diverse voices. There is surely an ethical imperative in our want to witness accurate portrayals of whatever characters we’re being asking to emotionally invest in. To cherry-pick a compelling film I just saw for the first time, ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’ is about the Australian government’s oppressive policy of subjugation towards Aboriginal children — would this film have even got made without a collective acknowledgement for the need for diversity!?
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1 . “That first draft of your screenplay is going to be far from perfect”, is something I could have done with hearing prior to scatter-gunning the first draft of my 2nd screenplay to every production company in Hollywood.
2 . “Don’t disparage your new agent with tales of how little your previous agent did for you”, is something I could have done with hearing prior to briefing my short-lived new agent on ‘surely’ how easy it would be for her to find a home for a complex, multi-continental story about the Indian diaspora.
3 . “Don’t believe your exec producer when he tells you to prepare for production unless he shows you a bank statement proving the finance is there”, is something I could have done with hearing prior to engaging a story-board artist out of my own pocket.
4 . “Don’t think that an independent screenwriter is a career that’s guaranteed to provide you with financial independence”, is something I could have done with hearing from my father rather than “Good luck, I’m proud of you, but I hear it’s tough gig.”
5 . “I know your screenwriting career is nascent but don’t believe one of Scotland’s top producers when she tells you she’s on page 64 and will be back to you when finished”, is something I could have done with hearing when getting an email from one of Scotland’s top producers telling me she’s on page 64 and will be back to me when finished.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Have or get a collaborator. If you’re solely a screenwriter looking to sell your script then fine; it’ll be lonely but incredibly rewarding. But if, like a high percentage of writers, you’re on the receiving end of reasons why no one wants to finance and make your film, you’re going to have to proceed independently, and for that you’ll need a colleague who knows how to cast & raise finance & schedule & budget & crew-up &… well, you get the message.
Don’t be a bullshitter — if Anthony Hopkins isn’t actually attached to your project, don’t pretend he is by telling people he’d be your number one choice.
If an ambitious 3rd assistant camera grip corners you on set and tells you he intends to make a short film about a maniacal foreigner who wants to haul a massive boat over mountain with the help an army of indigenous tribesmen, tell him it’s been made, and suggest he aims lower as a start to his career.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would compel every billionaire in the world, after they’ve made their first billion, to donate 95% of every subsequent billion to environmental protection.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Iain Smith is one of Scotland’s more respected film producers — he cut his teeth on low-budget productions and worked his way up to his own office at Pinewood and production credits that include a Mad Max or two. In my early days I speculatively contacted him — he took a meeting with me that he didn’t have to take, and he recommended me to a stellar production house. It didn’t matter that the recommendation didn’t pan out — ‘Smithy’ took an interest — that meant the world to me.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Fall in love with your work”. At the end of the day, being able to be a ‘creative’ is a blessing — audiences are being asked to give up their time to be entertained, educated, amused or saddened, and that’s my responsibility. That’s why I have to love and believe in what I’m writing.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
John Sayles — a screenwriter first & foremost; but also as a director, surely the doyen to all independent filmmakers.
How can our readers follow you online?
I have a website at https://www.michaelnormand.net/, but I’m a bit of a Luddite when it comes to social media. In cajoling myself to ‘join in on the fun’, I can be found on:-
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfnormand/
Instagram: mfnormand
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.
