Seeking Cinema: Film with Lucius Patenaude
Lucius Patenaude is a 25-year-old screenwriter and filmmaker currently living in Nashville, TN. I met him in college, where I had the honor of filling minor roles in a few of his film projects — projects that always stuck out to me as the work of someone who had a real, long-term passion for film that was willing to go through whatever necessary just to release stories out into the world. Post-graduation, I enjoyed collaborating long-distance with Lucius and other friends on The Process, where I learned even more about his eye for quality work and very director-like talent for being brutally, constructively honest and pulling the best work possible out of those around him. Going though the dozen questions in this interview with him was extremely encouraging to me as a creator because of that same “no BS” attitude that can acknowledge the tough, tedious grunt work without taking away from the sheer joy of the whole storytelling experience. I hope you get a taste of that, too!
How did you fall in love with film?
I’ve always liked stories growing up. Since I was in like the middle of nowhere, Northern Thailand, and didn’t have people around besides my family that I could speak natively in English with, my entertainment was reading books, playing video games, and watching movies. We had four giant plastic tubs just filled with VHS tapes: Disney and Pixar and 90s rom-coms and action flicks, and we would just watch those movies over and over again until those tapes wore out or mold grew on them and destroyed them.
I just loved different stories in all different settings… and growing up I started considering, “Maybe I can write my own book.” But I was always so lazy that I was like, “Uhh, that’s a lot of pages to write… probably not.” Then when I was 11 or so, I got one of the very first digital cameras for Christmas. This was also in the generation of the iPod, so not only did it take digital pictures and digital video, it also played mp3s for some reason. It was the wildest product made by Kodak. And the quality on it was deplorable. For the video it took like half the resolution of what SD is. But I was just messing around with that and one day I asked my dad, “Is there a way to organize these clips and stick it together into one thing?” And he was like, “Uh, YES. You can, there’s this program called iMovie on our Mac.” And I just immediately started playing with it. Ever since then that was just the quickest way I could make my own story, was to shoot some video and edit it. That was kind of my gateway drug into storytelling and in a more limited sense, filmmaking.
What do most people not know about your type of work or your personal creative process?
Well, as for assumptions about the film industry… I think a lot of people just don’t realize how much work actually goes into it, to make a film. Because making a film, the perception’s like, “Oh this is fun, you make a film, and you just want to have fun.” No, it actually can be quite torturous. And filmmaking is one of the ultimate forms of creating collaboratively, and it’s all about communication, especially on set — once you’re on a set, especially if you’re a grip or on the lighting team, it really feels very blue collar because it’s a lot of physical work just to set up something so the camera can take a picture of it. So that’s something interesting I’ve discovered while working in the film industry.
Another thing I’ve been trying to figure out is, there are no entry level jobs where people just pay you to screen write. [laughs] Like, no one’s going to pay you to practice and futz around with scriptwriting, they want the brilliant finished product only. So that’s something I’ve been trying to figure out, myself, is how do I dive deep into screenwriting or write the stories I want to tell and make money at the same time.
As for my own creative process, I find inspiration in the weirdest places, so I don’t have a set ritual that I go through or anything. I watch movies and look at photography, watch TV, and just read books… and I don’t have any illusion of, “This story I made is completely original.” No, I don’t think that at all. Every one of my pieces of work I can point to these three things, or whatever, and say they are direct inspirations for this. I watched this thing, and I drew this conclusion and now I want to write about it or shoot a film about it or write a TV series about it. I’m trying to put a unique spin on it, but I know all of the origins. And I’m kind of proud of that, I like to be able to say I watched this thing and I really liked this element, and then I read this thing and this part spoke to me, and I decided to put those two things together and create this because I feel like it’s a message worth reiterating.
But as far as writing, which is what I’m focusing on right now, the best thing I can do just to get myself to write is to GET AWAY FROM MY HOME. Normally that just means a coffee shop or running over to any place where I have friends working, and just go there and preferably not have an electronic device on me. Lately for first drafts I’ll write by hand, just a pen and a book, and sit there for hours until I have something.
Do you have an ultimate goal of, “I want to be a director,” or “I want to be a screenwriter,” or are you just happy to go through any and all parts of the whole filmmaking process?
Well, at this point I’ve touched pretty much every moving part of film production, and I want to be a writer/director. Like specifically, I see a lot of indie filmmakers, and then the unicorns of the film industry, like Hollywood blockbuster level writer/directors, and that’s what I want to be. I want to be writing stories that I want to tell and then be able to direct those stories. But everybody wants to do that, so the competition’s very, very fierce.
You’re one of the few artists in this collection whose day jobs have been at least somewhat related to their creative passions — do you ever struggle to keep your love of film nurtured through the sometimes-tedious type of camera work you do now?
Yeah, I’ve gone through a lot of changes in the past 2 years as far as work and stuff like that. For a while I freelanced and I thought “this is the way to do it,” I get to work in the industry, and be writing on the side, but when you’re on something like a TV show, I was working 12 hours minimum but more like 14-16 hours every day, five days a week. And you just don’t have energy at the end of the day to sit down and write. You gotta sleep or you won’t be ready for the next day. And on the weekend, you’re so worn out the last thing you want to do is drag yourself to a coffee shop and write. You want to lay on the couch and binge on whatever. So that was rough, but what was beneficial, too, was that I met so many new interesting people, and as a writer trying to write screenplays, that was ripe for inspiration for different characters… figuring out what people thought, what worldviews they had, and running into ridiculous situations and realizing “this would be really interesting in a film.”
When work with film slowed down I got this job with Google Fiber. I was still working long hours, but getting paid well, and working 4 days out of the week and you could pick your day off. So I would pick a day in the middle of the week and still treat it as a work day and be writing all that day. I tried to write on Saturday as well. And again, with this job, I loved working with my coworkers — they’ve all had very interesting personalities and we got up to weird shenanigans. And this job meant getting to see all the different regions of Nashville, the really affluent areas, then the slums and stuff like that. That was very eye-opening and informative, like, this is what a low-income neighborhood looks like, this is what a fancy rich neighborhood looks like, this is what a middle-class, mostly-white neighborhood looks like, etc. So that was valuable experience and knowledge that can go into my screenwriting pocket.
But yeah, now I’m at a transition point. There are some people that just want to be involved in the film industry in some capacity, they want to make their money there, and I realize I don’t have that need. I can make my money anywhere I want to — what I’m really passionate about right now is writing down my stories and getting better at writing. So I’m actively looking for a job that uses my degree, which is multimedia, so there will probably be some video editing and design and etc… but I’ll essentially be starting a career that is separate from my film career, and then once I have a normal job with normal hours, and I can be putting money in the bank, I can create a regular habit of writing either before work or after work and then just build up that portfolio and gain experience.
What helps you recharge your creative batteries?
A lot of things! I don’t think in terms of, “oh, my creativity’s gone,” but I did notice when freelancing and shooting and editing for clients, that would sap away all my creative energy so I would have nothing left for working on my own creative projects. That was a major reason I started moving away from freelance.
With my Google Fiber job, it was pretty blue collar… somewhat monotonous physical labor, lots of walking, with just a little bit of problem solving in it, but I can enjoy that type of work. Like in college, I was a theater minor and I loved doing practicum, which was essentially students donating time to help build all the sets for upcoming productions and stuff. That was just cutting wood, nailing things in, cleaning up around the shop, and I enjoyed work like that because I can shut my brain down. That can be very therapeutic, working with your hands or doing something physical — I don’t know, it was kind of a form of meditation, and not trying to be super creative or imaginative or trying to make associations in your brain.
So I appreciate work, and even when you’re on set if you’re a grip or on the lighting crew, you’re picking up things and putting things down, and maybe trying to problem solve to get the light exactly the way the DP wants it. But you can shut down a lot of your brain with that or be using your brain in a different way than when you’re trying to write something or edit something together. So what charges my batteries is doing something different like that, doing something more physical, maybe going out to a park and walking around and just taking pictures. Recharging my creative batteries is also just recharging myself, and “sabbathing,” essentially.
What always gets you excited about your craft?
When I hit upon an idea for a short film and then I pitch it to someone else, that gets me excited, especially when they get it or get interested in it. And then that excitement goes away once I start writing it, because it’s writing… [laughs] But then I start shooting it, and upon shooting it, I’ll have little moments where I get excited. Still, even getting the shots and stuff like that, I’m going to think, “this is all going to be awful,” and only until I start editing the project do I get excited again, and realize we got some really good shots or the story is really coming together. So it kind of goes in waves.
Even if you never “succeeded” in film, what would keep you creating anyway?
Well, like I said, I’ve been focused on film, but especially now that I’ve been forced into writing — I just came to the epiphany (which should have been obvious) that if I really want to tell stories, I have to write them down first. Whether I’m doing a film, an animation, a book, a video game, it all has to be written down. Since I’m a storyteller, I can always be writing something. So even if I don’t “make it” writing/directing my own films, I could still probably pull things off on an indie level — and I love how indie movies are shot, because that’s how I grew up, just guerrilla style, just do it — so I’m totally fine with that. I would love to have the money of Hollywood behind me and the talent associated with it, but at my core I’m a storyteller and I’m willing to write those stories even if they don’t get turned into films, because they can still be expressed different ways. Like right now I’m actively looking for an illustrator to collaborate with to do a webcomic. Just to tell a story. So whether it comes out graphically or it gets turned into an indie game or I end up writing a short story or something, there’s an outlet. My passion, even though it may not lead to this ultimate goal of writing and directing in Hollywood, it… I don’t know, I feel like my life is very colorful because of my pursuits.
What is a daily (or regular) discipline you’re following right now, related or unrelated to film?
Ugh, I’m terrible with discipline. Right now, it’s just not eating sweeteners. [laughs] My new year’s resolution was no more sugar or sugar substitutes or sweeteners in my regular diet. I knew it for a while but I’m just addicted to sweet flavor, and whether it’s actual sugar or a replacement or high fructose corn syrup, I just need to get away from it for a while and reset how I taste things. So that’s my one source of discipline right now, since I’m unemployed and I’m trying to figure out where my money’s coming from and that’s kind of in disarray. I want to be exercising regularly and I want to be writing regularly and I want to be meditating and spending time with God regularly — that’s my ultimate goal, but that comes and goes in seasons and is just constantly in progress.
In what ways have you improved over the past few years? What do you still struggle with?
That’s a hard one. I’m very much a Jack of all trades, being able to DP, write, direct, and edit my own work, but I’ve gotten to the point as a filmmaker where I definitely feel the limits of the equipment I’m working with, especially since I’ve seen what real cinema cameras can produce. With all my experience on set and having a friend who’s a cinematographer, it’s like, oh… if you’re a real cinematographer, that’s all you’re focused on. All the equipment, how to have the lighting you want, knowing how lenses look… there’s so much to it. And while I’m still willing to DP my own stuff, I’m very aware of how valuable a specialist in that one thing is.
When I was freelancing and didn’t have a lot of time for my own creative stuff, I started taking pictures on my phone, which at the time was an iPhone 4 that was like 3 years old. So it was kind of a handicap compared to what everybody else was using to take pictures and post on Instagram. My goal was to learn how to use the sensor and try to pull as much out of it as possible — to push it to it’s limits to create good pictures. Using that for a long time was really good discipline, and a challenge to figure out what the optimal situations were to take a photo with that camera. I was working on composition, but also specifically lighting: where is the light coming from, how does it look, is there enough, etc. I felt like that vastly improved my eye as a filmmaker, and taught me how to really use light in a scene to bring it to life.
So I guess my eye as a filmmaker has improved, but then I’ve also been realizing the value of having a team with people specialized in their own thing, and collaborating with those people and really allowing them to kill it within their discipline.
For things I struggle with: writing regularly, definitely. At this point I’m content with my writing ability, which I think is better than average, mostly thanks to my mom. [laughs] I was homeschooled and her focus on writing was very intense. So I think I have a very good base to work with and I’m at the point where I’ve done my studies in screenwriting — and I can always learn more, but I’m just at a point where I need to start writing and developing my own style. But I’m very bad at doing that regularly. Discipline is a constant struggle.
What are your creative goals right now?
I am looking for an illustrator to collaborate with to do a webcomic. I’m writing a new feature-length screenplay. I normally write high-concept speculative fiction that you need millions and millions and millions of dollars to produce, which isn’t really helpful when you want to be directing your own stuff, so this new feature I’m working on could be a cheap film to produce. I also just met another filmmaker in town, and we may be producing a couple of shorts together.
Are there any tools, books, or other resources you would recommend to others starting out in film?
The War of Art, hands down. That book was transformative for me. It’s not just for artistic people, it’s fantastic insight into realizing your own potential, and that can be with anything. It’s a very unique perspective on life in general and it’s very applicable to the creative side, but I believe it’s applicable to pretty much every walk of life — so I highly recommend that book.
For screenwriting, I personally really love the app Highland. It’s very stripped down, very light, and I find that it distracts me the least out of all screenwriting software, so I write all the time on it.
I used to listen to Scriptnotes and other screenwriting podcasts, but I stopped — they were beneficial but I’m just at a point where I need to stop listening to people and just write my own stuff. So as far as podcasts go, I started listening to a fiction podcast called The Truth, which is essentially short stories that they’ve written and turned into radio plays and it’s fantastic writing to listen to. A great place to find inspiration.
Then, you know, I just Netflix a lot and try to find those good TV shows — there’s a lot of good writing in TV shows right now. [What are some shows with strong writing that you would recommend?] The Knick (the best I’ve ever seen), Newsroom on HBO, The Leftovers on HBO, The OA on Netflix.
What other advice or words of encouragement would you give to other creators in your field?
To other writers: write. Just do it. Especially with first drafts of things, do not edit, get it all out, let it be a shitty first draft. Edit later.
Also, writing isn’t just typing or putting pen to paper. When people say they write all the time, a lot of times what they mean is that they’re writing in their head — they’re finding inspiration, they’re coming up with conversations, they’re developing characters, they’re thinking deeply on a message they want to put into a compelling story. So give yourself grace when you say that you’re a writer because writing isn’t just scribbling on a page or typing, writing is the whole process. It is imagining things, ruminating, and researching for your project… it’s all the stuff that leads up to actually writing on a piece of paper or typing out the words, and then all the work that goes into editing what you wrote. You have to be mindful to encompass all those things and call that writing.
I definitely get discouraged when I don’t have a physical product to show people. It’s hard to write a script and be like, “I have this thing,” but not a lot of people actually read scripts — they’d rather watch a short film you finished or something like that. I think that’s a unique struggle for screenwriters in that respect, because even if you do finish the writing, it’s easy to share but people might not partake in it. So find ways to actually produce a finished product. And find other writers and friends who will actually read your stuff and encourage you and give you constructive criticism. Also pitch your ideas to people to see if they get excited about them.
I got into photography because for me that was a quick way to do some creative work and show it to people and get some feedback. So yeah, if you need to have a physical product, find an easy way to do that, or find something you can do that will complement the writing work that you will do.
