The script is always important to the success of a movie. That’s pretty dang obvious. But for a movie like ours, you could argue that the script becomes even more important because it has to open doors for you. If you’re going to coax actors to come to Muncie, Indiana and work for low pay, they’re going to want a great role in a great movie in return. Our screenwriter, David Hamilton, gave us just that kind of script.

My MNIJ folder holds seven drafts of the script, and I’m sure his probably holds more. He worked tirelessly to craft the pages that would become My Name is Jerry. I think he’s recovered by now (I guess his typing finger still hurts)… but I do know that he was feeling well enough to sit down for an interview earlier this week:

Can you describe how you became involved in My Name is Jerry?

When Morgan [Mead]  and Andy [Janoch] wrote their first draft of the script, Morgan asked me to take a look and give him some feedback on it.  So I did, and liked the story and the characters and made a few suggestions.  Then about a year went by and not much happened.  And one day, Morgan called me and said that he couldn't get a script that he and the producer could agree on.  I took a look at his most recent draft and it was a far different film from the first one he had written, which I always felt had the most charm.  So I offered to do one uncredited re-write of his original draft, and he took me up on it.  But after one re-write, everyone seemed to like the fresh perspective, so I came on board as the screenwriter.

The script was originally called Knock Knock and took place in the winter. What were some of the biggest changes you had to make to get it ready for a hybrid student-professional crew?

To tell you the truth, we didn't think too much about the student-professional hybrid crew when we were getting ready to make it.  We just kept trying to write the best story we could within this universe and with these people that Morgan and Andy created.  I think most of the changes focused around the crew didn't occur until the eleventh hour, when we were at the locations, with the crew heads, and small things became apparent that would have been difficult.

How much writing did you do specifically cater to Doug Jones? Any examples?

Morgan and Andy had already captured Doug Jones quite well with their first draft, so I really just tried to keep in line with what I knew and what they had done. With Doug, you have this wonderful blend of a physical persona, which his fans have come to expect, but also this sweet-faced guy, who stands head and shoulders above everyone else in a room, and thus can be made to seem so awkward in the proper setting.

I'd say one of the things that I did try and slip in for Doug every now and again, and this may have come from Morgan and Andy's first draft, I can't recall specifically, but I do know that I wrote into the script several moments for him to dance and flail about and be physical.  There is a scene where he dances on a street corner briefly, and another moment where he dances in his living room.  That stuff was done just to let Doug be the physical Doug Jones.

But Doug is an enormously talented actor and truthfully, doesn't require a script to be catered to him.  He will find the reality and the character in anything, which he very much did with Jerry.  Some of the most stunning moments in the film are quiet moments where his body isn't even in the shot, and it's just his face.

You were on-set almost every minute of physical production and also served as a co-producer. What was that like?

That was both enormously fun and enormously taxing.  I had so much fun on set, watching the movie come to life, interacting with the cast and crew and being a part of what was going on there.  But it was also difficult because depending on the moment, I would have to wear a different hat.  Sometimes it was voicing my opinion as the writer, but other times, I would have to push to get things moving a bit faster. Or other times, I would have to play mediator.  Or even just sounding board.  That was both fun and frustrating.

How do you feel now when you see the edit? Did it turn out the way you had the movie pictured in your head?

Well, as someone who directs as well, I would be lying if I said that the film that came out was exactly, shot-for-shot what I pictured when writing the script  But Morgan, Rodger [Smith], and Jess Carfield, the editor have done amazing work with the film, and I think they have found something very sweet and charming and simple with it.  I think people are going to like what they see.

What was one of the biggest things you learned through this process?

I have always heard that filmmaking is a collaborative art.  And I have always believed that.  But the truth behind that was always a bit lost on me until 'Jerry.' Working on this film really showed how collaborative it needs to be, and also how when people are unified under a common goal, it can be amazing to see what they accomplish.

What's next?

I am in the final stages of developing a screenplay with two extraordinarily talented Swedish filmmakers. It is a suspense-thriller that we hope to begin getting read around town soon.  And then I am also developing another small indie film that I hope to direct some time in the next year or so.

A special thanks to David Hamilton for answering my questions. Check back next week for our final installment. I’ll answer reader questions (post them below, please) and get Doug Jones to answer a few questions of my own.

As always, you can check out our film at http://mynameisjerry.com