13 Conversations About Writing

The Multiple Storyline, Sisterhood and Aristotle, for Starters: An Interview with Jill and Karen Sprecher

Punam Pam Sawhney | Published February 3, 2007

Jill Sprecher (left), Karen Sprecher (right) Photo credit: Alison Rosa

Five years after their triumph at Sundance with Clockwatchers, a film about four temps searching for full-time work and acceptance in a company more concerned about office supplies than the contentedness of their employees, the sister moviemaking team of Jill and Karen Sprecher has re-emerged. In their latest film, 13 Conversations About One Thing, they explore the nagging, haunting question of happiness, and how best to achieve it. The film weaves together five contemporary stories into a single tale that examines the dramatic impact strangers can have on one another.

Like Clockwatchers, the film was written by both and directed by Jill. In this conversation with MM, the Sprechers discuss their writing process, the division of duties and the rewards of working with a relative.

Punam Pam Sawhney (MM): Your family isn't in the film business. How is it that you both find yourselves working in the industry?

Jill Sprecher (JS): I moved from Madison, Wisconsin to New York in the 1980s. I didn't know anyone, I just knew it was where I wanted to live. I started going to different repertory cinemas and watching classic movies and foreign films--things I hadn't been exposed to before. It was like a new world opened up for me. Growing up I had done a lot of reading by myself, and I really liked the experience of sitting in a movie theater with other people, all focusing on the same thing. took a few classes at NYU at night, in the cinema studies department, just for enjoyment. Before I knew it, I ended up with a master's degree. I saw an ad on a bulletin board seeking free production assistants on a film and thought it would be fun. From there I went on to work as a coordinator and production manager. Karen moved to New York later and went to grad school in social work. A few years later, on a break from one of her counseling jobs, I hired her as an office assistant on an independent film, and she, too, was hooked.

MM: What is your writing ritual like? Do you have distinct roles?

JS: For the most part, we like to put off the actual writing until the very last moment. We spend a lot of time talking, jotting ideas down on note cards, re-arranging the cards, and the like. When we're stuck on something, we go outside and walk around. Something about being out of a 'work' environment helps to free up the subconscious, and ideas usually come to us. Once we have our note cards filled up and we have a very complete outline, especially the end scene, we feel we're able to start writing. I am the faster typist, so I handle that part, while Karen pipes in throughout the process. She is great at coming up with dialogue and strange details.

Karen Sprecher (KS): It's difficult to say how many hours a day we write. We don't really have a schedule that we stick to. The deeper we get into a story, the more time we devote to it. But coming up with ideas is such a random process. Usually they hit when you're doing something else.

MM: Both of your films have really unique names. At what point did the titles come about?

KS: For both movies, the titles came early on. We thought they could help describe what the stories were about, let people know from the outset what they were in for, but hopefully still have some intrigue about them. 13 Conversations About One Thing seemed to fit, because it connotes the idea of many parts of a single whole, and this is a multiple character, multiple storyline piece. Also, the number 13 is interesting: in some cultures, it's considered an unlucky number; in others, it is lucky. This kind of fit with the theme we explored, that one's outlook can determine whether something is positive or negative.

MM:13 Conversations is a wonderful study in human nature. Where did the idea for the film come from?

JS: I had suffered a head injury as a result of a mugging in New York in the early '90s. Then, a year later, someone on the subway quite intentionally slapped me in the head. I suddenly started crying well, tears just started pouring and I was really upset and then a passenger across the aisle just looked at me and smiled. And that was really healing.

KS: The idea for 13 Conversations came to us a ' ago, even before we'd finished Clockwatchers. The happy man character is someone we wanted to explore; he's based on a neighbor from our hometown. We came up with what ultimately became the Alan Arkin story first, but felt it would play better as a short story as opposed to an entire script, so we decided to explore the theme of happiness through different characters and storylines.

Much of the script is a reaction to things that were going on in our own lives in New York the feeling of isolation you can get in the middle of a crowded city, the sort of territoriality that evolves naturally there. Working on the screenplay led to a great deal of self-examination for each of us.

MM: How long did it take to write the script?

JS: The first draft took us about eight weeks to write, but over the four years that it ultimately took to get the financing, we went back and tinkered with the script numerous times, trying to clarify ideas and themes. In the end, the finished film is very similar to our original script; things that we had elaborated on in further drafts were eventually eliminated in the editing process. But we're glad we had the opportunity to keep re-examining the script. Certainly as a director it helped me to understand what was most important to the story.

MM: Which characters in your films most closely resemble the two of you? Is the dialogue derived from people and situations from your own life?

JS: Both movies are filled with autobiographical characters. In Clockwatchers, Karen most resembles Alanna Ubach's character--that striving for perfection. And in 13 Conversations, she's most like John Turturro's character, also a perfectionist; always thinking happiness lies somewhere up ahead instead of right in front of you. I hate to say it, but I'm the innocent-turned-jaded type; the metamorphosis of Toni Collette to Parker Posey in Clockwatchers; and Clea DuVall to Alan Arkin in 13 Conversations. I wish I could turn back the clock and return to the sweet person I was when I first moved to New York from the Midwest, but I've been through a lot there several muggings and other deflating experiences.

MM: Making a film is an extremely difficult, yet at the same time exhilarating, process. What's your favorite part of the process?

JS: It's difficult to pick which part of the filmmaking process I enjoy most. Karen and I have a fun time writing it's just the two of us, and there is great freedom in that. Of course, it can be a little isolating; we both love to be on a film set around others; there's something exhilarating about it. During shooting, we tinker with the script in response to the suggestions of the actors and crew. Post-production is also a very creative time. It's the ultimate rewrite; when you go back to your original intentions with the script and try to make good on them.

MM: What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? How do your roles differ as writers?

KS: In terms of the writing process, we probably most enjoy the initial phase when we're coming up with ideas and working out a structure on note cards. There is a great satisfaction in figuring things out the kind you get from working on a crossword puzzle, for example.

JS: Karen is great at dialogue and behavior, probably due to her training in social work. I tend to focus more on larger ideas and meanings (I studied philosophy and literature). So Karen tends to focus on details, like what a character might have on their desk, whereas I'm thinking, what does the desk mean? But when we look at a finished script, we have difficulty remembering who came up with what. We're really symbiotic.

MM: Jill, while the two of you are writing, are you thinking about how you would like to direct it?

JS: We try to visualize as we write, and try to put as much detail as possible into the script at least enough to get the actors and crew interested, so that they in turn are inspired to contribute their ideas. It's important to leave room for interpretation. We have been fortunate to work with amazing talents, and really depend on them to improve on what we've tried to do.

MM: What's next for the two of you?

JS: Karen and I would like to do an adaptation from a novel or short story. It's tricky, though; some things are best left to their original form. Right now we're writing two scripts based on non-fiction material; the challenge is to come up with a dramatic form for them.

KS: In terms of screenwriting, a good story is a good story, no matter where it comes from. We have some original ideas we want to do, and some ideas based on pre-existing material. Both are a challenge for us. Right now we have a few original scripts we're working on. And we're writing a pilot for a possible television series, which is fun.

MM: Are there any plans to work on separate projects?

JS: I tried to write some things on my own before Karen moved to New York, but they weren't very successful. Writing is such a solitary and introspective process; we're lucky we have each other to keep it stimulating and enjoyable.

MM: Do you tend to write in a character-driven way, or are you more plot-driven ? 

JS: We tend to approach stories in terms of character. It's like Aristotle says: Character is plot. If you know your characters, you know how they will act in different situations. One thing we find necessary is to know our ending when we write. The meaning of a movie is ultimately contained in the ending, and it gives us something to write toward.

MM: You've been lucky to cast such great actors in both of your films. Do you write with an ideal cast in mind?

JS: We try not to write with any particular actor in mind not only because we're afraid of the disappointment, should that actor be disinterested or unavailable, but because it might limit us creatively. Once we have a finished script, we try to visualize who we would like in the roles.

KS: Also, we tend to write characters more internally, in terms of psychological makeup; we try not to put a face on any of them. For both movies, though, we've been incredibly lucky getting actors that we desperately wanted. We knew we wanted Parker Posey for Clockwatchers we are huge fans of hers but we originally envisioned her in a different role.

MM: What advice would you give someone struggling to write a screenplay?

JS: Probably the most important thing I've learned about writing is to know your ending and to really believe in it.

KS: ... and to love your characters.

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TAGS 13 conversations about one thing alan arkin clockwatchers interview parker posey screenwriting sprecher

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