Winning the Waiting Game

David Berenbaum is living every scribe's dream

by Jennifer M. Wood | Published February 3, 2007

David Berenbaum

You can't blame David Berenbaum for being happy. At only 32 years of age, he's living the dream of every young screenwriter in Hollywood (and beyond): he's making a name for himself as a writer-for-hire, while still having the time-and talent-to get his own, personal stories made. In the next several weeks alone, Berenbaum will see two of his projects released into theaters across America. The first, Elf, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell, is from a spec script he wrote in 1996. The second, The Haunted Mansion, is the product of his work with the Disney Writers in Residence Program. Here, Berenbaum reveals the secrets of his own success and discusses the process of making movies out of amusement park rides.

Jennifer Wood (MM): Right now you're really living the dream of every young screenwriter, with two films about to be released. How did you get from dreamer to doer?

David Berenbaum (DB): You know, I was just writing a whole bunch when I got out here. I went to NYU and came out here [to LA] and was just writing and writing and writing. People were responding to my stuff, but the movies weren't getting made. I would get little nibbles here and there and you eventually just meet a lot people. Eventually I met my manager, who really responded to Elf, which he sent into the Disney Writers in Residence program. Based on that sample, I got in there and started writing The Haunted Mansion. Then my manager got Elf to Will Ferrell and that started the ball rolling on that project.

MM: How many scripts had you written before Elf?

DB: I was writing some TV and Elf was the second script that I wrote.

MM: You said you were writing a lot and seeing some interest. Were you getting any of your work optioned before everything began to happen with your manager?

DB: Yeah, everything I wrote had been optioned. I wrote a romantic comedy before Elf and that was optioned and then Elf was optioned, but they could never get talent attached or it wasn't the right time so things just fell out of option. Since Elf I've written a bunch of screenplays and it's just a waiting game-I just keep writing.

MM: When you first started, which avenues were you exploring in trying to get your scripts made into films? Were you only sending them out to producers and agents, or did you explore some of the other ways in which beginning screenwriters typically get their work read-screenplay competitions, etc.

DB: No, I was always kind of going to agents and somehow I never really had a problem getting to the agents. Just through people you meet who say 'yeah, send me your script' then you send it to an assistant and they respond to it and pass it up to their boss, etc. So I'd always just go the agent route, because if you can get an agent behind you it really helps immeasurably. They'll give out the script and you start meeting more people who want to know what you're working on. It's a snowball.

MM: What is your writing process-how often and for how long do you generally write?

DB: I generally write all day. Mornings are the worst for me because my brain is just kind of fried, but I just kind of stare at the computer until I break myself down and can focus. So when I'm into a script, I'll pretty much write every day until it's finished.

MM: People often ask directors the question about how they go about choosing material, but rarely ask writers what it is they desire in the person who will helm their script. What is it that you hope for-personally, technically or otherwise-in a director who says he or she wants to make a film from your script?

DB: What I would hope for in a director is that they share the same sensibility of the script that you have written; that they want to take what you have put on the page and translate that to the screen. You should have a similar vision. If you have a similar sensibility as the director, then that speaks volumes and will really be translated on the screen. If you don't have the same kind of sensibility, it can make for an unpleasant time because it's a very collaborative medium and you have to be on the same page.

MM: Were you able to spend much time on the sets of either Elf or The Haunted Mansion?

DB: Yeah, it's been great! I've been there a lot on The Haunted Mansion, and I went out to Vancouver with Elf. Both productions really opened up to me and have been very supportive. From what I hear, I know that screenwriters generally aren't treated very well, but I can't say that because I've been treated well on both projects.

MM: Has spending time on the set inspired you to want to pursue other positions within the industry, like directing?

DB: Oh yeah, I've always wanted to direct. That's what I wanted to do at NYU and I started writing because that seemed like the best avenue to take to becoming a director. I started writing because I think the foundation of directing is simple storytelling. If you can tell a story, that's the essential first step.

MM: Are you looking to be a writer-director, where you would write whatever you planned to direct?

DB: I would probably do something that I had written-something that had started with me and something that I had a passion about. So that has always been the goal, but I've learned so much over the past couple of years just watching these productions go. I've made films on a smaller scale, a lot of short films. But being involved with these big studio projects, I've learned the inner workings of how movies get made.

MM: Do you tend to write within one specific genre, or do your scripts really run the gamut as far as content and style?

Generally I've written comedies, so there will be some comedic element in everything I do. I really like every type of movie-I love old Frank Capra movies and Billy Wilder movies, Preston Sturges and Woody Allen. I've written romantic comedies and, obviously, two comedic family films. Generally, there will be some kind of fantasy element to it and some sort of comedy element.

MM: What's the hardest lesson you've learned about the role of the writer in Hollywood?

DB: I really haven't had too many terrible experiences. For me, the toughest part of getting these movies made has been the waiting. Just the process of having a lot of interest and then having that interest fall away; of having things come together and then fall apart quickly, which is the basis of Hollywood.

MM: When did you finish writing Elf?

DB: I finished Elf in 1996. It was optioned a few times and then fell out of option; there were actors interested and then actors fell out.

MM: The typical, fun Hollywood story.

DB: Yeah, that's just the way it goes. Getting a movie made is like the stars have to align in the exact right order and it's just a miracle when a movie actually goes. So the waiting on these things has really been the hardest part.

As far as the creative process goes, it's been a pleasure. It's a lot-a lot-of work and a lot of rewriting and a lot of tweaking, but I think that's sort of par for the course. There are a lot of people involved and not one person makes a movie, so you just have to be incredibly collaborative in order to be a writer.

MM: How do you compare the experiences of writing Elf, which you sold as a spec script, and The Haunted Mansion, which was specifically for Disney? How different were those two experiences?

DB: Well, they're two different beasts. Elf came directly from me; it was an idea that I had, I wrote it and it was all self-generated. With The Haunted Mansion, I got into the program and it was discussed when I first got there in pitch meetings that we could do a Haunted Mansion movie. Then the process was doing a lot of research on the ride and the people who built the ride, what their inspirations were, where they got their ideas from and taking elements from the ride and making a narrative out of it.

MM: Which, in itself, must be a very difficult thing to do. You're generating a narrative from a "thing" rather than an "idea."

DB: Yeah, but it was kind of fun, actually. It was a lot easier, I would say, than just going from a blank slate because you have things to lean on-a tone-and all these great visual elements. I had pictures of Madame Leota all around my room and pictures of the three hitchhiking ghosts. I had a real affection for the ride, so it was fun.

MM: Do you feel more of a sense of "ownership" over something like Elf, where you can remember where the idea originated and how the different elements came to be as opposed to The Haunted Mansion, where the ideas have already been created in a sense?

DB: I love both of them. They're different, but I have an equal stake in both. They're labors of love that you try to get made in the best way they can be done.

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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT

Comment by Adam on 2/07/08 at 8:24 pm: Yeah I really like those story plots. I usually see just about every movie whether in the theater or at home since I have a lot of free time in between gaming. At 32 he does have a long career ahead of him.
Comment by Ikariam on 3/15/08 at 9:59 am: I watched Elf but never seen Haunted Mansion, I heard it’s too childish/ cheesy.

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