Film Courage: Shaun I’m hoping we can go to page one of your script for A CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS.
I’m curious what you like about the opening scene of the movie which is page one of course.
Shaun Paul Piccinino, Filmmaker: The opening is obviously meant to establish Joseph’s character
(played by Josh Swickard) and he is kind of living this playboy lifestyle, big city,
wealthy. Obviously he’s got
someone in bed. He’s young and he’s kind of using obviously his status to kind of live carefree in
that way. So basically the point of it is to set up his character for his arc throughout the story
because obviously he needs to grow. He’s not the best of guys at this point. So it really
helps illustrate that point. It sets up who he is and the journey he is going to have to go on
whether he likes it or not is basically the idea. Obviously you won’t know all of that while seeing
this first scene but it sets it up of who he is and where he is at at this point in his life.
Film Courage: And he’s not a total jerk. He offers to buy the woman
room service. So you’ve got to give him some props.
Shaun: Yeah…yeah..again I think with those little details is that we don’t want people
to just completely hate him right off the bat. And we did have some other things
in early versions and stuff that were like yeah that might make him too much of a jerk.
Certainly there is an argument there that he is still a jerk but you know what I am saying.
He has to have some underlying qualities and redeemable pieces that you want to see him go
on a journey of growth and self-growth and becoming hopefully a better person.
Film Courage: So before we meet Joseph the main character we have this
aerial shot. Can we talk about the establishing image?
Shaun: Yes the very first shot is kind of coming up off of the water and revealing
San Francisco which that is where he is and where his family business is. So kind of just
establishing that whole Bay Area big city and the hustle and bustle of city life because it
is obviously a stark contrast to the ranch that he later goes to and ends up spending a lot of time.
We also did some interesting things in color there. So the city life has a little bit cooler
of tones to them and when we go to the ranch everything becomes a little bit warmer and
earthier in the tones so that’s like a little details that we pay attention to when we were
making it. Probably most people will never notice it but even with that opening shot we wanted
the color palette of it to feel cooler in tone versus the later part of the movie.
Film Courage: And also too he leaves one woman in the hotel room
and then as he leaves he kind of flirts with a desk clerk and you see her sort
of…not unprofessionally but it already sets him up to be sort of this Casanova type.
Shaun: Correct, yes. He’s definitely got that air about him and you get the sense that you know…
Film Courage: He doesn’t hear “no” a lot.
Shaun: He doesn’t hear “no” a lot. It’s that hashtag “best life,”
right? He’s living his best life. But you know anyways,
obviously there is more to it than that and at his core he’s searching for more.
Film Courage: Sure. What do you think the hook is of the first page that makes
people want to keep reading?
Shaun: It goes just beyond the first page I guess but
the hook of the first page is really the kind of setting and the character. For me when I read it
I wanted to know more about him so it’s really like why is he this way? What makes
him…especially because he’s outright just turns the girl down for a second date right there
makes you go well that’s audacious. What is his story? So hopefully that’s the hook. That
was for me when I read it because I didn’t write it Lauren Swickard did [she also stars
as Callie in A CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS] and when I was sent it that’s what grabbed me right away.
Film Courage: And I think he says “I’ll call you” or whatever.
Shaun: And she says “No you won’t.” Exactly. That little piece right there I’m like okay
and the fact that he can get away with that I think there’s probably
plenty of people who are like Well I wouldn’t be able to get away with that or
those kind of things. It makes it intriguing and of course you see the relationship walking through
the hotel lobby, the people like him. He’s got that thing about him, his charm, his charisma.
It always makes it more interesting and I think even in the back of my head I
was even initially right away thinking oh he is going to have some lessons to learn.
You know what I mean? He’s probably going to have to go on a journey.
Film Courage: And I’m sorry he is brought in to be (and I hope this isn’t a spoiler)
like a “honey pot,” to kind of like infiltrate and seduce someone he needs a signature from?
Shaun: So basically his company and his mother who runs the company they haven’t been able to get
the owners of this ranch to sell which they need to build a shipping facility for their corporation
(their business) and so his mom decides that her son basically doesn’t do anything…you
know…he’s got a title and works at the company but what does he actually do? She recognized that he
has a certain skill and it’s a younger woman who owns the ranch and so she says let’s put your
actual skills to use. Go out there and get this girl to sell. Get this young woman to sell. And so
I think he thinks he’s going to be able to waltz in there and get his way
and get the yes that he always hears and I can say it doesn’t go as he has planned.
Film Courage: Sure and his [character] arc evolves from there.
Shaun: There is some case of missing identity as well or mis-identity (not missing)
that happens for him as well in there that kind of starts him down
a totally different journey than he thought he was going to be going on.
Film Courage: Looking back on it now what mistakes do you think
were in the first page or was this the actual shooting script and there were no mistakes?
Shaun: Oh well this is definitely not the first version of the script for sure so this is
closer to the shooting [version]. I can’t remember if what I sent you is the actual shooting one
and gosh it’s hard to remember if there was. I think there was more time taken in
earlier drafts which I think took too long to get to those pieces
and it is not even just the first page but that was part of it. I think it got more refined and
kind of picked the moments that actually mattered to convey the message that we’re trying to convey.
Film Courage: Is this still the opening of the movie?
Shaun: Yes, this is still the opening of the movie.
So yes it stayed. Obviously I think it’s important again because we have to establish
our character’s journey. So Joseph and also Callie they both have their journeys and their journeys
intersect and they help each other on their journey so that’s the age-old kind of love
twist. Their journeys intersect and of course they need each other to kind of complete their journey.
Question for the Viewers: How is this helpful to you? What else should we have covered?