Film Courage: How do you know a protagonist is a character you want to write about?
How do you know you’re really connected to that protagonist?
Adam Davis, Writer/Director: Hmm…that’s a very good question.
I think for me it comes from a little bit of the story and about what I want to say
at that time.
I don’t tend to go with tropes of characters.
I really go with what is the situation and what character can be tested the most in that
situation?
The most recent thing that my writing partner Will and I have done as a horror feature with
a lot of social (very topical) social commentary and that just came out of a specific very
interesting idea of horror but also the fact that right now there is a lot of disparity
in terms of people’s pay just in the world.
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is disappearing
and everything.
That has been very top of mind for me so I wanted a protagonist for this horror script
that really embodied that and somebody like this blue-collar worker in Chicago that we
can all identify with a get behind because I think (at least I do) but I think that we
all feel like we are that person right now.
The corporations are just stepping down on us and politics is stepping down on us and
there is a lot of unrest and upheaval I think and it’s one of those things that the situation
can sort of dictate and it’s something that I’m finding that having very socially conscious
statements is something that I really want to put out there because I think that I mean
films are a great medium that you can reach a lot of people with and if I can put messages
in there that will make people think of something a different way like thinking about the disparity
between black people and white people in a corporate environment.
Or with NO TOUCHING [Adam and Will’s 2016 short film] it was about the reach of misogyny.
I really want topical things that people can sink their teeth into and make them think.
That’s my big goal with my current projects at least.
Film Courage: What were the movies for you growing up that were like that made you sort
of think about social commentary?
Like NORMA RAE comes to mind, that’s before my time even, but it’s not just a feminist
story but it’s a story about a small town, people being afraid to lose their jobs, this
is the only place for them to work and all of them are sick and different things are
happening but what different films growing up did you like?
Adam: Sure, I think for me what is interesting is that it wasn’t really like dramas or
things like that.
I found those messages in sci-fi and popcorn films at the time so the MATRIX was like the
first one that really opened my opened my eyes to the thought of what if none of this
is real?
The mind expanding aspect of looking at the systems we have and trying to figure out how
much of this is real, how much of it is not and that continues on with V FOR VENDETTA
which I think is an amazing piece that again really gets you thinking even though it’s
just a comic book and action.
That’s stuff that I love and am just drawn to but the ones that feed in that social commentary
are great.
CHILDREN OF MEN is an example of a cautionary tale about the future.
Those are the ones that I would say really did a great job of…it’s popcorn movies
but sneaking in some very important social commentary.
Film Courage: I’ve been on a Raymond Chandler kick and I’ve been researching panels and
one USC panel talked about his writings and just how so much of noir was a commentary
on the working class versus the wealthy especially in Los Angeles during the 1930’s and corruption
and paid off politicians versus the working man.
It’s interesting, watching film noirs was more mysterious but woven in is this commentary.
Adam: Yes and that’s the real great Trojan horse aspect of film is like people are there
to be entertained but if you can sort of trick them a little bit and give them a little dose
of social commentary they will go out like “What was that actually about?”
Or “I’m thinking about that?”
It opens our eyes.
That’s great.
That’s a wonderful trick.