CS Weekly Archive > From the Trenches > 7/31/09

All the Answers:
The Answer Man's John Hindman

BY ELIZABETH RIVERA

CS Weekly's Elizabeth Rivera talks to debut screenwriter John Hindman about his writing and directing debut, The Answer Man.

Ever since watching Rocky as a kid John Hindman has wanted one thing—to direct movies. Too bad nobody wanted to let him. Seven years ago this former production assistant/associate producer/actor/host/comedian/any job in order to "keep a toe in entertainment waters" turned to screenwriting as a last resort—and it worked. This year his film The Answer Man competed at Sundance, hit theaters nationwide, and added a new job description to that list: screenwriter-director.

Hindman thought he'd become a writer, but when he was faced with a day job he hated and no prospects for directing, he decided to pull out the tools he learned at a screenwriting seminar 20 years prior. Proving that solid screenwriting principles have no expiration dates, three scripts later he finally wrote one that worked. "I thought, I'll try writing screenplays, and hopefully I'll write one that's good enough that they'll want it so bad they'll have to take me," says Hindman. "And somehow that worked out."

The Answer Man is the story of Arlen Faber, the globally known author of Me and God, a book that has been translated into over 100 languages and defined spirituality for millions. Twenty years after the publication of his book, Faber still doesn't have any answers. Unfortunately, everyone else thinks he has all of them. Comedy ensues when this reclusive author must step outside to relieve his aching back and the most unexpected yet common thing happens to him—he falls in love. Faber must wrestle with the demons he's been fighting for years as he struggles to form real connections with people and must face up to the truth—he hasn't got a clue.

The idea for The Answer Man developed the way all of Hindman's script ideas do: from a theme or notation that won't leave him alone. This time it was the idea that someday his father (his answer man) would die and that he would have to get over it. This led to one big question: what if he couldn't get over it?

The idea of wanting to write about fathers and sons, not to mention his own father—an accomplished wise man who seems to have all the answers—had been floating around in Hindman's head for awhile. When he realized the inevitability of having to deal with the loss of his father, things started to come together. He began thinking about fathers and sons and the different ways these relationships manifest themselves. He started thinking about absent fathers, overprotective fathers, quiet fathers, and eventually the idea of a heavenly father. Before he knew it, he was exploring an eternal conundrum: how does one reconcile oneself to a silent God?

This is, in technical terms, a doozy of a question. But one of the principles Hindman picked up at the screenwriting seminar he attended is, "If you're gonna write a screenplay, try and solve a worthwhile problem." This was definitely a worthwhile problem, and he eventually hit upon the idea of a movie about an author who claims to have talked with God but who has no clue about anything. Through the vehicle of this character and the people he comes into contact with (a single mom, a recovering alcoholic, and a hilarious postman), Hindman was able to explore fathers, God, and the answers to the eternal questions of life—and to make it all funny. "You can talk about anything as long as you make people laugh," says Hindman. "As Plato says, 'Entertain first.'"

Of course, the problem with writing about worthwhile problems is that there are no easy solutions. It's something Hindman does not shy away from. "I don't have any answers," says the writer. "I'm totally unclear on who God may or may not be, but it seems to me that whoever God is, He seems to work through other people." And this is exactly what Hindman set out to show in this film by creating a protagonist who could help everyone but himself and having him collide with characters who were also struggling. Hindman says, "I wanted to show three people who think they have all the answers but who don't really get the full picture until they learn to care about each other."

Of course, the best set-up to explore a theme is always easier to see in retrospect. Once Hindman got the idea for the script and his main character, he started writing and got caught up in the excitement of telling this story. At least until page 66, when he realized he didn't know what was really going on in the script. He couldn't find the "secret play," what was going on that the characters weren't talking about. He had followed his general routine to write a screenplay: 1) get an idea in your head that won't stop following you, 2) get a theme you want to explore. But instead of sticking to the rigorous outlining format that he learned from John Truby during that weekend seminar called "22 steps to Great Film," Hindman had gotten so excited that he just got down to writing, causing more work in the end.

At this point Hindman had to backtrack and do the work he had skipped. He wrote a rigorous outline that resulted in 60 note cards, which were perfected until they met all 22 of Truby's specifications. Then he got back to writing. The note cards provided him with a guideline that helped him stay focused and kept him from wandering off base, even while characters and situations continued to evolve. He likens it to a road trip. "It's like driving up to San Francisco. You can veer off your route, but you have to get back on the right road or you will not end up in the right place." With his homework done, the writing came a lot easier. "It just flowed for me. It was so personal; it was about people I knew. By the time I was done, I felt like I could go on writing about them forever."

The Answer Man is completely inspired by Hindman's personal experience. Faber was inspired by his father and the female lead was inspired by his sister. Nothing in the movie actually happened, but it is all based in a large or small way on Hindman's life. In order to figure out the starting points for these personal characters, Hindman works backwards. "I know where I would like everyone to end up, how I'd like for them to feel or think or do. So I think, what's the opposite of that? And then pour a bunch of gas on it and light it on fire. I exaggerate it to the degree that I can and that's where the comedy comes in." This blend of fiction and personal experience results in a heartwarming film that asks some hard questions while making us laugh.

Now that he's had his own screenwriting experience, Hindman has come up with a screenwriting principle of his own: personalize. He says," Don't shy away from your life experiences. Don't protect the deepest secrets and dreams in your heart. Let those things out. No one's gonna know that it's really about you, but people find and make a connection with that stuff that they wouldn't if you were not courageous enough to share it." With The Answer Man completely wrapped up, Hindman continues to write scripts for himself and others. He hopes to direct another one of his own scripts soon—a Christmas movie set in New York.



Elizabeth Rivera is a freelance writer (e.g. poor person) who lives in Los Angeles. She can usually be found roaming the streets of the greater L.A. area looking for story material and general mischief.



The Answer Man courtesy Magnolia Pictures

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