Serge’s Gotta Have It!

 

The first Collaboration I did with Serge was soon after Leonard had departed. I was still filled with the desire to make a movie and I half-assed looked around for a partner and Serge was the first to come to mind. I gave him a copy of “Last Call’. He gave me a copy of ‘Norwood’. The script was a bit bare in terms of direction, but since he was the one directing it, I guess he knew what he wanted in his head. The big problem with Norwood though, was that it took place on New York subway. And Serge had long left the Big Apple and now residing in South Florida. As a writer I did the only thing I could do. I took it home and re-wrote it.

Norwood dealt with a couple’s first meeting on a New York subway. Much like a train, their relationship only travelled at a fast speed and only moved forward. And when it made a final stop, everyone got off. At the end we learn the male lead seemingly continues this pattern in future relationships, always dooming them to fail. The script originally had this New York black and white gloomy feel to it like Spike Lee’s She’s gotta have it.

 

But the best example is the black and white opening sequence of Scorsese’s Bad video. Watch the specific time code HERE or below.

 

And that was fine. I mean these movies make me think of New York. But I’m not from there. There’s more Sunshine here in Florida then skyscrapers. So a huge inspiration for me was Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. The Rework It starts off Gloomy at first in my head and brightens up as the girl enters the picture.
Eternal Sunshine also has these great train riding sequences. And this couple who’s relationship is filled with turmoil, even though you’re rooting for them, they’d rather just forget it. The characters in Norwood have given up on each other as well.  I kept most of the dialogue intact. But I made it a bit sexier, and gave the male lead what seemed like an underlying motive to continue this behavior.

Check out this music video for Eternal Sunshine it really conveys the feel I was going for in the reworked script.

 

I had written the action on Miami’s Metro-rail system. Which at the time Serge wasn’t aware existed. So it had given him a sense of hope that ‘Norwood” could be completed finally..

I had gone through a similar event with Leonard. He had written a short feature “Family Ties” that revolved around a man hiring a hit man to take out his entire family due to the constant disappointments they always brought him. I’m not sure why he didn’t like my rewrite, but Leonard took the script away and promised to return a 2nd rewrite. Imagine that, a rewrite of my rewrite! But that was the last I ever heard of Family Ties.

So I was never really sure Serge liked my reworked Script. People are funny when you take their words and rewrite them. I know How I acted when Leonard threatened to cut dialogue in ‘Last Call’. So even if Norwood now read better to me. Maybe Serge thought I had ripped the soul of the script out and replaced it with my voice instead. As of this moment ‘Norwood’ still remains unfilmed.

I soon left The Answer Group where we both worked and Serge and I would lose touch, thereafter,