November 6, 2003
I am Chuck’s Documentarian: wherein Josh Jabcuga chats with Dennis Widmyer, director of the upcoming authorized documentary on FIGHT CLUB author Chuck Palahniuk, POSTCARDS FROM THE FUTURE.
Joshua Jabcuga: I'm really intrigued about the idea of a documentary on an author, let alone one of my favorites. Where did you get the idea to do the documentary on Chuck Palahniuk, POSTCARDS FROM THE FUTURE?
Dennis Widmyer, director of POSTCARDS FROM THE FUTURE (Kinky Mule Film Productions), Webmaster of the official Chuck Palahniuk Web site, www.ChuckPalahniuk.net: The idea for the
documentary wasn't so much an idea as it was a presented opportunity that we couldn't pass up. I had attended the first Conference back in 2001 and had made a real half-assed attempt at documenting it with two shitty camcorders. I ended up with about 12 tapes of mostly unusable footage, mainly because I tried to be a fan and a documentarian at the same time.
This time, I brought on two friends, Kevin Kolsch and Josh Chaplinsky, and we planned it better. We got permission from the school to film, had waivers drawn up, made signs, got better cameras and equipment, and most of all, we had a better game-plan.
But getting back to the root of your question: I'm already a filmmaker and I'm already the webmaster of Chuck's official site. So doing a documentary on Chuck was a match made in heaven. Dammit, Dennis, why didn't you just say that to begin with?
Joshua Jabcuga: Chuck seems like a really cool guy, a good guy, too. Was he open to the idea right away?
Dennis Widmyer: Chuck is a modest fella who still doesn't quite understand the level of fandom and popularity he has achieved. Therefore, I was a little concerned that he'd be uncomfortable with us waving cameras in his face for a very private 4 day event. Still, I assured Chuck that we'd be invisible and that we'd respect his space and let him be the great guy that he is with the fans without having to feel like a "celebrity". And so when Chuck happily signed the waiver and played ball with us for the four days, I was both surprised and not surprised. I think he knew we'd be tasteful about it and I hope we proved him right.
Joshua Jabcuga: Besides Chuck's fans, this DVD seems like it could be really valuable to aspiring writers. How helpful could this be to people looking to improve their writing skills?
Dennis Widmyer: This documentary will prove to be VERY inspiring to aspiring writers. This is something we walked away with in our film that we hadn't planned on getting at the start.
Originally, we hoped for the best: an accurate and fun diary of the four days at this Conference in Edinboro, Pennsylvania with everybody's favorite cult author as the host. But along the way, we met a lot of would-be young writers who all shared their hopes and dreams with us. We also started to understand that Chuck had gone into the Conference with a clear motive to teach and instruct his fans how to reinvent their realities and do whatever it is they want to do with their lives. We met one fan in particular who literally had his life saved by FIGHT CLUB. This kid, Dallas Bowyer, took the bus from Portland, Oregon, to spend four days with Chuck, and in the end, he walked away with more inspiration to follow his dreams than some people will ever gain in a lifetime.
Joshua Jabcuga: When can fans expect to get their hands on the DVD, and how has response been so far to the prospect of POSTCARDS FROM THE FUTURE?
Dennis Widmyer: The response has been a growing buzz of intrigue. The trailers have gotten people excited for many reasons. But perhaps the most dominant reason has been to just see 90 minutes of pure Chuck! Many fans who live in foreign countries have never gotten to see Chuck read much less hear his voice. We're giving these people Chuck reading, Chuck interacting with the fans, Chuck being interviewed, Chuck presenting and more! Hell, there’s even a segment in our film on the “Guts” phenomenon with actual video of a person passing out! So if we stick to our plan, the DVD should be available sometime in mid- to late November.
Joshua Jabcuga: Who decided to go with that title?
Dennis Widmyer: POSTCARDS FROM THE FUTURE is actually the name of the conference - www.palahniukconference.com. It was a reference from Chuck's third novel, INVISIBLE MONSTERS, that conference organizer, Christian McKinney, chose for the name.
Joshua Jabcuga: Since we're talking about Chuck, what's your personal favorite book by the man and why?
Dennis Widmyer: SURVIVOR has always been my favorite book. It moves like a bullet and is contained and explosive all at the same time. I love the satire and humor in it.
Joshua Jabcuga: My personal favorite is CHOKE. Anyway, it seems like Chuck's been all over the place lately, especially since FUGITIVES AND REFUGEES came out. I know you've
said that traffic to your site has really increased in volume as of late. This Chuck cult seems like its growing in numbers by the minute. He's always been a fan-favorite but what do you attribute this recent explosion in popularity to?
Dennis Widmyer: I think Chuck's become a household name for young readers of our generation because his books are so fun to read. I call him the Stephen King of our generation because he's brought entertainment back to literature. FIGHT CLUB is already on many reading lists for universities, but I won't be surprised if pretty soon all of Chuck's books are being taught in high schools. Teachers are always looking for books that they know students will actually enjoy reading over something like REBECCA. Chuck fills that hole for many young people and shows them that a good book can be better than any song or movie any day of the week.
So I think that recently, we've seen the rise of his cult following jump significantly strictly through word of mouth. Everyone wishes they read more, but so many people just can't get into a novel. Chuck opens the door for them and before they know it, they're passing their tattered copy of CHOKE onto everyone they know!
Joshua Jabcuga: Certainly you've spent a lot of time with Chuck. What's your most amusing story or anecdote that you can share?
Dennis Widmyer: You'd be surprised. I've only actually hung out with Chuck a handful of times... and only when he's on tour, in NY, or at the Conference(s). I have to say the coolest thing he ever did was invite my friends and I to a very upscale, posh party his publishers were throwing for him at some club in Manhattan. Once there, we quickly felt sort of out of place, but Chuck came over to our table and sat with us for about an hour. Pretty soon, all the important people in the place were gravitating towards our table and Chuck was so cool in introducing everyone to us. It felt great and it really made me respect how sincere and forthcoming the guy is.
Joshua Jabcuga: What's the big picture look like for you personally? Surely a couple of years ago you probably had no idea you'd be where you are today, or who you'd be friends with. But I know you've been busy with another movie, OUR LADY OF SORROW, right? How's that been going for you? Can we expect to see any of Chuck's fingerprints on that?
Dennis Widmyer: Chuck's fingerprints have already graced OUR LADY OF SORROW.
A couple of years ago, when we only had a first draft screenplay, Chuck took an interest in the work and read and re-read the piece over five times. He then sent us a very thorough critique which included all the pros and cons of the script. But the most valuable resource of the critique was a section where Chuck brainstormed ways to help improve the script without actually offering any creative input. He just gave us ideas on structure and direction which greatly enhanced the script to a much stronger second draft.
Three drafts later and my co-writer/director, Kevin Kolsch, and I are finally taking investor meetings with legit contacts who are all finally starting to realize what it is that we have with OUR LADY OF SORROW. We hope to raise about $200,000 grand and shoot for a late 2003 / early 2004 production start.
Joshua Jabcuga: Last question: What do you think Chuck's contribution to contemporary literature is, and more importantly, will be?
Dennis Widmyer: I think Chuck will mature with every book that he writes. I know that he already has a non-fiction book planned next where he'll explore the style of minimalism. Then, after that it's a collection of "hauntings," modern re-inventions of ghost stories that Chuck has written to be read aloud. So if nothing else, I think Chuck's unique voice and daring style will be regarded as a turning point in modern literature... for the best.
All photos courtesy of www.ChuckPalahniuk.net.
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