For those who found Mr. Holland's Opus uplifting, the following autobiographical story of screenwriter Patrick Duncan might be of interest.
As a child, Patrick Duncan, screenwriter of Mr. Holland's Opus, experienced many hardships. Being the oldest of 12 children, he was expected to be a surrogate parent for his brothers and sisters. Patrick worked from the time he was six years of age. When he was 11, Patrick's father was stabbed and from then on he had a succession of stepfathers. Patrick, himself was stabbed when he was 11. Duncan's childhood experiences inspired his writing of the movie, A Home of One's Own, starring Kathy Bates, a heartwarming story of single mother and her struggle to build a life and family.
Currently Duncan has no children, but he financially and emotionally supports his 27 nieces and nephews. He has promised to educate all of them. As a child, Patrick was responsible for raising his brothers and sisters. Duncan said, "I raised my kids,--my brothers and sisters. Mother was an alcoholic. My sister, Laurel and I raised that family." He shared a significant story. When one of his siblings was being born, his mother experienced difficulty with the delivery. He ushered his other brothers and sister into another room, went to get help and no one was available. He returned to his mother's side and taking her instructions he helped her deliver the child. He concluded his story, "I cut the cord, walked out of the room, and checked on the others. " Duncan did not begin his life-long career as a writer. Instead, he first began his career in Hollywood as an accountant for Roger Corman. He admitted to having no knowledge of accounting when he first began working. He explained that twelve women worked for him, and he started his first day of work saying, "Well, we all do things differently so why don't you tell me what you do here." At that time he worked 68 hours a week, but he still made time to write a page a day. Duncan began screen writing at age 30, directed at 40, and last year at age 48, he published his first book and first play. His said that he works under the motto, "Find what you love and chase it."
According to Duncan, four memorable teachers influenced his life; one was a grade school teacher who threw chalk and whose favorite expression was "Sit down, you're rocking the boat." He added, "But, she bought my textbooks and gave me her oldest son's hand-me-down clothes." The second influential teacher was Patrick's homeroom teacher who bought him lunch. The third teacher, an art teacher, also affirmed his self-worth, telling him that he could do anything he set out to do. And finally, a teacher who Duncan asked to accompany him to the premiere performance of Mr. Holland's Opus was his English teacher who "kept things I wrote."
Behind the Scenes: The Writing of Mr. Holland's Opus
While Patrick did not wait for inspiration, the seeds of the idea for Mr. Holland's Opus sprouted as a result of his personal experiences. His oldest sister's first child was born deaf and her husband refused to learn signing. Patrick's sister had to take a signing course three times in order to learn to sign by herself, and she taught all of her other children to sign for their brother. Patrick humbly said, " So in a way, it was written to honor my sister, Laurel." Social issues also inspired Mr. Holland's Opus. Prior to writing the script, Duncan heard that the governor of Michigan had announced that the teachers were to take salary cuts after having promised that lotteries would provide more money for education. Pat Duncan was pleasantly surprised when seventy percent of the script for Mr. Holland's Opus was retained. He was also pleased to have the opportunity of selecting all of the music and of screening the actors vying for the character of Mr. Holland. While 19 actors passed through the screening, Pat insisted on Richard Dreyfuss for the part. Pat explained elements in the movie that were changed. In the original screen play, the character Roena came back. Also the governor originally says, "As long as I'm governor, they'll be a music department in the high school." However, the directors added the element of Mr. Holland fighting with the school board about retaining his job.
Patrick Shannon, the writer and reader
One might assume a scriptwriter would have a strong background in English and writing and perhaps a educational degree in writing, such is not the case with Patrick Duncan. He never took a script writing or creative writing course. He said, "I don't believe in them. Writing courses teach formulas." Patrick explained that while he didn't plan to acquire any degree, he did take courses that interested him. He said, "I chose great teachers--teachers who love and have a passion for their subject."
Duncan wrote Mr. Holland's Opus in two weeks. He said, "I limit myself to one legal page outline." He chuckled and added proudly, "I wrote one book in five weeks." Even though he writes quickly, he spends much time studying his craft and negotiating contracts. One way he rehearses for script writing is to view movies with the sound turned off while outlining the movie. While Pat Duncan, the third highest paid screenwriter in the Guild, sold his last three scripts for 4 1/2 million he explained that being a businessman is half the job. He jokingly said, "While I can write a script in three weeks, it sometimes takes a year for a contract to be settled. I write faster than the lawyers."
The Pat Duncan whose sensitivity and sense of humor was apparent in Mr. Holland's Opus was also evident in sharing his story about his writing techniques. He explained that he is often asked, "What do you look like when you write?" He explained, "I usually answer 'I'm naked,' but in actuality I use legal pads, cheap pens, and write in airports. He shared a story about a young writer who was invited to be on set during a filming. When he was asked to do a rewrite on the spot while directors and actors continued another set he became frustrated and finally said, "Would everyone be quiet. I need to write." According to Duncan, "The next day I went to a disco, spent a couple of weeks there writing--to learn to write anywhere." He explained, "Writers can't wait for inspiration, their special chairs, their special computers. I write bad in order to write good. . . to keep moving. I can't wait for inspiration." Duncan's advice to writers: "Write a page a day for a year and you'll have a 365- page book in a year."
Patrick described his planning of the plots, tension, and conflicts in creating a screenplay. He said, "First, I get a character up a tree. Second, shake the stick. Third, the character falls out of the tree and it's a tragedy. I try to get a character in trouble. He explained the seed of his idea for Mr. Holland's Opus, "I began with a music teacher and thought what's the worst thing that could happen to this nice man?" Patrick explained that he did not have to research for the writing of Mr. Holland's Opus, He said, "I remember high school. I remember the good, the bad,--I wipe out the mediocre."
Patrick is not only a writer, but also a reader. He said, "I'm a reading omnivore. I read cereal boxes. Lately I've read all of Dickens. I love Dickens, Twain and Bruce Springsteen."
What does Patrick Shannon have to offer teachers, readers, and writers? A great movie that portrays a teacher as a positive influence and role model for children and a bit of good advice: to teach with passion, to become a reading omnivore, and to write daily
Based on Patrick Shannon's Address to the Secondary Section Keynote Address at the National Council of Teachers of English Spring Conference, Boston, Massachusetts. March, 1996.
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