Mark Frost Q&A
Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:48 am
Another update somebody shared on the Twin Peaks:DiaLOG page, this time couetesy of Davey Morrison Dillard:
Just got back from seeing Mark Frost at a couple of panels at the Austin Film Festival! Thought this group might be interested in some of the things he had to say (one of the full interviews--or an edited version of it--may be available on the On Story podcast at some point, I'm not sure). There were several insights into "The Return" that I thought this group might be interested in:
- He remarked multiple times on the passage of time being a central thematic interest in the new series for him as a writer. He also mentioned that he was interested in exploring the "perils of materialism."
- "The Odyssey" was a big influence on Frost for "The Return."
- Greek mythology was also an influence--Pandora's box in episode 8 and the Orpheus myth in episode 17, specifically ("it's an act of hubris to think you can change history and change the course of time," he said, saying that, for him, that's a lot of what the finale is about).
- He and Lynch began discussing a new season of "Twin Peaks" in August of 2012. They spent a year discussing it, another year writing the first two hours, and another year writing the rest of the series.
- It was written very much in response to the crisis and subsequent global panic of 2008-2009.
- Frost said he approached the script less as a TV series or an 18-hour movie and more as a novel that was to be filmed.
- Frost was drawn to Las Vegas as a setting because of the "3-year-old ghost towns" of big suburban developments built just before the boom and immediately abandoned.
- The scene where Candy hits Rodney Mitchum with the remote was conceived by Lynch after a light fell on Robert Knepper on set, leaving a mark that he then had to explain narratively.
- Frost teased a Wally Brando spinoff following him biking across the country (as a joke, but he talked about how much he loves the character and his one scene). Apparently it was Frost's idea to write a scene for Lucy and Andy's son, and Lynch's immediate idea thereafter to cast Michael Cera.
- Catherine Coulson died just five days after shooting her scenes.
- Frost and Lynch did not conceive "The Return" with the line, "I'll see you again in 25 years," in mind. They had both forgotten about it, and heard it again while screening the series to prepare for writing the new show. As soon as they heard it, they turned to each other, thinking it must be a sign they were doing the right thing.
- In the original script for "The Return," Audrey had recovered from the bomb and was running a hair salon. She interacted with her son, Richard, who apparently treated her as poorly as he does his grandmother. It wasn't until they were already shooting that Lynch had other ideas for the character, and called Frost to let him know and send him the scenes. Lynch wrote that material himself, and Frost signed off on it with his blessing, feeling that it was more exciting than what they had originally come up with.
- They had a blast writing Dougie.
- Frost is very into Jung (Lynch is not), and for Frost the Cooper story was very much about a character who had not yet integrated his shadow self to become a full person.
- Frost had the idea for the "Secret History" book after the original series ended, but he didn't get a chance to do it then, so he was excited when the opportunity presented itself anew with "The Return."
- Frost felt that there ought to be an origin story for the evil in this world, and that's where episode 8 came from. The atomic explosion was a paragraph on the page that they knew from the outset would be around 15 minutes onscreen. I think he said the script for that entire episode was only around 12 pages. He said, without any further explanation or clue, "I hope you figured out who she [the little girl in episode 8] was by the end."
- Frost asked to write the script via Skype so he wouldn't have to inhale all of Lynch's secondhand smoke.
- Frost said that his writing process is very focused on intuition and trusting instincts. "You have to please yourself first" was something he said many times.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Just got back from seeing Mark Frost at a couple of panels at the Austin Film Festival! Thought this group might be interested in some of the things he had to say (one of the full interviews--or an edited version of it--may be available on the On Story podcast at some point, I'm not sure). There were several insights into "The Return" that I thought this group might be interested in:
- He remarked multiple times on the passage of time being a central thematic interest in the new series for him as a writer. He also mentioned that he was interested in exploring the "perils of materialism."
- "The Odyssey" was a big influence on Frost for "The Return."
- Greek mythology was also an influence--Pandora's box in episode 8 and the Orpheus myth in episode 17, specifically ("it's an act of hubris to think you can change history and change the course of time," he said, saying that, for him, that's a lot of what the finale is about).
- He and Lynch began discussing a new season of "Twin Peaks" in August of 2012. They spent a year discussing it, another year writing the first two hours, and another year writing the rest of the series.
- It was written very much in response to the crisis and subsequent global panic of 2008-2009.
- Frost said he approached the script less as a TV series or an 18-hour movie and more as a novel that was to be filmed.
- Frost was drawn to Las Vegas as a setting because of the "3-year-old ghost towns" of big suburban developments built just before the boom and immediately abandoned.
- The scene where Candy hits Rodney Mitchum with the remote was conceived by Lynch after a light fell on Robert Knepper on set, leaving a mark that he then had to explain narratively.
- Frost teased a Wally Brando spinoff following him biking across the country (as a joke, but he talked about how much he loves the character and his one scene). Apparently it was Frost's idea to write a scene for Lucy and Andy's son, and Lynch's immediate idea thereafter to cast Michael Cera.
- Catherine Coulson died just five days after shooting her scenes.
- Frost and Lynch did not conceive "The Return" with the line, "I'll see you again in 25 years," in mind. They had both forgotten about it, and heard it again while screening the series to prepare for writing the new show. As soon as they heard it, they turned to each other, thinking it must be a sign they were doing the right thing.
- In the original script for "The Return," Audrey had recovered from the bomb and was running a hair salon. She interacted with her son, Richard, who apparently treated her as poorly as he does his grandmother. It wasn't until they were already shooting that Lynch had other ideas for the character, and called Frost to let him know and send him the scenes. Lynch wrote that material himself, and Frost signed off on it with his blessing, feeling that it was more exciting than what they had originally come up with.
- They had a blast writing Dougie.
- Frost is very into Jung (Lynch is not), and for Frost the Cooper story was very much about a character who had not yet integrated his shadow self to become a full person.
- Frost had the idea for the "Secret History" book after the original series ended, but he didn't get a chance to do it then, so he was excited when the opportunity presented itself anew with "The Return."
- Frost felt that there ought to be an origin story for the evil in this world, and that's where episode 8 came from. The atomic explosion was a paragraph on the page that they knew from the outset would be around 15 minutes onscreen. I think he said the script for that entire episode was only around 12 pages. He said, without any further explanation or clue, "I hope you figured out who she [the little girl in episode 8] was by the end."
- Frost asked to write the script via Skype so he wouldn't have to inhale all of Lynch's secondhand smoke.
- Frost said that his writing process is very focused on intuition and trusting instincts. "You have to please yourself first" was something he said many times.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
