The Black Waters of Echo's Pond

I interviewed Sean Clark at the Los Angeles 2008 Fangoria Weekend of Horrors, where he was promoting his film, The Black Waters of Echo's Pond. Touted as "the darkest night of horror you will ever know," the film stars Danielle Harris, James Duvall, Mircea Monroe, Elise and Electra Avellan, Nick Mennell and Robert Patrick. The storyline follows a group of nine friends who vacation at a Victorian home on an island. They find a game that brings out the worst in each of them as they play it.

When did you begin writing?

"Seriously, around 1999. I was interested in writing in elementary school and wrote a bunch of stories, but I never thought about making it a career until 1999. I've always wanted to make movies. Film is my passion."

What inspires you? Where do your ideas come from?

"My craziest ideas come from my dreams. I get my best ideas at the weirdest times - in bed when I'm trying to sleep, in the shower or on the toilet! I'm heavily influenced by the genre and by the films I love. I even put homages - tips of the hat, in my stories. No rip offs, but you can see the influences."

Whose work inspires you?

"No specific screen writer was influential. Filmmakers that influenced me were the classics - Stephen King, Clive Barker. Ultimately, I want to be a writer-director.

Wait! I take that back! Rod Serling was a major influence as well as Richard Matheson and George Clayton Johnson, writers of several Twilight Zone episodes."

Sean pulls up his right sleeve and shows a colorful tattoo of Rod Serling surrounded by Twilight Zone icons. He pulls up the left sleeve and shows another tattoo, an homage to A Clockwork Orange.

"Stanley Kubric was an influence too. You might say I wear my influences on my sleeves!"

How do you build your characters?

"I try to make people as real as possible. I think of what they would say in normal conversations. They don't just talk about the topic. There are random things in dialog. I try to bring out their personality through dialog. That's important to me.

I think about my characters and decide ahead of time who the person is and show them through their dialog and description."

When does your editing process start? Does anyone help with it?

The way that it's worked for me, so far, is other people giving input. The read it and tell me to expand on this and scale back on that. I have friends that I trust. I trust their opinions.

On Black Waters I edited it about 20 times. When producers and investors get involved, it changes and things evolve. They may say, 'I want this person in the movie. Write a part for them.'

For example, Elise and Electra Avellan. The original part wasn't sisters. I had to rewrite to make the part for twin sisters. It changed the story. Lots of changes come all the way down through the story when you add characters."

What do you do to work through writer's block?

I don't write. If I hit a wall, I can't force it. I have to be in the zone. If I force it, it turns out to be garbage.

I write best when no one is around. The best time is between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. I can't write during the day for some reason. I've pulled quite a few all nighters and I'll stop when the sun comes up."

What writing exercises, if any, did you do to hone your craft?

"None. I've had no training whatsoever. I learned technique from reading and writing scripts. I just write from the gut.

I have nothing against training, but I think, just my opinion, being trained to write a certain way limits you. I'd rather have someone tell me, 'That's wrong!' than write from inside a box."

Tell me about your latest project, The Black Waters of Echo's Pond. What steps did you take to get your script made into film?

I have no agent. I partnered with a friend who wants to find investors. He believes in my writing. His name is Michael Shahoud. He's my pitch man. If it wasn't for him, Black Waters wouldn't have happened. He's behind my next two projects.

All I care about is making cool movies. I want the chance to make films that people care about."

Sean Clark is a personable young man who cares about his writing, his actors and his fans. He was a constant on the film set, where he took the time to talk to the actors about what he was trying to convey in any given scene. He even put up his own money to have posters made so that fans at the Fangoria convention would have something to get signed by the actors who filled The Black Waters of Echo's Pond panel. He granted this writer an immediate interview without an appointment. He truly is deserving of the accolades this movie will bring him.