OSU graduate, screenwriter of 'The Rookie' visits Austin Entrepreneurs

Practice makes perfect for screenwriter Mike Rich who graduated from Oregon State, directed "The Rookie," "Finding Forrester"

By: Melissa Petersen

Posted: 1/28/08

Thursday night Weatherford Hall played host to "Finding Forrester" and "The Rookie" as well as critically acclaimed screenwriter - and OSU alumni - Mike Rich.

Famous for movies like "Radio," "Miracle," "The Nativity Story," and many others, Rich took the time to meet with students after each movie screening and held a Q&A session, where students could ask him anything.

While earning a business degree at OSU, Rich also took journalism and creative writing classes, in addition to working part time at KFLY radio station - now known as KEJO.

From those areas he learned a variety of writing styles. "[OSU was just a] continuation of what I had from high school. In high school my teachers instilled in me a love for writing and at OSU the professors nurtured it," he said.

Rich's best advice for students aspiring to be screenwriters - read a lot of screenplays.

"Read thrillers, read romantic comedies. You'll hear a variety of voices," he said.

Even though he never took a screenwriting class, Rich read a lot of screenplays and books about the craft.

Rich thinks that students shouldn't focus on the fundamentals and technicalities of writing, instead - just get it all out.

"Students should do something unique. Hollywood is looking for a unique voice right now," Rich said. "The toughest part is cracking the story. Finding out what is going to drive the story. It's so difficult to make a movie that sustains your interest for two hours."

"The first few pages are really easy. The last 20 are fairly easy. It's the middle 60 that's hard. No one's there to help you, it's just you and the computer."

While Rich was working on the early stages of "Finding Forrester" and all the way through post-production, he worked as a DJ for KINK radio in Portland.

It was only in the pre-production stage of "The Rookie" that he decided to devote one hundred percent of his time to screenwriting. He said that if he didn't make that decision he would've come to regret it later.

Now, Rich writes five days out of the week - four hours each day - and takes the weekends off. He believes that it's good to have time off.

The hours Rich spends writing include no distractions, just pure, intense writing. Even though he has weekends off, he always carries a small notebook with him to jot down dialogue as it comes to him.

With each story, Rich also puts in a bit of research.

"If it's based on a real life individual, I will fly out there to meet with them for more than just a day or two. I will meet with friends, family, etc. One of the great things is meeting people I never would've met," said Rich.

His inspiration for "Finding Forrester" came from exploration.

"During an interview we were talking about the great writers and how reclusive they were and how nobody got through the wall," Rich said.

"For me it was, what if somebody got through the wall?"

The story of "The Rookie" became attractive to Rich, because it was similar to his own story.

"[Jim Morrison was a] high school teacher pursuing the crazy notion of becoming a pitcher. I was a radio announcer with the crazy notion of becoming a screenwriter. The stories I'm attracted to are of ordinary people doing extraordinary things."

Currently, Rich is involved in an ongoing movie project.

"I'm back in the Disney camp again. I've worked with Disney for four movies now," he said.

He is currently working on a movie about Secretariat - one of the last horses to win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.

"You don't have to worry about where you're going. You can make a change at any time. Look at me, I was in my thirties when I wrote 'Finding Forrester.'"

Melissa Petersen, news writer

new@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231