Jeff Simpson, president of the small but flourishing film and music distributor Excel, knows the best way to cross over to a broad audience is to first serve -- extremely well -- a niche audience.
Excel, which began its foray into film distribution in 2000, found broad audience appeal for its independent films Brigham City and God's Army that were about, and targeted to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints audience.
"There's a misconception that to cross over with a niche film, you have to gener-ify it," says Simpson, speaking from his offices in the International Center a few miles west of downtown Salt Lake City. "The truth is, a story has to go even deeper into a culture to make in universal."
It's a philosophy that seems to be working for Excel.
The entertainment weekly Variety recently rated Excel among the nation's top 10 limited-release -- or "niche" -- film distributors. Niche distributors deal in films playing in less than 600 markets nationwide.
Miramax topped the list with nearly 34 percent of the niche market. But eighth on the list -- just behind Sony Classics and ahead of Fine Line -- was Simpson's Excel, which had grossed $8 million on its films.
The company entered the market two years ago with the God's Army, which followed the lives of a group of LDS missionaries. Excel followed with an even bigger crossover success in the murder mystery Brigham City.
Excel also found a nationwide audience for The Other Side of Heaven which has grossed over $4.4 million.
Excel's newest crossover bid is a love story, Charly, opening this month in Utah and southeastern Idaho. Based on the novel by Jack Weyland, non-Mormon free spirit Charly collides with Sam, a self-satisfied, goal-setting believer. Cultural differences and family attitudes threatened to destroy their love.
It's definitely an LDS niche film, but if you take the word "Mormon" out of a script like Charly, replace it with "Jewish," "Catholic," "Italian" or even "Greek" -- you've got standard Hollywood fare -- not a limited-release cultural-ethnic film. Moonstruck (Italian Catholics), Crossing Delancy (New York Jews), or My Big Fat Greek Wedding were never considered niche films.
But it is only recently that the human condition has been examined through the eyes of Mormon filmmakers.
"LDS people see our films as a mirror," Simpson says of his products. "But they are also a window into the LDS culture."
Perhaps another sign of crossover success is criticism from the originating niche group itself. Excel has gotten complaints for opening the LDS window a little too wide. For instance, some Mormons squirmed at scenes of the church's sacraments being shown in Brigham City.
"The LDS culture is still nervous about how it is portrayed to the outside world," Simpson says. "There have been so many unfair caricatures over the years."
But he says the artists at Excel understand their market and as for crossover, "The best is yet to come."
"The real limitation is: How good are we at making movies and writing stories?" Simpson says. "They can have all the attributes of the religion, but they have to be stories well told. The passion of the story is where your limits lie."
[EXCERPTS]
Oh Hollywood, where art thou?
In a time when your country needs to feel good about life, you send down a list of films full of depressing, intense dramas that mirror our troubled times -- rather than offer us a place to escape.
How else do you explain the success of that little-movie-that-could-make-baklava, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," a cute, romantic, sensitive, fun and inexpensive little film that is actually climbing UP the box office charts -- something that normally never happens.
People want to get away from the fear of terrorism, economic uncertainty and, yes, even the drought. You, my dear Hollywood, are supposed to make the "bad man" go away (for at least a couple of hours). And, frankly, you've screwed the pooch.
Which brings us to our fall movie preview of 2002.
We'll give you a rundown of what to expect between now and Thanksgiving. I'm sure there will be many fine films, but I expect less than 10 percent will be of the gosh-that-felt-good variety.
Oh well, here goes.
Sept. 6 CITY BY THE SEA -- And you think your kids are a problem? Check out this Robert De Niro movie in which he plays a New York homicide detective whose wayward son may be a prime suspect in a murder. It doesn't help that De Niro's father was convicted in an earlier murder trial. Could it be a case of like grandfather, like grandson? And De Niro is the good guy? Strange times, indeed.
...
Sept. 20
...
CHARLY -- One of the most successful Mormon romance novels of all time attempts to go big-screen and, according to the author, Jack Weyland, the movie is better than the book. OK, Jack, you've never tried to pull the wool over our eyes before. We'll give your creation a look-see.
... Nov. 1
THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 -- Even Santa faces the stresses of everyday life. He discovers his own son has made the "naughty" list, he must find a new Mrs. Clause under some kind of prime directive, and he's losing tons of weight, which in most cases would be good -- but he's Santa! Tim Allen reluctantly climbs back into the suit and the sleigh. Let's see if he and the elves can make magic again...
Program originally aired on KSL Radio on September 22, 2002.
Host: Doug Wright
Doug: On our program today, we’re going to talk with Jack Weyland. We’re just delighted to have Jack back with us on the program today to discuss not only the reissue of the book, Charly, and its sequel, Sam, but also to talk about a new major motion picture that is based on the book, Charly. Jack, it’s always a pleasure to welcome you to Everyday Lives, Everyday Values. Welcome back.
Jack: Thank you. It’s great to be here.
Doug: It is so exciting to see how this has unfolded. I can remember—now, we did not talk when this book initially came out. But certainly everybody—this was a pioneering effort in Mormon literature, Mormon novels particularly, and it just grabbed people. People have loved this book. And then to watch the reprints over the years and the success of it and the number of volumes that have been sold, and now to have being made into a motion picture. I can’t resist asking the obvious question—I know some authors have hated it when their books have been made into a motion picture—how do you feel about all this?
Jack: It’s very exciting; I really like the movie. And the thing is, you have all these people collaborating together—anyone of them could have messed it up, and they didn’t. It’s still true to the theme and message of Charly.
Doug: We had the opportunity to talk on my regularly weekday radio program, and we talked not only with you, but we talked with some of the filmmakers. What was that—and for those who are familiar with Jack, you know that he not only is a prolific author but also a physics professor and you know, just on and on and on—what was that like to work with the quote/unquote “Hollywood Types”?
Jack: It’s like a dream; it’s like it’s not really happening. I’ll wake up and say to my wife, “You will not believe what I dreamt last night.” So, to work with people who actually make movies is very exciting for someone who teaches physics to engineers
Doug: Let’s go back to the very beginning and not assume that everybody knows the legacy and the story of Charly. This was first published in, what, if I remember right, 1980?
Jack: That’s correct.
Doug: 1980. How did it come about?
Jack: Well, let’s see, I was in New York in 1979 for a physics conference, and I got bored. And I went to a…
Doug: Do you mean that physics people get bored with physics, too?
Jack: Well, yeah.
Doug: Yeah, okay.
Jack: So, I went to a Broadway play—it was Neil Simons’ Chapter Two--and I thought, “This is great. I think I should write a Broadway play.” And so, I went home and decided to get up early and write a Broadway play because I thought, “Okay, I’ve seen a Broadway play, that’s certainly enough qualification to write one.” So, I wrote it as a play and nobody wanted it. I wrote it as a screenplay and nobody wanted it. I wrote it as a novel and sent it to Deseret Book, and they didn’t like it either. But, I’m so grateful they were willing to work with me, and so we did several versions, and finally they said, “I guess it’s okay.”
Doug: I love talking to you about the genesis of Charly because you just put it right down on the bottom line. When they—not rejected the book—but reluctantly said, “Well, maybe there’s something here,” what was that like for you?
Jack: Well, they, you know, editors don’t say, “There’s a lot of good in this manuscript,” they just tell you what’s wrong with the manuscript. And Eleanor Knolls was editing it for me, and she kept giving me suggestions, and I said, “How long do I have to keep rewriting it?” And she said, “Well, until you get it right.”
Doug: Yeah.
Jack: And so, with her guidance I was able to get it right.
Doug: The relationship between authors and their editors is always interesting. I always think back to one of the premiere editors of certainly the 20th Century, Max Perkins, and I read a book on him once about his interesting relationship with his authors—which included Ernest Hemmingway and Marsha Davenport and F. Scott Fitzgerald and the list just, Tom Wolf, it just goes on and on and on. What is that like for an author—particularly a budding author—when you’re going through that initial refiner’s fire on that first novel? Was it really tough for you?
Jack: Well, it was the first time because you don’t know if you can actually do it or not. But I tell people who do send a manuscript in that if you get a letter back saying, “this manuscript has a lot of flaws,” you should celebrate because that means that they are willing to work with you.
Doug: Yeah. Interesting. The idea for Charly--we talked about what prompted you—but what was the actual idea? Where did the spark come from for this great tale?
Jack: I had a friend whose wife died very young, and so I wanted to write about that. And also I’d seen the movie Love Story, and I was moved by that. But I thought there was more to it; in other words, that the love is not lost, that it does continue.
Doug: Mm-hmm. We will take just a brief break, and we’ll come back and continue talking with Jack Weyland not only about the book Charly, not only about its sequel, Sam--which now has been reprinted—but also about the major motion picture that has been made from the story Charly.
Doug: We’re back with Jack Weyland. We’re talking about Charly, Sam, we’re also talking about the movie. I want to get back to the movie. For those who do love this story—and as I mentioned, it was a groundbreaker in LDS fiction, and a whole generation and now even second generations have latched onto this book and held it dear. Some of us approach these movies that are made out of a book that we so dearly love with a little fear and trepidation. We don’t want Hollywood to mess it up. And I’m taking great comfort in the fact that you feel so good about this movie. What did they do right?
Jack: Well, first of all, they updated some of it because if it had been the same as it had been in the book, that would be bad because it would just be outdated. Second, they were true to the theme of the book and the characters of the book, and I’m just so grateful to that. And so, that’s what I’m happy about.
Doug: Mm-hmm. They stuck to the real story, then, and just maybe updated it a shade.
Jack: Yeah. I think if people would list the scenes that they remember from the book, those scenes are in the movie.
Doug: Mm-hmm. I remember—well, all of your books have always had such a compelling cover, and maybe it’s because I’m a guy and there are always such beautiful girls on the covers of your books—but I remember that initial publication and Shawn’s beautiful picture there on the cover, and I’ve always wondered—because we’ve talked about this before that there was the potential of and this might be happening and now it has happened that this book was made into a motion picture—the casting of Charly must have been an interesting process, and were you involved in that at all?
Jack: No, not a bit. I have a dream to just go around saying, “Work with me people, work with me.” But that’s probably not going to happen.
Doug: Do you mean you haven’t stomped off to your trailer or anything?
Jack: Yeah. Right.
Doug: When you saw the young woman cast as Charly, were you immediately, did you go, “That’s Charly”?
Jack: I did. And I sent her an email telling her that I’d seen the rough-cut, and I greatly appreciated what she’d done for the role.
Doug: Boy, that must have been comforting to her.
Jack: It was.
Doug: I’m sure this was intimidating because, again, this is one of the most beloved works of LDS fiction of all time, and a character that so many people hold dear and love. And for her to step into that role, it must have given great comfort. I mean, we hear of authors that hated the person who was—I know Tom Clancy has never liked Jack Ryan until the latest one—so that must have given her comfort.
Jack: It did. It did. Yeah.
Doug: The sequel, Sam, we have never really talked about this book before. Give us a little insight into its sequel and could that possibly—maybe I’m jumping the gun here—but could there possibly be a sequel to the motion picture as well?
Jack: Well, Sam takes off after the death of Charly.
Doug: Oh, she dies? No, just kidding, just kidding.
Jack: He has a young boy and is single raising a young boy and goes through a grieving process and meets a young woman who he initially hopes will be like Charly but is absolutely nothing like her.
Doug: Yeah.
Jack: But, even so, they do fall in love.
Doug: I might mention to those who are listening and maybe haven’t seen the reissues of the books, they are in trade paperback and just beautiful covers. And what is interesting about these two books, the covers are at the same spot with a whole different feeling and meaning when you look at who is portrayed on the covers. It is just a wonderful, wonderful rendition of these books. Back to the question of the movie, though. Do you think that there might be, you know, assuming that the movie goes well, we could have Sam in the theaters in a year or two?
Jack: Possibly. But you know, people come to me, I don’t go to people, so.
Doug: Yeah. You’re not out peddling it from door to door.
Jack: No, I’m not, I’m not. And I, because I like Charly so much it occurs to me that I would have to be very assured that the integrity of the book would be preserved.
Doug: Right. There has been so much focus on Charly and now even the sequel, the novel Sam, I want to make sure we spend a little time talking about what you’re up to right now. So, when we come back we’ll continue our conversation with Jack Weyland. Charly, the book, has been re-released; Sam has been re-released. And now also the major motion picture Charly is in your theaters. We’ll come back, and we’ll continue talking with Jack Weyland on Everyday Lives, Everyday Values.
Doug: We’re back. Jack Weyland is our guest on Everyday Lives, Everyday Values. Charly and Sam, the sequel, both out in new releases in book form. And then, of course, the motion picture. Jack, what are you working on right now? I know you’ve always got some project cooking.
Jack: I’ve just finished a book for Deseret Book called Cheyenne of New York. And what I wanted to do was to see if I could recreate or duplicate the magic that’s in Charly, so I tried to do that with a love story. And whether I did that I’m not sure, but it’ll be out in, I believe, March.
Doug: Oh, that’s exciting.
Jack: The second thing I have going for me is a Dr. Seuss-type Christmas story which is illustrated and is called King Derryl of Dread, and so that’ll be out in time for Christmas. I also have a short story book called Forever, and I also have a book that I collaborated with Linda Cutlick, and it’s called Eagles Don’t Eat Worms.
Doug: Back to the Dr. Seuss-like book for Christmas that you mentioned. What gave you the inspiration and the desire to do that? That’s a little out of the norm for what most people associate with you.
Jack: I was asked to do something at a ward Christmas party, and so I worked on it, and I liked it. So I then tried to get an illustrator and a publisher.
Doug: Boy, you’ve got to watch out for those ward Christmas parties. You can get sucked into almost anything.
Jack: That’s true.
Doug: It is so true. Over the years, you have written many books. And I know we have discussed books that have really dealt with some difficult, pressing issues of the day. And for you, which do you—and this is like, maybe, asking you which is your favorite child—but which do you enjoy writing more? Kind of the sweet, poignant love stories, or the ones that really kind of tackle some of the social issues of the day, which you have done.
Jack: Well, I have more of a sense of having helped someone when I write a story about an issue that young people face. It’s actually more fun to write a love story and to write humor. That’s what I love to do is write humor.
Doug: When this movie opens, Jack, next weekend, what kind of release is it going to have? I understand it’s multi-state.
Jack: Yes. I believe it’s being released to fifty theaters initially. And you can get on the website jackweylandscharly.com, and you can put in your zip code, and it will tell you a theater near you. And then I believe it’s going to open up in Boise, and it’s going to open up in Arizona sometime in October.
Doug: That’s going to be so much fun. I am looking forward to a special screening that I am going to be seeing, and I will actually see it before it is released in the theaters. So I am wishing you the very, very best with the motion picture, Charly, and with the re-release, too, of these two great books, Charly and Sam. Again, I just wish you the very, very best. And the sales on these books—I know you are so modest about this—but the number of copies that are out there in circulation, it is just amazing. That has to be gratifying to know that people have grasped and have loved these characters in these books the way you have.
Jack: Plus the fact that it goes across generations.
Doug: Mm-hmm.
Jack: And so you have grandparents telling their grandchildren about the book. That’s fun, too.
Doug: Absolutely. And you think now, it’s hard for me to believe this book has been out now for twenty-two years. When you wrote the book—as you mentioned, waking up from a dream—did it ever even occur to you this might be a movie someday.
Jack: Never. No, not ever.
Doug: Jack, I wish you the very, very best of luck with the motion picture, with the books that you are working on right now, and then of course the re-release and the reprinting of Charly and Sam. You’ve got to promise to come back soon.
Jack: Love to.
Doug: Jack Weyland here on Everyday Lives, Everyday Values. And don’t forget that Jack Weyland’s Charly opens September 27th in Utah and Southeastern Idaho. It will open October 11th in Boise, Phoenix, and in Tucson. Heather Beers stars as Charly, and Jeremy Elliott stars as Sam Roberts. It’s Jack Weyland’s Charly.
Editor's note: This is the complete text of a story that ran in abbreviated form in the Sept. 24 Standard-Examiner.
SALT LAKE CITY -- Jeff Simpson, president of the small but flourishing film and music distributor Excel, knows the best way to cross over to a broad audience is to first serve - extremely well - a niche audience.
Excel, which began its foray into film distribution in 2000, found broad audience appeal for its independent films "Brigham City" and "God's Army" that were about, and targeted to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints audience.
"There's a misconception that to cross over with a niche film, you have to generify it," says Simpson, speaking from his offices in the International Center a few miles west of downtown Salt Lake City. "The truth is, a story has to go even deeper into a culture to make in universal."
It's a philosophy that seems to be working for Excel.
The entertainment weekly "Variety" recently rated Excel among the nation's top 10 limited-release - or "niche" - film distributors.
Niche distributors deal in films playing in less than 600 markets nationwide.
Miramax topped the list with nearly 34 percent of the niche market. But eighth on the list - just behind Sony Classics and ahead of Fine Line - was Simpson's Excel, which had grossed $8 million on its films.
The company entered the market two years ago with "God's Army," which followed the lives of a group of LDS missionaries. Excel followed with an even bigger crossover success in the murder mystery "Brigham City."
Excel also found a nationwide audience for "The Other Side of Heaven," which has grossed about $4.4 million.
Excel's newest crossover bid is a love story, "Charly," opening this month in Utah and southeastern Idaho. Based on the novel by Jack Weyland, non-Mormon free spirit Charly collides with Sam, a self-satisfied, goal-setting believer. Cultural differences and family attitudes threatened to destroy their love.
It's definitely an LDS niche film, but if you take the word "Mormon" out of a script like "Charly," replace it with "Jewish," "Catholic," "Italian" or even "Greek" - you've got standard Hollywood fare - not a limited-release cultural-ethnic film. "Moonstruck" (Italian Catholics), "Crossing Delancy" (New York Jews), or "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" were never considered niche films.
But it is only recently that the human condition has been examined through the eyes of Mormon filmmakers.
"LDS people see our films as a mirror," Simpson says of his products. "But they are also a window into the LDS culture."
Perhaps another sign of crossover success is criticism from the originating niche group itself. Excel has gotten complaints for opening the LDS window a little too wide. For instance, some Mormons squirmed at scenes of the church's sacraments being shown in "Brigham City."
"The LDS culture is still nervous about how it is portrayed to the outside world," Simpson says. "There have been so many unfair caricatures over the years."
But he says the artists at Excel understand their market and as for crossover, "The best is yet to come."
"The real limitation is: How good are we at making movies and writing stories?" Simpson says. "They can have all the attributes of the religion, but they have to be stories well told. The passion of the story is where your limits lie."
Infant Girl Battles Rare Condition
A benefit for 8-month-old Emily Heaps of Lehi, who was born essentially without an immune system, will begin tonight at Jordan Commons, 9400 S. State St. Heaps suffers from a rare condition known as Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID).
The Heaps family has started a fund to pay for Emily's mounting medical bills.
At 5 p.m., a premiere of Jack Weyland's movie "Charly" will be held, with proceeds going to the medical fund. Several area bands will perform before the movie is screened at 7 p.m.
From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday, a ferris wheel will offer rides at $2 per person to also benefit the medical fund. After the movie, and during parts of the weekend, cast members will available for autographs.
Donations can be made to the Emily Heaps account at Utah Community Credit Union. For more information about this account, call the bank at 801-223-8188.
When Jack Weyland published his first novel, Charly, he had no idea that it would become the best-selling, word-of-mouth phenomenon it did. Now, twenty-two years after Charly first captured the hearts and minds of a generation, it has inspired the production of a major motion picture. Starring Heather Beers and Jeremy Elliott, the tale of Charly and Sam's enduring love will open in theaters across Utah and Idaho on September 27 (with additional openings in Arizona on October 11).
Here, Jack Weyland gives us his perspective on both writing the story and finally seeing it portrayed on the big screen. It's a first-hand account of the thoughts and experiences of an author who has become a favorite for hundreds of thousands of readers around the nation.
Q: Charly was wildly successful, especially for a first novel. Did you anticipate that kind of reception?
JW: No, not a bit. I had no clue. Money was so tight then, our hot water heater was going out. The mattress on our bed was so shot that my wife's back was hurting, and she was sleeping on the floor. I was so new to the publishing business I wasn't even sure if I would get paid for writing Charly. Deseret Book asked me to come to Salt Lake for my first book signing, and that's when I found out they had already sold 8,000 copies of Charly and expected sales to continue. I called my wife and told her about the new contract -- she had a headache when she answered the phone, but it was gone by the time the conversation was over. Needless to say, we got a new mattress and a water heater.
Q: What inspired you to write Charly?
JW: I was at a physics conference in New York City, and I could only stand to stay at the conference maybe two or three hours a day, then I'd sneak out and go to museums. I had always wanted to go to a Broadway play, but I never had any money. I was at Times Square my last night out, and I ran into this booth that sold half-price tickets. It was a quarter to 8:00, but they still had a ticket for Neil Simon's Chapter 2 play. I ended up on the third row, in the center of a Broadway theater! I was blown away by the dialogue, and I thought, "I can do this. It's true I have a Ph.D. in physics, but I'm going home and writing a Broadway play!" That play was Charly, but of course nobody wanted it. I thought that if you'd attended a play, that was enough qualification to write one. When I got nowhere, I turned it into a novel.
Q: Did anyone in your own life influence the novel's characters?
JW: Yes, Charly's sort of a composite of my wife, Sherry. Sherry's a New York native who converted to the LDS Church, and her parents have always been rather amused by her conversion. My wife has a great sense of humor, and she has that pure Christian love. I've learned so much from Sherry -- like Charly, she sees every person as someone to be loved. I think in the book, you can tell at a moment's glance that Sam tends to compartmentalize people into being acceptable and unacceptable; I suppose that's a feeling I had about myself. For the storyline, I also drew from the experience of watching a good friend lose his wife just after having their first child. I was so impressed he could speak at his wife's funeral and testify that they would be together again some day. And after my father died of cancer, I guess I transferred some of my own grief and hope to the story, as well.
Q: How does it feel to have your first novel go to film?
JW: It's amazing--to see it, to see the result of so many people working toward the same vision that I had for the book. It gives the story new life. It is just an incredible experience.
Q: How did you feel before you saw a cut of the film?
JW: Fear. Just total fear. What if I didn't like it? I prepared myself by thinking, "It's okay because authors aren't supposed to like their movies."
Q: What were your first impressions after you saw the film?
JW: I was overwhelmed by the movie. Janine [the screenwriter] and her husband and I screened the film in a small room. The film ends, and I'm crying; Janine's crying; and her husband's crying. We were just so amazed that it's able to generate that kind of emotion, especially in me, because, wait a minute, I wrote this!
Q: What about the film most pleases you?
JW: It is a story for anybody, because lots of people have a crisis of faith; lots of people suffer the loss of a loved one; lots of people have to learn to be more like the Savior. I think this moves beyond a Mormon experience to be more universal.
Q: Did you get involved in casting any of the roles?
JW: No, because I am a person who is more auditory than visual. I hear characters' dialogue; I don't see them. The visual stuff of filmmaking is better left to the experts.
Q: What is your opinion of the people who were cast?
JW: I was very impressed with the entire cast. In fact, the actors have already replaced the original mental pictures I had of the characters.
Q: What approach do you take when you begin writing a novel?
JW: I start by writing dialogue for pages and pages. It's how I become acquainted with my characters -- at first I don't even know what they look like, but I can hear their voices. I also get a lot of help from my editors -- Eleanor Knowles was very helpful with Charly. The book was not very good at first. In fact, one writer was talking to Eleanor and said, "It's too bad Charly isn't publishable." The editors just kept working with me, and I got better. Eleanor knows I'm greatly in debt to her.
Q: What are your favorite novels you've written?
JW: My favorites are, of course, Charly, A New Dawn, Jake, and Megan.
Q: Any plans for your next novel?
JW: I'm working on a piece that is something of a mirror image of Charly, with a young woman who goes to New York and meets a conceited, impossible young man. It's exciting for me to be delving into this next novel.
Jack Weyland's CHARLY opens in theaters across Utah and Southern Idaho on Friday, September 27. To watch the trailer for the film or get more information, please visit the web site www.charlythemovie.com.