My Most Mesmerizing Mentor: Graeme Campbell

Today, January 18th, I raise a glass in memory to one of my earliest and most influential mentors, the highly-respected actor, Graeme Campbell, who passed away on this day in 1992. I was blessed to be taken under his wing as an actor at the age of 15. He was a kind, generous, and impressive man who nurtured my development as a creative artist.

We first met in rehearsals for the theatrical production of Treasure Island in 1972. I played cabin boy ‘Jim Hawkins’ and Graeme was the formidable one-legged ‘Long John Silver’, hobbling across the stage with his crutch and a squawking parrot on his shoulder. His performance inspired everyone who shared the stage with him. He raised the bar.

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Meeting the right mentors is one of the most important steps in one’s life. Having that protective figure in your corner, someone with experience and authentic wisdom that you can trust, is a rare blessing.

Graeme was genuinely interested in my development as an actor. He listened to my concerns. He was enthusiastic about my goals and my life. He championed me. He taught me to believe in myself. I cherished our time together.

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Meeting Governor General Roland Michener and his wife, with Graeme Campbell and Director Paddy Crean following the opening performance of Treasure Island at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. (That’s me on the left)

We performed together a year later in the musical, Camelot. Graeme was unforgettable in the role of ‘King Arthur.’ I played ‘Tom of Warwick,’ the young page who dreams of fighting for the Round Table. In the powerful closing moments of the play, Tom is knighted with the King’s legendary sword, Excalibur. Then, Arthur instructs him to circumvent the pending battle, run back to Camelot, and carry out his commands.

There are moments in one’s life that one never forgets. For me, it’s the unique and magical few minutes of this final scene. Night after night, show after show. It was mesmerizing. Our characters would disappear. There was no stage. There were no costumes. Graeme would look down, his eyes full of love, like a father speaking to the son he never had: “For as long as you live, you will remember what I, the King, tell you.”

Recounting it here, many decades later, brings a flood of emotions. Thank you, Graeme Campbell, for your mentorship. Thank you for teaching me about greatness. I have never forgotten your words.

“Don’t let it be forgot
that once there was a spot
for one brief shining moment
that was known as Camelot.”

Graeme Campbell (Nov. 30, 1940 - Jan. 18, 1992)

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Duel (1971): Script to Screen

DUEL, starring Dennis Weaver, began as a short story written by Richard Matheson who then transitioned it into a teleplay with Steven Spielberg directing. Spielberg went considerably over budget, going 3 days longer than the producer’s ten day schedule. The edited version for TV clocked in at 74 minutes. After excellent ratings and reviews, Universal brought Spielberg back to shoot more footage and create a 90 minute version for a theatrical release overseas.

The teleplay reads more like a shooting script with far more camera direction than most contemporary scripts. Spielberg made many changes to Matheson’s scripted vision, and that is the important exercise in going from ‘Script to Screen.’ Reading the script while watching the movie might wear out your pause and rewind buttons, but learning filmmakers can benefit from gaining a better understanding of how a great director lifts the words from the page and turns them into shots and sequences.

Spielberg is noted for strong planning and preparation. For DUEL, Spielberg created detailed sketches for how the production and shooting days would unfold. Screen direction was critical for storytelling, and driving stunts needed to be carefully worked out. But even with the best-laid-plans, there’s no guarantees that the show will be on time or budget.

I had a conversation about Spielberg’s visual direction with Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting) who told me that if you watch the film at 4X regular speed you can totally understand the story. I’m going to try that as an exercise with an upcoming class.

Download script: DUEL

12 Angry Men (1957): Script to Screen

Sidney Lumet’s first feature film, 12 Angry Men, is a model for low-budget indie filmmakers. Set in one main location, an ordinary jury room, the story unfolds in one day and focuses on the contentious final deliberations of a murder trial. It’s a directorial tour-de-force in blocking, composition and performance. A film to be thoroughly studied for many reasons, including financing, production methodology and visual direction.

The screenplay clocks in at 180 pages. Long by contemporary standards, and not in the format that we see in today’s screenplays. Still, going from “script to screen” is a valuable exercise to understand how Lumet approaches the narrative, visually shaping it through camera position, character placement, and lens choice.

Download script: 12 ANGRY MEN