Screenwriter, director, playwright and DePaul University Theatre School alum Zach Helm (“Stranger than Fiction,” “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium”) returned to Chicago to be honored at the School’s recent 2008 Awards for Excellence in the Arts.
Native Californian Helm, who came to Chicago to attend the Theatre School at 17 and left at 23, talks to the Reel’s Tim Horsburgh.
REELCHICAGO: Did you specify that your screenplay, “Stranger Than Fiction,” had to be filmed in Chicago? How instrumental were you in that decision?
ZACH HELM: I didn’t intend to set it in Chicago, but when director Marc Forster, producer Lyndsay Doran and I talked about where could we film ? I mentioned Chicago.
Did you specify that ?Stranger Than Fiction’ had to be filmed in Chicago? How instrumental were you in that decision?
Actually, I didn’t intend to set it in Chicago, but when director Marc Forster, producer Lyndsay Doran and I talked about where could we film? I mentioned Chicago. We talked a lot about the architecture and how there are really great actors here.
It’s interesting; in movies you only think about stars in a way; you don’t think about people who can come in and do one scene and those people are vital. You want to go some place that has great actors, and Chicago is one of those places.
I wanted to shoot ?Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium’ here but it was going to prove too difficult functionally for us.
In what way was it difficult?
[More so] about the economy of the situation and the proximity, oddly enough, of our production designer and the rest of our crew.
We had a British cinematographer, the production designer and the costume designer were based out of New York. It was easier and quicker for those people to work in Toronto.
