In the third of our ongoing series of interviews of our favorite clients and collaborators, we have screenwriter Ben Epstein, who tapped Greasy Pig Studios to do the pitchbook for his screenplay, Who Are You People.

This is a big, long, meaty interview, so much so that I’ve actually had to go break it up into two parts. So after you read this, stay tuned cause the next one’s coming up soon after!

GPS: Hey Ben, can you tell the readers about yourself and/or your work?

Ben Epstein: I work as a writer for TV and film, and am also prepping to direct an indie feature drama. I write for a show on ABC Family called “10 Things I Hate About You,” which has started airing season 1.5. (I wrote episode 4.) I’m also revising a screenplay called ID THEFT which Charlize Theron is attached to star in and produce.

I’m working with Killer Films (“Boys Don’t Cry,” “Far From Heaven“) and the Safran Company (“Buried“) on my feature drama “Who Are You People,” which is also being cast by Avy Kaufman (“Bourne” movies, “Brokeback Mountain“)

Also, writing a bunch of spec features and pilots.

How did you come upon Greasy Pig Studios, and can you describe our collaboration?

My friend and colleague Matt Manson had worked with Arvin on a project, and put me in touch. Matt and I went to college together at NYU film school, and have been friends and collaborators for years.

Since WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE primarily deals with family legacies, I came to Arvin with the idea of putting together a presentation lookbook which resembled a family album scrapbook. I provided Arvin with materials such as text, photos, and storyboards, and he helped craft an aesthetic that emulated the eventual style of the film.

Arvin would put together mockups of the pages, and I would give notes, he’d make adjustments, until we eventually arrived on a presentation that worked best. Once we had agreed on a template, the work flowed very fast.

While I’d done a lot of graphic design, and obviously a lot of film work, this was actually the first time I’d been tasked with designing an entire book. If you were doing it again, could you think of how you’d make the process go smoother? Not that I’m saying it didn’t go smooth

The only thing that could be easier is making adjustments along the way. But that’s not a conceptual thing, and the workflow was really clear and communicative. Rather, adjustments to the pages once they were fully conceptualized.

But it was a really smooth process. If making the film is as painless as making the lookbook, I’m all good.

I think we benefitted from having a really strong concept knocked out before we really hit all the content, which was a LOT.

Yeah, the concept really guided us throughout all the stages of making the book. We could always default to a clear, over-riding idea.

For instance, I recall the issue of the background: The first version was a sort of half-transparency of some pictures, which was aesthetically consistent with the look we were going for, but didn’t quite fit into the visual motif. Rather than trying to endlessly adjust something that already looked good, we knew we should default to the “stationary” background, which was more in line with the overall approach.

Please describe what, to you, makes for a good client/contractor relationship. How can the freelancer make sure to satisfy the client, and how can the client get the most bang for their buck?

The best thing a client can do is have a strong idea going in of what they want, and be able to articulate it. Contractors are not mind-readers; they are people who help realize a vision.

The freelancer should always know what the client wants, and if they don’t, force him or her to better articulate it. Arvin and I worked well together because there was a unifying concept behind our work, which made everything nicely fall into place.

I think one thing I told you which I always tell my clients is that, there’s no amount of material that you can give me that’s too much.

Well, as long as it’s unified. If I gave you two things that were totally disparate and said “do both,” that would get us both in trouble.

Well, in a case like that i essentially tell the client that if they wanted two different versions of things, they’re essentially gonna have to pay for two different versions.

Yes. So the client should choose. Which can be hard. But that’s part of the business of this.

Making choices, which extends to most artistic pursuits.

Yeah man, isn’t like the entire goal of being a creative professional is that you get to make the creative choices?

Yes, but choices are also intimidating. You have no one else to blame.

That about does it for the first half of this interview. In part two, we talk to Ben about the business of being a screenwriter, what having representation means for his day to day operations, and what he’s up to now.