MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter John Lewis

An interview with screenwriter John Lewis regarding the And... Action! Writing Competition.

A: "THE MIDNIGHT RAMBLER" is the story of a repo man discovers his Colombian wife has a past that forces him into service as an undercover DEA agent to bring in her ex-fiancee; the head of the Cali Drug Cartel.

The story takes place over a three day period leading up to Halloween, 2005. It tells the story of two of the most successful entrepreneurs in their respective industries; Repo Man extraordinaire ROB SAMPSON and Colombian Drug Lord JORGE GONZALEZ.

Married for over twenty years, Rob Sampson always felt there was something missing in his relationship with his beautiful Latin wife, Monica. Although she was the prefect spouse, there was something wrong, and Rob could never put his finger on it.

As the story starts, we see Repo Man Rob Sampson in action. The world of automobile repossession is an unknown place to most people. It¹s a mysterious business, and it provides a film maker the rare opportunity to show an industry that has yet to be properly displayed on film. Repossession represents action, adventure and at times, humor. This film will capture all of those qualities as it shows the audience exactly how a real Repo Man operates. I know, because for twenty years, I was a Repo Man. I built the largest repossession company in the country before retiring in 1999 at age forty. My name is John Charles Lewis, and the repossession activity shown in this film is based on actual repossessions I performed, utilizing what I call "reel-life fiction". Portions of the story actually happened, others are fictitious. The opening montage of repossession activity is fueled by the driving passion of the film¹s title track; The Rolling Stones classic live anthem MIDNIGHT RAMBLER.

As the story unfolds, the skeleton in Monica Sampson's closet reveals itself in the form of her former fiancée; Colombian drug lord Jorge Gonzalez. Monica's hidden her past from Rob for twenty-six years when the DEA discovers her secret. Unsure of her involvement with Gonzalez and the Cali Drug Cartel, the DEA recruit's Rob to become an undercover agent. At the same time, they attempt to sequester Monica on a bogus jury duty assignment.

THE MIDNIGHT RAMBLER features several characters whose lives are intertwined. These characters, combined with the themes of the film, work together to form smooth and matching transitions from one sequence to the next as the story unfolds.

When Monica and Rob discover they're being set up by the DEA, the turn the tables and join forces with Gonzalez, who's escaped Colombia after a daring raid which nearly took his life.

The screenplay has been written to feature the music of one musical group; The Rolling Stones. It includes a small cameo role for each member of the band, including Keith Richards, whom Rob Sampson has befriended after naming his son after the legendary guitarist. The bond that develops between the characters drives the story towards its surprising and exciting conclusion at a Rolling Stones concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on Halloween night.

A: This is my first script. After nearly five years of writing, I finally finished a draft I felt I could show someone. My mentor suggested I start entering a few contests. I entered a few and so far, I've been fortunate to receive:

Top Ten Finalist 2003 Indie Producers IP screenwriting contest

Honorable Mention 2003 Screenplay Festival

Honorable Mention 2004 Filmakers.com screenwriting competition

Top 5 Finalist And ... Action Screenwriting contest

The good news is I received all these on an old draft. I feel much better about the final draft I've recently completed. Funny thing is, I was getting ready to enter the 2004 And ... Action contest and I saw my name as a top 5 finalist from 2003, I didn't even know I'd placed.

A: Well, no one ever notified my I was a finalist, at least according to my records. I have no idea what awards, if anything you get for finishing in the Top 5. I'm just happy I can add it to the list of awards I list on my web site promoting the script:

www.themidnightrambler.com

A: I did not receive any from And ... Action.

I have received other feedback on other contests and yes, it's been helpful.

A: Not a thing. I have a good lawyer, Jeff Frankel at Colden, Mckuin and Frankel, but he was referred by a friend. I haven't started trying to get an agent, but I need one.

A: I am an entrepreneur. I was in the Automobile Repossession industry for twenty years, building the largest repo company in the country. I sold it in 1999 and retired at 40. Everyone told me I needed to write a book because I had so many interesting repo stories. I'd also recently named my son after Keith Richards of the Stones and as a result of Keith liking our birth announcement, my wife and I were invited to meet and get to know him. He's been really nice to our family over the last few years and I've included him in the story, I named it after my favorite Stones song and I'm hoping he likes it enough to attach himself to the project.

A: I live in El Dorado Hills, a small town between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. I have no plans to move back to LA, where I've lived previously. I'm originally from Chicago.

A: My father passed away last summer. He had a heart attack at age 83 during a routine treadmill test. While he was recovering from open heart surgery, we spent a great deal of time together. During this time, I realized he should have been dead exactly nine times in his life. From WWII to cancer, he'd dodged quite a few bullets. Unfortunately, he his cancer came back and his kidney failed after the surgery, so we lost him last June. My new script is entitled "THE CAT" and its inspired by my Dad and his nine lives.

Posted Sunday, September 5, 2004