Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Steven Hart
An interview with screenwriter Steven Hart regarding the ReelHeART Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: It's called Overwhelming Darkness and it's about a jaded crime reporter who accidentally kills a child rapist, then goes off on a vigilante killing spree. As you can tell, it's all happy, cheery stuff!
Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?A: The ReelHeART Film Festival in Toronto seemed to have a very friendly and down to earth feel about it, and that's why I entered their screenplay contest. Oh and yes and I have found that they are very friendly and down to earth people indeed. I've also entered the screenplay in several other competitions in Canada and the USA and have been a finalist in a couple of US festivals and gotten excellent feedback from a few others.
Q: Were you satisfied with the administration of the contest? Did they meet their deadlines? Did you receive all the awards that were promised?A: So far, as I said above, the ReelHeART people have been very friendly and down to earth, and I've found them to be extremely professional and helpful at all times. I'm going to the festival at the end of June and I'm really looking forward to the table read of my screenplay, very exciting stuff indeed.
Q: How long did it take you to write the script? Did you write an outline beforehand? How many drafts did you write?A: I started the script at the end of 2006 and finished the first draft about a year later, as I work as a college lecturer full-time. I put it away for a good while and then went back to it after a few months, read it over again and decided it really needed a good solid re-write. After this I put it in to a couple of competitions and got some excellent feedback that really helped me to re-write and polish the script yet again.
I wrote a very brief outline before I started writing the script as I had a solid beginning and ending to my story.
I think that I must have written at least five, or six drafts (maybe more)before I entered the script in the ReelHeART contest in 2010.
A: Final Draft 7 is the software that I've been using over the past few years, and Microsoft Word is really the only other one that I've used.
Q: Do you write every day? How many hours per day?A: I wish that I had the time to write every day, but having a full-time teaching commitment can make it extremely difficult. I have been working on the novelisation of my story for the past couple of years when I get the time and I'm currently working with an illustrator to turn it in to a graphic novel, which is great fun, when we get the chance to get together.
Q: Do you ever get writer's block? If so, how do you deal with that?A: Yes, I'd say every now and again. I'll try to get myself away from the block and do something else that's creative like draw, or paint, or maybe even watch a movie, or read a book. I'll sometimes also maybe go and play raquetball, or badminton, or work out just to try to clear my head and really get my blood pumping!
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: My background was as a Copywriter and Art Director in Advertising, where I used to write lots of TV and Radio scripts, and ad copy. I've also been teaching Art and Design for many years now, which really gives you some great life experience to draw ideas from. Although, I'd say Overwhelming Darkness definitely came from somewhere completely different in the dark recesses of my mind!
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: No I live in Glasgow, Scotland, the land of rain and whisky. I'd really love to visit Los Angeles, but I'll most likely end up moving to Canada as my wife is Canadian.
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: I definitely have lots of interesting ideas for new stories. I'd love to do Overwhelming Darkness as a trilogy, most likely set in three different locations. As I said above I'm currently working on the graphic novel version (doing the art direction) with an Illustrator friend of mine, and this is most definitely a new and extremely exciting way forward for me which I'm really enjoyingand hoping to make successful.
Posted Wednesday, April 13, 2011
