Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Douglas Phillips
An interview with screenwriter Douglas Phillips regarding the Nevada Film Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: My Script (the Nevada Film 2001 third place winner) is "Lost Boundaries," an adventure/drama based on a true story. In 1855, the Juan Navarro band of Mexican bandits kidnapped, raped and murdered a 15-year-old girl from a ranch in New Mexico Territory, and then escaped across the border. But the girl's two brothers tracked them down and wouldn't rest until they'd killed all thirteen bandits. Then the brothers were arrested for murder, but were sprung from Mexico by the U.S. Cavalry; their case finally landed on the desk of President Franklin Pierce, who decided to let them go home in peace rather than extradite them.
I developed this script from a scant amount of information about the real-life incident. I portray both sides of the story. It's a pretty safe bet that Navarro's band, like most Mexican bandits of the time, were acting partly in retaliation for America's unprovoked war against Mexico in 1846. The script's primary point is that even if the other side in a conflict (in this case the U.S.) was wrong, retaliating against innocent people just makes the problem worse. That message is still important in today's world.
The story also has heroism, loyalty, coming-of-age and reluctant-buddy angles. And all of my scripts, including this one, expose the fallacies of racism.
A: In the year after I first completed "Lost Boundaries," I entered it in several contests. I was about to mail copies to four contests in one day, when I hit a sudden financial reversal. So of the four, I chose only Nevada Film. It seemed a good fit, since the contest rules required the story to be 75 percent filmable in Nevada, which made for a narrower field. There were 150 qualified contest entries.
Shortly after placing in Nevada Film, "Lost Boundaries" also took 4th place in the Bare Bones contest. It's done well in some contests, and not so well in others. Some judges think my dialogue written in hick dialect is great, while others hate it. Can't please everyone.
A: Jeanne Corcoran at Nevada Film (who is herself a sold screenwriter) was wonderful to work with. She kept me informed on everything.
The announcement of the winners was a little delayed, because one the judges apparently ran off with some of the scripts. But it was worth the wait.
I received everything that was promised: cash, a copy of Final Draft software, a free listing on InkTip, a press meeting in Las Vegas presided over by the Lieutenant Governor, and exposure to producers. I also got two nights at Caesar's Palace, which was a freebie add-on.
A: I believe I was supposed to get written feedback from the judges, but as it turned out I only got an oral summary from Jeanne. What I did get was helpful.
Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?A: Between this contest and Bare Bones, I got a year's free listing on InkTip.com and two free announcements in their Players Marketplace magazine. As a result of that exposure, I got reads from several producers and from two agents. (I was also contacted by one production company as a result of listing myself on Moviebytes Winning Scripts.) One agent was impressed with my dialogue work and storytelling ability, but admitted she had no market for "Westerns." She then asked to read one of my other scripts, and ended up repping me for six months.
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: I'm a Medical Technologist, working in a hospital lab. I've also worked as a Computer Programmer, and in Materials Management. Writing is a sideline. I've been writing (fiction and nonfiction) for over 30 years. I'm also a staff film critic (under a pseudonym) for a website with over 50 million hits per month.
My start in screenwriting was the first Project Greenlight contest in 2000. I've written several other screenplays, multiple genres: a docudrama, a romantic comedy, and a couple of detective thrillers.
Last fall, I wrote a one-hour TV drama pilot for a contest called The C.A.S.T. Project, where we had to create a series tailored to seven already-chosen actors. My entry was a top-ten finalist, and the competition included working L.A. writers.
A: I live in Wisconsin, and that's where I intend to stay.
After placing in Nevada Film, I was contacted by semi-retired screenwriter John Hill (writer of "Little Nikita" and "Quigley down Under"), who lives in Vegas, and asked if the contest exposure had helped me in marketing my script. We corresponded by email quite a bit. He was very helpful, but his view on the politics of the business is that you can't begin a screenwriting career unless you move to L.A. If I took his advice, I'd give up this pursuit and just write novels instead. But I have to believe that in the Internet age, the old politics will eventually die out and producers will go for the best product regardless of origin. It was heartening to see "House of Sand and Fog" released, because screenwriter Shawn Otto lives in Minnesota (his wife is a State Leglislator) and he was "discovered" through script contests.
A: I have several scripts in process. One is about the guilt carried by the modern-day heir of a mining fortune, over the conditions nineteenth-century mine workers were subjected to. Another is the true story of a female northwoods Wisconsin pioneer Doctor. Another is a true but controversial story set in the Pacific, in the days before the U.S. officially entered World War II.
If you're a writer, you have to keep writing.
Posted Wednesday, February 4, 2004
