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Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Al Bates
An interview with screenwriter Al Bates regarding the Telluride Indie Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: The title is THE KNOWING. The story is the end of a trilogy. It is about the "god" who created humans over 250,000 years ago returning to Earth in search of at least 144,000 humans who have cleared their spiritual realities with the knowing, which is required for flying the dimensions so they can be airlifted from the Noah type Flood of 2013.
Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?A: As I do with any contest that I enter I ask for the script to be read by a mature adult. Michael Carr did that and the script won because of its story and writing. I've entered other contests and have gotten as far as a finalist. The problem young readers have with the story is, first, they don't believe it, and second, they don't see it having an audience because of what it says about religions. But, it has always gotten the highest marks for originality, concept and storytelling.
Q: Were you satisfied with the adminstration of the contest? Did they meet their deadlines? Did you receive all the awards that were promised?A: Yes, I was very satisfied with the professionalism. They met their deadlines and I received all the awards that were promised. There were no prizes offered and everyone selected was a winner.
Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you find the feedback helpful?A: No, there was no feedback as of yet other than that it was chosen as one of the greatest scripts in the world and it is "An excellent script that should be made into a movie! Excellent writing and very dramatic!" I already knew it was a great script because of whose story it is and how he helped me write the scripts. Took twenty years, but I got it done...and right.
Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?A: I gotten plenty of congratulations, but so far have not heard from anyone with the guts to take on the story. It's more controversial than THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST and will certainly offend every religious person on the planet. But it's the truth right from the one who knows it. He showed me his history and our future. That's in the script.
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: I am one of the premiere illustrators in the country and had no writing experience until HE contacted me and said HE wanted me to write this story. I agreed and HE taught me to write. Over the twenty years I've written three books, one published, and six screenplays, one optioned at Paramount in '92. The trilogy scripts have all been finalists in contests.
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: Not now. I lived there for three years while attending Art Center College of Design, ran with the movie crowd and moonlighted doing storyboards. I would move there temporarily to do the movie, but wouldn't stay. California and all the West Coast won't be there after 2012. I've already seen it.
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: I've thought about doing another script, but all the stories I've come up with have paled in the light of HIS story. I tried writing a script of the actual flood, but it turned out sort of like NBC's 10.5 and THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. And the script about just the spiritual physics of THE KNOWING has been done in WHAT THE (BLEEP) DO WE KNOW. THE KNOWING is about how all humans can solve all their problems with eliminating their fears with knowing their spiritual reality. What could follow that?
Posted Thursday, October 21, 2004
