MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter David Carey

An interview with screenwriter David Carey regarding the Canadian Short Writing Competition.

A: My screenplay is called "No Man's Land". It's about an Irish soldier marooned in no man's land during World War One's battle of the Somme. Nearby, there appears to be a German soldier in the same predicament as he, and over the course of just a few days their conversations turn them from enemies into kindred spirits. Yet, (it can't be that simple) all is not what it seems.

A: I found the Canadian Short Screenplay competition by pure chance on an Irish website about the arts, creativecareers.ie. I have never entered a contest before with this script. What made me enter this competition was the open nature of application. Nationality was not a restriction. Most of all however, I entered the competition with the hope of being in the top 3, so my story would be turned from paper into film.

A: I entered prior to the deadline, if I recall rightly it was on the 11th of November, seeing as that was Armistice Day, and it fell upon the time that I had completed the script to my liking. I received payment as promised. As of yet the script has not been produced into a film, I am hoping that the production of my screenplay into film would come about this summer. Winning is great, but seeing actors speak the words is the ultimate goal.

A: I had originally written the script with the intention of animating it. Then I discovered I had neither the time nor talent to produce what I had envisaged, as I had a clear idea what it would look like and it would have taken probably a year to produce it to that standard. So I shelved the script along with many other works in progress, until I found a chance to use it in the competition. I studied online facts about WW1, trawling through hundreds of images to assist with the animated film idea, but the core aspect of the story and the first rough draft I wrote in a day. I later rewrote it to fit a live action format once I decided to enter the competition. It took me about three hours max to write it. I knew the story inside out by then. So in the end there was one rough draft and the polished final.

A: I wrote the submitted script with celtx. I downloaded the software the day I wrote the script. I use basic word software most of the time for novels, but since celtx was so quick and helpful, I've used it ever since.

A: I wish I had the time to write every day. At present I'm studying 3D animation, something that eats up a day in the blink of an eye. When I have some time set aside I write, a lot, perhaps too much. Last Christmas I had two weeks free and I wrote for probably twelve hours or more a day. I would do that every day if I could, although my fingers may say differently after they drop off.

A: I rarely get writer's block. I'm lucky I guess, yet it's perhaps because I'm free to write what I want, due to the fact that I'm an amateur aspiring to be more. If I do hit a wall, or feel the writing is getting stale, I go for a walk in the countryside. Often it's on walks that I write in my head most of all, and I simply return to the computer to note it all down.

A: My background is not necessarily a literary one, yet I have a Dip in Classical Animation, and have spent my entire life creating comics, cartoon strips, illustrated storybooks, writing novels and animating short films. All of which I have produced as an amateur. I have the view that in life one has to sometimes do every single aspect of what they wish to produce, so that's why I'm studying 3D animation. If my work does not get the thumbs up from busy editors, then it's up to me to be the writer, director and animator. The CSSC was effectively the first time my work was given recognition in an official manner, but I know there are thousands of talented people out there in the same situation as myself. We write because we love it.

A: Well, I live in Ireland, so no, I have not been to LA, except that stopover flight to LAX, being frisked by a rotund security guard. But he was a real gentleman. I would move anywhere to pursue a career in writing. Yet I think where I live now has been a great inspiration to creativity. The more I travel the more I appreciate Ireland for the simple things.

A: I am currently studying animation with AnimationMentor.Com, an online 3D animation school with mentors from the top of the industry. Such studios as Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, ILM...the list goes on, are the day jobs of the mentors. It's eye opening but worth the sweat and tears. Regarding writing, I am writing a novel in the little spare time I have. I will complete my course in December and I hope to enter the tough world of Animation and gain more opportunities to write through such a career. Ultimately if I do not get scripts or novels taken up by the powers that be, I will merge my animation and writing into a creative hybrid.

Posted Tuesday, June 1, 2010