Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Robert Cholette
An interview with screenwriter Robert Cholette regarding the StoryPros Awards Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: My script, "Re-Entry," was the First Place Winner in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror category of the 3rd Annual StoryPros Awards Screenplay Contest. Set in the near future, "Re-Entry" is about a final, top-secret mission of the space shuttle Discovery, which has been brought out of retirement to retrieve a mysterious satellite known only as "XSAT." After XSAT is captured, a sequence of strange events forces Discovery to return to Earth at an emergency NASA landing site in an African nation (while few people are aware of it, such sites actually exist in real life). Meanwhile, a disgraced tabloid TV personality gets a tip that the shuttle's cargo is not what it is claimed to be, and, ignoring threats by shadowy government agents, he follows the story to the landing site, determined to uncover the truth at any cost.
Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?A: I've done a great deal of research on screenwriting contests, and I identified StoryPros last year as a contest (actually, two contests) definitely worth entering. I've also submitted "Re-Entry" to a few other contests this year, but they have not yet begun announcing results.
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: StoryPros Awards is an exceptionally well-run contest. All of the deadlines were met. As of this writing, the winners were just announced a few days ago, but I have no doubt that all of the awards and prizes will be delivered in a timely fashion.
Q: How long did it take you to write the script? Did you write an outline beforehand? How many drafts did you write?A: It took me about five months to write "Re-Entry." I did not write an outline beforehand, but I probably could have benefitted from one. There were several drafts at the end as I was polishing the script, but after the first one, I made only minor changes.
Q: What kind of software did you use to write the script, if any? What other kinds of writing software do you use?A: I use Movie Magic Screenwriter, which I really like, although I don't have the latest version. I haven't tried any other software.
Q: Do you write every day? How many hours per day?A: When I'm actively working on a script, I try to write every day, although it doesn't always happen. I'll write anywhere from one to ten hours a day, but I'm more concerned with the results on paper than the amount of time I've spent. Sometimes one hour is worth more than ten.
Q: Do you ever get writer's block? If so, how do you deal with that?A: I occasionally get writer's block, but it seldom lasts for very long. Usually, when it occurs, I just try to keep pushing ahead, even if at a slower pace, until I break through. I don't know any other way to deal with it.
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: I'm a lawyer, but I left my firm to take a shot at screenwriting -- life being short, and all that. "Re-Entry" is my second script; my first was a romantic comedy called "Almost Amanda," which I've also submitted to contests this year. "Amanda" finished as a Quarterfinalist in the Comedy category of the StoryPros contest, so I was pleased about that, as well.
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: I live in upstate New York. I don't currently have any plans to move to LA, but I'm certainly willing to spend some time there if it would help advance my screenwriting career.
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: Always working on a new script. It's hard to commit to a single genre, because I have ideas all over the place, but if I continue to find success with "Re-Entry," then I imagine my next script will be another sci-fi thriller that I'm sketching out now.
Posted Thursday, June 3, 2010
