Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Brett Fowler
An interview with screenwriter Brett Fowler regarding the ScriptVamp/Attention Grabber Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: The first wave of the Virula infection has begun, and no one is safe from its wrath- is it the next step of human evolution, or is it something worse, an otherworldly punishment sent from above? Set in a world without salvation or hope, one question remains: how will mankind manage to find reason to exist? My affinity for all things Max Brooks, Battlestar Galactica, and 28 Days Later inspired me to create their bastard televised love child/pilot television episode. Corpus is a script which won grand prize for the Attention Grabber June 2010 contest from the higher echelons over at ScriptVamp.com and it traces a group of survivors in a post-infected world: Harper, an average college student who, unbeknownst to others, was born with the inability to feel human emotion or physical pain; William, Harper's flamboyant and dedicated colleague; Sarah an emergency room surgeon with a tongue made of acid; Alan, an older family man; and Lee, a mysterious stranger from the future who is dedicated to the resistance movement against the living dead. How will our group of unlikely survivors cope with the circumstances they face in the wake of the first wave of infection? Will their paths cross along their goal to restore civilization and order into a world where neither are desirable? And are the ravenous victims of the Virula virus truly soulless or are they something else, a mere harbinger of what is to come?
Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?A: This is my first contest EVER, and I was nervous admittedly. But now I feel like I've definitely got the guts to enter some of my other works into more contests.
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: The contest coordinators were extremely organized, courteous and prompt in their responses. It was a wonderful first experience!
Q: How long did it take you to write the script? Did you write an outline beforehand? How many drafts did you write?A: The first ten pages were the product of about three different drafts I wound up writing. Luckily, in my subsequent revisions, there was little left to do with the first ten pages!
Q: What kind of software did you use to write the script, if any? What other kinds of writing software do you use?A: Final Draft. Which kind of rocks.
Q: Do you write every day? How many hours per day?A: I write as often as I can. On the days I'm not too busy planning tea parties for my cats or bathing in my own self-misery.... Just half-way kidding.
Q: Do you ever get writer's block? If so, how do you deal with that?A: Of course I get writer's block, but I find that laying out a specific schedule is the best way to force myself to write. Even if I wind up staring at a blank screen, I typically find that the days I'm truly inspired to write are some of my best days of work anyway, so I don't worry too much about the down days in between.
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: I've taken a few screenwriting courses in college, but a large part of my nubile self is still attempting to master the art of storytelling. I have a few spec scripts beneath my belt, and some short stories.
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: LA destroys souls. So naturally, I plan to move out there as soon as I graduate from UT Austin.
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: Currently, I'm brushing up on my spec scripts and waiting for my emotional attached-ness for "Corpus" to fade so I can sucessfully revise it.
Posted Thursday, July 15, 2010
