RHYS GLEDHILL
RHYS GLEDHILL 1. What is your screenplay about? Two strangers go on a road trip seeking God in the midst of a massive wildfire. 2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? Despite the religious overtones, Scorched Earth is overall a story about hope, forgiveness and the possibility of redemption - themes that so many movies touch on, but take for granted. This is a film centred around two people trying to decide what their lives play in terms of these giant themes.
3. How long have you been writing screenplays? I've been doing screenplays since before I knew there was a format! My first was probably around grade six. 4. What movie have you seen the most in your life? Ten years ago I would have said Star Wars, but I think that Thank You For Smoking has surpassed it by now.
5. What artist in the film industry would you love to work with?
I wouldn't mind picking Bryan Fuller's mind. His scripts have a combination of whimsy and tender feeling that one doesn't see too often in fantasy scripts. 6. Who was your hero growing up? I had a lot of respect for Orson Welles as a kid - the guy was a legend at a young age, and he was immensely talented and charismatic. The legend took a bit of a hit when his canned vegetable commercial went viral. 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years?
In five years, I'd like to be able to write a new screenplay three times a year, provided I could balance it with my work schedule. If I knew 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing?
This project was a radical departure from my usual writing style; I like to get an outline sketched out at first then sit down and start writing scenes until I'm too tired to continue. But Scorched Earth was written in bits and spurts, conversations that at first didn't have a story to anchor them. An ideal first draft for me takes about three weeks, Scorched Earth took over a year. 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Film is my first love, I'm the Selection chair for my local film festival. I'm an avid toy collector as well, and within the last year my girlfriend has exposed me to the joys of online roleplaying games.
10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest?
Other contests I've entered promised cash prizes or professional coverage. The WILDsound Festival does one better - there's really no substitute for seeing the work performed.
11. Any advice or tips you'd like to pass on to other writers? I don't feel experienced or established enough to play the sage here, but I've been asked to critique enough other writers' work to say this - if an action or a line of dialogue, or even an entire character doesn't feel right, don't commit to it. Even the dullest of viewers can tell when something doesn't fit. |
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