MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Robert Cholette

An interview with screenwriter Robert Cholette regarding the StoryPros Awards Writing Competition.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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