MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Bill Johnston

An interview with screenwriter Bill Johnston regarding the Reel Writers Writing Competition.

A: "Requited" is a classic Western about family, justice, revenge and redemption.

A former lawman is forced to confront his past when he finds the last of his family in a life-and-death struggle against a ruthless land baron.(obvious logline)

There's a little bit of "Shane" and "The Searchers" mixed with "Inherit The Wind" (courtroom drama) and "CSI" (early forensic stuff)

A: I was intrigued by their free multi-tiered feedback. After each round the writer receives a critique on what's working and what's not with advice on how and where to make corrections. In the first two rounds the script must receive a score of 70 or above in order to advance. If your score is less than 70 you can make adjustments and resubmit at a much reduced and reasonable cost. In round three you receieve a final critique based on story dynamics and story elements where the judge rates your script with a pass(less than 70), consider(70-90) or recommend(90-100).

"Requited" placed in the top five of both the 2013 Richmond International Film Festival and the Garden State Film Festival.

A: Very satisfied. They met all their deadlines and within a week of winning, I received all promised awards.

I was in frequent contact with Tammy Gross of ReelWriters. She was very helpful, supportive and always available. Coincidently, she just won the Grand Prize in the StoryPros contest for her script, "Evangelina."

A: I wrote the first draft of "Requited" in three weeks. No outline. I spent the next three years rewriting and tweaking. It's always a work in progress as any writer will tell you.

A: Movie Magic.

A: I try to write every day but it doesn't always work out. Let's just say I can get a little lazy but it doesn't mean I'm not thinking about a story or character.

A: I'm not prone to writer's block because I always start with a premise and an ending. That way I'm always moving toward a defined goal.

A: My day job was in the field of social services but throughout those years I was also a musician and songwriter. The reason I started writing screenplays was because of a song I had written. I thought to myself (and anyone else who would listen) that this would make a nice movie.

So far I've written five screenplays.

A: I live on the East Coast and have no plans to move to LA. I love the Jersey shore.

A: I have a few new story ideas but am presently concentrating on a script I wrote a few years back. It's a mystery/thriller and I've always loved the story. Now that I've learned more about the screenwriting process, I want to do some rewriting.

Posted Wednesday, January 1, 2014