when my second feature-length film is
produced. If and when my first feature is produced, that will be a
signal that success is possible, and the second one will confirm that
it has arrived.
My inspiration to write ONE CHILD BORN.......
was an assignment in a writing
competition. The cue for the assignment was to write a script in the
suspense genre around a birth, and I was given just 24 hours to
complete the assignment. It occurred to me that the most suspenseful
situation I could think of was an impending genocidal massacre and
that the notion of a child coming at that very moment would raise the
suspense exponentially.
*****************************************************************
FilmMakers Magazine:
What inspired you to write?
Stuart Creque: I’ve made my living writing technical proposals
and other non-fiction persuasive material. I finally decided to try
writing fiction when I saw an opportunity to turn a story I’d been
thinking about for many years into a teleplay. That started me on the
path of screenwriting.
FilmMakers Magazine: What did you do to prepare yourself
to write your script?
Stuart Creque:
This script was
written for a competition and had an assigned genre and prompt. I
wasn’t really able to prepare for this script per se, but I was ready
in the sense that I knew my craft.
FilmMakers Magazine: Is
this your first script and how long did it take you to write ONE CHILD BORN?
Stuart Creque:
ONE CHILD BORN
is not my first script by a long shot. The assignment had a time limit
of 24 hours, so it took me less than that.
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you have a set routine, place and time management for writing?
Stuart Creque:
I don’t have a set routine for writing. I tend to think about my
stories and turn them over in my head, then write them quickly.
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you believe screenplay contests
are important for aspiring screenwriters and why?
Stuart Creque:
I think the value of contests is that they force you to learn and
apply the craft of screenwriting and to accept objective feedback.
They also give you an opportunity to meet and connect with other
writers and other people in the filmmaking community.
FilmMakers Magazine:
What
influenced you to enter the
American Gem Short Script Competition?
Stuart Creque:
The American Gem Short
Screenplay Competition is a leading competition for short-form
screenplays. I have a number of short scripts that are
competition-ready, and I’ve entered the American Gem competition
before.
FilmMakers Magazine: What script would you urge aspiring writers to read and why?
Stuart Creque:
I think it might be ALL ABOUT EVE, which is a fascinating story
with many layers. It has wonderful characters and marvelous dialogue,
but it’s structured with many interlocking flashbacks from the various
characters’ points of view, creating a picture like a jigsaw puzzle.
FilmMakers Magazine:
Beside screenwriting what are you
passionate about and why?
Stuart Creque:
Politics – it’s the
medium by which we choose how to be governed, and by which we can hope
to make a difference in the lives of others.
FilmMakers Magazine: Who is your favorite Screenwriter
and Why?
Stuart Creque:
Rod Serling – he spanned the genres of drama, fantasy, horror, science
fiction and even comedy, and his stories were always squarely focused
on his characters’ humanity, their frailties and their triumphs.
FilmMakers Magazine: Name
the director you would love to work with and why?
Stuart Creque:
I would most like to work with the Indian director Biju Viswanath,
because we’ve worked together on a couple of unproduced scripts and
I’d love to see those be fully realized.
FilmMakers Magazine:
Name the actor you would love to work with and why?
Stuart Creque: Johnny Depp, because he is capable of
transforming himself completely into whatever role he plays.
FilmMakers Magazine:
Any tips and things learned along
the way to pass on to others?
