BILL WELLS
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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Wilbraham, Massachusetts, USA
 
Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
Despite being interested in World War II for as long as I can remember, something hit me a few years ago - who took care of the dead bodies after a battle? Medics and corpsmen tended to the wounded, but what about the KIA? I had no idea. I discovered a unit called the Graves Registration Company. I was fascinated, sickened, and inspired. A quick look at IMDbPro revealed that no movie has ever been produced regarding the GRC. In fact, there’s only been one book (published in the late 1940’s) and a handful of crude documentaries on the topic. I immediately knew I wanted to weave a fictional protagonist through true events, keeping my foot on the gas pedal from FADE IN to FADE OUT.
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
I researched and worked on an outline for three weeks. From there I wrote Grave Duty in three months (this was on top of having a full-time job and training for a 24-hour run). I sent it to multiple companies for feedback and continued to make it better, adding layers wherever I could. Simply, I stayed in the script … at least ten rewrites. Two years after completing my first draft I thought of a current-day intro and outro, which took the story to an award-winning level.
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What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I like to challenge myself (I ran a 100-mile race in November). As an empty-nester in 2018, I set a goal to write a movie. I learned early in the process that no one was put on this planet to turn something I wrote into a film. In order to reach my goal, I would have to write a script that was nothing short of great.
 
Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
I prefer to enter full scripts into contests.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
Great question! Jaws is my favorite movie. However, my second-favorite movie is Saving Private Ryan and my favorite series by far is Band of Brothers. Perhaps my biggest challenge for Grave Duty was to not mimic either of those. This is where outlining helped because it prevented me from tipping in their direction. Admittedly, I did a lot of rewriting before I even started writing.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Screenwriting is a lot like dating in high school: there’s a lot of rejection. However, if you can hang in there, things tend to work out.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Three things:
Aided by a gold medal, my latest script - Olympic Heart - is in the hands of one of the top producers in the industry. I’ve been working with 1972 Olympic Games 800-meter winner Dave Wottle since April. The race itself was unbelievable and is considered the greatest comeback in Olympic history (check it out on youtube). But his journey leading up to the final … just unreal. It’s a real-life Rocky story. Dave and I had similar upbringings: he earned everything he got; he earned that gold medal. He’s a true gentleman and it’s been my honor to write his biopic.
 
With permission from his family, I’ve started researching and outlining a biopic about a black soldier from upstate New York who fought at Iwo Jima. After training in the south, where he was exposed to rampant segregation and inhumane living conditions, he became one of the first black soldiers in World War II to actually fight (not drive a truck or dig a grave). No movie has ever been produced regarding black soldiers fighting in the Pacific Theater.
 
Finally, I recently completed a rewrite for my one-location feature, Last Call. I chose a singular setting (bar/restaurant) because it forced me to write compelling dialogue from start to finish. It’s a four-quadrant, modern-day story that addresses suicide, death with dignity, alcoholism, homosexuality, abusive relationships, and mental health. The Breakfast Club is a comp, but Last Call has more at stake than a Saturday detention, and it involves a scenario everyone in the world can relate to: a favorite teacher from high school.