DAN LOSCHACK
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 PictureDan Loschack
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Malibu, California.

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?
Since I moved to Malibu, I’ve experienced numerous wildfires from the Woolsey Fire to the Pacific Palisades disaster. During news coverage of these fires, I’ve watched countless news reports of victim experiences, including the varying reasons why some people evacuated their homes and others chose to stay and fight the fire. Many of the accounts were quite personal and very moving. After reading William Goldman’s script for “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid”, I felt screenplays were the best medium for my visual style of writing.

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 probably wrote the first draft in about three weeks. Five pages a day is good for me, and I’ll start the next day by editing the pages I wrote the day before. Then comes the rewriting, which I take quite seriously, and always improves the script/story. I start with a setting I find interesting and build from there. I’ve tried the index card method, and I found it restrictive. I like to find the story as I write it.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I would like to make my screenwriting a full-time profession by writing screenplays people can interpret in different ways and talk about it later.

Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
I entered the full script. I was pretty sure the first ten pages had the “grab” effect to make people keep reading. I wanted to know what The Wiki Screenplay Contest thought of the complete script.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
That is a difficult question! I attended college on a track scholarship and graduated with a History/English degree. So, it’s not too hard to see why CHARIOTS OF FIRE and LAST OF THE MOHICANS are two of my favorite films. I also admired TRUE DETECTIVE season one, mostly for the character chemistry that drove the story.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Keep at it and don’t be afraid to try new angles in your script, but only if they’re believable. Oh yeah, develop a thick skin and don’t take criticism as an insult.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Glad you asked! I’m working on getting representation for my numerous scripts, which include action dramas like FIREWIND, holiday fare, CHRISTMAS HILL, thrillers, NIGHT RUNNERS, and low-budget indies, RESCUES. All of which can be found on Film Freeway!
I’m also working on a World War II script set in America in the fall of 1944 when the Germans know the war is all but lost and plot a desperate attempt to bring America to the negotiating table.