DAVID CHANG
 DAVID CHANG
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Walnut, CA 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? In the current day, between Google, YouTube and ChatGPT, anybody can put together a pretty good story. I figured that the best way to stand out would be to find a combination of several of my favorite genre elements that could work as a story with thematic heft. To be a little different, you have to take some big swings and use story craft to make it all work. TITUS AND TIMOTHY: A BIBLE ADVENTURE (tongue-in-cheek working title) is a blend of random Bible knowledge, adventure movies, esoteric history, and the age-old genre trope of getting stuck in a cave with zombies. Whether this combination of themes, characters and genres works or not is up to the reader to decide. LOGLINE: Pirates, Roman soldiers and mysterious savages are just some of the obstacles that confront Titus and Timothy when they embark on an extraordinary adventure to Jerusalem on a mission for Paul the Apostle in 65 A.D. I went with a script rather than a short story or novel because, frankly, I suck at prose. 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? TITUS AND TIMOTHY was about average for my writing process. It took a few years of brainstorming and false attempts before I found the right combination of characters and elements that made sense as a full story. I spent about 3 months putting together a story outline using Powerpoint, with mood images pulled off Google and beats that I wrote out. Then it was 6 months to complete a first draft, filling in the time between a full time job and raising kids, which is another full time job entirely. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? To be able to work with others in a creatively satisfying capacity without sacrificing family time. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? Full script. I felt that with the mix of genre elements, as well as the veer in direction towards the end, I wouldn’t be able to present the full scope of what I was trying to do with just the first ten pages. Also, I wouldn’t know if the draft was working for the reader without full script notes. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? My favorite movies and tv shows are either formative experiences in my youth (Jackie Chan movies showing me that Asians are legit), watched with my older brother (DIE HARD, TERMINATOR 2), or hit me a certain way as I grew up (THE GODFATHER, PARIS TEXAS, CHINATOWN, MINORITY REPORT, INTERSTELLAR). I think what I respond to most is how these movies encapsulate so much of what is possible with just sound, images and time spent thinking about it or re-watching as you get older. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? Embrace your own writing process and tastes. What is authentic to you is what will ultimately stand out to others. Some work stands out right away, others can take more time. Success in writing is not linear, and may not even be in the cards despite your talent, hard work or connections. But being able to finish a piece of writing that means something to you is a reward in itself. In other words, get and keep a day job if you want to be a writer. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? THE DISPLACEMENT (available) After a mysterious and catastrophic “time event” displaces millions of people throughout history into the modern day, Alexander the Great must team up with Einstein, the Apostle John, and Martin Luther King Jr. to fight an old threat amassing power in Europe: Adolf Hitler. THE YEAR OF JUBILEE (in progress) A Bible-inspired story crossed with other genre elements (CHINATOWN-like murder mystery). TWIN EARTHS THEORY (in progress) Big sci-fi concept grappling with twins, the origin of life, the origin of sin and evil, as well as an alternative interpretation of the Book of Revelation. YouTube : I’m doing a YouTube channel with my wife where we read children’s books. It’s entertaining and educational. Our approach is that we’re making something for our kids and grandkids, but hopefully others can join in and enjoy as well. Here is the link for the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLJS1t5GRFJZsoNogwiEbbQ Here’s my Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-chang-5732445/ |
