GARY DEMOSS
![]() Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I live on Turkey Point Island on the Chesapeake Bay, just south of Annapolis, Maryland in the small town of Edgewater. 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? What inspires your overall journey into screenwriting? The inspiration for the story was the disappearance of the Malaysian flight 370, a Boeing 777 that went missing ten years ago. To date, the plane and its passengers and crew have never been found. Many theories have been hatched. My account is the most credible. A colleague shared with me a confidential report, drafted about a year after the incident. Armed with that information, I began to draft what I feel is a credible and logical explanation of the disappearance of Flight 370. The screenplay has gone through a few dozen drafts to the current version. I chose to write this screenplay because the story is well-known around the world, it will resonate with audiences globally and be more powerful on the big screen. Having the ability to reach an audience worldwide inspires my own personal journey in screenwriting. 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? The script that I submitted took two years to complete. I had several months of conversations with the Intelligence community and access to a confidential report drafted by a colleague. I drafted an outline of the story in Final Draft and then structured the story into a three-act screenplay. Once I had a draft worth sharing, I reached out to Film Freeway, We Screenplay, Coverfly and Blacklist Analyst’s for professional feedback. Satisfied with the current draft, I began to place in international screenplay contests. Eventually, I began to place as a finalist and then I began to win. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? Producing my screenplays and teleplays on the silver screen and television. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? I submitted a full script to The Wiki Screenplay Contest because I also requested feedback and wanted comments on the entire screenplay. When I enter festivals and contests, I usually purchase one of the feedback options. The feedback is a invaluable source worth purchasing. I would recommend adding that service to every entry! What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show? Movie: Forest Gump, Dances with Wolves, The Natural Television: Lost, Breaking Bad, Yellowstone What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? You only fail if you stop trying. Seek feedback from industry professionals like Robert McCullough. Then utilize those comments into your next version. It is a process that requires commitment to excellence as well as embracing the comments and suggestions from industry analysts. You must be relentless in your pursuit of victory. Don’t expect first place the very first contest. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? Profiled on the last Wiki Screenplay Contest of 2024 is my Historical WWII Drama entitled “The Cage”. Inspired by the true story of Lieutenant Commander Fred Eller, “The Cage” was a former Nazi POW camp, were the worst war criminals the world has ever know were interrogated and subsequently sent to the Neuberg Trials. Fred’s journey dealing with the “architects of the holocaust” and his own struggle for forgiveness or vengeance, is one that will resonate with today’s audience. I have written a Historical Drama screenplay and teleplay entitled “Black Moon Rising” based on the true story of the Osage Indians of Oklahoma at the turn of the 19th century. I have also completed a TV Series pilot entitled “Deep Creek” based on the CIA’s clandestine mind-control experiments during the Cold War. Where can the world find you online? (Social media links, etc.) I can be found via email at [email protected] On Facebook at https://Facebook.com/therealgarydemoss At my company website: https://paradisefilms.org |