john cooney
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I live in Portland, Oregon. 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? Some years ago, I read on article online about a reported UFO crash in the early 1990s in what was then a region in Soviet Central Asia. According to the article, Soviet troops responded to the crash site and recovered remnants of the downed craft. I ultimately wrote a feature script based on the story, which was selected as a Wiki Screenplay Contest Feature Script finalist in 2020. I then decided to adapt that script into a TV pilot script (Hole in the Sky “Pilot”). I submitted the pilot script (twice) to the Wiki Screenplay Contest and had the good fortune of seeing my second submission selected as the winner of the November 2021 TV Pilot competition. Having written a couple of novels, dozens of short stories, and two feature scripts, I decided to write a TV pilot script in part because I had never done it before and wanted to learn more about the process. I also thought my take on the story (which includes an alien prison escapee, a relentless Russian security officer and a troubled US Special Forces veteran turned LAPD officer) would be something I would be interested in watching as a TV series. 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 spent about six months off-and-on working on the pilot script. My initial effort had numerous issues, many of which were identified by a Wiki Screenplay Contest reader who read my first submission and offered a lot of excellent feedback. My writing process depends on what I’m writing (short story, novel, script). With respect to scripts, I do try to outline the story and use a white board to help organize my thoughts and various ideas. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? I am constantly trying to learn more about the craft of screenwriting and become a better writer. My ultimate ambition is to sell some of my scripts. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? I submitted my pilot script as a full script, largely because I already had a fairly clear idea of the story I wanted to tell in the pilot. I have since submitted the first ten pages of a short script to the Wiki Screenplay Contest and was very pleased with the helpful feedback I received. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? I would put Blade Runner at or near the top of my list of all-time favorite movies. The script, film, and score are brilliant, and the movie is an excellent adaptation of a great novel (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick). What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? I don’t feel qualified to give advice to other writers, but I have learned that feedback from qualified readers is invaluable in the rewriting process. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? I’m working on a TV pilot script about a disgraced former police officer, now a private investigator, whose investigation of a murder in which he has been implicated brings him into conflict with homicide detectives, a Russian sex trafficking ring, and a federal undercover operation. |
