ROBERT BRIDGE

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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I live in a small village called Wootton Bridge on the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Fun fact: Jeremy Irons and Anthony Minghella were both born on the Island.
 
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?
The seed was planted when I watched the film Malice. Alec Baldwin’s character asks Bill Pullman’s character if he’d have a nub of his finger surgically removed for money. The seed grew and I started asking questions. Would you unknowingly murder a stranger to achieve stardom, to enact revenge, or to save a loved one from certain death? Would you sacrifice the life of your husband for your son or daughter? Sacrifice the life of your brother to save your sister? It’s your choice. You can accept the offer and have your desired request granted or refuse and go on with your life knowing your faith is concrete and live with your choices.
The script, at one time, existed in three different forms. It started as a movie script, then I wrote a novel, and now it’s a four part limited 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?
This idea has percolated for nine years, but it’s a favorite of mine, and something I like to watch. I’ve come back to it many times and decided the story works best as a limited series. I spend months working on an outline before I decide to write the script. I love the outlining process, odd bits of dialogue, character development. It’s exciting to wake up and jot a note your subconscious has offered in slumber. I watch similar TV shows or movies. Anything to spark inspiration. I write every morning between eight and eleven and when I slaving away at work in the kitchen my mind is always preoccupied with the script, even to point of cooking someone three eggs instead of two.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I didn’t graduate high school, so I know I’m not clever. Being a minimum wage kid my whole life and without sufficient funds for courses or colleges, I’ve taught myself the writing process and I’m learning every day. I’d love to connect with people who have a deep knowledge of the industry and help me become a better writer. I’ve written over 30 scripts teaching myself the craft (only a few are worth looking at) and I’m never short on ideas. I would love to be a better writer and see my work on the screen.
 
Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
I have entered The Wiki Contest many times. Sometimes I submit the first ten pages when it’s something I’m working to see if I’m heading in the right direction. For this particular project I submitted the full script with full analysis notes because I love an in-depth feedback to help with the next draft.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
My taste varies from year to year. As you get older and re watch the movies you loved you laugh and wonder what you saw in them that made you like something at 15 and now it’s cheesy at 50. Some have stood the test of time. Raiders of the Lost Ark, Unforgiven, Seven, Angel Heart, True Detective (season one), Deadwood. I’m a big Michael Mann and David Fincher fan, so I’m always first in line when they have a new movie coming out. I’m also a sucker for a good romantic comedy or a teary drama. I love to be surprised, so even if the movie itself isn’t great, if there’s one scene that shocked me and I didn’t see it coming I’ll remember that film forever (The Hitcher when she’s tied to the truck. Wow)
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
No matter how hard it is – write your first draft until the end. No matter how bad it is, just get it down, then you have something solid to work with. Even if only a few scenes remain, you know where you’re heading. Pat yourself on the back when you finish this first draft because then the real work begins. Do Not get excited and send it out. Keep working on it and only when you know you cannot do any better, send it out for analysis. Get professional feedback. I don’t know anyone in the industry so this is an important part of the process. Spend your money wisely. Find a company you trust (like Wiki) and use their services because they’re here to help make your work better and not boost your ego. Oh, and if you hate criticism or notes then this isn’t the world for you because this is a collaborative medium and it’s an important part of the process.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I’m working on a Sci-Fi script called 2199, it’s Avatar meets Clear and Present Danger.   I’m rewriting my comedy Sagittarius Chambers: Wedding Sleuth. (He’s hired to investigate the veracity of his amnesiac ex before she marries a new beau, but he still wants her for himself) I’m rewriting my western Charon’s Divide (two childhood friends battle over land and the same woman in 1880s Montana) which placed in top 15% of the Nicholl’s and was a Titan semi-finalist. I’m rewriting my two horror scripts Don’t Go In (a Baton Rouge teen needs to save his brother from a vampiric slaver) and Post-Traumatic-Terror (a college student undergoes a new form of therapy where she interacts with the dead, including her father and the serial killer that murdered him) my romantic comedy That’s a Novel Christmas (a comedic Hallmark parody about a novelist returning home for Xmas) and my political comedy Mr. Moral Compass (a political strategist is hired to find a new British PM) both my action thrillers, Il Coltello (a hearing impaired hitman plots his revenge) and 9mm Parabellum (a coward seeks out the assassin who murdered his family) I’ve come up with a new ending for my thriller The Woman With The Red Hair (a detective investigates a killer murdering dirty cops). I’m also developing two new thriller ideas from scratch. I love writing and will never stop. Maybe, one day I’ll sell something and it can pay for my Nursing Home.