STeve RuTtley
 STEVE RUTLEY
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Chichester, England 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? I’ve always been a fan of adventure novels. Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Alistair Maclean, etc… Along with 80s/90s action movies (Die Hard… As I clear my throat). At least this is the ballpark I’m shooting for with The Contingency Man. It’s an action-thriller about an analyst turned reluctant hero during a full-scale terror siege. So it’s also an underdog story with plenty of dark humor (he says). Also, my writing medium of choice has thus far been screenwriting. When I have a new idea for a story it tends to be in the form of a movie. 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 actually wrote the first draft/s of this script over 20 years ago, but I couldn’t quite make the story work and so moved on. However, after recent and positive feedback on the story pitch I opened the old file/s. It’s only then I realised I never actually wrote an outline for the original drafts (or at least I couldn’t find it!). Was this the reason I couldn’t make the story work before? This time around I definitely outlined first. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? To make an awesome movie. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? Full script. The Contingency Man had reached a moment where I thought it would be worth it. And it was. The Wiki feedback was really encouraging and built upon my own feelings for the story/project. This was my first time with Wiki and it won’t be the last. I’m also still curious about that first ten pages… What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? Oh… Tough one. I do think I gravitate a little more to cinema then tv. Having said that I worshipped Miami Vice back in the day. Don Johnson was (and still is…) the man. And The Office. Boom. In terms of my favorite movie? Wow, there’s just so many I love. I do know everything changed for me after I watched Top Gun. This was when I first decided to throw my hat in the acting ring. A little while later I left Australia and ended up in a drama school in London. It was during this time, ironically I guess, that acting evolved into screenwriting. I cherish both of these storytelling crafts. And that all came from little ol’ Top Gun. So inspiring. Though, in terms of time period… I really enjoyed the 90s. I was old enough to know what was going on, and I remember this one purple patch where in the space of what seemed like just a couple of years… Last of the Mohicans, True Romance, A Few Good Men, Jurassic Park/Schindler’s List, Carlito’s Way, Braveheart, Speed, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, Shawshank Redemption, Trainspotting, Usual Suspects, Seven, Leon, Heat… And that’s just scratching the surface. Back then a couple of masterpieces every week seemed perfectly reasonable. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? This isn’t an overnight thing, obviously. It’s a passion. So keep working your craft, keep exploring, keep watching, keep reading… And keep sharing! You learn so much doing that. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? Writing is rewriting as they say, so after completing the revisions that my wonderful Wiki feedback have suggested I do have other scripts that need just as much love. I also have a long- gestating secret agent time-travel adventure outline that needs the full service. Happy days… |
