CLAIRE WANGSearch WILDsound  11 Questions with CLAIRE WANG. A WILDsound SUMMER 2009 One Page Screenplay Finalist 1. What is your screenplay about? The screenplay is about three little kids’ unexpected discovery of their mom and dad’s “treasure chest” when home alone in a summer afternoon. A seemingly disastrous embarrassment for the grownups turns out to be just another exciting game in the innocent minds of the little cowboys and cowgirls. 2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay? I grew up in a conservative family in Taiwan. Sex is a taboo subject and my parents wouldn’t even kiss in front of us kids. Sometimes they would suddenly start conversing in Japanese (they went to school in Japan), which my brother and I can’t understand. I found it comical now because we “just know”, okay, assumed, that they are talking about sex. I think that the story of discovering what our parents did to have us is one of the most hilarious and bonding experiences, especially for those with conservative upbringings. 3. How long have you been writing screenplays? Ha, well, this is actually my first screenplay. I have a career in public health research and all the writings I do since college are scientific papers and research grant proposals. I thought giving up the fun things you loved to do is part of growing up and being a professional. I love constructing stories in my head but never thought I should just write them down until recently. Since I moved to New York a year ago, I met many extremely successful scientists who pursue artistic aspirations with equal passion and creativity. I am testing the water by submitting to this contest. Being selected as a finalist really means a lot to me. It made me discover the part of myself I thought I have long left behind. 4. What film have you seen the most in your lifetime? Finding Nemo. Every time it came on I can’t help but keep watching. Second to that, I might have watched Mulholland Drive a few more times than I need to. I was so intrigued by the mystery and got involved in a back-and-forth debate with a friend, so I watched it over and over to be the one with better insights about what it all means.Now I think of it, I wish I watch Finding Nemo a few more times instead. 5. What artist in the industry would you love to work with? I think Edward Yang (Yi Yi) and Denys Arcand (Les Invasions Barbares) are brilliant. Given the comments above, I am guessing David Lynch wouldn’t even want to talk to me. If one day I could work with the Pixar animators I would probably dance nonstop for 3 straight days. Practically, I’d love to work with Stephen Lyman (The Fairy Princess) and Shih-Ching Tsou (Take Out), both brilliant filmmakers/storytellers from New York City and I owe them money. 6. Who was your hero growing up? I love the super heroes as a kid. For us, that means Jacky Chan and the power rangers. I wanted to grow up beating up the bad people using kung fu and be known as the pink warrior (while wearing a helmet, of course). 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years? 200 years ago, as a tourist from the future through a time machine, booked on Expedia on sale. 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing? One might expect that I have very different processes with creative writing from writing my usual, scientific research articles. For academic papers, I start by building a list that lays out the flow of ideas, then I’d fill the blanks by laying out questions motivating the research, the scientific process of distilling evidence from data, and the place I conclude in that particularly journey of scientific inquiry. With writing screenplays and stories, I go through a brief phase of pouring out the stories and characters on paper like a real mad writer. Expanding from there, interestingly, the structured content building and repeated edits that I learned from writing manuscripts kick in again. Not sure whether that’s good or how this will evolve over time, but we shall see! 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? For my day job, my passion is to do research that finds innovative solutions to make the environments children learn and play more supportive of eating healthy and being active. I am also passionate about being a good teacher. At a broader level, I am passionate about understanding things that connect people, either profound or trivial. I am insatiable with learning about what shapes how we behave, think, enjoy and suffer. My goal in my pursuits for both art and science is to describe the everyday experiences that encompass the labels and stereotypes, which often separate us from another human being— and truly connects people and form compassion, trusting partnerships and ultimately, common solutions. 10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest? Impulse, above everything. I wrote up that one page in the middle of a working Saturday afternoon in my lonesome University office. However I have to say that over the past few months my brilliant writer/filmmaker friends have inspired my realization that telling stories is not only fun and rewarding, but also one of the most ancient yet most magical ways to connect with people I have/will never met. I decided to give it a try, and the WILDsound Script contest surfaced as the perfect entry way. h 11. Why should people vote for your One Page script? I could say that because the story was fantastic and it would encourage me tremendously to continue writing, but that would be too self-serving! People should vote for me if they read my one pager, start conjuring a mental image of that sweet chaos in their own mind, and then giggled. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if this screenplay were made to a movie? Wouldn’t it be quite a challenge for the cast and crew meanwhile having the best party ever?
Claire Wang
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