Cynthia McLeanSearch WILDsound  11 Questions with Cynthia McLean. FALL 2009 Feature Screenplay Finalist 1. What is your screenplay about? Logline: She’s her father’s daughter. It’s not a compliment.An emotionally dyslexic 30-something photographer must return home to convince her estranged, eccentric father to help restart her solo career. So Sharp the Conquering is an intimate portrait of a highly dysfunctional family and their struggle to overcome their collective past. The story centers on Rae Ramsey, an emotionally dyslexic 30-something fashion photographer with an eczema-plagued mutt and a penchant for Hostess snack cakes she liberally substitutes for smoking. When she blows up her successful, but soul-sucking career in Chicago, she is forced to return home to convince her estranged, once-famous photographer father to do one last show to help launch her solo career. But Henry Ramsey is finished with fine art photography - he raises champion Siamese cats now with his new girlfriend, Roberta-call-me-Berta, and buys garden gnomes by the dozen. As a man who wears his eccentricities like a chastity belt (well guarded and low on his hips), Henry believes Rae doesn’t need his help – and is determined to prove it. The world of the Ramsey’s is sharp, black and white, and painfully beautiful. So Sharp the Conquering is at turns harsh, laugh-out loud funny and brilliantly truthful. 2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay? I liked the idea of creating a compelling character who wasn't exactly likable, but whom we could potentially relate to. None of these characters are particularly likable. They've got issues. A lot of issues. But then - most of us do. It seems to me that an awful lot of female leads are one dimensional, without the flaws and needs that make them really compelling. I also wanted to explore the relationship between fathers and daughters. It's a seminal relationship, it determines so much of how a women approaches her life and other relationships. 3. How long have you been writing screenplays? About 3 years. 4. What film have you watched the most in your lifetime? All films by the Coen Brothers. 5. What artist in the industry would you love to work with? The Coen Brothers, David Milch, Paul Haggis 6. Who was your hero growing up? So many people, writers, thinkers - too many to nail to one. 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years? Ideally - running my own production company and producing films that celebrate great stories. The last rejection letter I got from Lion's Gate for another script stated that they're only focusing on Horror, Action and R-rated comedy. While these are admittedly money making genres at the moment, there is an entire demographic that is tragically under-estimated and under-served. I'd like to see independent film making and great stories make a comeback - and I'd like to be apart of that. 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing? I write everyday, whether the muse is present or not. The inspiration for a piece can come from anywhere - a great character, an interesting storyline, a flash of a scene that can evolve into a story. It takes time to tease out a great story, great characters. Then I write, rewrite, rewrite. And rewrite again. 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Surfing. Politics. Life. 10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest? The opportunity to have the script read on stage. It's one of only a handful of Canadian competitions that offer a substantial prize that can actually advance your career. 11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? Write everyday. Rewrite. Read as many scripts as you can - good and bad. Educate yourself on the business. Network - authentically. Believe in your own stories and you're way of telling them. And don't believe everything you hear about the death of the screenwriter. There will always be a place for good storytelling.
Cynthia McLean
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CREATIVE IDEAS
