Ethan MarrellSearch WILDsound  11 Questions with ETHAN MARRELL. FALL 2009 Feature Screenplay Finalist 1. What is your screenplay about? Dead End Love is a story about Life, Death, Revenge, and Love. David Gebb helps murdered dead people cope with their afterlife frustration and restlessness by bringing their killers to Soul Justice. One of his clients, Lucy Riley, is also revealed to fancy him a little. This causes (more) problems with David's marriage to Renee and triggers an unstoppable turn of events. 2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay? The themes explore some of life's biggest mysteries. To put my own thoughts and spin on these themes, whilst trying to write an entertaining black comedy on the surface, has driven me to continue working on this piece for months. The subject matter is contemporary, universal, and a lot of fun to work with. 3. How long have you been writing screenplays? 6 years. 4. What film have you watched the most in your lifetime? It's a close call between Condorman which I watched everyday when I was five, and Office Space which I love nowadays. 5. What artist in the industry would you love to work with? There's dozens to name! Everyone from a dreamers perspective such as Spielberg, Peter Jackson, William Goldman, Spike Lee, Charlie Kaufman, Tim Burton, Stanley Kubrick (I said dreamers perspective remember), right down to the lovely artists in Perth, Australia I already enjoy working with. 6. Who was your hero growing up? Probably Condorman. 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years? Working in the big league as a writer and further down as a director. To help this progression I'm very available as a 3rd AD, 3rd electric, and production runner in these early days. 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing? I like to let ideas simmer and bubble in my head before writing a single word. I will work on something else, or in some other department of filmmaking, but there is always a story dwelling in my head. If it sticks with me and a few more solid ideas begin to form around it I will then write like crazy. I suppose I like to give the idea, the premise that first popped into my mind, the test of time. If it stays with me over a few months and keeps niggling away at me there must be something good about it. Once I get the story out of my system it's all about the rewrite and feedback and rewriting and applying relative feedback by doing more rewrites e.g a rewrite has since occurred after my WILDsound feedback! Ok, maybe more of a revision, but changes for the better I feel. Cheers gang : ) 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Music, theatre, stand up comedy, and I really need to get back into rockclimbing. 10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest? Good reviews and recommendations across the internet. 11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? Keep on Truckin'
Ethan Marrell
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CREATIVE IDEAS
