FRANCOIS AUBRYSearch WILDsound  11 Questions with FRANCOIS AUBRY. A WILDsound SUMMER 2009 One Page Screenplay Finalist 1. What is your screenplay about? Someone's mud can be another's gold. One man's pennies can be another man's fortune. Here is the story of a simple man who can transmute seemingly worthless discarded pennies into brilliant musical fragments of a whole work of art: Exotic belly dancing costumes that resonate with a distinctive and alluring sound. 2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay? I was urgently inspired to create something that would be meaningful in today's climate, yet it was equally important that it be 'shootable' within a realistically short period of time. This script was born as a passionate, rally cry to all those in my film community to CREATE FILM regardless of the slowing economic times. I fiercely wanted to put something short and simple out there as my response to what is happening with our economy and to demonstrate to my co-filmakers that our capacity to create film is limitless, and not entirely determined by exterior conditions. 3. How long have you been writing screenplays? My first script won me a grant from the Canada Council in 1982. My first professional assignment was in 1984 for the National Film Board of Canada. 4. What film have you seen the most in your lifetime? 8 1/2 by Fellini (1963) 5. What artist in the industry would you love to work with? Vittorio Storaro (Italian cinematographer). 6. Who was your hero growing up? Speed of Lightning, roar of thunder....Uuuunderdog! 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years? On a beach, the South of France, Corsica. 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing? First, I have to truly feel inspired to tell a particular story. Then, I have to evaluate the actions of the hero within their real world. In this case, I had to go to the railway tracks, squash pennies and play with them to evaluate their physics. I had to make sure that the idea of my character making Belly dancing outfits with pennies was not only good visually but had something more to offer. By testing the props, I found that squished pennies made a much brighter, clearer and more powerful sound then the original pennies left alone, which sounded flat. So, if the details are clear and the pay-off works, that makes the film possible. Then I can set down the script, knowing that the lines of the main character ring true: ie. 'They make a very nice sound...'— Pennyman. 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? I love working with actors, philosophy, cooking, music, riding my bicycle, sailboating on a friend's boat. 10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest? I like the idea of a one page script. It's an exercise in skill and style to be able to tell a story in one page. You have to weigh each word, find short cuts that don't compromise the punch, keep to the essence of things. Lots of fun. 11. Why should people vote for your One Page script? In these economic times, people need to be reminded that the atoms that make up a penny are the very same kind that make up a thousand dollar note. The real value of things is in the way we see them. A penny pinching billionaire could have everything money can buy, yet still be unsatisfied, thus, turning his gold into mud. On the other hand, we have the power to turn mud into gold, to make the best of any situation. Finding a penny is a wonderful sign.
Francois Aubry
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