GARNER REID HAINESSearch WILDsound  11 Questions with GARNER REID HAINES. A WILDsound SPRING 2009 Feature Screenplay Finalist 1. What is your screenplay about? A well-meaning, good-hearted knight in training, who is, nonetheless a bit naive and clumsy, is sent off by the heads of the Knights Academy on a vague quest to get rid of him. In his travels he befriends a witch and a thief, and these three unlikely heroes save the world from an evil wizard's plans and have ice cream. 2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay? Gallagher started off his life as a D&D character I was creating for a campaign a friend was going to run. The game never got started, but the big lug just wouldn't stay down, so I ended up writing a story about his origins, which turned into the screenplay. 3. How long have you been writing screenplays? I started scriptwriting with a friend in 1993, working on an SF radio comedy, which I later produced on the local radio station. I wrote my first feature - a superhero action thriller - in 2001. 4. What film have you seen the most in your lifetime? Star Wars 5. What artist in the industry would you love to work with? Barry Sonnenfeld 6. Who was your hero growing up? Superman. 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years? Earning a living off my writing. 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing?
It's a little different for each one, but it starts, of course, with an idea, a concept, a logline, a "What if?" question. In this case, it was a character. Once I knew who he was and what he was all about, who his friends and enemies were just fell into place. I had a vague idea of where it was all going, and just let the characters lead me there. Many of the screenplays start like that, with two or more characters that I really like spending time with, and then I follow them around for a while and see what they do. Once I've reached the end, I can see what the story was about. Then, in editing, like chiselling out a statue from a block of marble, I remove all the bits that don't belong until what I have left is pure story. 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Music. 10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest? I had entered and won the TV Spec and Pilot Showcase last year for my spec of Corner Gas and it was a rewarding and affirming experience. It helped to open a few doors for me. I thought I would try again, this time with one of my features and see if I could build on that momentum. 11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? Find some good readers, people you can trust to give honest feedback, and listen to what they have to say. You don't have to take all their advice, but they will be your audience someday, so pay attention. Finish your first draft, no matter how horrible you think it is. Nothing is perfect on the first pass.
Garner Reid Haines
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