Marcus Hambright and Dan Parkhurst
11 Questions with Marcus Hambright and Dan Parkhurst. A WILDsound WINTER 2009 Feature Screenplay Finalist 1. What is your screenplay about? That is probably the worst question to ask any writer about their script. A script has many different levels and can't be justly summed up in a single sentence. On the surface, we'd say it's about a graduate student who finds himself in the cross hairs of a brutal serial killer -- but, of course, there's much more going on. 2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay? While working on one of the many film projects in my final semester at school, my friend and I were spending countless hours in the editing lab trying to make a deadline that was near impossible to reach. We ended up editing about 110 hours in an 8 day period, and pulled a bunch of all-nighters. The creepiness of the empty campus, halls and parking lots inspired us to come up with an idea for a slasher film that would take place on campus. There have been so many terrible horror films made recently, and we wanted to make one that was smart, suspenseful and actually horrifying, while using a locale that we were familiar with. 3. How long have you been writing screenplays? Dan's been writing for about 5 or 6 years now, he and Marcus have worked together for 4 1/2 or so. 4. What is you all-time favorite film? (name only one) Dan: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ; Marcus: Taxi Driver 5. What artist in the film industry would you love to work with? Roger Deakins is an amazing cinematographer... way out of our league, but it would be great to work with him on something. 6. How many screenplays have you written? Dan has written 4, and he and Marcus have written two together with many more in the pipeline... 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years? Finishing post production on our second feature film, and prepping for a third... 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing? Dan is a let's write all the time kind of a guy, Marcus finds the process a bit more draining -- he has to work through every variation on a situation in his mind before deciding. Dan is all about structure and language and Marcus is about color and life (or death, depending on the script). We tend to approach the scripts from different angles, but we both agree in films being a visual medium, so describing what will be seen on screen as concisely as possible is always with us... 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? We both love movies video games and books and are avid collectors. Marcus is a bit of a technophile. He loves getting new gadgets and playing with them. Dan enjoys playing and watching sports. 10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest? It's a contest that provides feedback. Honest and unbiased feedback is paramount to our growth as young filmmakers. 11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? Listen to your own inner voice and fight for your vision -- it's the only way to ensure you're not a carbon copy of everything else out there. Marcus Hambright Dan Parkhurt
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