MARK WINZER

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1. What is your screenplay about?

DRESSED IN A BLACK FLAG is based on the true life rise, capture, and sentence of Anne Bonny and her companion Mary Read, two women who rejected the shackles of society and became pirates on the high seas. Their scandalous trial in 1720 created a media sensation and they became the most notorious female pirates of the golden age of piracy.

2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay?

I have always been fascinated by the story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Fiction could never produce such interesting characters. I also felt the historical subject matter was both compelling and timely. Through my research I discovered that there continues to be an insatiable interest in their story nearly three hundred years after they preyed on the coastal shipping of the Caribbean. As with other pirates of the golden age of piracy, much of their story is based on folklore and legend. Unlike other pirates, their trial in 1720 created a scandalous sensation in society as the public learned that Anne and Mary lived as men on a pirate ship. They commonly wore men’s clothing and this revelation caused a media sensation in the New World and across the Atlantic. Victims at the trial testified that Anne and Mary were as ruthless as any male pirate and murdered their victims in shocking fashion. In a time when women were forced to live within the boundaries of society, Anne and Mary dismissed all restrictions placed on contemporary women. They broke all the rules of society and lived free on the sea. I would enjoy the opportunity to produce a cinematic investigation into their lives and famous trial.

3. How long have you been writing screenplays?

I wrote my first feature length screenplay in 2006 after attending a lecture lead by Patrick S. Duncan. Any artist that struggles to find time to work on their own art has to appreciate the incredible story delivered in Mr. Holland’s Opus. The character depth he achieved in Courage Under Fire was amazing and he is one of my favorite screenwriters. If you ever have the chance to hear Patrick Duncan speak, I would highly recommend it.

4. What is you all-time favorite film? (name only one)

The Bounty, 1984, screenplay by Robert Bolt and directed by Roger Donaldson. The acting is sensational lead by Anthony Hopkins in the role of Captain Bligh. The cinematography is stunning and the directors unwavering dedication to realism resulted in a superb film. A great rental for a cold winter night!

5. What artist in the film industry would you love to work with?

Ridley Scott.

6. How many screenplays have you written?

I have just finished my third feature length screenplay.

7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years?

In a theater with my family and friends watching a film I wrote.

8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing?

After I complete an outline and back story, I like to write scenes with a pencil and a pad of legal paper. This way, when I sit at the computer and type into the Movie Magic software, it serves as my second draft.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

My family, my faith…and college football.

10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest?

I found WILDsound on WAB after completing my first script, THE INTERVIEW, which was a WILDsound finalist in 2007. The feedback I received was insightful and thought provoking. It was also very apparent that the reader was fully invested in the feedback process. The notes reflected sincerity and that the reader truly cared about the work. That is not true of some script analysis services. I incorporated the feedback into another draft and went on to win the VisionFest 07 Film Festival screenplay competition. When I finished DRESSED IN A BLACK FLAG as a feature, I immediately sent it to WILDsound.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Enjoy the research phase. Don’t rush it. It is amazing how much you can learn and how many new stories you can discover during the research phase.

Mark Winzer

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