THOMAS RUSHFORTHSearch WILDsound  11 Questions with Thomas Rushforth. A WILDsound SUMMER 2009 Short Screenplay Finalist 1. What is your screenplay about? A Business Man is mugged of his briefcase and a Taxi Driver robbed of his takings - these two men, at different ends of the social and economic spectrum, are thrown together in pursuit of the perpetrators. During the chase, which is accompanied by erotic texts from The Girl - one subject they can both connect to; their antagonistic conversation exposes their concerns and prejudices through what they represent in today's society. A grisly scene greets them when they finally track down their quarry; the Taxi Driver recovers his money but the Business Man's briefcase is still missing and that would be the strange end of a night they could have both done without.However; the Business Man wakes up the next morning and finds The Girl in bed next to him and although a very pleasant suprise, he can't remember it happening. His unease is magnified when they realise she's wearing a bomb and then increased when his mobile is called by Mr Z who threatens its detonation and gives instructions to the Business Man to recover his briefcase. A car comes to collect them and it's the Taxi Driver, an acquaintanceship that both men would have preferred not to renew, especially when they realise that The Girl is the Taxi Driver's woman. It turns out that the briefcase in question contained papers regarding a mining concession and the biggest opportunity of the Business Man's career. It was stolen by Mr Z, who represents the people of the area affected by the deal, in order to pursuade the Busness Man to change the details to consider the local population. The Business Man is forced to consider.So the screenplay, amogst other things, is about class, consequence, greed and personal survival. 2. Why did you decide to write this screenplay? I was in a pub (a site of inspiration often returned to) with my friend and creative collaborator Caspar Arnhold and over a number of pints we were throwing ideas around for his next directorial project. I asked him what he was after and it was something along the lines of 'dialogue, thriller, comedy and a girl being thrown out of a car with a bomb belt on her but not remembering how she came to be wearing it' I combined this with what I've seen of the corporate world and the continual question of 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter' It might be slightly irreverent (because of the comedy part of the brief) but I hope there are some serious points underlining the entertainment. In the end we went with another idea (Kinetosis: 2007) but when I came back to it last year the issues were still relevent and it still seemed to work so I gave it a revision expanding the story. 3. How long have you been writing screenplays? It's been gradual - I started doing English translation, additional dialogue and round table discussion in collaboration and also an adaptation exercise when I got thrown out of Drama School which I have subsequently worked on (Djuna based on The Four Chambered Heart by Anaiss Nin). But in a concentrated way; the last year or so. 4. What film have you seen the most in your lifetime? It's about equal with Leon, The 3 Colours Trilogy, Casablanca and Donnie Brasco. 5. What artist in the industry would you love to work with? Excluding actors (with the exception that is Juliette Binoche) I've managed to narrow it down for the moment to: Michael Haneke, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Jim Jarmusch and Martin Scorsese. 6. Who was your hero growing up? I really can't remember; sorry. 7. Ideally, where would you like to be in 5 years? Writing for film, acting in theatre and film, in a relationship and living life to the full through realising my potential. 8. Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing? No: it's more 'madness in the method' rather than 'method in the madness'. I just pursue my curiosity with imagination and that can happen at any time and in many ways. I have noticed however that when an idea is forming I can't stop thinking about it with the result that I get some strange looks from people around me when I go off into reverie mid-conversation. Maybe I should find a process but for the moment this is my individual way of going about things. 9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Acting, theatre, film, reading. 10. What influenced you to enter the WILDsound Script Contest? It was the suggestion of Caspar (as mentioned above) I got my first 'honorary mention' in another screenplay contest a few months ago and he encouraged me to take the script (and writing in general) further. 11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? To be honest, being quite new to this, I don't think I'm in a position to. But I'd like to pass on support and good luck to those who know what it's like to find waking dreams in the early hours of the morning - have the courage to embrace them. I think that instinct is a fascinating guide and that anything that can be done to feed and express it will lead you where you need to go.
Thomas Rushforth
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