Congratulations to Greg Gearlds, our Write of
Passage Winning Writer for 2014.
That
means he wrote the best 12-page screenplay in one week (168 hours, based on a foundational scripture) with an advisor
called a Development Executive (DE).
Allen Wolf is the winning DE.
Both are interviewed below.
Prizes include $1,000 cash,
introductions to Hollywood Pros, including Brian Bird ("Not Easily Broken,"
“When Calls The Heart”) and an
InkTip Script Listing to provide exposure to
their extensive network of producers, reps, manager, agents, and others.
Any WP script may be
produced for the 168 Film Festival's Write of Passage Spotlight. Writers
and mentors (DE's) receive screen credit if their film is made. Writers and mentors (DE's)
receive screen credit if their film is made.
From Greenfield, Indiana, Greg
Gearlds is a writer/director. We asked him some probing
questions and got probing answers.
JDW: What do you do for
work?
GG: Currently,
I am Senior Manager of e-Commerce for a division of a global sporting goods
company.
JDW: How did you learn about
168?
GG: I
think I came across 168 in an internet search for Christian film festivals.
JDW: What was your inspiration
for this year’s story, “The Tall Grass”?
GG: Mainly from personal experience. We lived in a neighborhood for
about five years and after we moved it really hit me that I didn't know
anything about our neighbors. I didn't know what they did for a living,
how long they'd lived there and in some cases, I didn't even know their first
names. For the record, I don't think this is a good thing. So, I
took that concept of not really knowing your neighbor, threw in a conflict about
the lawns and the story kind of came together.
JDW: How do you see the verse
in your story?
The 2014 Verse: Galatians 5:13 You,
my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to
indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. NIV
GG: Basically
the main character in the story, even though he is a Christian and goes to
church, is so self-absorbed in his own "stuff" that he simply doesn't
see his neighbor the way that Christ would. The grass and his focus on
that "thing" (in our own lives it may not be grass) keep him from
serving his neighbor as we are called to do.
JDW: The graduation of the
character (from angry to healing) gives your story depth. What is
the big picture in terms of salvation?
GG: It
is really the path all Christians should be on. It may not be angry to
healing but we should be changing and becoming more Christ-like every
day. If we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, then we should be
able to look in our past and see that we have grown or are growing away from
our un-Christ-like traits. Of course, we will never be perfect as long as
we are living and breathing on this earth, but we should be changing.
JDW: What obstacles have you
had to overcome in life? How have they helped your writing?
GG: I honestly can't really name any obstacles that I've had to overcome; my
life has really been pretty easy. That's not to say I don't have
challenges, everyone has challenges, and those challenges certainly influence
what I write.
JDW: Tell us about your other
films/works of art?
GG: I've
shot two short films and the real purpose behind those films was to get better
as a writer. I wanted to take what I had written on the page and
translate that to the screen and see what worked and what didn't. Both
films we shot on prayers, favors and broken shoestring budgets and
unfortunately they look like it. I still believe that story is number one,
but when it comes to films, production value is a very, very close second.
I love stories so I also have written a number of short stories and do
quite a bit of photography. You can see the short films and some
photography at
www.greggearlds.com
JDW: Tell us about your
family and where you live. How has your environment and family shaped your
writing?
GG: I
am married and have two kids, ages 9 and almost 14. We live on a small
family farm and try, emphasis on try, to live a simple, slower lifestyle.
We have a large vegetable garden in the summer and raise goats and sheep and
pigs for meat. We also milk the goats. We home-school the kids,
which really fits well with our lifestyle. I really think the desire for
a simple life shapes my writing by making me look at the things that get in the
way of that.
JDW: How did Mentor/Development
Executive, Allen Wolf help shape your story?
GG: Allen
was great to work with. He really challenged me to show not tell - the
first rule of screenwriting right? But,
it’s still probably one of the most often broken rules. Allen called me
out when my descriptions were weak or in some cases missing altogether.
Through this he really helped give life to each of the scenes.
JDW: You are a three-time
winning Development Executive of the Best Screenplay. What is your
secret?
AW: My
secret is being the best Development Executive ever. Period. I’ve also
conquered humility. Done.
JDW: Do you recruit in
Indiana?
AW: I’m originally from Ohio so I recruited about 500
people from the Midwest to sign up for this contest in the hopes that at least
one of them would end up on my team. That just happened to be Greg.
And good for him for playing
the odds. People from the Midwest
create some kind of magic when they work together on screenplays and Greg and I
proved that without a doubt. Unfortunately that’s the only kind of magic
Midwest people can create together other than levitating spoons, which has
never been that handy.
JDW: Do you have any ties
to the Indianapolis 500 or the Colts?
AW: I
founded both. It’s hard for people to believe that but I’m kind of a slowly
aging Benjamin Button but in reverse. I’ve been around for a long time. I used to
own 500 colts on a farm in Indianapolis, which is where I got the idea to
create both. Now I ride my colts to watch the cars race or cheer while
whatshisname makes an awesome touchdown. Go, Go Indianapolis!
In all seriousness, it was a
pleasure to mentor Greg throughout the process. He’s a talented fellow.
