I am working on developing two\nfeature films. The first is a suspense thriller called Paradigm<\/em>. The\nscript won Best Feature Screenplay at the Orlando Film Festival, was a Finalist\nin the Page Turners Screenplays contest in Santa Monica, CA, and was a\nSemi-Finalist in the Screenplay Festival in Sherman Oaks, CA. My company,\nReality Check Entertainment, has teamed up with Miles Entertainment to produce\nit. The second is a fantasy\/horror anthology film called The Magic Hour<\/em>\nthat\u2019s in the same vein as The Twilight Zone<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n NY\nGlam: What makes a film great for you? Are there certain\nqualities that make a film better for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To me, if\na film can transport me into its own world, then it\u2019s successful. Obviously, a\ngreat film is able to pull together a compelling story, engaging characters,\nand have quality technical skill such as cinematography, production design, and\nmusic. But if a movie can fully immerse me into itself then I can overlook some\nflaws and go along for the ride. A lot of Tim Burton\u2019s movies are like this.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: <\/strong>As a\nscreenwriter, what is the most important aspect of building a character? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I write characters, I try to make them as real as can be. Do they seem like living human beings? Do their personalities leap off the page? Can an actor take what I wrote and bring it to life in an interesting way? Is the dialogue specific to each character? Do the characters have layers and different aspects to them that shine through in different situations? Character building is one of the toughest aspect of writing for many people, but my rule of thumb is whether or not I personally want to spend time with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: Top 3 favorite projects that you have been involved in?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My favorite\nproject so far is my most recent short film, \u201cSur\u2019vi\u201d, which I wrote and\ndirected. We had an amazing team involved with the film, both on screen and\nbehind the scenes. I am happy that it\u2019s had the opportunity to be screened in\nnine countries and been honored with over a dozen awards, many of which were\nfor my cast and crew. I hope to work with them again soon.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My second\nfavorite was for a project that actually never went into production. It was a\nscreenplay that I co-wrote with Lee Shapiro for a proposed Batman movie for\nWarner Bros called Batman DarKnight<\/em>. The writing of it was really fun and\nI\u2019m proud of the final script even though WB ultimately decided to go a\ndifferent direction. However, in recent years it got a lot of buzz online and\nwas named one of the best unproduced Batman screenplays by IFC.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For third\nplace, I\u2019d say I enjoyed the experience I had working as a background performer\non Jurassic World<\/em>. While I absolutely can\u2019t take any credit (or blame,\ndepending on how you feel about that film), the experience I had for the nine\ndays I spent on it was extraordinary. I learned so much about film production\nduring that time that I was able to apply to other projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NY Glam: Do you express yourself creatively in any other ways?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I enjoy\nphotography as a way of relaxing, and editing the photos is a great way of\nplaying around with creativity without being beholden to any predetermined\nrestrictions, whether dictated by myself or by a client or producer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NY\nGlam: What advice would you give to someone who wants to\nhave a career in filmmaking?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\nwant to make films, then get out there and make them. There are a lot of\nvarious careers in production, from motion pictures to commercials to YouTube\nvideos\u2026not all of which pay a whole lot. But get on a set, get to know people,\nand be hard-working and courteous. You can learn skills as you go, but no one\nis going to hire you if they don\u2019t know you and you don\u2019t make a good\nimpression.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NY\nGlam: What can we\nexpect from you in 2020?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I expect to go into production with\nthe feature film Paradigm<\/em> in 2020, so be on the look out for news about\nit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/nyglamour.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Stephen-Wise-on-set-1024x731.jpg\")
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