Bill Brock

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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)? 
Richmond, Virginia

  1. Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
 JAMES DEAN: CROSSING THE FINISH LINE began as a stage play that I wrote, produced, and directed at the Sycamore Rouge Theater in Petersburg, Virginia, in 2010. My inspiration for writing the play was based on my devoted Dean fandom of many years, so I decided to take that knowledge and direct it towards a live theater experience. Eight years later, with seven years earned as a member of the professional writers group, The Virginia Screenwriters Forum, I decided to revisit Mr. Dean. This time in the form of a feature screenplay. In an odd turn of events, only one speech from the original stage play survived.

How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN? 
Pages 1 to 96 took eight weeks to complete. I usually don’t work with an outline, yet seeing how this was a historical glimpse into the last twenty-two hours of Mr. Dean’s life (peppered with a bit of theatrical license), I felt one was needed for it to really take an effectively creative shape.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? 
To make the dream the reality. Securing literary representation, which will lead to a produced work that garners some degree of success and merit.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why? 
Taylor Sheridan, John Hughes, David Mamet, and of course, Woody Allen
(How’s THAT for a Band of Brothers?). All four writers have forged such immeasurable talents upon their pages.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show? 
1978’S THE DEER HUNTER. An Academy Award Winner for “Best Picture.”
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?      
Having won Santa Barbara’s “Best Feature Screenplay” Award in 2021 for JAMES DEAN: CROSSING THE FINISH LINE, my best advice is to have immense passion for your chosen project. DEAN was truly a labor of love, but one must also recognize that compelling storytelling takes time. Respect that time. I tend not to suffer from writer’s block. It’s much healthier to trust your instincts by allowing the scenes to come to you. Trust yourself and your abilities. They may just surprise you.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? 
I recently completed a thriller feature screenplay called, WHERE’S GRACE?, which is currently making the rounds in national competitions. It’s a story about a child abduction during a fractured couple’s legal custody battle. My summer writing project is a very unique horror feature called HorrorFest.