DANIEL STEWART LEVY
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​Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I currently live the upstate, SC (Seneca) on a lake in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains after 30 years residing in beautiful Santa Barbara. (Midwest family is closer here)
 
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?
The inspiration for my most recent script came during the Covid pandemic. Viewing the enormous public anxiety that produced, and a similar reaction from the anthrax attacks after 9/11, I developed a plot which focused on what might happen if a patient with a deadly contagious disease like smallpox appeared in an ER in the middle of the night in a major city, and then mysteriously disappeared. (I’m trained as an emergency physician and was chief of disaster preparedness, working nights in a moderate size hospital in Ventura, CA prior to Covid.)
I’ve always been a movie fan and was struck with a passion to make films the first time I put my eye to a video camera in the late 1980s. My second feature-length documentary was honored with a regional Emmy and was nationally broadcast on PBS in 2001. (www.asimplematter.com).
In 2006, I married a woman with a passion to write novels. While I do read copiously, visual media is my means of artistic expression. Our numerous discussions of plot, story flow, dialog and character development helped refocus my energies to writing scripts. After multiple screenwriting classes through UCLA and elsewhere, plus lots of not-so-great early drafts, my finished scripts have progressively improved, winning Gold and Platinum Awards in 2021 and 2023 in major competitions, and finalist honors in the Wiki Screenplay Contest and the SBISA in 2023. In particular, the Wiki and SBISA competitions have provided exceptionally valuable feedback to improve earlier drafts. 
 
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?
It took ~6 months to write my most recent script. I started with a scene outline, which changed as the story took on a life of its own, but the basic structure remained. I discovered that if I got to a scene or sequence that didn’t work, I didn’t try to grind it out. Instead, I’d stop writing for several days, and watch several exceptional films and read their scripts until a solution organically developed – awaiting an ah-ha moment.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I’m a full-time writer now, and wish to continue producing saleable scripts that motivate film viewers to discuss and debate challenging topics in public health, politics and interpersonal relations.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
I’ve watched all these films several times and am moved by the courage and conviction of the main characters.
  • Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee (Inherit the Wind)
  • Walter Bernstein (Fail Safe)
  • David Marconi (Enemy of the State)
  • Randall Wallace (Braveheart)
  • Oliver Stone (Snowden)
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
That’s a tough call between all 5 of the films mentioned in the previous question.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Watch lots of exceptional films in your chosen genre. See what top professionals have produced and then study their scripts. But then produce something unique. Nobody wants to produce or see your “Batman 16” sequel. Outlining an original screenplay from the start helps develop an initial flow, but don’t be afraid to make changes if the story demands. If a scene doesn’t seem to work, don’t keep struggling with it. Back away for a few days and watch some great films and read quality scripts in a similar genre. Network with writing friends who are comfortable providing honest feedback. Have confidence that your muse will eventually reveal a solution.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I’m developing a sequel to my most recent project, focusing on the dangers of trying to shut down research labs in the US and other countries that are developing dangerous new bio-warfare agents with little to no oversight.