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| SCREENPLAY FINALIST |
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| titles: |
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BROKEN
CIRCLE |
| screenwriter: |
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Myra
R. Taylor |
| location: |
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Kent,
WA U.S.A. |
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| synopsis: |
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When
a traitor destroys the Circle
and sets out to release a murderous
race of banished beasts, an insecure
girl learns only she can save
the world from its pending doom. |
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| How
long did your screenplay
take to write, from conception
to final completion? |
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| BROKEN
CIRCLE took me about a year
and a half to finish. At
times I dropped it to work
on other projects, but the
story wouldn’t let
me go. I’d be walking
down the aisle at Walmart
and would suddenly start
day dreaming of a girl wielding
her sword! Gives you a touch
of schizophrenia - that’s
when you know a story is
good and worth pursuing! |
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| Where
did your inspiration come
from? |
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| Classics,
like Star Wars and Lord
of the Rings, that embrace
the concept of the “hero’s
journey” inspired me
to create my own original
story. These classics had
one big thing in common:
only one person could save
the world—a boy. Although
I absolutely love them,
I wondered—Isn’t
it about time for a story
where a girl saves the world
instead? And the other key
characters were women also?
And the story couldn’t
just about some chick who
could fight – but would
be about so much more –
friendship, honor, self-sacrifice,
self–acceptance, doing
things you never thought
that you could or would
do… I also took inspiration
from stories of giants and
angels in the Bible. The
Circle Warriors were very
much like guardian angels. |
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| Are
Horror or Sci-Fi your main
creative interests? |
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| Because
I like all genres, I haven’t
been able to stick to only
one type. Which ever story
ideas pull me in and refuse
to let me be are the ones
I take on. I’ve done
romantic comedies, dramas,
action, suspense, and now
—with BROKEN CIRCLE
— a fantasy/action/adventure.
Maybe horror will be next... |
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| Can
you describe a typical day
in the process of creating
your film or screenplay? |
| A
typical day in the process
– hmmm…. With
the way I work, there are
no typical days! For BROKEN
CIRCLE, some days I did
research on mythology and
real life women warriors.
Other days I fleshed out
the story on index cards.
I also watched old interviews
with John Campbell (the
guru on mythology) and read
and reread Vogler’s
book, The Writer’s
Journey. Of course, I also
worked on the script! Some
days it came easy. Other
days it was as painful as
giving birth! It was really
an organic process. |
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| Who
do you consider to be the
greatest horror writer? |
| George
W’s speech writer.
(laughs) Seriously, I really
loved Stephen King’s
earlier works. King had
me at Pet Cemetery. I remember
being in the 7th grade and
only reading it during the
day because I was too scared
to read it at night! I also
like Anne Rice’s work.
I never thought I would
have sympathy for and actually
care about vampires. I love
how her writing just pulls
you into her characters’
world. |
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| Can
you recall the first horror
film that left a lasting
impression on you? |
When
I was about 5-years old,
I saw only a piece of a
scene from an old black
and white movie on television.
A monster jumped from behind
a door as a young woman
walked into the room. Afterwards,
I drove my parents and sister
crazy because I was afraid
to go anywhere alone in
the house for months!
The first horror movie for
which I actually consciously
sat down to watch was the
original version of “Night
of the Living Dead.”
Spoiler Alert - It stuck
with me because I was so
shocked that the man who
had fought and struggled
to stay alive amongst all
those killer zombies did
so only to be shot by the
Sheriff at the end. The
injustice of it all! |
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| Who
do you consider to be the
greatest 'Masters of Horror'? |
| H.P.
Lovecraft. I love how he
wrote horror but left most
of the horror in the imagination
of the reader - like his
story of the book that caused
the reader to go mad, want
to cut out his own tongue,
and kill himself because
the knowledge was just too
much. What is in that darn
book? Is it as bad as I
imagine? We’ll never
know… |
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| Do
you currently have any attachments
and/or a cast wishlist for
your screenplay? |
| No
attachments here. However,
if I had my druthers, my
dream cast for the project
would include Helen Mirren
as Irisius, Uma Thurman
as Marya, and Orlando Bloom
as Kagan. |
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| Who
do you see directing your
screenplay? |
| Peter
Jackson. I’m not being
too lofty, am I? (laughs)
Having seen the Lord of
the Rings, I think he would
absolutely fulfill my vision
for the BROKEN CIRCLE Trilogy,
certainly exceeding it.
Jackson kept the heart of
Tolkien’s LOR in the
movie. He could have changed
the material to silly action
star one-liners and big
bosomed babes but he didn’t.
He stayed true to the material
and created movies that
resonate with audiences.
I have no doubts that he
would make BROKEN CIRCLE
a timeless classic. |
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| How
many edits has your screenplay
gone through? |
| If
you’re talking major
edits – there were
a few. After the first draft,
I received some feedback
from various readers. As
a result, I cut out a lot
of backstory from the script,
beefed up the relationship
aspect between the two girls,
and refocused the action.
I’m pretty satisfied
with the current version. |
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Was
this your first screenplay?
If so, are you inspired
to write another? |
| BROKEN
CIRCLE is my sixth feature
film screenplay. However,
it is my first venture in
the fantasy genre. I would
definitely like to write
in this genre again –
preferably writing BROKEN
CIRCLE’s sequel and
movie #3! (laughs) Hopefully,
doing so well in Shriekfest
will help me get that opportunity! |
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