Interview:

Jason Tucker, born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada.  Logistics Co-ordinator and musician.  Graduated with Honors B.A. University of Manitoba Film Studies Program 1992.

Is  LIGHTS ON THE LAKE your first script? If not, what else have you completed?

I started writing screenplays in 1988 and have completed approximately thirty since that time.

Why did you write “Lights on the Lake”?  And how long did it take you to write it?

I wrote “Lights” as homage to local legends I heard while spending summers as a kid on Lake Winnipeg. I also have an interest in the machinations of Cold War history and the military-industrial complex.

I wrote five drafts of “Lights” between 1998-2001. I revisited the current version in the fall of 2007 and completed a page one rewrite by May of 2008.

Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing?

I start with about ten pages of research that can take weeks or months depending on the project.  I usually write three evenings a week after work.

What inspires you to write? 

My inspiration primarily comes from stories I discover that I feel can provide insight and entertainment.  The process of writing itself is one of discovery and exploration.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Music.  I study jazz guitar and played in a rock band in the nineties.

What influenced you to enter the Movie Script Contest?

Reviews from MovieBytes as well as the Movie Script web site that impressed me by its professional content.

Do you feel that screenwriting contests are worthwhile for writers and why?

Yes.  Living outside of major movie-producing centers like L.A., New York or Toronto, screenwriting contests are the most cost-effective way to get feedback on your work and improve.  They are also an excellent way to get a feel for what others are writing and what is successful.

Who is your favorite screenwriter or writer and why?

My favorite screenwriters are Frank Darabont and Val Lewton.  I admire Darabont for his structural precision and exacting attention to detail.  Although Lewton is not a credited screenwriter, the body of work he created for RKO in the forties has his personal stamp.  Lewton was able to conceive of highly original stories, and with very small budgets, realize literate and intelligent movies that were uncompromising in their atmosphere and moral character.

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

I think the most under-utilized tool for writers is the science of language.  Understanding the mechanics of linguistics and cross-cultural language structures allow a writer to bring sentences alive in a simple and direct style that is perfect for the architecture of screenwriting.

What’s next for you?

I am currently writing a horror/thriller, “The Weather on the Inside”, about a linguist who is recruited by police to help stop a rash of cannibalistic murders in a remote sub-arctic community.