What’s your name? Where were you born? Where do you live? And what’s your hobby?

My name is Kevin Enners. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia. My true passions are writing and cycling. I have cerebral palsy, so I carry out my hobbies with an adaptive, eye-gaze-driven computer and an adapted recumbent bike that my dad modified for me.

Where did you come up with the concept that just placed as Finalist in the screenplay contest? How long did it take you to develop it into the screenplay it is now?

I was interested in screenwriting for a long time. Of course, I am a huge movie buff and have written some short stories and books. I found writing when I was eight years old. But, my assistive technology wasn’t invented yet. So, I wrote on a computer that I controlled with a joystick and a switch near my knee. I would direct the cursor around an on-screen keyboard and select the letter with my knee. The writing process took weeks to write a few pages, but I fell in love with the creative development of short stories. Those stories gained a lot of attention from my family, friends, teachers, and paraprofessionals. In high school, I found a mentor who was, at the time, published three novels. Even though my work was in a different genre, she had given me accolades for my approach and style. Despite everyone’s applauses, it took the refreshing words of a professional author for me to believe that I might – just might – have a hidden talent. But, books take so long. I became intrigued by screenwriting because, in a way, it’s like shorthand. It takes the show-don’t-tell rule of writing to a new level. Silent Cry is my first script. I wrote it, rewrote, and rewrote in my first graduate screenwriting course at Kennesaw State University. With the benefits of eyegaze technology and the art of shorthanded creative writing, I found that screenwriting was easier to do than novel writing.

From concept to finished draft, can you take us through your screenwriting process?

The creative process of anything is always fascinating and fickle. As a class assignment, I created a tent pole outline (the hook, normal world, inciting incident, first act break, second act break, climax, and revolution). That outline was doomed to be ripped to shreads under the scrutiny of my professor, and I needed to write ten pages each week and complete the script within the semester. Luckily, my professor was very forgiving in the timeline. Instead of ten pages each week, it was accommodated to fifteen pages every other week. I basically just wrote what I know as an author and took creative liberties to produce a 90-page script.

When did you realize that you wanted to become a screenwriter?

I was always a movie buff. As I said, I love creative writing. In 2020, I found myself working 40-60 hours a week, at a job that was not my thing. I love James Bond movies, and I was watching Casino Royale for the umpteenth time. It was an all-time low. I had no promising prospects on the horizon. Casino Royale is such a spectacular movie, diverting from a forty-year recipe that made 007 with a script that was fresh. I wanted to create something Like that, something fresh. So, I began looking into classes. It was a time when Georgia was hitting it big as a location for a slew of films. I thought what the hell, I’m going to start seriously studying screenwriting. I found the Master’s of Arts in Profesional Writing Program at my alma mater which offered screenwriting courses. After that, I enrolled and, as the cliché says, the rest is history. I am going into my third year.

Who are your biggest filmmaking/screenwriting influences? What about their style do you like or borrow?

I have idolized Christopher Nolan for the longest time. His movies always tell a compelling story with gripping action and interesting characters who I may not always like, but appreciate their flaws. His movies are always shrouded in mystery and suspense and darkness. There is something thrilling about a protagonist with a shady past. I am also a sucker for gritty films like Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, Goodfellas and Ben Affleck’s The Town. I like stories about unassuming characters.

Have you ever been obsessed with a movie or TV show? If so, which one? Why?

My favorite film is the last 007 movie, No Time To Die. It is the quintessential Bond without being cliché or ostentatious.

What’s your favorite moment in cinema history? Why?

When James Bond dies. It symbolizes that nothing lasts forever. But, you can be something more than human.

Who’s your favorite character in cinema history? Why?

But, of course, James Bond. Who week wouldn’t want to be a secret agent, surrounded by gorgeous women and driving fast cars?

If you could talk to anyone from any era, who would it be and what would you ask them?  

If I could, I would want to sit down with Martin Scorsese and talk about how he started his career and how real events have influenced him because somehow, there’s always a statement about society in his films.