Do you only write scripts? Why screenplays and not other literary styles?

As a lawyer I have written long reports and dissertations, academic papers, and I have written short stories before, but they never lived up to my hopes. With screenplays you invite the reader to create the image in their mind, giving them broad directions, but allowing them to impose their own creativity on the scene you have created. I think that is probably why I prefer screenplays. You allow others to create the picture in their mind.

What impact do you think a story like this could have on modern society and the conditions of women?

I think it could help people think. It’s still so clear that objectification takes place. Sex will always sell because we are biologically programmed to want it; but I feel like this screenplay, if seen, could help people think about the important parts of sex. The consent, the intention, the fun. It’s supposed to remind you that it isn’t a woman’s fault for being sexual, it isn’t wrong or dirty, but entirely their right; however, just because they are sexual, it doesn’t give men a licence to harass, dominate or impose control. Hopefully it can champion equal treatment of women to men regardless of where or what topic is in discussion.

How did you want Francesca’s character to feel? What are the characteristics of a modern female protagonist?

It was important for me that she grew over the course of the story. It is so easy for people to not find their feet until they are forced to. I wanted her to feel happy, innocent and just going about her life to begin with. Then followed by a helpless and raw feeling when she realised the attack that has been made on her, and in the end, stronger, more resilient and more powerful for coming through it. Female roles are no different to male roles in the sense that they are just human beings. They have the same range of emotions, the same range of abilities and intelligent. I think the most important characteristic of a modern female role is that she is human. Not a damsel in distress, not a sex object, but a person with highs and lows, happiness and sadness, power and fear.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on a period drama as a birthday present for my fiancé. She adores period dramas, so I am hoping this lives up to her expectations. I am also working on a few other screenplays. I like to start some by creating the scene I’ve thought about, then writing down other ideas that would or could go with it, and then coming back to it later if I am unsure.

THE SCREENWRITER

Name: Matthew Preston-Bloom
Screenplay: The ripple
From: Regno Unito