CJ Walley is a working credited screenwriter with two feature films to his name who founded the free script hosting platform Script Revolution. As a huge fan of American New Wave films of the 70’s, and a child of the Independent Cinema Movement of the ’90s, CJ’s love lies in indie film, particularly cult films. He is known for writing pulpy female-led thrillers that contain a lot of action and comedy and being part of a team that makes films that punch way above their weight in terms of production value. Something CJ is very proud of is breaking into the Los Angeles filmmaking scene from rural England, especially as someone who decided to chase his dream relatively late in life.
indieactivity: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
CJ Walley (CJW): Perhaps not too early an experience but certainly a profound one, I discovered from someone very close to me that some people don’t have a visual imagination, they don’t think in that way. That blew my mind. I live in my imagination and find a lot of wonderment within it. The person who told me about this was an avid book reader and made me realize just how important writing can be to pass those fantasies some of us take for granted onto those who cannot muster. It’s like being blessed with the ability to help others dream. Once I knew that writing went far beyond simply expressing my “cool” stories for kicks because I suddenly had a deeper purpose and something rare to offer.
The Official Trailer for BREAK EVEN written by CJ Walley
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? How long were you a part-time writer before you became a full-time one? Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
CJ Walley (CJW): Writing was something that I came to accept much later in life because it was a somewhat absurd concept that I could be a professional writer. I couldn’t pay attention in school and had dyslexia, so I was a terrible academic in terms of discipline, course work, and tests. I would avoid writing anything by hand as much as possible and keep things to myself because of the shame I felt and, due to the way my mind works, I couldn’t get my head around certain technical concepts – I still can’t tell you what consonants, adjectives, and verbs are.
Rather than write, I would illustrate my ideas instead, which shifted into me thinking I wanted to be a graphic designer. Cut to a couple of decades later and my early thirties when I was a deeply unfulfilled web and print designer not expressing myself creatively (graphic design is just engineering with crayons). That’s when I had a bit of a life crisis and turned to “writing” as a form of therapy. I wrote my first screenplay in twelve weeks and that was it, I knew what I wanted to do. That year, I wrote three screenplays, a novella, and a novel.
Screenwriters are somewhat disconnected from their audience which can make appreciation and validation very hard to find. I’ve had a thousand more compliments for blog posts and forum comments than I have for my art. Even at a production level, it’s rare for a member of the cast or crew to say, “Hey! This is a great script!” Therefore, since people need work to put food on the table, you can fall into the trap of assuming they are just part of the project to help pay their bills. It doesn’t get much better when a film is released either, as the result, as beautiful or disastrous as it may be, is hugely collaborative and thus the feedback isn’t directly targeted at your original writing. This all said I had the most wonderful email recently where an actor had read a script of mine and loved it so much she reached out to me specifically to tell me how she admired my capacity to develop such a nuanced, interesting, and conflicted female character. When that comes from a well-known network TV star and artist you deeply admire, it means the world.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
CJ Walley (CJW): The most difficult and frustrating part of the process for me is the physical act of typing. Dyslexia is a strange beast to deal with and many dyslexics rely on muscle memory to spell. This is why our handwriting can change from print to cursive mid-paragraph. Getting better at touch-typing on a keyboard helps but, some days, I simply cannot get my fingers to work in the rhythm I need. The result is moving three letters forward and two back, over and over again, for nearly every word. It’s like trying to run through mud and can be highly limiting when your mind is racing at hundred miles per hour. Dyslexia also makes proofreading incredibly hard. I can check a document forwards, backwards, and upside down but, if I’m familiar with it, my mind simply pastes over the cracks. That’s painful because it can make a writer look lazy and unskilled.
My quirk is that I write what are known as “scriptments;” not really scripts and not really treatments. Imagine noting down every minor beat of a story as a bullet point before going in and writing the actual prose. I write much like a painter paints, I sketch the basic form out and build further and further detail until I have a very strong first draft. I have a tight process which means I can turn around a project fast. Lightning speed by many people’s standards. My last produced script took me only six days to write and attached high profile talent. I have a proprietary system that I call Turn & Burn and share openly on my Script Revolution website. What’s great is that I know other writers have adopted my process and found they’re producing better work faster too
Talk to us about your business, how it began, and why? Plus what is its future?
CJ Walley (CJW): I’m present in all areas of screenwriting as a credited working writer, producer with his own production company, and “crusader” (that’s what people call me) with my own free script hosting platform. The latter, Script Revolution, has been my big contribution back to the amateur screenwriting world where I help aspiring writers get exposure and improve their craft in the hope they will break into the industry as a result. After five years of sustained effort, I’m pleased to say many of those writers are getting those little nibbles they need to kick off a career. I started what’s fast becoming a very real revolution because I was so tired of watching writers lose hope in themselves and give up because they felt they had to spend a lot of money entering competitions or paying for evaluations just to get read. While Script Revolution continues to grow fast (we’re close to 10,000 members strong now), I’m building up my production company Rebelle Rouser as a brand that advocates for strong female characters in the film.
Do you still write for TV, Film, and Cinema? Do you mentor writers? What advantages do your books give the independent filmmaker? Why should they buy them? Use them? or reference them?
CJ Walley (CJW): I write for film every day. That’s where my heart lies artistically. It’s surprisingly easy to get pulled away from your core purpose as your profile rises and people want to reward you to cannibalize your peers. My Turn & Burn guide is my way of mentoring as many writers on craft building and career development as possible with the time I have available plus, I also blog regularly on the subject of screenwriting and filmmaking.
The benefits of Script Revolution to indie filmmakers are huge. They have access to nearly 10,000 scripts, many of which are written for low-budget filmmakers, can be searched through in detail, and are available to anyone. It truly is open to everybody. A lot of the scripts are validated too, either through the Script Revolution SCRIPTOCRACY, where readers “favorite” the material they love, or via reputable third-party services such as prestigious competition wins or professional coverage endorsements. They can sign up today and find the script of their dreams tomorrow.
The Official Trailer for BLACK SUV written and directed by CJ Walley
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