Robert Salisbury – The Night I Proposed
We had the opportunity to interview Robert Salisbury about his screenplay The Night I Proposed. The Night I Proposed is an official selection of the 12th annual Utah Film Festival.
The clumsy, but determined Jerry, has decided to propose to his down to earth, southern belle girlfriend, Helen, come Hell or High Water. When the apocalypse arrives in the form of a giant Monster, his resolution is put to the test!
What was the inspiration for coming up with The Night I Proposed?
The inspiration for this short came from a few different places. First, I have always been a fan of Kaiju movies for as long as I can remember (Godzilla, King Kong, Them, Gorgo, etc.) and I felt it was time to attempt a screenplay with the very genre that started my love of movies.
Second, I wanted to write a light hearted, feel good, classic love conquers all story. And third, the name of Helen and the time period was inspired by my late aunt and some of her experiences as a young adult/teenager.
How long did it take you to write the screenplay?
It only took me about two days to write the first draft and then another week and a half or so to re-read and edit. Later I had a filmmaker friend look it over he gave me some notes and I did another rewrite within a couple days and then sent it into festivals shortly thereafter.
What was the biggest challenge in writing The Night I Proposed?
The biggest challenge writing the screenplay had nothing to do with writing but life around it. Life got very busy, very difficult, and very lean so I had to write when I was feeling good and when I had time as well.
What was your favorite scene to write?
My favorite scenes to write were the dancing scene ( I was the President of the Ballroom dance club at my college) and the Monster reveal (because I love monster movies so much)!
What was your favorite character to create?
My favorite character to create was Helen as homage to my late aunt.
How/When do you plan to make it into a film?
As of right now I’m working on getting some other projects funded but once those are taken care of I want to apply for grants, like unreal engines mega grant, to make this film… possibly as a feature.
What do you have next in the works?
I am trying to get my previous short screenplay, the award winning Is He Safe? funded so I can film it. I’m also working on a micro short, horror-comedy, for the festival circuit.
How can we learn more about you and your projects?
As far as learning more about this project, well there’s not much to it right now so there’s no website or anything to announce information… yet.
