What’s your name? Lyndon McGill
Where were you born? Salem, Oregon
Where do you live? Salem, Oregon
And what’s your hobby? Screenwriting, fishing, golf.
Where did you come up with the concept that just placed as Finalist in the screenplay contest?
Was perusing items for sale on eBay and saw a vintage optician’s lens kit, the one I included on
the title page of my pilot script.
How long did it take you to develop it into the screenplay it is now? About 6 months.
From concept to finished draft, can you take us through your screenwriting process? I usually start
with the beginning or the end, then fill in the gaps and do several rewrites until I’m satisfied. Then
I enter it into a few screenwriting contests to see how it fares. If it makes it to the finals, I’m
convinced that it has potential and continue to invest my time into polishing it and submitting it to
producers.
When did you realize that you wanted to become a screenwriter? After hearing Mike Rich speak
at a writing seminar in Portland about 15 years ago.
Who are your biggest filmmaking/screenwriting influences? I can’t think of anyone in particular.
Blake Snyder (Save The Cat series) maybe. I’ve learned a lot from numerous webinars, podcasts,
etc., as well as just reading other people’s scripts.
What about their style do you like or borrow? There are numerous scripts spanning the various
genres that have resulted in successful productions. I just borrow a little from some of those to give
my scripts better impact.
Have you ever been obsessed with a movie or TV show? If so, which one? Perry Mason, when I
was a kid.
Why? It was a cliff-hanger until the last minute.
What’s your favorite moment in cinema history? Probably when the warden discovers that Andy
has escaped in The Shawshank Redemption.
Why? It was such a creative and dramatic reveal.
Who’s your favorite character in cinema history? Probably Andy in The Shawshank Redemption.
Why? Because he channels his frustration into creativity and comes up with a solution that ends his
suffering.
If you could talk to anyone from any era, who would it be and what would you ask them? A toss-
up between Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder. Just what made them decide a particular storyline
had merit and when they knew the script was ready to shoot.