“It really started one of the more freeing creative times I’ve had, just to write a movie that felt like the kind of high-concept, entertaining movies I loved while being able to express lot of what I was feeling at the time.”
Connor Savage
The Killer Shorts Blog is very excited to bring you this interview with a Killer Shorts Contest success story, Connor Savage. Connor placed as a Season 1 semifinalist with his short script Saskia. Working in carpentry, Connor found himself delivering to a remote cabin, by a lake, on Vancouver Island. Feeling like he was in a horror movie, Connor was inspired to write Saskia for the Killer Shorts Contest. The logline for this semifinalist script is:
Two tradesmen trapped in a remote island cottage, find themselves stalked by a mysterious threat.
Coming from a comedy background, Connor made the decision not to limit his work as a writer to one specific genre. After hearing about Killer Shorts, he was inspired to make this a personal writing challenge for himself. After placing as a semifinalist, the encouragement from the competition, in particular fellow Canadian and contest director Alison Parker, Connor decided to turn his short, Saskia, into a feature length script. With that script, Connor found himself accepted to AFI’s Screenwriting Conservatory & the Top 10% in the Academy Nicholls Fellowship.
Admission to AFI is a huge accomplishment, as it has been ranked the #1 Film School in America, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Connor will be joining a list of alumni alongside Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit), Brad Falchuk (American Horror Story), Alexandra Rushfield (Shrill), to name a few. It was such a joy to speak with Connor, and we hope the interview below gives you a glance into the career development that can come from entering a screenwriting contest.
Conversations With Connor
Where are you from and where do you currently reside? Did you surroundings have any influence on SASKIA?
I’m originally from Toronto, but at the time of writing Saskia I was living in a small town on Vancouver Island. It definitely had an influence on Saskia, I felt very compelled to write a story that took place in that scenic world.
What was your inspiration for writing SASKIA?
I was working in carpentry on Vancouver Island and I was desperate to write something. One day, myself and a coworker were tasked with delivering several pieces to a remote property WAY up island. We just spent the day working at this cabin by a lake that felt like a very classic-horror setup. Having that visual picture of where it took place was the first inspiration, and then it was about the challenge of writing something compelling enough to justify another cabin-in-woods-type movie. I think like any horror fan I became infatuated with that setup/archetype. The Evil Dead was definitely burned into my brain at a young age. The themes and the emotional journey of the two characters came much later, it was initially just a want to write something.
Can you, the best you can, give a brief synopsis of the script?
Saskia is the story of two tradesmen of different backgrounds working on Vancouver Island, Christmas of 1991. They don’t know each other, they’re desperate for money, and team up to deliver a last-minute job to a remote cabin in the woods. Upon arrival one of the men gets shot and they spend the movie in this cabin, underneath the windows, having to work together, to make it back to their truck, before whoever (or whatever) is in the woods, comes after them.
I always pitch it as The Thing meets Midnight Cowboy. I was very interested in writing a movie about toxic masculinity, and thought, “why not make that movie a monster movie.”
How did you come to write this script for the Killer Shorts Contest 2020? Did you already have the script or did the contest prompt you to write SASKIA?
I hadn’t come up with the idea before Killer Shorts. I had been pretty lost for ideas at the time. I kind of used the competition as a challenge to see what I could come up with and write in the shortest amount of time. (I heard about the competition late and had about 30 days before the deadline) It was more about seeing what might come out of a writing exercise and forcing myself to write something. The script that became the feature looks very different from that first draft, but I don’t think I would’ve written Saskia at all if it weren’t for Killer Shorts.
Were you always interested in writing horror shorts, or just horror in general?
I actually started out as a comedian. I did stand up from a very young age and went to school for screenwriting intending to be a comedy writer. At some point I stopped forcing a genre to write in and just tried to come up with stories I liked and the genre would follow that. But I was always a horror geek and loved the genre.
What was your first memory with the horror genre?
I remember very vividly. I was 6 years old, my Mother took me to the New York Public Library, told me to pick whatever I wanted and I somehow landed on a VHS copy of Tod Browning’s Dracula. I don’t know if it was the cover-art or I knew what Dracula was from Halloween decorations, but we went back to our hotel and I watched the whole thing with my fingers over my eyes. I was terrified and swept up in the whole thing. How spooky it was and how tragic yet menacing Bela Legosi was. It’s definitely one of the first pieces of art that really affected me.
“There are so many interesting things happening in horror right now and some thematically/socially important work being made. I would love to be a part of that community in any way.”
Connor Savage
What is your takeaway from your experience being a semifinalist in the Killer Shorts Contest 2020? How would you say this experience impacted your career or how you move forward?
It kicked off a very productive year of writing scripts and making shorts, that might have gone very differently if Killer Shorts hadn’t given me the confidence to keep writing as much as I could, submit to competitions, and really put my work out there. Killer Shorts was the first competition to encourage my scripts or take any kind of notice, they were really generous. I’ve actually been in contact with Alison Parker who started the competition. She’s a fellow Canadian and was so encouraging about the script, she’s been very kind. It not only gave me the confidence to turn Saskia into a feature script but also to be less precious about everything and focus on finishing my work. I found I had a habit of not writing out of fear. And now I just try to finish everything I start and be terrified after.
How did it feel to be a semifinalist, with SASKIA, in the Killer Shorts Contest?
It was so exciting! It was one of the first competitions to give my scripts notice and it just made me feel like I should keep at it. To me that’s the best thing a script competition can do is just encourage people to keep writing, validate their efforts. It’s the constant battle with being a screenwriter, that painful “why keep going”.
Request Connor’s script here.
What inspired you to take this short script, that you placed with, and turn it into a feature?
Encouragement from the competition and from friends who read the short and felt there was potential for a feature. There were things I wanted to explore thematically that I felt warranted a feature version. It became a story about fragile and toxic masculinity, and I wanted to write a horror movie with as much compassion as I could. I’m still working on it and intend to direct it someday. It really started one of the more freeing creative times I’ve had, just to write a movie that felt like the kind of high-concept, entertaining movies I loved while being able to express lot of what I was feeling at the time.
You had great success from your script, being a semifinalist in the contest, to the feature version getting you to the Top 10% in the Nicholls Fellowship, what advice would you give writers when deciding to submit to a writing competition?
Just to keep trying. I’m still just trying. I’ve had a lot of good luck and really great people around me to give me advice and encourage me to keep going. I’ve definitely been extremely fortunate and privileged in that regard. It feels strange to give any advice because I think I’m in the same boat as everyone else. Just trying to make things and see if people like those things. Script competitions can be a great place to showcase work, or it can make you feel like you should just stop trying. I think you just need to take it all with a grain of salt and keep making stuff.
Could you ever have imagined when you submitted your short to Killer Shorts that it would become a feature to get to Top 10% in the Nicholls Fellowship, and accepted into AFI’s Screenwriting program? What has that process been like for you?
It’s all been very surreal, I’m still processing everything! I definitely didn’t imagine any of it when I wrote the Saskia short for Killer Shorts. It’s exciting how far that project has taken me, but also just a testament to the difference a writing competition can make. Particularly for writers who don’t have connections or feel anywhere near the world of movie making. This project has become so close to my heart and became something so personal. It’s about a lack of empathy and a focus on a masculinity that will not save this character’s life, it actually may get him killed. It’s been exciting to have a script so personal be the one that took me further.
Getting into AFI’s Screenwriting Conservatory is a huge accomplishment. Were you surprised/elated to be accepted? Was that always a career goal of yours?
I was shocked when I got the email. I called my parents and just sat on the floor, my head was spinning. I really had no idea what my chances of getting in were. I’ve dreamt of AFI since I first heard about it as a kid. It’s exciting and scary and all those good things. I really owe it to my incredible family and friends, and all the talented, cool people I went to York University with. I’ve been a very lucky guy.
What are your intentions for your career? Do you plan on staying in the horror genre?
My intention is to keep making things. I want to write as much as I can and work/collaborate with other filmmakers of every discipline. There’s so many cool things happening with streaming and platforms like Vimeo or Arrow and even YouTube. I’m just excited to make things and see where that takes us. But Saskia is a big part of that plan. It’s a small movie that I’d really like to finance and make with a small crew in Canada.
I’ve got plenty of scripts and ideas in all sorts of genres. I love horror because it’s also this tight-knit community that seems to understand each other’s sensibilities. There are so many interesting things happening in horror right now and some thematically/socially important work being made. I would love to be a part of that community in any way.
What’s next for you? Any new projects you want to share?
I have two iPhone shorts coming out later in the summer and another I’m prepping right now. Other than that I’m just preparing for AFI, writing a few features and submitting other ones to competitions again. Also thank you for doing this interview, it’s incredibly generous!
Where do you hope to see yourself in the next 5 years?
I’d love to direct my first feature and I’d love for that feature to be Saskia. I really want to meet the people I can do that with and hopefully get in touch with the people I graduated YorkU with and make that movie on Vancouver Island. Canadian Horror is such a rich and storied genre, the idea of collaborating with all of the incredible people, who’ve been so supportive, and making that first feature is something I’m continually working towards.
“Thanks again to Killer Shorts for doing this interview, you continue to support artists and I’m so grateful to you!”
Connor Savage
Killers Shorts hopes Connor’s story will give you a little insight into what can be accomplished after placing in the contest. As writers, we have all experienced that lack of creativity, the moment we think we’ve completely run out of ideas. Connor started this journey with that moment, but submitting to the contest encouraged him to keep moving forward, and as he puts it “just keep trying.” From Saskia, Connor has found his dream of being accepted to AFI, as well as, recognition from a myriad of other screenwriting contests. These are huge accomplishments, but it’s the encouragement to keep moving forward, and his strong desire to collaborate with fellow creators in the Canadian Horror space, that stands out to me the most. Make sure to follow Connor Savage and all the work he puts out in the future.
Connor Savage on Twitter.
Connor Savage on Coverfly.
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Images provided by Connor Savage.
Featured Image created by Ieva Berzina.
