Watch the June 2016 Winning Best Scene Fantasy Reading.
QUEST FOR MIHTE LUGH, by Ray Whittinger
SYNOPSIS:
Genre: Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
Jack was thought a dreamer and a fool, until he was abducted into the Balor’s wintery kingdom. Through trial and wit he is recognised as the prophesied Fairy King returning to revive the world.
CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Marsha Mason
ORACLE – Allan Michael Brunet
JAMIE – Alan Shonfield
ELLIE – Roselie Williamson
JACK – David Strauss
Get to know writer Ray Whittinger:
1. What is your screenplay about?
A confused fairy changeling born at the winter solstice is abducted with siblings and secretly returned to the fairy world. Then discover they are Lugh, the heir to the Fairy Kingdom, the prophesied Saviour of the Universe. The siblings collide into a magical world of tricks, where monsters contend with angels, good meets evil and the last war to end all wars is in progress. Can the siblings complete their quest in time and find the pearls, before the vestiges of last summer’s light runs out?
“Quest for Mihte Lugh” is an exciting lost fairy story surviving from the Druid bards. As is the oldest fairy tale it reflects a pre-historic view of the world.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
We are already in negotiations to make “Quest for Mihte Lugh” into a movie. If funding and other elements come together, you may be able to see this film at the cinema in a few years. This is only the beginning; we have two sequels in hand and another book to extend the films life.
3. How would you describe this script in two words?
Epic, fantasy
4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is among the movies I have seen most times.
5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I started working on this project about six years ago as a Children’s animated TV pilot based on the first book I published in 2008. The pilot stirred a lot of interest from European broadcasters and international co-producers, but I could not get the deal I wanted. Knowing the significance of the brand, three years ago I started writing the film script.
6. How many stories have you written?
I have written eight books many of them as series, a short film, five screenplay, and three five-minute plays for BBC local radio.
7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
Nearly twenty years ago, I research material for a book called Naissance about millennial prophecies. I never completed it on time. In the process, I researched Celtic myths and prophecies only to discover I could link together the fragmentary stories into a more complex narrative describing the solar cycle. This became the basis of Mihte Lugh – the real story of the fairy king. It is the base legend for the medieval romances such as Mort De’Arthur and Merlin.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Book narratives are very different from screenplays in many ways. Books are about personal emotions and feelings, while films are about the visuality and drama. Mihte Lugh is particularly difficult because it has a specific world setting like Lord of the Rings and J K Rowling’s Harry Potter. Characters and narratives have to be consistent throughout a series.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I love studying history, family history and experiencing nature.
10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
Wildsound is a great festival to develop and get feedback to further develop screenplays. The interludes between allow one to work on other project and be fresh to optimize one’s script.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
William Nicholson told me screen writing was about story, but it is also about telling the right story, believing in it and making it happen.
****
Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
WILDsound Festival 