How to Write a Script on Something That I Know Nothing About

Okay, yes, I know that centering my Cambridge final on an experience that I have no familiarity with is a challenge to say the least.  This is especially so when considering that my production will be heavily led by dialogue, and so it must be accurate and convincing.  To accomplish this, I turned my research onto articles written by former conversion therapy patients.

In an interview with Alexa Tsoulis-Reay for The Cut, which you can find here, former patient Deb Cuny explains the typical conventions of the community she was raised in.  She was a devout Christian from birth, explaining that she would even go as far as to "pin classmates up against the wall demanding they give their lives to Christ."  In this community, it was constantly reinforced that homosexuality was a sin.  Cuny describes coming to terms with her sexual orientation, coming out to her parents, and getting a girlfriend upon going to college.  However, after being broken up with, she describes feeling lost and disoriented; "I felt desperate, like I had become what my parents had warned."  Because of this, she enrolled herself into conversion therapy at her parent’s behest. She describes feeling guilty, stating “I thought I was being bombarded by demons.”  This deeply rooted religious trauma and fear of sinning is something that is very interesting to look into.

Once at the conversion camp, she was made to fast for 36 hours.  Then, she was taken to an isolated room where two priests began praying over her, begging the ‘demon’ to get out.  This process lasted over 6 hours, with the priests growing increasingly violent as the time wore on.

In another Time Magazine article written by James Guay, found here, he discusses his ‘hellish youth’ in conversion therapy.  Like Cuny, Guay was told from a young age that gay people were “an abomination to God, worthy of eternal damnation in hell.” Guay describes finding out that he was gay, and that he would pray obsessively for God to cure him.  Unsurprisingly, no amount of religious repression changed him.  Instead, he “was taught by pastors, parents, and peers to hate [himself].” 

While reading, I took note of certain key phrases that were used frequently, and I plan to include these in the final draft of the script:

• "Demons inside of you"
• "Accept Jesus into your heart"
• "You have chosen this path"
• "Struggling with same-sex attractions"
• "Abomination to God"
• "Corrective and healing relationships with Jesus Christ"

Additionally, I plan to speak with people who have experience in these overtly religious communities in order to make the dialogue as realistic as possible. As of now, I plan to speak to my friends as well as one of my teachers.

The main problem I face is having to condense this all into a 2:30 minute long film opening, which must not come out rushed or under-developed.  Because my original idea consisted of 3 scenes, it’s highly unlikely that I would have been able to include them all in a concise manner.  After discussing with my teacher, I plan on reworking my idea to focus mainly on establishing character in 1 scene instead.  To accomplish this, I’m thinking of perhaps including a voiceover.

As of now, my current plans are to rework my original storyline, and get started on the script as soon as possible.