NY Elite: Congratulations on being an ISC finalist. What does it mean for your work to be selected at the International Screenwriting Competition in New York?

Rory O’Connor: It’s swell…an honor.

NY Elite: Can you tell us about the work that you participated with at ISC? What is the story about?

Rory O’Connor: It is a short script about actors struggling to interpret the text of a play during a rehearsal. While the actors try to find meaning in the play, they are trying to find what they mean to each other.

NY Elite: Can you tell us about yourself and your artistic talents?

Rory O’Connor: I’m a writer in New York City.

NY Elite: What scripts have you written so far?

Rory O’Connor: I mostly write for the theatre. It is only during the last few years that I’ve written screenplays.

NY Elite: Top 3 favorite projects that you have been involved in?

Rory O’Connor: I’m quite fond of this script as most of it is written in verse. But I have several works in varying states of completion.

NY Elite: As a writer, what is the most important aspect of building a character?

Rory O’Connor: I think about failure—which is quite easy to do. And then the opposite of failure—whatever that might be. But initially, I would write their name in caps.

NY Elite: What projects are you currently working on?

Rory O’Connor: There is always a start of something or a rewrite of something else.

NY Elite: Do you express yourself creatively in any other ways?

Rory O’Connor: I play the violin poorly.

NY Elite: What advice would you give to someone who wants to have a career in filmmaking/writing?

Rory O’Connor: Honestly, I haven’t any advice to give. Perhaps…box your exactas.