How did you come up with the idea for your screenplay?

I became interested in scriptwriting and got the idea for PHANTOM MANDARIN during a screenwriting class taken at the University of Utah in the fall of 1988. All of the other students were writing about stories that they were in the process of creating. I had no such vision and did not feel comfortable creating a story. Since biographical sketches had always appealed to me, I began to look around for a true story to write about.

What or who was your inspiration?

From memory, I recalled a story about a missionary to China who became a field intelligence officer for the army in the second world war, performed heroically, and was brutally murdered, on his last mission after the war, by our allies. And I also remembered this too - the government covered up his death. As inconceivable as this sounded, I wanted to know more. And I remembered his name, John Birch.

After further investigation into these events, I decided that here was not only an intriguing story, but a story that had to be told. For me, truth matters and the fact that few people know this story propelled me to want to gain a measure of recognition by the public for U.S Army Capt. John Morrison Birch, a genuine unsung hero. I made up my mind to bring this true story to the Silver Screen.

What is your writing background?

I reviewed screenwriting books for Creative Screenwriting in the magazine's first six years.

Do you have formal training as a writer?

I've taken screenwriting courses.

How long did it take for you to write your script?

I completed the initial draft and it really did not pass the smell test and was, more or less, a kind of treatment. Even though I received a passing grade it was my first attempt at screenwriting and I knew that I had to learn a lot more if I was going to compete with other writers at the industry level. I purchased several books on the craft, took more classes and completed the first draft of the feature-film version of PHANTOM MANDARIN three and a half years later, in 1992.

What were some of the challenges that you faced during the writing process?

From the outset, I decided to write John's story for the secular market. John's gift in life was to spread God's Word through his missionary work, preaching, baptizing, restoring congregations in China that have been torn apart from the war. His was a personal quest to bring Jesus to the hearts and minds of the Chinese, for he lived among them, dressed as they did, spoke as they did and gave everything he had to make this happen. My greatest challenge was how to present the spiritual side of this man in a way that appeals to a general movie audience.

Only after many rewrites after much feedback from other writers who made helpful comments on how to handle the religious aspect of the story was I able to accomplish this. Another challenge was how to make the military culture and action part of the story work. Since I do not have a military background, I was skeptical about some of the things I put in my story. I called on a good friend who is a retired U.S Army Colonel and he reviewed the story for military ethics. I made changes based on his recommendations and now feel good about the work.

Do you have advice for other writers who are dealing with Christian themes?

Screenwriting is re-writing and re-writing. Nobody, in my experience, gets it right the first time. As soon as you can, get your ideas down on paper, even if it's a one or two page idea for a story, pass this on to friends and family for their review and feedback. Never be shy about getting help along the way. It's important in the beginning to identify your target audience and whether that audience will be secular or religious. By doing this you can narrow your parameters and make each and every writing decision that you make be in line with what your goal is.

I would not trade what I've gone through to get PHANTOM MANDARIN to this point for anything. It has been a long and somewhat tedious journey and I feel very good about the prospects to get John's story into a pre-development deal soon.