Every Friday, we meet a member of the BFS and peer deep into their soul (or, at least, a form they filled out). Want to be featured? Email us: online@britishfantasysociety.org
Name:
Clive Dawson (he/him)
Which region are you based in?
South East England
If you write, which genre:
- Sci-fi (film scripts)
- Horror (film scripts)
- Crime (TV scripts)
- Classic Horror & Sci-fi Film History (Books and articles)
If you don’t write, what do you do?
As well as being a screenwriter and author I’m also a film historian, which involves a tremendous amount of original research in archives, libraries and databases, etc.
Are you drawn to any specific SFFH sub-genres?
Psychological horror and supernatural thrillers.
Your influences
Tell us about the book/film/thing that got you into SFFH: What was it? How old were you? What impact did it have on you?
When I was a young child, probably around eight years old, my dad had a 16mm projector and my older brother used to hire films such as KING KONG and SON OF FRANKENSTEIN – classic horror stuff – which I loved watching. I wasn’t frightened by it, merely thrilled and fascinated. I was especially interested in stop-motion animation and quickly became a fan of Ray Harryhausen’s films. My older brother also regularly bought horror film magazines at that time, which I used to read avidly, so I grew up loving sci-fi and horror in general.
How does that early influence show up for you (in life/writing/agenting/publishing/editing/reading) now?
I much prefer watching horror films to reading horror fiction, though I very much like reading sci-fi. I’m not particularly a fan of slasher movies or body horror. I prefer the more restrained variety of horror, which is often nuanced and psychological. Even the classic Hammer Horror films, often thought to be gory, were extremely restrained by modern standards. As for sci-fi films, I love all kinds, from classic 1950s films to modern, mind-bending stuff. In general, I’m not a fan of fantasy although, when I was younger, I loved sword-and-sorcery fiction.
Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?
I draw my inspiration from films, television, books and, occasionally, comics. When writing crime-based scripts for television, I often juxtapose two or three real-life crimes or incidents that I’ve read about in newspapers. If I’m writing a film script, it’s sometimes adapted from a story I’ve optioned, or created from scratch by researching a particular topic or concept. In general, most of my inspiration probably comes from reading books.
Who do you look to as a genre hero? Why?
My genre hero is RKO producer Val Lewton, who utterly transformed the horror genre in cinema during the 1940s. Modern horror films owe a great deal to Lewton’s innovations. For example, the ‘jump-scare’ was first introduced by Lewton, as was the basic structure of what is now called the slasher movie.
Your Work
You’re stuck in an elevator for 60 seconds with that hero, and they want you to describe your work. Give us the pitch.
I would simply tell Mr Lewton that his films have inspired me, creatively, for most of my working life, and that I’m honoured to have written a book about one of his finest films.
What are you working on right now?
I have a new adapted sci-fi screenplay that my agent is currently circulating. Plus, I’m writing a second Lewton-related book, which is the first ever complete production history of all nine Lewton-produced horror films for RKO.
Pictured below: The poster for The Last Days on Mars,
written and produced by Clive Dawson
Thinking about all the stories/work you’ve done, what sticks out most in your mind? Why?
I’m quite pleased with the numerous scripts I wrote over a fifteen-year period for the ITV police series THE BILL. They were all original stories and most translated to the screen very well. I’m less pleased with a couple of the sci-fi/horror feature films that I wrote because the scripts were tampered with – as if often the case in film – by directors and producers. However, I’m perhaps most proud of the sci-fi and horror scripts I wrote that were almost produced but, for various reason, never were. The interest they generated within the industry demonstrated that they were good scripts, and I remain very pleased with them.
Where and when do you create/are you at your most creative?
I’m most creative in the mornings, and I always write at my desk, in my office.
What’s the best advice you’ve received about creativity?
Have faith in the process. Stick with it and the problems you will inevitably face will be solved, one by one.
What’s your writing soundtrack?
I can’t listen to music while I work. It’s distracting and I need silence. The only tracks I can occasionally play whilst writing are of ocean surf or rainfall.
The Quick-Fire Round
Sci-fi, fantasy or horror?
Horror
Quiet or loud?
Quiet
Dark or light?
Dark
Strict lines or genre blend?
Genre blend
Awards or bestseller?
Bestseller
Fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction
Poetry or prose?
Prose
Plotter or pantser?
Plotter
Reading or listening?
Reading
Notebook or computer?
Desktop computer
Favourite SFFH book of all time?
Too many to count and impossible to say
Last book you read?
Blackout by Sheri Chinen Biesen
Any SFFH author on auto-buy?
Not since Michael Crichton died, no
Favourite podcast?
Not applicable
The Home Stretch
What’s the best thing about being part of the SFFH community?
Chatting with like-minded individuals.
Time to plug your stuff! Where can we find you and your work? What have you got coming up? Consider this your advertising space.
My screenwriting work can be seen in re-runs of the TV shows I’ve worked on, as well as streaming/home entertainment releases of my three produced sci-fi and horror feature films. Info can be found on my two websites: an old one that is no longer updated, and a new one that is current.
My articles can be read in various horror and sci-fi magazines.
My first non-fiction film history book can be found on Amazon, or is available direct from the publisher, here. The new non-fiction film history book I’m currently writing will soon be featured on my current website, so watch that space!
