Inside John Swetnam’s Mind: Secrets Behind His Most Unexpected Storytelling Choices Revealed

My conversation with the 2017 Black List writer

I’ve known John Swetnam since I conducted this interview with him 2011. Among his screenwriting credits: Evidence (2013), Step Up: All In (2014), Into the Storm (2014), and Break Through (2015). His original screenplay Ruthless was named to the 2017 Black List. In 2024, John sold the action-comedy spec script Ballistic to Paramount.

Here is my interview with John.

Scott Myers: First off, what’s your background and how did you end up wanting to pursue filmmaking?

John Swetnam: I am an Air Force kid which means I moved around a lot. Every two years or so I had to change friends, towns, countries and continents. It was stressful at times but it also allowed me to experience different cultures at a young age. I’m of a mixed background (Thai and white) and sometimes it was hard to find the place where I belonged or to find things that I had in common with the other kids and that’s what I’ve always loved about movies, music and television. They cross every divide and have the ability to give a common ground to so many different people. There’s something magical about meeting someone from some random town a million miles away and being able to strike up a conversation about some movie you both enjoyed. Movies connect us and I guess I’ve always just wanted to feel connected.

As for what was the moment that really started my dream of making movies… it was when I was living in Ely, England. My dad had a pretty tough job and we didn’t have much money and I remember when they came to town and were shooting a movie called Revolution with Al Pacino and Donald Sutherland and they needed extras. I’ll never forget going to visit my dad on set at our local Cathedral and seeing all these grown men in period costumes, carrying guns and “playing pretend”. It seemed so unreal to me that these grown ups could have so much fun and get to make believe all day and get paid for it! I was curious and intrigued to say the least.

And then years later when I saw Jurassic Park… I was officially hooked.

Scott: Have you had any formal education or training in either/both screenwriting and directing? If so, what and how did that education contribute to your recent success in the sale of…