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Scriptapalooza Interviews 2007 Contest Winners

Scriptapalooza interviews 1st Place winners Brian Price & Samuel W. Gailey, 2nd Place winner Matt Billingsly, and 3rd Place winner Paul Chepikian:

1st Place Winner
Whale Farts
Brian Price & Samuel W. Gailey


How did you come up with your story idea?

Brian: Sam and I are both drawn to fish out of water stories about lovable losers (being a pair ourselves) and honestly, who hasn’t read Moby Dick and thought it would benefit from more fart jokes? In all seriousness, we wrestled with a dozen different comedy ideas and the one we kept coming back to, the one that everyone told us could never work, and the one that kept us laughing every time we talked about it was a humorous take on Melville’s classic, which at the time, we thought of as City Slickers meets Jaws. If it made us laugh so much, we figured it was a good bet others might appreciate it as well.



Sam: And besides, “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo” was already taken.

How long did it take you to write it?



Brian: About a year and a half (and about a dozen drafts) from inspiration to submission.



Sam: Just slightly longer than it took us to answer these interview questions.

Is this your first script that you have written?



Sam: We’ve each written quite a bit individually. In fact, we first met as screenwriters several years ago in the same writer’s group, writing separately, but helping each other with notes on a regular basis. We quickly realized that we had a similar sense of humor, and decided to see if we could write something together. So this is our very first collaboration.



Brian: But certainly not our last. I can already smell 'Whale Farts 2: Electric Boogaloo'

Have you entered other screenwriting competitions?



Brian: Ironically, we’d each entered one other competition before. And it was the very same competition, the UCLA Screenwriter’s Showcase.



Sam: My script “Almost Murder” and Brian’s script “The Many Lives of Bobby Ivers” each won, in separate years.

Have you been successful?



Sam: I have written a couple one hour television dramas for Fox and Showtime, completed several feature assignments for Roland Emmerich’s company, optioned “Almost Murder,” and done rewrites for a German production company.



Brian: I’ve had a spec optioned by Universal, directed an independent film that did well on the festival circuit, done rewrites for various production companies, and currently have a project set up at Endgame Entertainment.

Why did you enter Scriptapalooza?



Brian: We thought we were buying tickets to Lollapalooza, and Sam wanted to show Amy Winehouse his "Screenwriters Do It With Three-Hole Punch" tattoo.



Sam: Actually, it’s “Screenwriters Have Bigger Slugs.” But seriously, Scriptapalooza has such a strong reputation and credibility in the industry we knew that this was the one contest that could really help boost our careers and put our script in the hands of people who might actually make it.

Advice to other screenwriters?



Sam: Make sure you get feedback and notes on your script from other writers, producers, or whoever will give you an objective view of your story because as a writer, it’s an extremely insular existence.



Brian: And keep writing. Quantity really does breed quality. The truth is the more you write, the better you will write. And it doesn’t hurt to have an inventory of scripts when one of them finally hits. Oh yeah, and don’t be squeamish about giving your script an absolutely ridiculous title.

How did you feel when you saw your name as one of the winners?



Brian: I actually heard before I saw. I was leaving for work and my girlfriend said there was a message for me from someone named Mark Andrushko. I called him back while heading for the door and he asked me, “So, have you heard?” “Heard what?” “Whale Farts won Scriptapalooza,” probably the first time those four words have ever been uttered in the same sentence. I’m not kidding when I say I almost dropped the phone. I was completely floored. For the next ten minutes I made Mark reassure me over and over again that this wasn’t some cruel prank or tragic error. He must have thought I was a mental case. I knew our script was good, but still, having to deal with disappointment and rejection so much in this business, such amazingly rewarding validation was overwhelming. Even weeks later, I still haven’t gotten the moronic grin off my face.



Sam: Ditto for me. Except that I wasn’t leaving for work and I don’t have a girlfriend. But the moronic grin is still definitely on my face.

---

2nd Place Winner
Code Name Veil
Matt Billingsly


How did you come up with your story idea?

I’ve always been fascinated with the world of espionage, and wanted to write a spy movie. Most of the movies about spies have portrayed them as, alternatively, patriotic action heroes or sinister villains. Either way, spies, and especially the CIA, are all-knowing and all-powerful. Many of those movies have been very entertaining and very successful, but after 9/11, I wanted to try a different approach. If the previous films were to espionage what “The Godfather” was to the mob, then I wanted to do the “Goodfellas” of spy movies. I believed if I could humanize the people working for the CIA and de-mythologize what they do, the story could be just as compelling as any James Bond movie. Originally, the script was going to be set in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Soviet Union against a backdrop of real events that occurred from the 1970s to the 1990s. But as I researched the CIA’s various (mis)adventures, I became more and more interested in what had happened in Lebanon between 1982 and 1986, with the formation of Hizb’allah and the rise of Islamic terrorism. I was particularly fascinated by the terrible ordeal of the Americans who were taken hostage, the CIA’s desperate efforts to rescue them, and how those events led to Iran-Contra, the biggest political scandal since Watergate.

How long did it take you to write it?

Five years.

Is this your first script that you have written?

No, this is my fifth.

Have you entered other screenwriting competitions?

Yes.

Have you been successful?

I was eliminated in one, made it to the Quarterfinals in the PAGE International Screenwriting Competition, and am still waiting to hear from three others.

Why did you enter Scriptapalooza?

Three years ago some friends entered a TV script they’d written and won 1st place. They ended up landing an agent at ICM and getting staffed on a series.

Advice to other screenwriters?

Work at an agency or in development, preferably both. If you don’t live in LA, you should really consider moving here. Working in the business is the best way to learn what the industry is looking for, how the process works, and to meet people who can help you realize your goals. Things I learned from working in development, and feedback I received from people in the business, were invaluable in writing this piece.

How did you feel when you saw your name as one of the winners?

I was thrilled, of course!

---

3rd place winner
Emily's Numbers
Paul Chepikian


How did you come up with your story idea?

Emily's Numbers is very loosely based on my father's habit of buying every lottery ticket imaginable, both foreign and domestic! He abandoned my family when I was very young and came back into my life just before he died. When my wife and I were cleaning up his apartment, there were hundreds upon hundreds of lottery tickets from all over the world scattered all over his apartment. Not your mainstream lottery tickets but those that take advantage of the elderly. They charge you and in return send you a list of winning numbers to check if you're on the list. Needless to say it's a scam which he fell for over and over. As my wife and I were tossing them all into green garbage bags, I started laughing as I thought, wow, what if one of these is an actual, real winning ticket and I'm throwing away a million bucks? And thus, the seed for Emily's Numbers was planted.

How long did it take you to write it?

I work on my scripts long before I start typing them out. As I am a very visual person, I often see the film almost in it's entirety in my head and then it's a matter of transcribing what I've been viewing. I have to admit it's hard to keep up sometimes. Emily's Numbers took about a year to write from start to finish. When I think back to where it's been, some of my desperation in trying in trying to force the story, some of the deleted scenes, it makes me laugh. Once I backed off, left it alone, let it ferment in my mind for a while, the desperation vanished and the path became much clearer. Don't even ask me about the cryogenically frozen mob boss on the rotating platform behind the huge plated glass window who fell over and shattered with the lottery ticket in his pocket! But unless you go there, get it out of your head, those terrible ideas will continue to get in your way. Wait, maybe that's not such a bad idea...

Is this your first script that you have written?

This is far from the first script I've written. But this is the first script I've written with the intent of using it as a calling card to show that I can write and that I can write well, that I can tell a story, that I can keep people engaged and entertained. It's the first time I forced myself to, and this is important, complete a script! A friend once said that I had a basket full of yarn and all these wonderful sweaters that were in various stages of completion, that's a pretty good analogy of me and my work. Those days are behind me. But for whatever reason, I needed to be there to get here. The good news? The basket is full of good ideas in various stages of completion.

Have you entered other screenwriting competitions? Have you been successful?

I have entered other competitions, and this is really, really important to mention to everyone: Emily's Numbers was entered in Scriptapalooza I think two years ago and did not even make it to the quarter finals. So in answer to that often asked question "should I re-enter a script?" the answer is obviously yes. It could be a new reader, it could be different times, it could just be karma, but believe in your work and give it a second chance. In addition, Emily's Numbers made it as a second rounder in the Austin Film Festival and is currently a quarter finalist in Nicholls. In terms of how many competitions I've entered and how many I've had success with, if I were to use a baseball analogy, I'm batting better than 500.

Why did you enter Scriptapalooza?

I entered Scriptapalooza because I began to see that it was taking a place among the more serious competitions out there. I began to read about it in various publications, then on line. I was hesitant the first few years as competitions began popping up all over. Soon, I realized it was becoming a force to be reckoned with and I really liked the concept of what it was they were trying to do with writers. It was never really about the money for me, not that I couldn't use ten grand, but it was about the doors that would open.

Advice to other screenwriters?

The most important advice I can give aspiring writers is do not waste time! This life will pass you by so quickly, trust me. Though I try not to have regrets in my life, one always thinks of the "I coulda, woulda, shoulda..." Get those ideas down on paper, keep thinking about the next idea you want to work on, don't try to write the next big "thing" write what you find intriguing and fascinating. You will never please everyone, try to please yourself and an audience will find you. You will devote so much time and energy, work on something you will enjoy and be proud of. As much as I enjoy writing, it's hard work, in my opinion, it should be hard work. When I complete it, the satisfaction I feel is tremendous. If it comes too easy, I question its quality. And by the way, I've yet to see anything write itself!

How did you feel when you saw your name as one of the winners?

Seeing my name as one of the three finalists out of three thousand was one of the most affirming things I've ever experienced. I have always questioned by abilities but having come this far with Emily's Numbers and also being one of two hundred and fifty out of five thousand in the Nicholl Fellowship has given me new found confidence. I am very proud, I am very happy, I am very excited. Most importantly, I am allowing myself to experience these emotions and not question them. I can no longer claim I am not good enough. The fact is I can imagine a good story in my heart and mind, I can transform that story into written form and people have acknowledged that. I wish all you the same experience that I am having as I type this, good luck to all of you. Keep writing!

More interviews online:

www.scriptapalooza.com

Updated: 09/08/2007

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