MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Jason Allen

An interview with screenwriter Jason Allen regarding the Tennessee Writing Competition.

A: It's called THE HAPPY VALLEY MAFIA. It's about a New York mob boss who wants to go straight so he moves to a small Southern town and becomes a librarian. However, he unknowingly invades the turf of a wild, ruthless backwoods gang known as the Happy Valley Mafia. At that point, as you might guess, things get a bit ugly. It's a comedy, though, so the ugliness is mostly goofy and lighthearted -- sort of in a RAISING ARIZONA-kind of way.

A: I had entered this contest a couple of times before and had pretty good results. My script LUCKY TEETER won the contest back in 2003. I got more requests for the script after winning the contest and it ended up being optioned a few times before finally getting produced (as LUCKY FRITZ) in 2009. The director, Stephen Manuel, said that having a contest-winning script helped during his pitch meetings -- so I'll take his word for it.

This is the first contest I've entered with this particular script. I actually wrote it four or five years ago; I had a few option offers, but I decided to hold on to it and do another rewrite. I got busy with other projects and never got a chance to do the rewrite, so I decided to enter it into a couple of contests as is.

A: Yeah, I thought they did a good job with the the contest. Everything was professional, they met their deadlines, they kept in constant communication, and I received everything that was promised. I have no complaints.

A: Yeah, I did write an outline first. Before starting this script, I had just read the book "Story" by Robert McKee. So I did things a bit differently with this script. I actually wrote the first two drafts without any dialogue whatsoever. I just wrote the action -- what the characters were doing and what they were thinking. And then with the third draft I finally inserted dialogue. It was good practice -- I learned that you could tell a story with only a minimal amount of dialogue. My characters tend to get talky sometimes, so I wanted these characters to say only what was necessary to move the story forward. I learned quite a bit while writing this.

Initially it took about two months to write this script. And that was three drafts. A bit later Richard Shepherd, an agent with The Artists Agency in L.A., read the script and decided to represent me. He had some minor changes, so I worked on it for another three or four weeks to fine tune it. So overall it was about three months of work.

A: I actually have a screenwriting format program that I put together myself using Microsoft Word. It's pretty simple and basic -- but I'm comfortable with it and it works just fine. I got Final Draft a couple of years ago, but I haven't written a script with it yet -- maybe the next one.

A: Yeah, I do some kind of writing every day -- although not necessarily screenwriting. My background is journalism, so I've done writing for newspapers, magazines, websites, etc. I try to do some type of writing on a regular basis -- whether it's screenwriting, journal writing, an article, email, whatever. I guess it's my primary creative outlet.

A: I get writer's block now and then. But fortunately it doesn't seem to last long. If I can't write, I usually put on my backpack, lace up my hiking boots and hit the trail. A few hours out in the woods with the birds and trees and wildflowers are usually enough to inspire me and get the creative juices flowing again.

A: My major was mass communications/journalism and I started out in the newspaper business. I did news writing, feature writing, sports writing, entertainment writing, editing... you name it. I also wrote for some magazines and did some travel writing and photography. About the only type of writing I haven't tried yet is songwriting -- which, considering I live in Nashville, might sound strange.

Yeah, I've written several feature-length scripts. Even though I haven't been able to devote as much time to screenwriting as I'd like, I've been pretty fortunate: I've had several option deals, I've had one of my scripts produced, and have another project in pre-production.

A: No, I still live in the Nashville area. One of my agents tried to convince me to move to L.A. He said he could get me a lot of work out there -- especially in TV. But that's not for me. I prefer a slow-paced life, rural living, the great outdoors.... that's where I find joy and happiness and peace. I like the luxury of being able to write when I want and how I want. Yeah, I would get more opportunities in L.A. But I firmly believe that if you write something worthwhile, it will find it's way into the hands of someone who can do something with it -- whether you live in Nashville or L.A. or wherever. My entertainment attorney is based in L.A. ... so that helps a bit.

A: I'm just now starting to throw around ideas some for my next script. Most likely it will be a comedy. Also, in the next couple of years, I'd really like to write (and maybe even direct) a local low-budget horror film. I grew up a horror movie fanatic, but I've never tried writing horror. I recall that I was pretty good at scaring people when I was a kid -- I once made my room into a mini-haunted house and scared the hell out of all the neighbors. So I think I have it in me. We'll see...

Posted Thursday, August 5, 2010