Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Robert Tobin
An interview with screenwriter Robert Tobin regarding the Telluride Indie Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: "Chasing Steven Spielberg" is a dramady about a failed screenwriter who is offered the chance to rewrite the script for the most expensive movie ever planned, by his mercenary ex-lover/producer, a script no-one actually read before putting a billion dollars and the future of four studios on the line. What makes the situation even more interesting is that the ex-lover is the one who drove the screenwriter from Hollywood in the first place, by screwing him over on one of his scripts, then leaving him for the studio head who's spearheading the billion-dollar potential disaster. Now the hero has to find a way to save his ex-lover's career, his own dreams and Hollywood itself without compromising his own dignity and without getting screwed over again by the Hollywood shark he once loved and now distrusts with every fiber of his being.
Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?A: I came across the Telluride Indie site and thought to myself that I'd love to visit the town and compare it to Park City where I'd been earlier in the year, giving a workshop for Slamdance, so I entered the contest on the off-chance I'd place. I entered "Chasing Steven Spielberg" in Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's Project Greenlight, but it was another of my scripts, "On the DL" that did well in that contest, making the semi-finals (final 100 out of 4200 submitted) and then getting optioned.
Q: Were you satisfied with the adminstration of the contest? Did they meet their deadlines? Did you receive all the awards that were promised?A: I haven't been to the festival itself, but everything so far has been cool. The organizer, Mike, called me personally to make sure everything was okay, and I'm psyched about attending as a "VIP."
Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you find the feedback helpful?A: No. I don't know if that will come later, or what, but nothing yet.
Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?A: Not yet, but my combined semi-final placement in Project Greenlight and the Telluride "win" (the top 20 scripts are chosen as "winners" and not broken down any further) have gotten me past some previously closed doors. I already have an agent, so that wasn't something I needed, but I'm looking forward to schmoozing with the execs and producers who attend the festival.
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: I've written many other scripts, as well as novels, I have a published non-fiction book on screenwriting ("How to Write High Structure, High Concept Movies") out there, I give screenwriting workshops -- I have one coming up at the end of August at the beautiful Wilshire Grand Hotel in L.A., that's sponsored by Slamdance and the Writers Store, just before I fly out to Telluride. I'm a former development exec and currently work as a script consultant among other things.
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: I have a home in Malibu but sold my Santa Monica condo and four years ago moved with my wife Leslie Coogan (Jackie Coogan's daughter) to Huntington Beach which I am madly in love with. In fact we can't decide whether to retire to Malibu or Huntington Beach. I guess that's a hell of a nice problem to have -- and none of this was from money earned in the industry! If anyone reading this thinks they can "make it" financially in the industry, it's possible, but so is winning the lottery and sometimes it feels as if the lottery is a more reasonable choice!
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: My agent, Stephanie Rogers, has asked me to rewrite one script she wants to go out with ("Truthies," a very high concept political comedy). Stephanie also wants to go out with "Just Imagine," a mixed live action animation piece that is one of the very best things I ever co-wrote with my wife, I have an action piece, "The Server" that I'm going to rewrite and have already gotten strongly positive feedback on, and I'm in the middle of writing the first draft of an extremely high concept and commercial piece that's kind of like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" meets "Jurassic Park" in tone. It's called "Back to the Garden" but I can't say anything more about it. I hope to have it completely finished by the end of the year. I also have two novels I'm trying to find homes for (any book agents out there?) and have started planning my next screenwriting book. Whew, I guess that makes me "busy," huh?
Posted Tuesday, August 3, 2004
