MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Scott Fauber

An interview with screenwriter Scott Fauber regarding the TFI Writing Competition.

A: The script is called NOTHING COMING. It’s the story of Mike Campbell, an ex-con who’s paroled unexpectedly and, now free, wants nothing more than to hit a quick score and leave the country for good. But after spending the night on his sister’s couch (and bumping heads with her abusive fiancé), Mike has a change of heart. Instead of skipping town, he decides to stick around and fight for something besides himself.

A: I entered TFI’s contest mostly because of the positive reviews it received on Moviebytes. Additionally, I was excited about the chance to get feedback on my work, which TFI generously offers. As for other contests, I just got word that NOTHING COMING has advanced to the quarterfinals of the American Screenwriters Association 8th Annual Screenplay Competition. There are about forty of us left. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

A: You’re going to like any contest you do well in, right? That aside, the folks at TFI (and Terry specifically) were remarkably prompt. I got phone calls every step of the way, right on time. Regarding awards, I’m afraid 2nd place didn’t net any cash. But I did receive a placement in “So You Wanna Sell a Script?”. Not to mention this “blip” of publicity.

A: It’s in the mail, I believe. That’s one of the things everyone loves about TFI: their feedback. So I’m anxious to get my hands on it.

A: Several production companies have asked to read the script, yes. It’s first time anyone in the industry has seen my work, so it’s a nice opportunity for me.

A: I’m relatively new to screenwriting, actually. About two years ago, in the second year of my MFA program, I realized that I needed to set fiction aside for awhile and work with a more dramatic medium -- i.e. screenplays. Not that I don’t love fiction; I do. It’s just that what I do best as a writer seems more applicable to the screen. I liken it to switching positions on a baseball team. You start as an outfielder with, let’s say, a cannon arm. Then one morning you wake up and realize, “Geez, what I REALLY love about this sport is throwing the ball.” So you try your luck at pitching. It’s the same sport, really, just a different job description.

A: Los Angeles? Why? Is something going on there? Jokes aside, I live in Birmingham, Alabama, where I teach English at the University of Alabama. But I will go where my writing takes me.

A: I’m working on a script called WHERE ARE THEY NOW? It’s a romantic comedy about Lynn Stewart, a 30-something TV sports reporter (think Jill Arrington) in danger of losing her job to a younger-blonder-bouncier version of herself. Pretty aggravating stuff for a journalist as accomplished as Lynn. When she gets one last chance to impress the network execs, Lynn’s assignment turns out to be a “Where Are They Now?” piece on a former fling. And not just any fling, but someone who represents, to Lynn, the very worst of the male psyche. Someone who she has no intention of speaking to again.

I’ve never written a “Rom Com” before, so I’m stumbling here and there, but, I’ll admit, it’s a lot of fun. Most genres are, once you learn the rules (and decide which ones to break). I’d like to have a draft ready by mid-May and enter it in a few contests. Who knows? With a little luck, maybe you and I will meet here again . . .

Posted Friday, March 4, 2005