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Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Dick Belsky
An interview with screenwriter Dick Belsky regarding the Big Apple Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: THE PERFECT VICTIM. It's about a woman who is a front page celebrity because she's the victim of a high-profile crime, then becomes a newspaper reporter covering the crime beat herself. Except one of the crimes she covers reveals shocking, new secrets about what really happened to her. And now she's in danger of becoming a victim all over again.
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 liked the fact that the Big Apple contest was in New York. I live in New York. My script was based in New York. It seemed like a good fit.
The same script finished as a semi-finalist in the Santa Barbara Script Competition; a semi-finalist in Screenplay Festival (final results still pending); and a quarter finalist in Screenplay Expo 2006.
A: Yes, they were fine. One of the awards was a membership in Writers Boot Camp, and I actually started taking the classes before I formally got the certificate at the awards ceremony held at Tribeca Cinemas in November.
Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you find the feedback helpful?A: No, they don't do feedback in this contest. But they did tell me they thought my script was great, which works for me.
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 I've got a lot of stuff out there with a lot of different people at the moment. And it's really nice being able to say I'm a First Place Winner when I tell people about my background.
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: I'm a journalist and a novelist. I've published several mystery/suspense novels. I'm a former managing editor of the New York Daily News; News Editor of Star Magazine; and Metropolitan Editor of the New York Post. As you can see, I've been around...
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: I live in New York City. Which is pretty cool too.
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: Yes, of course. I just began the two-year Writers Boot Camp Think Tank Program, where I'm expected to turn out 3-5 scripts.
The one I'm working on now is called PLAYING DEAD. It's a serial killer thriller. The serial killer dies at the beginning of the script, but the killings keep happening. Nothing supernatural, but I hope clever enough to attract the interest of some producer or agent.
Posted Monday, January 29, 2007
