MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Jill Weinberger

An interview with screenwriter Jill Weinberger regarding the Spec Scriptacular Writing Competition.

A: I actually entered two scripts: "Will and Grace: A Good Gay Man is Hard to Find", which won first place in the sitcom category, and "The West Wing: 65 Women", which placed second among the dramas.

In "A Good Gay Man is Hard to Find", Will's invited to join a prestigious legal society, and he's incredibly excited until he finds out that, as he says, "I only got in because they're low on lawyers who are light in the loafers!" Grace is upset when her married friends seem to be shunning her, so Karen goes behind Grace's back to help her out and "stick it to the man". Jack has a smaller storyline in which he returns to show business, but is undone by an obsession with Antonio Banderas (and the ensuing wrath of Melanie Griffith).

"65 Women" has Bartlet trying to stave off an international meltdown when the Pakistani government shuts down a UN aid program and takes 64 women prisoner -- one of whom just happens to be the wife of the Israeli Prime Minister. Will, having just returned to the fold, is charged with handling a senator's eccentric young widow, an old friend of the Barlet family who calls the President "Uncle Jed", as she mounts an increasingly reckless campaign for her husband's seat. Toby's questions about a new CIA consultant lead to a blow-up with Leo, and Josh may or may not be shrinking.

A: I entered the Spec Scriptacular with my "Sex and the City" script a few contests back, and I got really great feedback from Larry Brody, the head honcho over at TVWriter.com. That and the fact that the message boards over there are so helpful pretty much guaranteed that I'd be sending more scripts their way eventually. Plus there's the chance of agency representation, which is a tempting prize.

I'd entered much earlier drafts of both the "Will and Grace" and the "West Wing" scripts in the Acclaim TV competion about a year ago, since some of my other scripts had done well there. I didn't place, and Frank Drouzas, the coordinator there, advised me that the "Will and Grace" script really needed a more thoroughly developed resolution. And he was right! So I reworked that. Then I took some time away from the scripts, and returned with a fresher eye, which prompted major rewriting on both. After soliciting and incorporating the feedback of several of my smart and wonderful friends, I finally felt the scripts were ready for the Spec Scriptactular.

A: I'm very impressed with the way the whole contest was handled. The results were out much earlier than promised. Larry Brody emailed me quite quickly to get my "snail mail" address for sending prizes, and I was contacted almost immediately afterwards by WriteSafe and the people from the Action/Cut Filmmaking seminars about my other awards. I'm working on my WriteSafe Featured Writer page right now!

A: Feedback for the Spec Scriptacular is something you can specifically order when you enter, and it usually goes out a little while after the contest affairs have been settled. As I mentioned, I got wonderful feedback on my last entry, and so I purchased it again this time. I definitely recommend the investment -- it's not very much money, and Larry knows his stuff. He's able to give you constructive criticism that you can really work with, and he does it without crushing your ego, which is much appreciated.

A: Well, it's less than a month since I've won! One of my awards is consideration by the Terry Porter Agency. I'm hoping that the Featured Writer page on WriteSafe and being listed as one of the recommended writers on TVWriter.com will get me some attention. But basically I know that TV writing is not a they'll-come-looking-for-me type of situation. Certainly a great placement like this will give me some credibility, but I know the burden is still on me to write the query letters and use the contest results as a means of catching someone's eye. Of course, if an agent, manager, or producer WANTS to contact me, I'd much appreciate the attention, as well as the savings in time and stamps.

A: I was writing TV scripts before I even knew I was doing it! As a kid, when I couldn't sleep, I would lie in bed and make up new episodes to my favorite TV shows, and, geek that I was, I would actually go back and rewrite scenes in my head night after night. I've also been involved in theatre most of my life. I've stage managed professionally, and I used to perform improv here in LA.

Most of my other specs, like my "Sex and the City" or my "Friends", have done pretty well in one competition or another. Plus I have several specs for shows that have since left the air, like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". I wrote a feature, a historical drama called "Finding Sosua", which is now undergoing a major overhaul.

I've also got a sitcom pilot that a friend and I co-wrote about the behind-the-scenes action at a "Politically Incorrect" style talk show.

A: I've lived in Los Angeles for about seven years. I live in a teeny, tiny apartment at the beach with two cats.

A: I was partway through an "Angel" spec -- actually a reworking of some ideas from my old "Buffy" -- but "Angel" just got cancelled, so that script's going away until I can figure out how to cannibalize it for something else. I'm working on two features, a father-son road trip movie and a (hopefully) low-budget "The Others"-esque thriller. And I wanted something more kid-friendly in my repetoire to enter in the Nickelodeon Fellowship competition, so I'm working on a spec for "Radio Free Roscoe", which is a teen show that airs on The N.

Posted Monday, February 16, 2004