Scriptapalooza Interviews One Hour Episodic First Place Winner Jennifer Mui
How did you come up with your story idea?
The thing with Boston Public is that there are often so many storylines
running at the same time. So, I knew I had to come up with a few plots that
would intertwine well. The hardest part, in fact, was to connect all of
these stories and make it flow seamlessly. In particular, I wanted to put
the Harvey character in a situation that is probably a little more emotional
than what he's used to.
How long did it take you to write it?
I'm not sure... maybe about a month?
Is this your first script that you have written?
It is my third script.
Have you entered other screenwriting competitions?
Yes. I have entered other TV writing competitions. So far, I have only
received results for this contest and the February 2001 ScriptapaloozaTV
competition. I am awaiting results from the other contests.
If so, have you been successful?
In addition to this win, I was a finalist in the February 2001
ScriptapaloozaTV contest, with my script for Roswell called "The
Metamorphosis." That was my first contest ever entered and my second script
ever written. I also just found out that this Roswell script reached the
first-round quarter-finalist level in the TV episodic category for the
Moondance Film Festival.
Why did you enter Scriptapalooza?
I had heard and read only good things about Scriptapalooza. When I was
searching for competition to enter, I tried to be very selective and choose
only the ones that seemed truly legitimate. I would recommend Scriptapalooza
to anyone!
Advice to other screenwriters?
Don't just watch the shows you are writing for. STUDY them.
How did you feel when you saw your name as one of the winners?
Complete shock. Then came disbelief, and then ecstasy. And it's only been
one day!
If you could write for any TV show, which one would it be?
I guess Roswell. If I can meet Jason Katims and pitch "The Metamorphosis"
and other ideas to him, before Roswell gets threatened by cancellation yet
again, I would be very happy. There are actually a few shows I would like to
write for, but as odd as it may sound, Roswell (Season 1) was the show which
inspired me to write.
Updated: 08/31/2001
Additional Contest Info: Scriptapalooza TV Writing Competition
ScriptLinks
Post Your Script Here!A Bullet For God's Bounty
In a small Arizona town in the 1880s, a righteous French bounty hunter agrees to track down a violent fugitive, only to discover he has been hunting the wrong man.
Greenman
A rising rock star strikes out for Iceland in search of inspiration, only to discover a centuries-old horror that threatens to use her gifts to take over the world.
Morbidly
A young physical therapist slowly loses his grip on reality as he succumbs to the seductiveness of his only patient, a morbidly obese woman with a grisly secret.
Restoration
As an introverted art restorer succumbs to the evil temptations of an ancient painting, otherworldly forces attempt to stop her from unleashing the painting's unholy power.
Misfortune Cookies
Accidentally killing an elderly Chinese chef during a botched robbery, an oafish redneck teenager and her misfit friends begin dying one by one when the chef's ghost returns from the grave, killing them in gruesome fortune cookie-themed ways.
Consumed
Trapped in a basement after an apocalyptic earthquake, a grieving wife fights off a horde of parasitic monsters, unaware that her God-fearing husband has already decided her fate.
Splashdown
A mysterious space capsule adrift in the Pacific Ocean pulls a disillusioned Air Force pilot into battle against a shadowy paramilitary force hell bent on utilizing the astronauts' otherworldly cargo to enslave humanity.
Pretty Baby: The Tragic Death Of Marion Parker
Based on a shocking 1927 crime, a grieving woman exposes the decades-old truth about her twin sister's murder to prevent the killer's lawyer from publishing his own skewed account of the tragedy.
Tar Pits
Forced to take sides in a centuries-old intergalactic war, a veteran soldier and her scientist ex-wife bond with giant alien warriors in a final battle that will decide the fate of humanity.
Euthanized
A grieving animal control officer becomes an unlikely social media hero when she embarks on a vigilante crusade against animal abusers, but her violent actions trap her between friends on the police force and the leader of a citywide dogfighting ring.
