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Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Thomas Cavanaugh
An interview with screenwriter Thomas Cavanaugh regarding the Toucan Films Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: HARVEST - It is an erotic thriller in less than 30 pages... that's the way I like to bill it. It won their Short Screenplay Competition. About a man that gets a girl back to his motel room and slowly is getting ready to rape and mutilate her. He is a sexual predator, but at some point she turns the tables on him. The girl drugs him and he passes out. The man wakes up in a tub of ice with a message written in lipstick on the bathroom mirror that his kidney has be taken from him and he has to call 9-1-1. Predator becomes victm and victim becomes predator.
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 entered because it it was for Short Screenplays. I did enter the script in a few other competitions. I didn't win in any other competitions. I finished third with Toucan.
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: They met all their deadlines and notified by email. I got the awards they promised. They even posted my name with the other winners on moviebytes and a guy in Japan called because he read my name there and we use to work in a theater together.
Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you find the feedback helpful?A: No
Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?A: Not directly from the contest, but I attended several pitch festival since and it has been requested and is being read by Development Execs. I have gotten in on cold query letters with several agents and managers including CAA and it helped to have a winning script.
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: I write 2 to 3 screenplays a year, just to write them I write for the theater and I just finished my first spec. script for television.
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: I moved to L.A. 2 months ago and have been getting a lot of attention.
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: HARVEST is going to be produced by a small indie company in L.A., the deal is being hammered out. I have three screenplay ideas I am working on. I have been workshopping my work with Actors Gym on Monday nights at the Lillian Theater in Hollywood. They like to develop new work there. I am finishing my first spec. for Law and Order. I plan on showing it to TV Agents. I am developing several one act plays and a full length stage play at the same time. By day I work as an Emergency dispatcher to pay the bulls, but I am slamming away the keyboards to get out there and get noticed.
Posted Thursday, June 10, 2004
