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Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Mark A. Kaplan
An interview with screenwriter Mark A. Kaplan regarding the Direct to the Agents Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: NEVILLE & BOB - Neville Barker has had a problem with intimacy ever since aliens stole his dog when he was a child. Now it's 20 years later and his girlfriend, Penny, has just walked out on him. Neville's private pity party is interrupted by the crash of an alien ship that offers him revenge for his lost dog and an opportunity to win back the girl of his dreams. But when the alien, Bob, regains consciousness, Neville must choose between vengeance, fame and fortune, or the unexpected friendship of a creature from another planet.
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 have entered many contests. This one had had very little exposure, so we thought we'd see how it did. To our delight, it placed second!
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: We did not receive all of the awards promised, basically because the administrator of the contest died. It was terrible luck all around, and a tragedy for him and his family.
Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you find the feedback helpful?A: One of our prizes was a reading by professional actors, after which they gave us honest feedback. Although we did not agree with all of the notes, they were plentiful and we did receive some valuable insight.
Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?A: Due to the tragic death of the contest's founder, we had no exposure to agents, managers or producers whatsoever.
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: Tim Miller and I have written two scripts together and are completing a third. I have scripts written with a variety of partners and several solo projects as well.
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: I live in Pasadena, and Tim lives in Playa Del Rey.
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: Tim and I are in the process of working through our third script. We look forward to getting it out into the world as soon as we both feel confident in its quality.
Posted Monday, November 1, 2004
