Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Andrew Bennett
An interview with screenwriter Andrew Bennett regarding the Breakthrough/Scream Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: The Grandmother is a horror/thriller with elements of "Psycho" and "The Grudge".
Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?A: This was the first purely horror script that I'd ever written. I chose Breakthrough With A Scream because it is specifically geared toward scifi and horror writers. Horror scripts do not fare very well in main stream competitions. Some of the other contests I entered it into were 20/20 and American Accolades. I have not yet heard from 20/20, but AA gave the script no love and slammed it pretty hard. No worries though - some parts of their advice will mold my rewrite and others will simply be ignored.
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: Breakthrough seems to be very well organized. Marisa Sommersville contacted me immediately with the news and the opportunity to send my script to a development executive at Paramount. Overall I am very pleased with the outcome.
Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you find the feedback helpful?A: No feed back was given.
Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?A: As yet I have not been contacted by any other agents. That probably wouldn't make my agent very happy anyway. As for the producers, that remains to be seen. Maybe Paramount will see the potential of the script and bite at is. One can only hope!
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: 9 feature scripts and counting. I started as a poet and won several poetry contests in high school. About two years ago I decided that screenwriting was it and I've been going hard at it ever since. It's a job that's never done and I don't ever want it to be done.
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: I live in the Washington D.C. area in Northern Virginia. I do plan to relocate to the LA area as soon as I possibly can.
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: I'm always working on a new script. Whether it's just a storyline in my head or a character that pops up in the middle of conversation. I'm always working. Next up - another horror thriller in the vein of Saw without the cheesey narrative and sloppy writing. Who am I to talk though - I haven't made any money at screenwriting yet. But I hope when I do that it's work I can be proud of...
Posted Monday, May 23, 2005
