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Screenwriter Interviews
MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Ken Mora
An interview with screenwriter Ken Mora regarding the Indie Gathering Writing Competition.
Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest, and what's it about?A: I entered two, this first place win in the comedy category was for "Magnum Farce", a Naked Gun style spoof of the Dirty Harry movies. The plot draws from those films and has a contemporary political twist. I also won runner-up honors for my action script Ms. Valkyrie.
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 had such a positive experience at last year‘s Century City Film Festival contest that I‘m entering more film-fest based competitions. Indie Gathering seemed a natural fit since it was Indie production that got the whole farce genre going with Kentucky Fried Movie which spawned the great farces: Airplane, Naked Gun, etc. It was with a great sense of homage to the Zuckers/Abrahams, as well as to Clint Eastwood, that I created this project.
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: Absolutely. To start with, the entrance fee includes a full weekend pass to the fest. My only regret is that I could attend at the last minute. Since I couldn‘t go I‘ve corresponded with Indie Gathering‘s CEO Ray Szuch a few times and was always responded to in less than one day. My zoetrope.com friend and fellow writer Jeff Heckman was gracious enough to attend and says he had a blast. Did I receive all the awards promised? How about a 5ft.and a two and a half foot tall trophy for my win and runner up! I also eagerly await the inktip.com listing that I’ll utilize for Magnum Farce.
Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you find the feedback helpful?A: There’s no promise of judging feedback, so I don’t expect any.
Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?A: Always great to score a win. Along with my finalist finish for an earlier version submitted to redinkworks.com I’ve already garnered some nice resume fodder. My current semi-finalist standing in a couple others pending final awards helps, and I‘ve got this out to a few more.
Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays or television scripts?A: My first screenplay, Caravaggio: A Light Before The Darkness, now has a Director attached: Heinrich Dahms of Buzzmedia (buzzmedia.net) who is currently seeking European production partners. He begins principal photography this December on a script based on the life of Mozart‘s sister, a prodigy in her own right, called “Wonder Child“ by Anthony Zaccaro. So, I‘m happy to be high on Dahm’s roster of developing projects.
Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to move there?A: Yes, I’m an L.A. native, but these days you really don’t need to be. Why bring traffic headaches into your life if you’re not already here? I think one thing Indie Gathering proves is that there's interest in making quality film everywhere.
Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?A: I’m always working on new features. Most developed is a romantic comedy about an artist and a lawyer too busy with career to pursue love, who then fall in love despite their plans. I’m also developing a time-traveler script with a deeply conflicted protagonist who seeks to control the flow of time, even as he looses control of his life. Additionally, I’m co-writing a contemporary thriller featuring a protagonist assailed by demons in a Carlos Castaneda-style-reality set near the US/Mexico border. In addition, I’ve become one of the top paid mentors at heliumfeedback.com, so I’m constantly helping others to achieve a contest-winning polish for their scripts.
Posted Wednesday, June 8, 2005
