MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter Lisa Rothstein

An interview with screenwriter Lisa Rothstein regarding the Screenwriting Expo Writing Competition.

A: The script is a romantic comedy called BRIT OR MISS. It's about a down-on-his-luck British scoundrel who escapes to a high-class New England town to seduce a wealthy American widow. Because he's British, everybody treats him like royalty, even though he's just a plumber.

A: I entered Screenwriting Expo because I am a subscriber and a big fan of Creative Screenwriting Magazine, which organizes the competition and the not-to-be-missed 4-day Screenwriting Expo in LA. I also thought I might have a good chance because the contest was fairly new and there might be a bit less competition! BRIT OR MISS ended up winning the Comedy/Family/Animation Genre Prize. It was also a Top 12 Finalist in Slamdance, a Semi-finalist in the Chesterfield and an Austin second-rounder (top 10%) in a previous year.

A: I was assured that my script had been received, and was notified by email of my semi-finalist status, which I thought was better than snail mail, especially since it allowed me to start communicating with Jim Mercurio, an editor of CS and one of the admisitrators of the contest. The only nit I had was that I found out about being a finalist and being flown out to LA for Expo 2 only a couple of weeks before the event, which made getting there a challange, as I live in France! But I forced myself. I've received all the booty I was promised. One of the best was a staged reading at the Expo of my script. Frank Chindamo of ScreenwritersInc. produced it. It was a thrill to hear my words performed--very well-- by very good actors, even though I wanted to die during the love scenes. I just want to say to writers, whether you enter the Screenwriting Competition or not, you really should go to the Expo. It's got the same level of events, networking opportunities and great speakers you get at similar screenwriters' conventions like Austin and the ASA Selling to Hollywood conference, but it's ridiculously cheap, around $50. I had a great time, Eric Bauer, Jim Mercurio and their team do a fantastic job of running the conference (I understand the organization was mich improved over the first year) and neither has paid me for this plug. Yet.

A: If having my ego stroked is helpful, I have to say an emphatic yes! I was lucky enough to have been read by some people who really had heart for the script. One (I don't know who) even compared it to "Some Like it Hot". I did receive some feedback. but it was informal. I don't know what would have happened had the script not made it to the Finals. No, wait..I do. I had entered another script, a comedy called HEIR OF THE DOG, which didn't place. I forgot all about it. After the Expo, I got the form "Thanks for entering" rejection with a hand-written note from Jim saying, "Sorry. You lost to yourself." I think that entrants' getting a paragraph of feedback would make this contest even better, and more in line with CS's dedication to educating new writers. Of course it would take more work, and putting on the Expo must already be a huge process.

A: I've had a number of people, some from large companies and studios, ask to read the script, most of whom have not gotten back to me yet. I pitched a couple of people at the Expo pitchfest, which resulted in some script requests and an option offer I turned down. I've also since had a flurry of inquiries from small companies. It seems like everyone's a producer.

I did get a couple of bona fide offers of representation and now have a wonderful manager, Andrew Kersey. He's fielding the inquiries now which is saving me a lot of stress and overseas postage!

A: BRIT OR MISS was my first script. I've since completed two more and am working on a fourth right now. They're all comedies or romantic comedies (even the 3 or 4 other half-finished ones that are propping up my bed) so I guess I've found my niche. Up until now, my professional background has been mostly as a copywriter and creative director in advertising. Though before that I did do a stint as a street performer in NYC and just finished a 2-month gig singing Christmas carols at Disneyland Paris in a Santa suit. It's good practice for being humilated at pitch meetings.

A: I've been living in Paris for 11 years, and it is a hard place to leave. But everyone says you really have to be in LA, at least at the beginning. I am planning to go for an extended stay (I just can't seem to say "move") this Spring. Manager Andrew Kersey says he has big plans for me. (Gee, I wonder how you breathe in that Minnie Mouse suit.) Anybody want to trade their place in Santa Monica for a Paris flat on the Left Bank?

A: Andrew has asked for a rewrite of a comedy that I wrote this summer to get it ready to show. I am also working on a new romantic comedy that deals with -- ahem -- reproductive issues. I'm basing it on a friend's experience, as I have none of my own. That I remember.

Posted Thursday, February 12, 2004