SCREENWRITING PROGRAM: Kim Nunley - 'Tuesday Sunrise'

KIM NUNLEY is a screenwriter living in Oakland, California. She is an accomplished writer whose material has been in heaps of screenwriting festivals and she won the 'Outstanding Nor Cal Comedy Short' at the 2012 Sacramento International Film Festival.

Kim's reason for applying was also one of the key reasons I started this program. Writing is hard work, and it's lonely. Here's what Kim wrote when she applied, "The honest reason I’d love to be chosen to participate in your one-week screenwriting program is that I am DYING for feedback and mentorship. I am a dedicated writer who starts every day with my writing work. However, I sit alone everyday in my office and put in my work without really getting the feedback necessary to know if what I’m creating is of any quality. I am constantly striving to get better and would love to get your help."

When a writer can help another writer, even in a simple way, it's a great thing - and something we should all strive to do more of. Read below to find out about Kim's experience on the KITFR Screenwriting Program.

I enjoyed working with you. You were happy to go away and do your thing and to check in with me when you'd completed drafts. How was it for you?

The process was perfect. I like the challenge of figuring out most things myself. Working to find solutions on my own has been one of the reasons I’ve developed into a better writer over the years. So, whenever I struggled throughout the week, instead of immediately turning to you for guidance, I kept tinkering away on my own. Knowing I had you there in case I did need someone’s assistance was comforting, and it was extremely helpful to have you there expecting to hear about my progress and to provide notes as I was finishing up the script.

 
Did having the one week deadline help you?

 
Every year I challenge myself to have a new feature script ready for Nicholl Fellowships because it’s that submission deadline that forces me to hunker down and finish a project. So, in response to your question, having the one week deadline absolutely helped. There was no getting around that I was going to have a short script completed by the end of the week. Excuses weren’t an option. No way was I going to let you or your readers down when we had agreed on a set deadline.

 
You're an experienced writer, you've been doing this a while --- how was this week different? Did you learn anything about yourself as a writer?

 
No matter the number of years I’ve been writing, it’s always a challenge to start and finish a new project. Though it’s never a calming situation to be in, I typically do thrive in a tight deadline situation. I don’t work under these conditions all the time, so this week definitely required that I remain focused and disciplined. Going through this week-long screenwriting program and successfully completing the script helped build my confidence of being able to produce under pressure.

 
How was my input for you, was it helpful?

 
Sometimes after spending hours and hours alone, drowned in the work of one particular story, I start to lose the ability of being objective. Your feedback and assistance was very helpful because it pointed out both areas that I was somewhat already concerned with, and other areas that I hadn’t realized needed work. Plus, it was awesome to receive positive notes on what you did like and what did work for you, so I knew where I was on the right track.

 
What I said to most of the writers at one point or another, was that they should simplify things -- have one idea and go with it. That's definitely something you were doing here with your writing. You had one solid concept, and the jokes and characters grew out of that. Did that structure come easily or did you need to work at it? 

 
As simple as my story concept is, I did have to put in a good amount of work on the structure. There isn’t much complexity to the story, but it took some effort to keep it moving. I always try to be aware of the pacing of the stories I write. I knew in this one that I wanted it to ease in slowly as we’re introduced to Dennis, our protagonist, and then pick up in pacing as he starts to have fun and get a little crazy. I wanted the tempo of the script to coincide with the energy of Dennis’ journey.

 
What are your plans with this script? 

Nothing is set just yet. As of now, I’m just happy to have another completed short under my belt. If anyone’s interested in producing it, please let me know!

You can read Kim's short screenplay HERE. 

Follow her on Twitter, @KimNunley and check out her website. 

Care to share?

Tweet

Off We Went

We went running and rolling and riding through the British countryside in search of life, cause we knew it was out there in the land where phone receptions died and the animals roamed so alive.

We stumbled past roadblocks -the inner ones- which cried at us to stay home and do what grown ups do, but we grabbed a ride to the mountainside as the rains came down and the grass got greener and the woods smelled sweeter.

And some grumpy voice from within us kept pushing us home -- things to schedule, reports to check, thoughts to share. Yet something kept us moving on and out further up the road to anywhere, something that came from a deeper place than what we'd been feeling.

It was out there. The magical mystery IT. The thing. The place that's simultaneously out there in the wild and also here in our hearts. But you have to go all the way there, to get all the way inside here. Far away, free and in the world where the quietness speaks so loud.

We got away from immediate answers and quick solutions and listened to what the world said. It told us, "walk the British Isles and feel the history in each footstep". We understood and bolted for the nearest field and the nearest path and the furthest hillside. 

We felt the souls of old Kings and the spirit of everyone we'd ever known. We breathed in the fresh air and promised to keep walking until we found all the answers.

We were hooked on the wisdom of the outdoors and desperate for the key to life. We kept walking and talking, ever conscious of our desire for meaning. And that's when it stopped.

We felt down and dead, desperately wanting to know where the voices of the skies would lead us. We thought about it a little and discovered our sadness at not being able to extract absolutely everything. Eventually we realised we were getting ourselves down so we decided to just carry on and enjoy ourselves. 

We walked once more, in a direction somewhat resembling home and got all lost in muddy fields and thoughts of love and adventure.

The journey was perfect. We realised, the world HAD spoken after all. The wisdom was in the walking and dreaming. The action we'd taken was to get out there on foot, which was the goal as well as the gift. The world told us "Keep exploring and ignore the voices which think they have all the answers". 

We looked at each other and felt the sparkle of a road travelled and connection made. It got freezing but we felt the warmth of Britain's wisdom. 

Care to share?

Tweet

SCREENWRITING PROGRAM: Lesya Hearst - 'StreetMom'

LESYA HEARST lives in Ukraine, Eastern Europe. She works as a translator and proofreader - but her real passion, as was evident in her application letter, is writing. "The point is, I've got stories to tell. I feel that I can do it. I see myself as a screenwriter. But it's been a struggle. As a kid, I wanted to be a writer (and I've been writing a novel for a while), but my true aspiration is my words, my lines, my ideas, transformed into those magical moving pictures".

It was an interesting week. Did you enjoy it?

The week was challenging and it's already a good reason to enjoy it. And I did. Because I wrote my short screenplay and I learned quite a lot in the process. It was also exceptionally exciting to be a part of this program since, for the first time, I felt that I'm a part of the writing community in general. It was a fleeting moment but a precious one.

You were quite critical of yourself throughout the week; I got the sense that you are quite a perfectionist and you expect a lot from yourself. Did this week help you see more positives in your work? 

I expected more from myself as a writer but short scripts are daunting for me, that's why working, contemplating the ways to enhance the script and your advice to drop self-criticism helped me to accept my work as it is now. It made me realize that it's just the first script and I can do much better in the future.

You had a strong idea that you stuck with throughout the week -- what made you want to write this story? 

It's not an easy question to answer as I don't want to give away much for those who might want to read the script but I'm willing to tell about how it all was started. Sometimes my ideas begin with those themes that are important and inspire me, but this time it was not the case. Some of my potential stories, like this one, are born as a picture in my mind. It's like seeing a film image in your head and it's so enticing that you can't resist but grant that image a story. Thus, that visual scene that sprang up in my mind allowed me to tell a story that touched the ideas of solitude and human relationships.

In what ways did you find the screenwriting program helpful, was my input useful?

The program was tremendously helpful. Firstly, I wouldn't even have tried to write a short script without it. Secondly, the pieces of advice that you gave me were amazing. Getting feedback directly on my work is completely different from just reading your blog and it was a great experience. You also helped me to look at screenwriting from different points of view and I'm forever grateful for that.

Another significant thing that I realized was that I'm at odds with short screenplays and that's the reason for me to write more of them. Since I don't have such major problems with feature screenwriting, it was a revelation to me. Thus, it's important that now I know my weakest points to face them and improve.

This was your first script, right? Are you going to do more? 

It was my first script and I aspire to continue writing more than ever before. I'm blessed to have tons of ideas, so I hope to get all my courage, inspiration, and eagerness to develop, and make myself work hard.

Read Lesya's screenplay 'StreetMom' HERE.

You should also read her fantastic blog, and follow her on Twitter. 

Care to share?

Tweet

10 Tips on Giving Tips

1. Do it as a list rather than one run along sentence.

9. Do things in the right order.

3. Content wise you should, without doubt, be completely and utterly concise. Only say what is essential and not a word more. If you say too much, it's not as good. In fact it's quite bad. That's rule number 3.

4. Have one tip which is pure filler.

5. Don't use words or phrases that are solely used to attract people through google searches, that's as pointless as Megan Fox's nude tits sex naked body.

6. Speak with absolute authority and certainty.

7. I'm not sure about rule 6.

8. Look at websites that give tips about healthy living, I get a lot of inspiration from them.

9. Eat fresh fruit every day.

2. Be encouraging, simplistic and positive, otherwise the dumb idiots won't understand a thing.

Care to share?

Tweet

SCREENWRITING PROGRAM: Matthew Zurcher - 'Café Americain'

From Sunday 3rd June-Sunday 10th June 2012, I mentored six writers for the week. Their task? To write a screenplay each, which had to be no longer than 15 pages. Each day I am sharing the work of one of the writers, accompanied by an interview to hear about their experiences with the program.

MATTHEW ZURCHER is a 22 year old student from the Appalachian backwoods of Pennysylvania. Before last week, Matt had never written a screenplay before. Why did I choose him? This sentence in his application sealed it: "The time is right for me to make a go at it. My job is not demanding. I have the time. I have the drive. I have the desire. I have the ability. I need the kick in the ass."

I think it's been a fascinating week for you! At the beginning, you'd never written a script before, never used screenwriting software, and you were battling around with numerous different ideas for a story. What was the week like for you? 

Wild. Unlike some of the other writers, I didn't have to fit the project around a full-time job. I'm a student and just work in the film department. There was a lot of extra time to think. It was a curse, not a blessing. Initially, I kind of went backwards in the sense that I usually like to be impulsive and then rewind and ponder. That said, I had a great time. I never knew it was possible to be so intimately involved with a screenwriting computer program. It was love at first type. 

Your initial idea was quite complex and difficult to fit into a short screenplay with a 15 page limit. Tell me a bit more about the idea you were working on for most of the week. 

I wanted to write a story about lying and how we romanticize our pasts. Even on a daily level, we pick and choose how our lives are represented. And I wanted to tie that concept into technology and talk about how it can both hold us accountable for our history and allow us to create a new identity at the same time. I created this character who the audience knew was lying to them. I wanted to play around with how something so basic as love fits into all of it. We all lie and we all create ourselves to a certain extent. And we all fall in love. I'll think about it for a few decades and maybe it will turn into something. 

At the very end of the week; you had a flash of inspiration, and completely changed course. What happened? How did it feel? 

Ha! It was Friday night and I was trying to patch up this massive story. I was failing and it hurt. When I'm frustrated, I like to push through it instead of take a break because there's some real energy present when you're pissed at yourself. There were a lot of images passing through my brain about people trying to make themselves into someone new. That's when I thought of the idea to have someone wake up and be a fictional character. I chose to have a woman become Rick from CASABLANCA because he, more than any other character in popular cinema, was made to personify American virtues. 

CASABLANCA was a (brilliant) propaganda film made to relieve anxieties about entering WWII but it almost never reads like that anymore. People say America has changed, but I think our expectations have changed. The character embodies a bunch of stuff and means a lot to me. There are some political things being said at the end of the script, but I can't put them into words. The real flash of inspiration that made me switch course was when I thought of the sex scene. There's something very true about two people only being able to connect by pretending they aren't themselves. And I shot for melodrama through the entire thing. It adds another dimension of humor. I finished a rough draft in about 5 hours.

During the week I kept saying to you to 'simplify' your ideas. Consciously or not, I think that is advice you eventually followed - do you agree? 

Sure. The original story was too dense for 15 minutes. CAFE AMERICAIN is, story wise, a one trick pony and fits perfectly in that time frame. There is a whole web of thematic junk happening in both ideas, but the final product is pretty straightforward. I didn't have enough time to get funky -- a good thing. 

I think your initial script was full of ideas that you couldn't quite get a handle on. But what you finally turned in has a real energy and liveliness to it. I'm thinking maybe you can learn something from this, about your style as a writer. What do you think? 

I learned about what works and what doesn't in a 15 page piece. A good story is a good story, but certain things are more suitable for a short-form narrative. It's a great feeling to strip away all the bells and whistles, to just tell a story with a core. I plan on revisiting my original idea when I'm older. I'm too young and silly for it right now. 

Was my input during the week useful? What positives did you take from the program? 

The most helpful thing was having someone responsible and accountable for my work. It got me writing like a maniac. Everyone knows that the best way to learn writing is to just sink your teeth into it. I came into last week with no screenwriting experience and I came out with 1 1/2 pieces and a real urge for more. The program fed me the bug. I owe it a lot. Thanks a lot and see you around!

You can read Matt's screenplay from the program HERE. 

You should also check out his website, and follow him on Twitter. 

Care to share?

Tweet