#amandadow

[emilysandifer]

#idyllwildcinemafest the whole #salton cast is here! Screening tonight at 5pm at #therustic @teejatron @amandajdow @emilysandifer #tjdalrymple #amandadow #emilysandifer

[saltonfilm]

[saltonfilm]

[emilysandifer]

Script Morphing

I think I've mentioned that my friend Amanda Dow and I have written a feature film script together (Intrepid). We had all 110-something pages done, had revised it seven or eight times, and were pretty excited about it. Then, we got the amazing opportunity to get the script read by a very awesome academy-award winning screenwriter (who shall not be named) and although it was quite the financial investment, it was worth every penny and more.

I will say right now before I go any further: thank you to everyone that has donated toward our funding goal for this project. Without your help, we wouldn't have been able to afford taking this amazing writer up on his offer. 

I think I've learned more about character, plot, and what makes a great movie script in the past two days than I have in... well... forever. And just having this person rip our script apart, dig deep into it, and basically give us the permission to take it further was exactly what we needed. Everything that we knew was missing: he pin-pointed it and told us to go for it. And we are doing just that.

It's been an amazing experience. Now Amanda and I are diving back into the script and completely reworking about 60% of it. It's really cool to see what started out as one script is slowly morphing into this whole other beast. A very meaty, gritty beast. Something we're hoping people can sink their teeth into. 

So I guess I just want to say for those of you who are writing screenplays, whether you want to be a writer or an actor or whatever, if you get the chance to invest in a script coverage person or a script consultant, do it. Don't balk at the cost: it's SO worth it if you're paying someone who really knows the industry and knows great screenwriting. 

Very humbling experience. I love writing. It's in my bones: my mom's a published author. I've always loved writing and have been doing it since I was little. But I'm quickly learning there's a drastic difference between being a good writer and being a great screenplay writer. And I'm so excited to be learning how to be just that. 

Very pumped. And Amanda: thank you for asking me to write something with you in the first place. I really have high hopes for us. :)

-E