Screenwriting : Me, My Projects and My Dream by James M. Denton

Currently I have 4 completed screenplays, two others in the rewrite process and a completed stage play. I have ideas for a lot more screenplays. One of my screenplays is currently being considered by a producer found through a pitch session on Happy Writers. Happy Writer's is considering an action/drama about the devil stealing the souls of the wicked. At the same time, a teenaged boy's perceived lack of parental love leads him to hang with the wrong crowd. His actions with this crowd put his soul in jeopardy and indeed the devil comes for it. Until an angel comes to his rescue. A spectacular chase scene ensues as the angel attempts to protect the boy's soul. Two big plot twists lead to a miraculous conclusion. Another of my completed screenplays, written with a co-author was adapted in to a stage play which had a staged reading at a local playhouse in August of 2012. It's a comedy centering on two young professional men who are intentionally sold the same Malibu property by a crooked real estate agent. Taking the idea from the screen to stage was a difficult process. Going from the unlimited potential of the big screen to a three quarter thrust stage was a daunting task, but one we happily undertook. After the staged reading and the audience talk back, I returned to the drawing board and rewrote and resubmitted the stage play to the artistic directors, seeking their opinions. In a nutshell, I condensed the existing two acts in to the first act and wrote an entirely new second act. Going back and reading the original screenplay after the two rewrites for the stage, I was both shocked and delighted. Shocked because the original screenplay seemed so amateurish. Delighted because I saw immense improvement in my writing ability and the overall story and character development. At some point I will go back an rewrite that screenplay and make the movie characters as engaging as the stage characters. Lawyers are always popular, whether its a legitimate legal drama or a satire of them. A screenplay, written the same co-author is a lawyers satire centered on two lawyers as action heroes outside the courtroom, fighting to clear their names and take down a criminal empire. You'll route for these two lawyers to succeed and laugh when they themselves take a jab at some lawyer stereotypes. Another screenplay is about a ruggedly handsome action hero who becomes unwittingly involved in a terrorist plot to destroy America from within. Set in Washington D.C. our hero shockingly discovers that his reporter girlfriend's wild story about the kidnapping of a U.S. Senator is true. He is forced to save that Senator, a Congressman and stop the evil terrorist plot. The action hero also catches the attention of the president of the United States. The aliens and characters in my screenplay revolving around the infamous Area 51 are multi-faceted and reveal their true selves through exciting plot twists, culminating in an explosive ending to the secretive government installation and its nefarious intentions. This one is completed, but needs to be tweaked, to what extent, I'm not sure yet. The screenplay is a comedy about a very good looking, silver-spooned twenty four year old man whose parents have long been concerned about his refusal to gain employment. So much so that they move out of their mansion, locking him out of it and forcing him to make his way life. His struggle to survive and his effort to track down his parents result in hilarity. This one I am nearly done with a complete rewrite. At this point in my life writing is a hobby for me, done in between working two jobs. Making a living as a writer is my goal and I take as many opportunities as I can to make that happen, including joing Stage 32. I have connected with hundreds of people and hope to connect with hundreds more! Perhaps I will find an agent or manager who would like to represent me. Maybe I can assemble a team from Stage 32 to help me produce my screenplay about the silver-spooned man. I chose that one because it would be the least expensive to produce. I truly do love to write. It's something I will continue to do no matter what. I love the entire creative process, soul searching marketable ideas, creating characters, giving them a voice and personality, integrating them in to a well crafted story that resolves the conflict in an entertaining way that will have audiences coming back for more. So that's a little about me and my projects. I hope to get to know as many like-minded professionals as possible and see how we can help each other succeed!