Just want to introduce myself as we wrap up this year and get into the thick of the holidays.
I have been part of this community for a couple of years and have enjoyed connecting with people and getting their thoughts and feedback. I really excel at writing TV pilots and am trying to tinker with a few feature scripts, which are definitely harder for me to write. I"m still up for the challenge. I admit I've been busy lately with my own writing, so I haven't had as much time to post, but there's no time greater time than near Christmas to reintroduce yourself.
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Hi Samuel, thanks for taking the time to introduce yourself. It's interesting that you find features more challenging - is it because you have more space to roam? What genres do you write? Glad to have you here!
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Hi, Amanda. Thanks for the questions.
I like to write Horror and Sci-Fi scripts primarily. Would like to take a shot at a holiday script within Horror, but it would need to be the right one. I'm not sure what I would do with that because I think each holiday has been done at some point (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day, etc). I think if I had a really good idea I would do it.
I'm not totally sure what it is, but space to roam is part of it probably to an extent. I think some of it's been I haven't had the right story or mythology at the root of it. Thankfully, I"ve written a more recent horror slasher superhero script that hasn't had that problem as length as it is (118 pages without the title page). I'm developing a sequel to it which is probably harder because integrating the new characters (and disposing of some of the returnees) is a process that takes time to figure out, but I want to do at least 2-3 sequels and a TV spinoff with a separate cast. That would be it because I'm aware of franchise fatigue being a real thing for audiences and sometimes it's best to just leave characters behind for a certain period of time at least.2 people like this
Hi Samuel! Great to see your re-introduction! Writing TV pilots is a great skill, and diving into features is a solid challenge. Do you have a favorite TV pilot that you've written so far?
Best of luck with your projects, and looking forward to seeing what you create next.
Happy holidays!
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Laquan Copeland. Thanks for the question!
In terms of TV Pilot scripts that I have a favorite out of, it's a tricky question because I have enjoyed all of them for the most part. But I really enjoyed writing the second draft of Just Like Magic, which I recently submitted (albeit with the third draft) and placed in the quarterfinals for the Southern California Screenplay Competition (I'll hear back from them regarding the semifinals either later today or early tomorrow)
I think in the case of this script, it was the joy of discovering what the story and mythology were going to be because the first draft wasn't 100% what I wanted. So I took a few things from two previous incarnations of a story I had for modern Arthurian stories. Swapped out one female character for another who had appeared in both of those concepts (the one I had just had some creative limitations in terms of what I could do with them) and then dropped one character completely. I think I was happier with the second draft as a result of a 30% rewrite that implemented these changes and added scenes that fleshed out the cast now that it had been slightly narrowed in terms of focus. I definitely got better feedback with the changes I implemented as there was more of a logical narrative and worldbuilding process.
In terms of the third draft, I was able to remove anything that didn't need to be introduced immediately or something I could hold off until season 2 (I have a few ideas for a character, so I'm landing on two different paths a certain can go on) and wrote a stronger ending, based on feedback, from one of my writer friends, which is going to help me move forward with episode 2 and I'm really excited to discuss some of my more clear cut ideas as well.
I know I've gone a bit of a tangent here, but I'm thrilled with how it turned out.
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Update regarding the contest. Unfortunately, didn't make it to the semifinals. That said, I'm still grateful to have gone as far as I did and the opportunities it may provide for further connections down the line.
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Hi Samuel. nice to meet you here. I hope you and your family have a very beautiful and blessed holiday. Do you have a favorite Genre? I can't say that I have one favorite. I'm always finding that everything can be something amazing!!! I like so many different things. I don't know, maybe I think, I'm pretty inspired by fantasy and hauntings. Creating characters unexpected from a totally unrealistic world intrigues me. Right now I'm focused on a fantasy I started with full intent on suspense with a life unexpected or unrealistic to my main character. Wish me luck. All the best to you
Linda Butcher
{Van Vliet}
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Hi Linda. I would probably say horror is my favorite genre writing wise along with fantasy mixed in with political elements (I guess political-scifi/fantasy is a way to describe it). I'm glad we seem to have elements of that in common based on what you've shared. Always nice to find people with commonalities in the industry.
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Thank you for the re-introduction Samuel Lebow it's great to have you back on and seeing what you add here!