American Gem 2006 Short Screenplay Competition - UNBROKEN FALL

FilmMakers.com
Sponsors
Action Cut Home Study VHS/DVD
| American Gem Contest |  Interviews Loglines  Winners | Testimonials Press |
 
Meredith Rose

Seventh Place Winner

Meredith Rose
of Beverly Shores, IN
Screenplay
UNBROKEN FALL
Drama
Biography:

Meredith is originally from Boston and formerly a Material Science Engineer. Before she started writing scripts, she was writing grant proposals for NASA research. Now she writes for herself: short stories, short scripts, feature-length scripts, articles, essays, really terrible poetry and is loving every minute of it. Ultimately, her goal as a writer is to bring awareness and enjoyment together in a smashingly fun and effective way through film.

Interview

I knew I wanted to be a screenwriter.......  

When I wrote my first play for the neighborhood kids when I was 4 years old. It was about My Little Pony and I played the lead. (I still have the costume…)
 

I know I've succeeded.......  

the day someone I've never met tells me that something I wrote made them laugh/cry/feel/learn something.

My inspiration to write UNBROKEN FALL.......

came from a real-life friend of mine as well as the desire to talk about what's going on in the world today and use it as the context for timeless human struggles
with equality and acceptance, friendship and love.

 

*****************************************************************

 

FilmMakers Magazine: What inspired you to write?

Meredith Rose: Reading books and plays that moved me.


FilmMakers Magazine: How did you prepare yourself to write your first script? 

Meredith Rose: I read scripts and talked to as many writers about their process as I could. 

FilmMakers Magazine: Is this your first script and how long did it take you to write UNBROKEN FALL?

Meredith Rose: I had written a few other shorts before, but I really took my time with this one and wrote it over the course of about a month.

FilmMakers Magazine: Do you have a set routine, place and time management for writing?

Meredith Rose: Usually, I need a change of scenery to focus on writing. I try to get to a quiet coffee shop or library and write every day. 

FilmMakers Magazine: Do you believe screenplay contests are important for aspiring screenwriters and why?

Meredith Rose: I sure do! The process of applying to the contests is an important learning experience and forces you to look at your script with a careful, critical eye. The feedback you get from contest readers can be extremely helpful as well.

FilmMakers Magazine:
What influenced you to enter the American Gem Short Script Competition?

Meredith Rose: I think the short script medium is a great thing to celebrate and I
was really excited to see a contest dedicated to it.

FilmMakers Magazine: What script would you urge aspiring writers to read and why?

Meredith Rose: I would suggest reading some Billy Wilder: "Sunset Blvd.", "The Apartment," "Some Like It Hot." It's fascinating to observe his mastery of the screenplay format: bald, concise, stylistic, fun, but always showing, not telling. I mean…it's Billy Wilder!

FilmMakers Magazine: Beside screenwriting what are you passionate about and why?

Meredith Rose: I'm passionate about learning about conservation and how it fits into the world community. I can't think of anything more important than people around the world having the ability to protect and celebrate clean, healthy environments for their families and communities. I'm also pretty excited about making music right now. It has the power to affect like film but is even more accessible and part of the basic binding fabric of humanity.

FilmMakers Magazine: Who is your favorite Screenwriter and Why?

Meredith Rose: I think that Charlie Kaufmann has been representing something different lately and may have ushered in a new intuitive, genre-blending screenwriting style. I'm all for genre-blending and mixing things up, so I really admire his writing. I'm also a really big fan of German writer/director Tom Tykwer who wrote "The Princess and the Warrior" one of my all-time favorite films.

FilmMakers Magazine: Name the director you would love to work with and why?

Meredith Rose: Terry George combines contemporary moral issues with beautiful stories and amazingly well-crafted films. He also happens to be a really nice and humble guy who believes that film is an ultimately collaborative art.

FilmMakers Magazine: Name the actor you would love to work with and why?

Meredith Rose: Forest Whitaker can do no wrong on the screen, ever, as far as I'm concerned. I would LOVE to work with him, but having the opportunity to write words for him to say might be too exciting to bear…!

FilmMakers Magazine: Any tips and things learned along the way to pass on to others?

Meredith Rose: Write as much as you can, as often as you possibly can and more importantly than anything else…FINISH. Even if you have to tear it out of your own hands, it is very important to let go of perfection and call something a finished product every once in a while.

FilmMakers Magazine: What's next for you?

Meredith Rose: A TV pilot! Trying to segue my love of the short film medium into
something that's actually profitable but satisfying to me stylistically, emotionally and, hopefully, thought provoking to an audience.

FilmMakers Magazine: Where will you be five years from now?

Meredith Rose: Hopefully having seen something of mine produced and still writing, writing, writing.

| American Gem Contest |  Interviews Loglines  Winners | Testimonials Press |
top of page

| Home Page | Contests | Indies | Features | News | Resource Links | Advertise With Us |

Important disclaimer

Copyright © 1999-2011 by FilmMakers.com.  All rights reserved.
 FilmMakers.com is a division of Media Pro Tech Inc.
Webmaster