if I write a feature script that's made
into a film which I enjoy and which makes its money back at the box
office.
My inspiration to write TOMMY AND THE BEAST (AKA INVISIBLE LOSSES).......
is the somewhat romantic notion that love can save or destroy a life.
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FilmMakers Magazine:
What inspired you to write?
Frederick Weller: I was inspired to write the script by
mistakes I'd narrowly avoided in my personal life.
FilmMakers Magazine: How did you prepare yourself to
write your first script?
Frederick Weller:
In preparation to
write my first script, I drank a fair amount of coffee and did a great
deal of walking around New York's East Village.
FilmMakers Magazine: Is
this your first script and how long did it take you to write TOMMY AND THE BEAST (AKA INVISIBLE LOSSES)?
Frederick Weller:
This is my first
short film script. I'd written a few feature length scripts, but they
all failed to satisfy me and never felt finished. This script, from
story conception to first draft, took 2 weeks.
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you have a set routine, place and time management for writing?
Frederick Weller:
I do not have a set
routine for writing. Who was the writer who said, "I come up with my
stories when I'm soaping my leg a second time"?
I think screenplay contests are vital for aspiring writers for
feedback and encouragement.
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you believe screenplay contests
are important for aspiring screenwriters and why?
Frederick Weller:
I think screenplay contests are vital for aspiring writers for
feedback and encouragement.
FilmMakers Magazine:
What
influenced you to enter the
American Gem Short Script Competition?
Frederick Weller:
A friend who'd been
involved with Withoutabox for years urged me to find contests and
fests through it, and so I found AmGem.
FilmMakers Magazine: What script would you urge aspiring writers to read and why?
Frederick Weller:
I think aspiring
writers should read a script called Some Came Running, not only
because it is a fairly unknown film that is masterfully written (the
film is also well executed, by the way), but also because it is about
a frustrated writer.
FilmMakers Magazine:
Beside screenwriting what are you
passionate about and why?
Frederick Weller:
FilmMakers Magazine: Who is your favorite Screenwriter
and Why?
Frederick Weller:
Billy Wilder is my
favorite screenwriter because his characters are complex and his plots
are gripping without shock-value.
FilmMakers Magazine: Name
the director you would love to work with and why?
Frederick Weller:
I'd love to work with
Steven Spielberg because he moves a camera like no one else.
FilmMakers Magazine:
Name the actor you would love to work with and why?
Frederick Weller:
I'd love to work with
Phil Hoffman because he handles comedy and drama with equal mastery.
FilmMakers Magazine:
Any tips and things learned along
the way to pass on to others?
