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I knew I
wanted to be a screenwriter.......
when I had my first
reading and the actors were having fun and the audience was laughing
when they were supposed to.
I know I've
succeeded.......
when I am happy
with my work and that’s not easy because I am truly my own worst
critic.
My inspiration
to write
RETURNING.......
was a drunken
night of hanging out with a friend who told me about his favorite
childhood book and that night, alone, I couldn't sleep so I wrote, 19
pages in one night, it was 'Returning'.
*****************************************************************
FilmMakers
Magazine:
What inspired you to write?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker: A creative spurt, it keeps me going till the sun comes up and I end up
with a story just like the 19 pages about Hartley and his past.
FilmMakers Magazine: How did you prepare yourself to
write your first script?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker: Write. I learned that from a great teacher and friend Marco Antonio, he
told me if I was going to be a screenwriter I needed to read scripts,
watch movies from a scriptwriter’s point of view and most of all,
write.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Is this your first script and how long did it take you to write
RETURNING?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker:
No, this was not my first script. It was pulled out of my stack of
scripts finished and unfinished, but I chose this one because it is
one of my favorites even though it was the only one that I wrote in a
single night.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Do you have a set routine, place and time management for writing?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker: I use to write everyday whether it was blogging, RPG, poetry or whatever
else. Currently, I just haven't had much time. So, I write when I have
a story to tell or if I have a deadline.
FilmMakers Magazine: Do you believe screenplay contests
are important for aspiring screenwriters and why?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker:
They are very important because they give writers the motivation to
finish a script, which for me is always the hardest. Starting one is
easy. You have the idea, but then you realize… how do I get there? Who
are the people that are going on this journey? And you can’t really
figure those out without writing… but you may procrastinate or
hesitate and with so much entertainment inundating us on a daily basis
it is so easy to do so. With contests, your given a time line, a
deadline which is a good motivation. And if your lucky enough to write
something that you yourself love and others find entertaining then you
get recognition and feedback about the work you’ve done.
FilmMakers Magazine: What influenced you to enter the
American Gem Short Script Competition?
Marianna J. Moneymaker:
I hoped to get feedback for work that I had done and hopefully get to
produce the script. As an independent filmmaker, that would be a great
achievement for me to produce it. I would even ask my friend who
inspired me to be the director.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
What script would you urge aspiring writers to read and why?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker:
Read the scripts that you want to write. You want to write Quentin
Tarantino type scripts read Tarantino.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Beside screenwriting what are you passionate about and why?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker: Experiencing, learning and teaching. I love being an artist and whether I
express it through a drawing, a story or a movie is doesn’t matter;
for me it is about the process. I also want to create in way that gets
people to question, grow and share.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Who is your favorite Screenwriter and Why?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker:
Joss Whedon, Pamela Wallace and Quetin Tarrantino. They are all character
driven writers whose dialogue is always catchy, fun and entertaining
but with an over arching deeper meaning from Kill Bill to Buffy to
Witness these scripts have characters that were relatable and
entertaining.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Name the director you would love to work with and why?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker:
Troy Rice, Sean Penn
and Hiro Konishi. Troy Rice is a director that I went to school with
and worked well with, but most of all I liked his vision, Sean Penn
directs wonderful character driven films and Hiro Konishi’s attention
to detail is exquisite.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Name the actor you would love to work with and why?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker: The one that
fits the part.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
Any tips and things learned along the way to pass on to others?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker:
Write. Whether you
finish a story or not or move on to the next. Write, sooner or later
something will click and you’ll love it and it will pour out like
water… but the only way to get there is to write. And don't stop...
save the editing and rewriting for later.
FilmMakers
Magazine:
What's next for you?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker:
More contests.
More writing. More living.
FilmMakers Magazine: Where will you be five years from
now?
Marianna J.
Moneymaker: I don’t know. |
