Tag writer

This week’s guest on the Imperfect Podcast is Jenny Frankfurt who is the founder of the Finish Line Script Competition currently in its third year. The Finish Line Script Competition is based on the premise that rewrites are essential to be a successful writer. The panel of judges provides development notes when requested in order for writers to rewrite and resubmit new drafts for free throughout the entire script competition.

Rather than submitting your script and hoping for the best, the Finish Line Script Competition acts as a partner to up and coming writers with feedback from their mentors that have worked in every aspect of the film and television industry. The competition essentially echoes the reality of the business. Writers that work for a studio or even sell a feature film based on their script will go through a number of rewrites based on criticism and feedback.

The Finish Line Script Competition is essential for any writer that wants honest feedback and takes their craft seriously enough to bring it to the next level.

Follow Finish Line Script Competition

• Website: http://finishlinescriptcomp.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinishLineScriptCompetition/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinishLineScrip

Who is Jenny Frankfurt

• A literary agent and manager with her own company, Highstreet Management based in Los Angeles for many years
• Jenny went to NYU Film School but mainly about writing on the job
• Reading countless scripts and books she would break down scripts for talent agents
• All that experience led her to know what worked and what didn’t work

The Finish Line Script Competition Is Born

• After burning out on management Jenny wanted to continue working with writers
• There are many script competitions out there but they don’t provide notes until the very end
• Jenny wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before which included the rewrites and feedback from mentors
• Through her contacts she knew she access to a lot of talent to create the panel of mentors which proved to be valuable
• As a reader for other competitions she would often say “If only this person had gotten really good notes before entering the competition.”
• As writers submit new drafts they continue to work with the same script consultant on their rewrites

How Did You Get The Word Out About The Finish Line Script Competition

• Budgets were small and they used Twitter and Facebook to start spreading the word its first year
• Because of its unique twist and 25 mentors on board they received 300 submissions in year one
• In its second year the competition grew by 500%

What Type Of Scripts Are Accepted

• TV Pilots and Screenplays are both accepted
• Writers can submit and not ask for notes for a smaller fee
• Scripts that are over 135 pages there is an additional fee for notes
• Each script is read by 3 people so there’s a balance of taste

Have You Had Any Success Stories From Past Winners

• Last years winner was a TV Pilot called Sugarland by R.B. Ripley
• He’s taken over 30 meetings and now has a producer attached to the script

Who Are The Mentors?

• There are over 30 mentors this year from all over the world that mentor and take meetings with the winning writers.
• Steven Rogers – Writer/Producer of the award-winning film “I, Tonya” starring Margot Robbie and Allison Janney.
• Colin Vaines – Co-producer of “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” starring Annette Bening. Previously produced “The Gangs of New York” directed by Martin Scorsese.
• Michael Andreen – Producer, “Master & Commander“, “The Day After Tomorrow“.
• Karen Lunder – Senior Film Exec at Imagine Entertainment, Lunder recently oversaw production on the upcoming “The Spy Who Dumped Me” starring Kate McKinnon.
• Joey Chavez – Sr. VP, Original Programming at TNT (“Animal Kingdom”, “The Alienist”, “Claws”).
• Christine Conley – Director of Development, Working Title Television. Produced “Gypsy”at Netflix & “About a Boy”at NBC.
• Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas – President, Nuyorican Productions & Goldsmith-Thomas Productions who used to be Julia Roberts agent and now producers for Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry.

Advice to Screenwriters

• This is your calling card and a way for people to know you
• Do you research and put the time in
• Your effort matters including the formatting on the page
• It lets people know you’re taking it seriously and that you put the work in

Michael Price is an Emmy Award winning writer and producer. Michael is best known for his work on The Simpsons where he joined the team in 2002 and is also a co-executive producer. Curious who Michael’s favorite Simpsons character to write for is? Understanding what it’s like to write and produce an animated series was a great learning experience for us.

We discuss how Michael landed his sweet gig at the Simpsons, growing up in New Jersey and his favorite childhood cartoons. Following up on his success with The Simpsons, Michael was tapped for the wildly popular Lego Star Wars animated TV Series. Installments include The Yoda Chronicles, The Empire Strikes Out and Droid Tales. Striking a chord with fans young and old, Michael has proven he has is one of the great comedic writers of our time.

Michael Price Writer for F is For Family Starring Bill Burr on Netflix

Michael partnered with comedic mainstay Bill Burr for his latest project F is For Family.  Together they created the animated series, available now on Netflix. Finding a home on Netflix makes sense with its built in audience of Bill Burr fans from his exclusive stand-up specials.

Watching F is for Family is a reminder of a simpler yet more complicated time. The show takes place in 1973 and is beaming with its roots in classic comedy. F is For Family also stars Justin Long as the 14 year old stoner misguided son. Laura Dern stars as the lovely house wife who’s appearance of happiness to the world is merely a cover-up for her unfulfilled dreams.

Look out for Season 2 of F is Family coming to Netflix soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFzrvMS6P8g

We talk everything movies with blogger and author Clint Harrington of the popular movie blog Clintington on Film. Clint turned his blog into a book called Growing Up Movies where he discusses his experiences growing up with his family watching iconic movies such Ghostbusters. For anyone that grew up in the 80s and 90s, it’s a nostalgic look at movies in an era when family entertainment was accessible. While reading his book you’ll realize how similar your memories of these movies may be and how movies were responsible for bringing the family together.

Interview Highlights with Author Clint Harrington

When Did You Start Clintington on Film?

• Started in January 2014
• Clint always wanted to be a writer growing up and idolized Stephen King growing up.
• He was taken by the story ‘The Body’ which as we all know and love ‘Stand By Me.”
• Meeting independent author Matt Russo was a turning point. He said that if you’re going to start a blog and try and develop a platform you have to write about things that you love.
• “You have to have a passion behind the things that you love and I gotta tell you guys I love movies.”

Watching Movies With Your Kids

• Clint’s son wasn’t even born and he was thinking about what movies to show him
• “Maybe 2 months into the  pregnancy and I’m already thinking okay, when can I show him E.T., when can we watch the trilogy. I’m probably gonna have to wait on the Godfather a little bit but not too long.”
• He’s waiting on Goonies until his son has a bigger group of friends so he can experience it better.

Favorite Movies

• I love to quote Mel Brooks when I’m asked about my favorite movies.
• I always think of the movies that impacted me and Ghostbusters was that first movie really when I was growing up that was like I finally was allowed to be an adult.
• Clint thinks the Ghostbusters reboot wasn’t even close to what the original could be and I think it’s unfair to expect it to be.
• “I really like gangster movies but a comedy would have to be in there just because the amount of respect I have for people that attempt comedy. Comedy is so hard to do.
• He has a ton of respect for people that are good at comedy. Kevin Smith is one of his favorites.
• Blazing Saddles is one his favorite  Mel Brooks movies.
• For Clint Ghostbusters is 1a and The Godfather is 1b.

Growing Up Movies

• Clint grew up in what he likes to call Morman-ville USA. It’s a Southeast Idaho and its land of the Mormons.
• He grew up Lutheran which made them the rebels of a town like that.
• They wanted to be everything opposite of Mormon, which kind of led to underage drinking every now and then and those kinds of things.
• Clint used to criticize his parents for how conservative they were but blogging brings back memories and he realized they weren’t that bad. They let him see a lot of things probably earlier than he should. He saw JAWS at the age of 8.

Download Growing Up Movies Kindle Edition

Where does ‘My Cousin Vinny’ rank?

• My Cousin Vinny will be appearing on his blog and if it shows up on my blog he liked it.
• He goes on to say actor Fred Gwynne’s (aka Herman Musnster) performance is one of the greatest performances by a supporting actor he’s ever seen.
• Marisa Tomei earned the Academy Award. It’s one of the best performances in decades for from a woman.
• Clint goes on to praise actor Joe Pesci for his roles in ‘JFK’, ‘My Cousin Vinny’ & ‘Lethal Weapon 2’
• “Joe Pesci in ‘Lethal Weapon 2’ I mean they don’t even have an Academy Award for how good that performance was. He stole the show across from Glover and Gibson. He stole the show. Every scene he’s in your like I can’t wait for Pesci to get back into the scene.”

Screenwriting and Being an Indie Author

• He wrote a screenplay and I couldn’t find anyone to make it and didn’t think it would ever get made so Clint converted it to a novel.
• The novel is called Get Back. It’s a romantic comedy for a coming-of-age adult. He says it’s also about college relationship angst. The lead character is a guy who has been with the same woman for about seven years and then she ups and leaves right before they’re about to graduate. She’s just out of his life like that. He’s coming to terms with how to move on. It’s about loss and how he’s going to get back on with his life basically.

Get Back by Clint Harrington available on Amazon

Turning Your Blog Into a Book

• Growing Up Movies is a compilation of the blog Clintington on Film.
• He wanted to make the book free but Amazon won’t let you.
• The book includes 89 movies from the 80s and earlier films like Butch Cassidy and that he watched with his parents
• He’s planning on doing the 90s and that would be called ‘Growing into Movies’.
• “I was 13 or 14 in the early 90s and then I later went into college through the 90s. Don’t get me wrong I love the 80s but the 90s for me?! Some of my movies that I have on my top ten from the 90s they’ll always be in my top 10. I probably have 5 movies on that I just watch over and over again. Like ‘Pulp Fiction’ was in ’94 and that changed everything for me.”

Advice on starting a blog

• “You have to love what you’re writing about. That passion is going to be that fuel for you to keep going and even I have some nights where I’m like I don’t know if I want to write about that movie just yet and it’s kind of like well I’m trying to do these in order but I’m not ready to do that one yet.”
• I held off on the Godfather for a long time because it had to be right. That movie had to be right. But Ghostbusters I jumped in earlier on that one. I wrote til like 4am I was like I’m doing it, I don’t care like I have to say this about this.