In the Mind of a Screenwriter

Have you ever wondered how your favorite film, movie, or even a TV show were made when you were younger or when you were watching a film? 

Growing up, I too had wondered that. I was always curious about what went into making a film and where that sense of escapism that those movies made me feel a part of. 

As someone who has always loved writing and telling stories while growing up, I  found my passion for screenwriting at the NJ Film School in New Providence. It was where and when my journey began as not only a screenwriter, but also as a director and filmmaker. I knew from that moment when Chris showed us how to operate the camera and shouted out “roll sound, roll camera and action.” I said to myself, this is what I was born to do and knew I wanted to pursue screenwriting, filmmaking and directing. I wanted to not only follow it but also to be a part of making films that are not like the ones you see today. 

Just Me in My Little World of Writing 

My influence and inspiration when I write a story is that I want to make films with a story that people can follow, be entertained by and  feel and relate to. Just like the ones we all grew up with. Movies nowadays are so formulated and not one of them has originality with a well written story that you can follow, in my opinion. 

The genres of film I am most drawn to and see myself choosing whenever I go into Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, or even Tubi are mystery thrillers, gothic, zombie and apocalyptic horror, crime mystery, fantasy, Harry Potter, action/spy, James Bond from past to present, or a good cry film such as Marley & Me. 

Sometimes, I go into a state of mind where I think back to a film that I have watched where a certain scene stuck with me after the movie ended. I become inspired and make a small note in my journal or a piece of paper that’s close to me and build on that when going about my process of writing a film whether it’s for a short film, feature film, or horror film. Sometimes, I get inspired by the world around me whether it’s from the moon or when I’m watching people. Other times, I get inspired from a single image whether it’s something that I saw on Pinterest or Instagram.  Sometimes, even from a song or a quote.

One day I came across a reel from a film-related Instagram account; it was a video of James Gunn in an interview mentioning that he writes five pages a day on whichever screenplay he’s doing at the moment. 

As someone who struggles a bit with finishing a screenplay at times, I get inspired to really challenge myself to write five pages a day. 

My inspiration also stems from life itself whether someone needs that sense of escapism or when they need to just step out of reality for a second.  With the films I write, I want to incorporate that feeling of emotion and relation towards the character and story. 

Doing What I Love 

Whenever I write a scene on my typewriter, I feel transported into the ink and words and I can see the images come to life right in front of me. 

There is hardly a time where you’ll not catch me writing, whether it’s in the many notebooks that I have piled upon my secretary or hearing the clanking of keys on my Smith Corona typewriter. 

However, the reality of being a screenwriter or any kind of writer for that matter is that you are always writing and rewriting. I often go through a few drafts of the story before having a final script to go over with my cinematographer when I get to that stage of pre- production. 

The thing I love the most about being a screenwriter and independent filmmaker is that I have the free will to make a movie without having the strain of Hollywood ruining it. I get to make up whatever I want. 

Having been a screenwriter for quite some time, I have developed my own style of writing whether it’s an emotional story or a crazy story that is completely out of the ordinary. 

Here is an example of my writing:

SCENE HEADING (SLUG); indicates the location and time of when and where your scene is taking place in your story. 

FADE IN: 

EXT.  WOODS - DAY; 

  A man with a blue coroner jacket covers a dead

  pale body with a white cloth. As blotches of

  blood form on the white cloth, a woman also in

  a blue coroner jacket blocks off the crime scene

  with yellow police tape. 

O.S.

          Indistinct chatter and commotion.

  Two forensics teams come in. The first team goes

  and examines each and every inch of the dead 

  pale body, while the second team takes pictures

  of the area around the dead pale body. 

Creative vision is a crucial element to making a film come to life as it is the guide for the director and cinematographer to have when transforming the written ideal of the story into visual reality.  

What I know about my own creative vision is that I don’t follow a specific format. I allow it to run wild and let it flow whenever I am writing in one of my many journals. 

The role of a director and cinematographer also includes helping to convey the emotional undertones through a very careful process of selecting the color palette, lighting schemes and camera techniques. 

All while keeping a balance of incorporating and respecting the vision of the screenwriter. What people don’t realize is that the process of making a film can be hard whether for an established filmmaker who has made many films or the filmmaker who has made only a few. 

The types of challenges filmmakers and directors run into with the stages of making a film include having clear communication with their crew members to ensure everyone is aligned on the project’s vision, scheduling and technical requirements, reaching out to actors, and coordinating everyone’s schedule on the days they are needed for their scenes. 

Making a Film is a Learning Experience

I faced a few challenges when working on my most recent film Late Night Snack, that I wrote and directed. This was the very first time working with a crew and cast. Those challenges were with scheduling issues and I now know how to better communicate with my fellow crew members. Despite that, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it differently as it’s something I had a really fun time seeing what I had written come to life right before my eyes. In retrospect, I would have set up a block system of organizing my film, so everything would have been more structured in order to keep my team in their lanes. 

Late Night Snack is a short horror film that follows a bloodthirsty vampire who rushes about to get her house in order before her unsuspecting victim comes over. 

When it comes to finding actors for your film, there are many different

ways to go about it. There is the social media route where you can create

an announcement on Canva and write the specific roles you are looking for. This can be done through Facebook, Instagram. If you have a budget for your film, there is the option of considering a casting director which, in turn, will help you get the perfect actors to efficiently bring your film to life and most importantly streamline the audition process. 

If  you are just starting out and your network  of connections isn’t built yet, friends and family members are your best bet, especially as an independent filmmaker who doesn’t have the resources (money) to pay professional actors and actresses. This is the most efficient route to take, in my opinion. 

However if you do decide to have professional actors and actresses in your film, Backstage is an auditioning and casting platform where people from all around the world come to look for the opportunity to star in a film, model job, voice acting, or even be a content creator. 

I was fortunate enough to have a friend as my assistant, director, and director of photography who knew people from the theater department and who had worked with on his previous film. 

After production was done,  I began the process of editing my film. It took over a few months to get the results that I wanted. You can watch it on YouTube. 

After going to some film festivals in the past, I began envisioning my film up there on the silver screen. 

Before making the call to my local theater in Bernardsville, New Jersey, I looked at their website to see if I could rent out a movie theater for my film debut. The price was $25 to have my film converted to a DCP (Digital Cinema Package): a collection of digital files used to store and convey digital cinema audio, image, and  data streams. As soon as I liked the final edited version of my film, I spoke to the owner and went through a list of potential dates. 

Fortunately, we found a convenient date for my film premiere where  friends and family along with the cast and crew’s families and friends could attend; February 28, 2025.

A Memory That Will Last a Lifetime

The evening began with flowers and photo ops with family and friends. 

Once everyone got refreshments and snacks, we migrated into one of the theaters. Before rolling the film, I went up front and thanked everyone for coming and ended with giving my gratitude to my amazing and talented cast and crew, who made this dream of mine come alive. 

As the lights in the theater dimmed and my film projected on the screen I felt nervous about what everyone would think, react, and say after. But all that changed when I saw the story I wrote come to life on the screen and heard the applause that came after the credits were done.

The overall experience was fun having shared it with my friends and family, as it made me feel very accomplished as a screenwriter who fulfilled a dream to make movies for people to enjoy and be entertained by. I wouldn't have asked for a different outcome with the way the film was made or came out. 

A piece of advice: if one day you have an idea and want to make it into  a film, simply go for it. If you feel that it’s not going the way you want or expect, or you're feeling pressured to keep up with other filmmakers making film after film, you are exactly where you need to be; you aren’t behind.