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?
