1st Annual 1st T Script Writing Contest Winners

2016 CONTEST |  ENTER NOW

Winners | Biography | Logline | Interview | Script Excerpt

Mission Hope

American Gem Short Script Contest

Biography

Anyes Van Volkenburgh

Anyes Van Volkenburgh made her debut as a writer with a romantic comedy feature Sophie, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the AFF Screenplay Competition in 2011. She won the People’s Pilot Award and advanced to the Final round of Acclaim Scripts Screenplay Competition and the Los Angeles Screenplay Competition with a comedy pilot created in 2012. Mission Hope, the First Place winner of Filmmakers 1st TV Scriptwriting Competition and the Best Script winner of the Web Series Global Festival, is her first drama pilot.

Anyes is currently working on a high-concept workplace comedy pilot Safari. She is a graduate of the Writers Bootcamp and UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting. She also holds a BA in Communications from Loyola University and a DVM from University of Illinois. In her spare time, Anyes enjoys the beaches of Malibu with her pitbull, Shanti, and tracking wild elephants in Samburu, Kenya.

Logline

After losing her job, a Machiavellian whirling dervish woman sets out to destroy her previous employer and build a thriving underground drug enterprise to supplement her income.

Interview Part 1.

I knew I wanted to be screenwriter when I realized that it is actually something that people do for a living! Before moving to LA in 2003 I had no concept that writing could be a real job and I only wrote stories for my own enjoyment. After I moved to California, a whole new world of possibilities opened up and I made up my mind to hone my skills to be a professional writer one day.

I know I've succeeded when I experience the magical moment of my characters coming to life and telling me what they’re going to do next instead of the other way around.


My inspiration to write Mission Hope was the main character, Hope. She is whirling dervish who does not play by anybody’s rules but her own. Inventing this character has been a wonderful adventure and her unpredictable, unruly ways have kept me on the edge of my seat while I was writing the pilot. I am excited to see what she does next.

Interview Part 2.

FilmMakers Magazine: What inspired you to write?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: My mother, a pragmatic, no-nonsense doctor of thermodynamics, considers writing the most tedious, difficult task in the world. When I was in grade school in Poland, my mom’s idea of punishing me was to make me sit and write about whatever I’d done wrong. I never told her this, but I found these punishments exceedingly easy. The stories poured out onto the pages quickly and naturally. I found solace and a sense of vitality in retelling the adventures that kept me out past my curfew. I knew my mother would never be able to tell, being an engineer, if the essay was good or bad. I wrote freely, without fear of judgment or criticism. Amazingly, my mother kept those writings to this day. She often shows the yellowed pages to her friends and they all laugh at my grade school adventures.

FilmMakers Magazine: Is this your first script and how long did it take you to complete?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: Mission Hope is my third script and my first attempt at a drama pilot. It took about a year to come together in terms of concept, but the actual writing process took about 60 days from start to finish.

FilmMakers Magazine: Do you have a set routine, place and time management for writing?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: When I am working on a specific project, I write everywhere, all the time: at work, at home, during my hikes or in the car. I do give myself deadlines and structure when I work on the actual pages, because I think it is important to maintain momentum and flow of inspiration. I am very strict with myself in terms of discipline and planning and I don’t let myself off the hook with procrastination. Once I find an idea that I love and want to explore, it is easy to be productive. When in “hard core” writing mode, I do an average of 10 pages a day and finish a draft within a week. The rewrites take longer and I like to give myself time to think things through before I decide that a script is “done.”

FilmMakers Magazine: Do you believe screenplay contests are important for aspiring screenwriters and why?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: Absolutely. Writing contests provide valuable feedback, motivation, deadlines and a great incentive to keep going. Winning contests has been a huge motivation and inspiration to write more and better every year.

FilmMakers Magazine: What influenced you to enter the 1st TV Script Writing Contest?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: I was excited to see a contest that was going to promote the winners’ work to the industry. Exposure to production companies is key and it was the main factor in my decision to enter.

FilmMakers Magazine: What script would you urge aspiring writers to read and why?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: There are a lot of scripts that are amazing classics. I’ve analyzed hundreds of scripts in terms of structure and story and learned from every single one. My latest favorites are The Usual Suspects and Mozart in the Jungle Pilot. Of course, for a drama pilot, there is nothing better than the first episode of Breaking Bad.

FilmMakers Magazine: Beside screenwriting what are you passionate about and why?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: I love Africa! I’ve traveled to Tanzania and Kenya before and those trips were definitely the best moments of my life. I love so many aspects of Africa: the people, the animals, the beautiful landscapes and the lifestyle. My dream is to track wild elephants this fall and a small NGO, Save the Elephants, is making it come true! I will spend 2 weeks in the bush, observing elephants and in their natural habitat. Nothing better!

FilmMakers Magazine: Who is your favorite Screenwriter and Why?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: I think Vince Gilligan is amazing. He was able to take a subject matter that was not objectively “TV material” and make it into the most amazing series. I also love the way David Milch conceives a story, by pure association, no predetermined structure. His trust in his instinct to tell a good story is absolutely genius. My classic favorite is Chekhov, I admire his ability to create deep characters who argue about seemingly insignificant things while telling a huge, sweeping, heart wrenching story.

FilmMakers Magazine: Name the director you would love to work with and why?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: Cary Fukunaga’s work in True Detective was pure art, in my opinion. I was very inspired by the mood and atmosphere he was able to create, his vision is what made the first season of the show so spectacular.

FilmMakers Magazine: Name the actor you would love to work with and why?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: I would love to see Blake Lively as my main character, Hope. She brings a brooding quality to every part she plays and imbues her characters with many layers of mystery, which is fascinating to watch. I think she is the kind of actor that can draw you into a character and make you want to know more.

I also love Matthew McConaughey and his new dramatic range. He was exceptional in Mud, the part really showcased his talent.

FilmMakers Magazine: Any tips and things learned along the way to pass on to others?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: I love Ray Bradbury’s creative advice to writers. It works every time!

“Quantity gives experience. From experience alone can quality come.”

“Work. Relax. Don’t think. For if one works, one finally relaxes and stops thinking. True creation occurs then and only then.”

“Work, giving us experience, results in new confidence and eventually in relaxation. Suddenly, a natural rhythm is achieved.”

”Not to work is to cease, tighten up, become nervous, and therefore destructive of the creative process.”

“The artist learns what to leave out.”

FilmMakers Magazine: What's next for you?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: I am writing a comedy pilot and having a great time with it. I am applying the Ray Bradbury formula and the characters are writing the show for me! It’s going so well that I might even write another episode or two. I am very excited to share it with the world, it is the next 30 Rock with a splash of Arrested Development thrown in. What’s after that? Getting it on TV! And more writing.

FilmMakers Magazine: Where do you see yourself in five years from now?
Anyes Van Volkenburgh: I will be show runner of my own show! And maybe winning an Emmy? That is the plan, ambitious as it sounds. I know it’s a lofty goal and there’s a steep learning curve involved, but I love challenges. And if I have to get a writing job on another show along the way, so be it…

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