Screenwriter 2000

[Adah]

LouisMellis, who along with David Scinto wrote the screenplay for Sexy Beast, was born in Edinburgh. He moved to London when he was 16 and worked as a rat-catcher, zoo-keeper, gardener, door-to-door salesman, barman, and chef, and then went to drama school and became an actor. He stopped acting in 1991 and has been writing ever since. He is now writing the film The Pleasure (set in England and France in 1792) and a pilot for an HBO series called SSSucker (in which a ripped-off inventor seeks revenge). Soon he will be directing his own film, Respectable. Louis's story "We're Watching the Trees" was published in our June fiction issue.

Sexy Beast was the middle film of a trilogy planned by myself and my then writing partner David Scinto, sandwiched between Gangster No. 1 (which we originally wrote as a stageplay) and 44 Inch Chest. We wrote the screenplay for Gangster No. 1 and had Jonathan Glazer on board to direct, but the situation became untenable and all three of us walked. Rare I guess on a first film, which I've still not seen. So we had to come up with something quick or that would have been that. David and I locked ourselves away for three weeks and wrote Sexy Beast. The initial idea was, how possible is it for someone to "split the program," to escape from the past and create an idyll in Spain? What are the human logistics?

So you began writing for the stage? How did that lead to the screenplay? Did someone encourage you to make it into a film?

We were approached to make the stageplay Gangster No. 1 into a film and wrote several drafts, which for legal reasons could not be used.

May I ask what happened that made all three of you walk?

Simplest thing to say re the three of us walking away from Gangster No. 1 is "artistic differences." Because it was our first film we were expected to put up with all manner of ridiculousness re casting, tone, themes, etc. These stuck in our throats, and so we left them to it (and walked into the London snow).

Often writers get credit when in reality they've merely been the conduit. The classic question "How did you get the idea?" is impossible. An idea comes from nowhere. The "work" bit is getting it down.

Did you set out to write characters that were gangsters? Or did what you want to write about end up requiring gangsters?

I think the attraction of working in the gangster genre is that the characters and situations can easily become more Shakespearean than in, say, a rom-com.

Do you know any gangsters?

Can't say I fraternize with gangsters (or would want to). Interestingly, amongst the criminal fraternity of thieves, pickpockets, con men, etc., gangsters have always been looked down on as the lowest of the low: unskilled, no-class, gaining only through violence, and lacking expertise.

Any advice for aspiring screenwriters?

Regarding creating film scripts, the thing I adhere to is something Chekov (I think) said (and I paraphrase): A guy walks into a casino, places 20 grand on black, loses, goes home and shoots himself. This is what we generally see.

In addition to his twenty plus years teaching all levels of screenwriting at USC, Professor Bohlinger is a sought-after lecturer and seminar instructor who has inspired professional screenwriters throughout the world. Professor Bohlinger is also a consultant and script doctor who has worked closely with international writers, directors and producers on many award winning feature films.

Registration provides a dated record of the writer's claim to authorship of a particular literary material. If necessary a WGA employee may produce the material as evidence if legal or official Guild action is initiated.

When the material is registered, the date and time are recorded. A numbered certificate is returned which can serve as the official documentation of registration. Because the certificate is your proof of registration, it should be saved.

Any file may be registered to assist you in documenting the creation of your work. Some examples of registerable material include scripts, treatments, synopses, outlines, and written ideas specifically intended for radio, television and film, video cassettes/discs, or interactive media. The WGAW Registry also accepts stageplays, novels, books, short stories, poems, commercials, lyrics, drawings, music and various media work such as Web series, code, and other digital content.

Preferred file formats are ASCII, XML, PDF (Adobe Acrobat), Word, Final Draft , and Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000; however, all file formats will be accepted. You will be prompted to select the file on your hard drive that you wish to register. Please note that only one file for each online registration request will be accepted. Currently the file size limit is 10 MB. Zip files are prohibited.

Titles are not registered with the WGAW Registry, as they are not protected by registration. The title or filename is mainly used to identify material within specific registrant records. The Registry does not make comparisons of titles or record title changes for registered material. Title changes do not require re-registration of material.

You may change your work as much as you prefer; however, when the storyline has been affected or changed extensively, it becomes new material and should be registered or documented again in some manner.

The online registration system will not accept files containing viruses. Registrants attempting to register online with a file containing a virus will be notified to clean the file and try the online transaction again. If the file cannot be cleaned, the Registry suggests registering by mail or in person. Any credit card charges from virus-laden transactions are reversed within three business days.

Registration is valid for a term of five (5) years. Upon expiration, registration may be renewed for an additional five-year period at the current registration rate. Renewals will be accepted up to three (3) months prior to the expiration of the original registration. A grace period is extended allowing renewals as late as three (3) months following the expiration date.

Registrants may choose to identify registered material with the following language: "WGAW Registered" or "WGAW #_____" How and where you identify your material as being registered is completely at your discretion. You do not need permission to show your work as being registered.

The Registry will honor such written requests from writers regarding the registration of their own work(s) only if accompanied by photo identification. All verification or confirmation requests from a writer should contain as much specific information as possible, such as registration number, title of material, effective date, and social security number of writer, and may be submitted by facsimile, mail, or in person. The fax number for the Registry is (323) 782-4803.

In the event an author is deceased, proof of death and consent of the representative of the heirs and/or estate must be presented in order to obtain specific information regarding the material. The representative must provide court documents authenticating his or her claim as legal heir.

Because the deposited material cannot be returned to the writer without defeating the purpose of registration, registered material may not be withdrawn. It is therefore important to always retain a separate copy of the material being registered.

If a writer finds it necessary to obtain a copy of deposited material, duplicates may be purchased for the price of registration upon written request by one or more of the listed authors, identified by photo ID. In the event an author is deceased, proof of death and consent of the representative of the heirs and/or estate must be presented in order to obtain a copy of the material.

In no event, except under these provisions, shall any deposited material, copies of deposited material, or information regarding deposited material be provided unless an official guild action, court order, or other legal process has been served.

The WGAW Registry has thoroughly evaluated the needs and security issues surrounding electronic submissions. The protection of your personal information is of the highest priority to the WGAW Registry.

Your personal information is requested for specific purposes and will be kept confidential. Unless you designate otherwise, it is only used in connection to your transaction(s) with the Registry and for information about the Registry, and it will not be disclosed to outside organizations for any purpose.

Only the writers listed on the registration record may request confirmation of registration, the registration number, date of deposit, or any other information. If necessary, a Registry employee may produce registration information or material in response to legal process or official Guild action.

The WGAW Registry will honor written requests from writers regarding the registration of their own work(s) only if accompanied by photo identification. All verification or confirmation requests from a writer should contain as much specific information as possible, such as registration number, title of material, effective date, and social security number of writer, and may be submitted by facsimile, mail, or in person. The fax number for the WGAW Registry is (323) 782-4803.

If you add authors to your transaction, please do not type over the "Registrant/Author" or "Author 1" information. Instead, simply fill in the necessary information to the "Author 2" section. It is important to include all authors' information as part of the registration. Authors CANNOT be added to a registration record once it is completed.

Certain keyboard characters (such as colons, semicolons, hyphens, slashes, periods, etc) that appear in the filename may impede your ability to upload your file properly. Please be sure your filename has no special characters before registering online.

Happy Friday, nerds! Today\u2019s film was requested by Julie Holland, one of my comrades over at Modern Horrors who has been my partner in crime when covering online film festivals like Nightstream and the Chattanooga Film Festival. I always love discussing films with her since we\u2019re often on the same wavelength, and what\u2019s more, she\u2019s one of my most endearing Twitter follows. Want to request a film for a future issue? Subscribe to the paid version!

3a8082e126