Taken from:
MovieBytes Email Update
Screenwriting Contests & Markets Online
October 23, 2004
Volume 8, Number 42
http://www.moviebytes.com

9. MovieBytes Interview:  Screenwriter Kaenan Oliver
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An interview with screenwriter Kaenan Oliver regarding the
American Screenwriters Association Screenwriting Competition.

Q: What's the title of the script you entered in this contest,
and what's it about?

A: HOLLOW CROWN is the story of a moral man in amoral times. Our
Richard III bears no relation to Shakespeare's malignant
humpbacked tyrant, fighting instead as England's last
warrior-king, attempting to bring decades of civil war to an end.
We follow his struggle, trapped between the scheming intrigues of
a power-hungry kingmaker and the forbidden love of his ambitious
niece who holds the key to a disputed crown.

Q: What made you enter this particular contest? Have you entered
any other contests with this script? If so, how did you do?

A: My partners and I felt the American Screenwriter's Association
sponsored a prestigious competition that might welcome a period
drama. The script was also a semifinalist in the Chesterfield
Film Project.

Q: Were you satisfied with the adminstration of the contest? Did
they meet their deadlines? Did you receive all the awards that
were promised?

A: We received our prizes promptly and were very happy with both
the ASA and Writer's Digest staffs (co-involved in this
competition). They have been available and answered all our
questions about publicity and awards.

Q: Were you given any feedback on your script? If so, did you
find the feedback helpful?

A: We received a single set of judge's notes soon after the
results were announced and examined the script with those
thoughts in mind. We've become known to some as fearless
rewriters, so we're eager to receive helpful feedback and would
love to get further information from competition judges wherever
available.

Q: Has your success in this contest helped you market your
script? Were you contacted by any agents, managers or producers?

A: The publicity has been invaluable. We've had many queries
about HOLLOW CROWN and some definite nibbles. We also are meeting
with managers and agents.

Q: What's your background? Have you written any other screenplays
or television scripts?

A: As a screenwriting trio, we're a rarity in Hollywood. The fact
that we've just finished our eighth script together in a very few
years makes us even more unique. Jay Flynn began as an engineer
before gravitating to television and film production while
working in Europe. I came from the development side, while my
husband, Dominic Oliver, also works an actor in TV, stage and
films. Before teaming, we each had solo projects produced, but
the power of the triple threat seems apparent by the responses
from Hollywood film execs and the number of contest wins and
placements.

Our combined backgrounds and interests allow us to work well in a
variety of genres. We've written three action pieces: CONDUCT
UNBECOMING, about a gay officer's quest for redemption in the
jungles of Vietnam; HIGH SEAS, about modern pirates and freedom
fighters; and OLD GLORY, in which a Navy desk officer and a ship
of veteran seamen become unexpected heroes. NEW BREED is a teen
horror script that's garnered considerable attention, and THE
PODFATHER is a comedy about wannabe mobsters trying to muscle in
on the space race. We recently finished a family film, TRAITOR'S
ROCK, about a lonely American boy in Ireland whose quest to help
an ancient ghost changes his life and the fate of a dying
village.

Q: Do you live in Los Angeles? If not, do you have any plans to
move there?

A: We all live in the Los Angeles area. We feel it's helped us to
establish relationships with producers and executives in a town
that values one-on-one contact.

Q: What's next? Are you working on a new script?

A: We're currently finishing a black comedy set in Central
America, based on true events, and are adapting one of our
screenplays into a novel. We've begun work on a true story from
Dominic's childhood, and already have three ideas for the script
after that.

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CONTEST WINNER?  Let's talk. If you've finished first, second, or
third in a screenwriting contest, MovieBytes would like to
interview you:

http://www.moviebytes.com/writerinterviews.cfm