BRADY BRYSON

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Toms River, New Jersey

Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your
story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
Sideways for Attention was always going to be a film. My inspiration for this project was a desire
to shock my audience out of complacency. I wanted people to stop what they were doing and pay
attention. I wanted to find a way to bring internal and external trauma to the screen that would
allow people to identify with the suffering and behaviors of any one of the characters and then
think about the choices that they may have made in their own lives. The story is important, that’s
why it’s a script, but I didn’t feel like I could capture the tension, anxiety, or even the feeling of
being in New York on an empty sidewalk at night, alone and fearing the worst, without showing
it. On film, the experience is shared by more than one person simultaneously and afterwards,
over drinks or dinner, different perspectives are shared. I want people to talk about what they
have seen and what it meant to them.

How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do
you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
It took about two years to write the script, though honestly I am still writing and revising it. First
I have an idea about the setting. Aesthetics are very important to me and the setting, in many
cases, dictates the story. I start with the setting and then the characters and then the story falls
into place. I watch what the characters do within the world that I have created for them and then
the script follows. I write the script first, then examine the characters, break them down, find
their motivations and then re-write the script based on these people I have come to know more
intimately. At some point in the process I stop what I am doing and compose an outline, and then
revisit the script to adjust scenes that don’t fit with my ideas of what the characters would or
would not do. It’s a fluid process, and at any time I may be working on adjusting dialogue,
character motivation, or specific details important to move the story forward in each scene.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
My ultimate goal is to be able to write and direct my own original feature films, and someday
win the Palme d’Or at Cannes. When I write a script I am always thinking about how it will play
out in production and how the director will take what I have written and bring the story to life.
For each script I write I have a set of directors notes that I keep aside from the formal script with
my ideas about how I want each scene to be shot, just in case I am the person behind the camera
when the film finally gets made.

Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
Tarantino is probably my biggest inspiration. I love how he can so vividly bring a story to the
screen from inspiration to script and then through production. “Reservoir Dogs” could very well
have been a stage production. Each scene is primarily based in dialogue, gritty and real dialogue,
but it works as a film because of what the actors do with the script. Schrader also holds a special
place in my heart. My parents took me to see “Taxi Driver” on the big screen when I was only
six years old and that I will never forget. A completely different film, more about aesthetics and
imagery, but equally as compelling.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
“Good Time” is in the top five for sure. The intensity of each scene in this film took my breath
away, and I couldn’t catch it before the next scene started. It was like an emotional roller-coaster,
much in the same way that “Go” is, though much less fun. My all-time favorite movie for sure,
though, is Alfred Hitchcok’s “Psycho”, because, of course, “a boy’s best friend is his mother.”

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as
you have?
First of all, believe in your story. If you don’t believe it nobody else will. At the same time, be
open to revisions and changes as the script evolves. Write and rewrite each scene, and have lots
of people read what you have written. Make sure people not in the business can follow and
understand the story. Consider what people in the industry have to say as well. Put your work
into contests like the Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards and use the feedback to
make your work better. Remain open to criticism and, most importantly, don’t give up.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Prior to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes I was working on several different projects,
including six other feature length film scripts, two serial anthologies, and a situation comedy
pilot.

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