BRIAN MURPHY
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BRIAN MURPHY

What inspired you to write a script rather than a novel or short story?
I’m addicted to TV. I love it. I wanted to write a show I’d love to watch — set in a world I’d love to explore, filled with characters I genuinely care about, want to spend time with, and then worry about the whole time.

Was there a specific film, TV show, or personal moment that first made you say, “I want to write like that”?
I’ve always been drawn to cop shows like Law & Order, Bosch, and The Wire, and equally obsessed with sci-fi like Star Trek, The Expanse, and Blade Runner. So I decided to mash those worlds together — noir, satire, and a touch of Corman-era exploitation turned inside-out — to make an exploitation show about exploitation.

What’s your writing routine like? Do you follow a strict schedule, or are you more intuitive about when and how you write?
I re-read and re-write all day. Then I watch reruns at night.

When you're starting a new script, how do you shape your ideas? Do you use outlines, beat sheets, or dive right into scenes? What inspires your scripts? Characters? Plot? Theme? Action?
No logline, no story. That’s my rule. The logline forces clarity — it tells me who the main character is, what they want, and why it matters. Once that’s in place, I mine the setting for expectations and orchestrate the conflict accordingly.

How do you handle writer’s block or those inevitable moments of self-doubt?
I put myself in the character’s place. I ask myself what I’d do if I were in that position. I answer honestly and then I have them do that. (I improvise.)

What tools—software, methods, rituals—do you consider essential to your writing workflow?
Final Draft. Journals. Notebooks. Images from history or online.

Do you write with production realities in mind, or do you let the creative vision lead first and adjust later?
Depends. I do not have a problem spending Hollywood’s money to get the story I want to tell on paper, but I also know how to write low budget (really low) if that’s what it takes to get it out there.

When a scene isn’t working, what’s your go-to strategy for fixing it? Rewrite, workshop, walk away—or something else?
I like Mammet’s approach. The audience wants to know “who wants what from whom,” “what happens if they don’t get it,” and “why now?” If you can answer those questions honestly, the scene will take on a life of its own — and you just have to get out of its way.

How many scripts have you completed? How many have you started and not completed (we all have those)...and why are they still unfinished?
Not sure any script is ever finished, even if it’s in the can.

Have you earned recognition in this or other competitions? What’s your strategy when  submitting your scripts, and how has contest feedback shaped your work?
An agent told me to “listen to your readers.” So I do. That’s how Sunset got to the finals.

Have you done anything at this point to promote yourself or your writing (besides entering online contests)? If so, how would you gauge the effectiveness of those efforts?
I’ve taught screenwriting. I’ve performed improv in L.A. and New York. I am judicious about contests as some are more like treadmills, I have friends and family in the industry, but I am always in search of that one “yes.”

Have you pitched to producers or taken meetings yet? What have those experiences taught you about the business side of screenwriting?
Not for Sunset’s Heat, but I have done so with other projects. I learned that they always ask, “What else you got?” Since I always start with loglines, I can pitch anything I’ve written.

What do you see as your greatest strengths as a writer? Your greatest weaknesses?
My imagination, training, and experience in front of audiences are strengths. My disinterest in self-promotion is my Achilles’ heel.

How do you balance your writing with your “day job”?
I don’t. I work at night. Write all day. Work at night.

What message or emotional response do you hope audiences walk away with after experiencing your work?
I want them to laugh, cry, and carry on with their friends about what they experienced. Then I want them to look forward to the next episode and keep spoilers from their co- workers.

What are you working on right now the world needs to know about?
The Infiniplex. A story about the place where consciousness moves through waking, dreaming, and UN (consciousness) to work out the fundamental conflict between destiny and free-will as we use love to face fear, death, and the occasional pie fight.

Where do you see yourself five years from now as a screenwriter—and how do you plan to get to that place?
I want to have enough success so that USC and UCLA and NYU are going, “Hey, Bri, can you teach a few semesters here? We’ll give you a spot to park your Porsche and a place to put your Oscar.”

What advice would you give to any aspiring writer hoping to follow in your footsteps?
Keep writing. Find a mentor. Be open to suggestions. And when they ask what’s more important — character or plot — remember that character determines what you do, and what you do reveals your character. Orchestrate conflict. Make it rise. Make it real. And make sure what you write means something — and that that meaning is true.

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