CAITLIN AMANS
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 PictureCAITLIN AMANS
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I live in Santa Clarita, California with my husband and two dogs.

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?
I’ve been a full-time screenwriter for fifteen years. Every other format just isn’t as accessible for me to develop a story. I think I saw an article on Facebook about Anna Coleman Ladd in 2021 and I knew I wanted to write a script about her.

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?
I wrote Brave Faces Fellowship in one month. I had been taking notes and ruminating on Anna Coleman Ladd for about a year before I sat down to write about her. My process is pretty simple – I usually research a subject exhaustively and then I will write an outline/synopsis. Then I commit to write five pages a day – good or bad – knowing I can always rewrite them.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I want to produce the scripts I write. My background is in episodic television and features as a Location Manager so being highly organized, dealing with contracts and people are part of how I’m wired. I’ve created business plans, shooting schedules and budgets for scripts so the technical aspect of making a movie is also in my tool box.

Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
I am an avid admirer of old movies – Sergeant York, Captains Courageous, Joyeux Noel, You Can’t Take it With You. I admire great directors as much as I admire the screenwriters of these films. Peter Weir, Sydney Pollack and Clint Eastwood are
definitely among my top favorite directors.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
I listed some of my favorite films above but I think The Year of Living Dangerously ranks pretty high as an all-time favorite. I watch it a couple of times every year for inspiration.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
My encouragement to other writers is to remember this is a highly subjective industry. The script that was a finalist in this international competition was completely dismissed in several other competitions so remember it just takes one person to catch the vision and promote it. Keep at your dreams. Enjoy your life. Pray. Take care of yourself and remember God is in control.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I have 27 completed feature scripts in a variety of genres but historical biography is my preferred niche. I just finished a feature script about the West African slave that was taken to Panama by Spanish slave traders and found the world’s largest pearl and bought his freedom with it. I am currently working on a dystopian Science Fiction script that takes place in the not-too-distant future and focuses on a paraplegic woman left on earth after everyone has left to colonize Mars and she is recruited by a covert NGO to find out if heaven is real…