CLAUDIA DATO
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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Goleta, CA
 
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?
The White Fence is a story I’ve had in my head for some time. I wanted to provide a unique, diverse perspective on the theme of forbidden love in a way that’s relatable to anyone who’s had to deal with complex feelings and difficult choices. Setting the story in the early 1950s provided a good setting because queer relationships were literally against the law in many places so the time period added a degree of danger to the love affair between the main characters. With the heroin being a loving wife who falls for a woman while her husband is MIA in the Korean War, we see that sexuality is a continuum and love can happen in unexpected places and times. I have always been a big lover of motion pictures and wanted to write a screenplay to bring this story to life.
 
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 me about four months to write the script. I did a few rewrites over that time as well. Essentially my writing process is all in my head. I spent a considerable amount of time and some sleepless nights thinking about the overall story, the characters and individual scenes. I do not use any written outline, index cards or white board. I simply start with FADE IN and unravel the story that’s been simmering in my head.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
My ultimate ambition as a screenwriter would be to win an Academy Award. However, I would be quite satisfied just to sell one of my screenplays and see it produced.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
Francis Ford Coppola, Nora Ephron and Richard Curtis. I’m a big fan of the movies they’ve written. Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is one of the best movies ever made in my opinion. Both Nora Ephron and Richard Curtis have a special gift when it comes to dialogue and portraying relationships.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
The Godfather and Forrest Gump are two of my top movies. I also love the French television program Lupin for how clever it is.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
My advice for other writers is to study up on contemporary screenplay formatting. The books by Robert L. McCullough was particularly helpful. In addition, reading award-winning screenplays for produced films is invaluable.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Besides The White Fence, I wrote another feature length drama screenplay called A Pill to Die For, which won or placed well in a number of contests and festivals in 2023. This is about a man who saw his only brother gunned down 15 years ago; now he's left witness protection to tackle the LA fentanyl crisis and seek vengeance on the ruthless drug lord responsible for both. I’m currently working on a new screenplay inspired by the true story of a Native American man who moved from an abusive childhood through the foster care system and into the gang life at age 12. Now in prison serving a life sentence for a three-strike violation, he has overcome his abusive, violent background and turned his life around to find love and redemption.

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