Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards... The screenplay contest where every connection leads to Hollywood.
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Steven R. Berry
​

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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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?
During my years of high school, the Vietnam Conflict was beginning to become prevalent in the news and on television. With the images of the fighting being screened on television, it quickly became obvious that the US government would be sending soldiers to the region. I was fortunate not to have to go because of my student deferment status. The thing that stood out to me during that period was the physical and emotional toll on my friends that had participated in the fighting, “over there.”

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?
Originally, I wrote this script as a stage play during a ten-week writing workshop headed up by the late Charles Fuller (A Soldier’s Story) at the Frank Silvera’s Writers Workshop in New York city sometime during the 80’s. At that time, Fuller advised me to turn it into a screenplay. I wasn’t into writing screenplays at that time. In 1989, I received a grant from the Pennsylvania Playwrights Connection to further develop the script, which I did. After that, life interfered with my writing activities. I didn’t return to the script until years later after becoming involved with photography and filmmaking. I would say this newer version of the story took me approximately a year and a half, writing periodically. I prefer to outline my story using index cards.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I’d like to see my scripts produced and I become a successful working script writer.

Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
Quentin Tarantino, Spike Lee, and the Coen brothers. It’s so many others. And they all bring different viewpoints to the craft. I like Tarantino’s use of dialogue and his creative use of story structure. Spike Lee has a way of entertaining as he explores controversial subjects and the African-American experience. And the Coen brothers have a unique way of telling stories with eccentric characters and convoluted plots.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
That’s hard to answer. But if I had to choose one, I would have to say Jean-Luc Godard’s, Breathless. That was the movie that changed my way of thinking about film.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Stay persistent. Keep writing even when you feel discouraged. Fight through it because in the end you will through the tough times. Have others read your script to get their opinions. And most of all have professionals critique it for their advice.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I just finished a dramatic screenplay about a fictitious 1960’s jazz musician during the Civil Rights movement.

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  • Home
  • Feature Screenplay Contest
  • TV Script Contest
  • Short Script Contest
  • Diverse Writers Outreach
    • Diverse Writers Contest Results
  • Live WGA Consultations
  • Contest Results
  • PROFESSIONAL SHOWCASE
    • DIANE THOMASSIN >
      • DIANE THOMASSIN PROJECTS
    • CATHERINE SCHANDL >
      • CATHERINE SCHANDL PROJECTS
  • WRITERS SHOWCASE 2022-23
    • DANIEL S. LEVY
    • SEAN LAWRENCE
    • PREMA ROSE
    • TIMOTHY MICHAELS
    • JOHN BROWN
    • CHAD HUTSON
    • SCOTT THOMPSON
    • MICHAEL D. KENNEY
    • DANIEL PRESSEY
    • CHRISTOPHER BOYCE
    • STEVE SHEAR
    • ANGEL L. MARTINEZ
    • SARAH CALDWELL
    • SEAN McLAUGHLIN
    • A.P. GONZALEZ
    • ROBERT BORREGO
    • RANDY WOODLEY
    • DAVID SANDERS
    • ERNESTINA JUAREZ
    • CATHERINE EATON-DEBORAH RAYNE
    • PETER DE NORVILLE
    • ALYSHA HARAN
    • REENITA HORA
    • MIKE MORERO
    • SARAH KENNEDY
    • TOM FRANEY
    • DORENE LORENZ
    • RICHARD ROSSNER/RAHLA KAHN
    • SAM IWATA
    • Steven R. Berry
    • TONY SCHWEIKLE
    • Virginia Youngren
    • JASON NG
    • NIKKI COLE
    • LYNN ELLIOTT
    • JANE COX
    • JOHN PRATHER
    • TENNESSEE MARTIN INTERVIEW
    • VU MAI
    • Donald McKinney
    • MICHAEL ELLIOTT
    • MICHAEL ELLIOTT
    • GRETCHEN RATCLIFF SAWYER
    • ATTILA KOROSI INTERVIEW
    • AINHOA FERNANDEZ-MARTINEZ INTERVIEW
    • DAN PERO
    • NANCI GAGLIO
    • TERRY PODNAR SCREENWRITER
    • KIMBERLY CHAMPION
    • SANDRA MOONIAS
    • JODIE ANDERS
    • JONATHAN HIGGINS
    • DON WALLACE
    • LOVINDER GILL
    • STEPHEN FLOYD
    • Jeffery Evans
  • WRITERS SHOWCASE
    • MAXWELL THOMAS
    • MELISSA BRIDES
    • LINDSAY MAXOUTOPOULIS
    • ALBERTO DIAMANTE
    • ERIN DONOVAN
    • ANDREI CHAHINE
    • DOUGLAS SPALTRO
    • KATHY FRITZ
    • CANDEE KRAMER
    • BEN PARSONS
    • ANDREW MACQUARRIE
    • JEFF BARKER
    • WILL TURNER BRETT
    • BRYAN MARVIS
    • ELIZABETH APPELL
    • BARRY JAY
    • DAN JOLLEY
    • ELLEN PUFF
    • JONATHAN CANE
    • JOHNNY RUSSELL
    • JOEY MEDINA
    • SUSAN KELEJIAN
    • LAETITIA NGUYEN
    • LYDELLE JACKSON
    • MARK ZASLOVE
    • JUDAH BOSCO
    • LINDA FEDERICO OMURCHU
    • MARK WAKELY
    • STAN RUBAKHIN
    • AE GUAAKER
    • ANTHONY MCBRIDE
    • SUSAN SWEENEY
    • ANDREW CHIARAMONTE
    • BRENDON RICHARDS
    • THOMAS PACE
    • BILL MURPHY
    • STEPH KOWAL
    • PETER DE NORVILLE
    • KEVEN WICKHAM
    • JULIA SONG
    • JOHN ARNAU
    • FELICIA BAXER
    • DAVID RODERICK
    • MATT GALLAGHER
    • LEW OSTEEN
    • ROBBIE ROBERTSON
    • ROBIN CHAMBERS
    • ANDREW SCHERER
    • TIMOTHY KOHN
    • CELINE FOSTER
    • KARLA BRYANT
    • BARRY PUTT
    • CHAD HUTSON
    • DANIEL PERO
    • d.b. RODERICK
    • PAUL HUENEMANN
    • BERL KAUFMAN
    • TAMMY OLSEN
    • SOPHIE NEVILLE
    • NATHAN POST
    • DANIEL PERO
    • STAN LEWIS
    • LYNDA REISS & TARA TREMAINE
    • JAMES MULCAHY
    • ATTILA KOROSI
    • DAVID SANDERS
    • FRANCES MCCOY
    • GILBERT MOORE
  • JOIN THE SHOWCASE
  • Money for Your Movie
  • Free Webinars
    • - Logline Secrets & Pitching to Sell
    • Free Webinar: How to WIN Your Next Screenplay Contest
    • Free webinar: Choosing Career Path-Writing for Movies & TV
  • Writer Testimonials
  • Feedback Analysis Samples
  • Contest Judges
  • Contact Us