Tom Mazzola

Screenplay Finalist
​
"Echo the Wind"

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)? 
Presently I live in Grants Pass, Oregon.
 
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 love movies and that is the main reason I choose to write screenplays. I also think visually when I write stories, which lends perfectly to the screenplay format. The inspiration for “Echo the Wind” comes from having lived through one of the hardest experiences all human beings go through in life - the loss of a loved one. When confronted with this type of loss as a child, it can be very devastating, especially when that loss is due to a family tragedy. This is a theme that I could relate to, coming from a large family and having lost my uncle in a plane crash. The loss I experienced was ambiguous and sudden in nature and left me struggling to find closure. When I finally sat down to begin writing this story, the earth was going through changes due to climate change and global warming. There was a rash of tornadoes that struck the Midwest while across the Pacific, Japan was dealing with their earthquake and subsequent tsunamis. Thousands went missing. So, I decided to write a story about “ambiguous loss” – loss associated with the missing due to the wrath of mother nature. 
 
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 started this particular screenplay in 2010 as part of my thesis work. However, for me a script is never done until committed to film as a final product. Echo the Wind is a story I always wanted to write. I had an idea of the characters I wanted to write about, so the first thing I did was write a general outline, which revolved around a ten-year-old boy’s desperate search for his missing brother, lost in a tornado. From there I did tons of research, about tornados, ambiguous loss and about the Midwest and its tornadic history. I dove deep into the history of Kansas, which is the setting for my story. One of the indigenous peoples of the area is the Kansa tribe. A translation of the word Kansa, means “The Wind People” and it’s how the state inherited its name. It became imperative to incorporate a sense of native spiritualism within the story. The screenplay evolved into what it is now leaving the reader with a message concerning the power of love and family.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? 
My ultimate ambition is to collaborate with creatives, bringing to a wide audience, content that entertains while providing a deeply cathartic experience that inspires a better world for the future.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why? 
I’m inspired by writers and filmmakers who have accomplished visionary works. Gene Roddenberry and Stanley Kubrick, classic novelists like John Steinbeck and F. Scot Fitzgerald who told stories of the human condition, and contemporary filmmakers like Coppola, Scorsese and the Cohan Brothers.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show? 
There are too many to name just one. Here are a few of my favorite movies of all time: “The Searchers”, “Citizen Cane” and “Casablanca”.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? 
Get feedback by entering contests or paying for professional analysis. I can’t emphasize this enough. Feedback from working professionals is invaluable. Make changes based on getting to the heart of the matter.  Surround yourself with creatives that inspire you and will give you honest and helpful advice. Always be refining your work. Come up with the best possible logline.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? 
A western based on a true story that tells of our country’s struggle to deal with the egregious treatment of our Native Americans during the Civil War years.

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