The "Nominated" Poster
The "Nominated" Poster

We recently received this email from independent writer/director Dan Pavlik:

I’m an independent writer/director. My screenwriting didn’t really start until I read STC! I then went back to the drawing board and co-crafted a 2008 Nicholl Fellowship quarterfinalist script. I emailed Blake with the news of my script’s placement in the fellowship to which he replied, “Woo freakin Hoo! You should be very proud.” I keep a copy of that email in the one copy of Cat! that I’ve managed not to give away to other writers.

I’ve just finished producing the script, entitled Nominated, and I’m about to embark on the exciting and hopeful festival circuit. I produced the movie on a very small budget, mostly because of the strength of the script, which led most actors to work for next to nothing. And this was a SAG production with pro talent — including veteran character actor Carl Lumbly.

It might be helpful for writers out there to know that they don’t always have to follow the beat sheet for a studio movie, but also for something they can do themselves. A solid structure and story is what made it possible for me to get my movie made.

In Dan’s film, a volatile Hollywood has-been, just nominated for an Oscar, is exiled to a small town by his agent to avoid bad press during Academy voting — only to find that the relationships he forges are more valuable than any statue he might win. Here’s a clip:

To see more clips and find other information, visit the Nominated website.

Next week’s blog: The It Happened One Night Beat Sheet