STEPHEN NOTLEY
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Los Angeles, CA (as of April 2024) Your script or media entry stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your project ? I had characters I’d already imagined for a video game adaptation, and I liked their dynamic, so I thought I’d see if I could convert them into human beings (from plants), stick them in a fun sci-fi setting, and cook up some laughs with a dash of real science. How long did it take you to write your script or produce your pitch deck/sizzle reel/trailer...and what was your development process? It was shockingly fast, as it turned out. I puzzled over the characters and the premise for about a week, and then once the light came on for the opening scene (which I’ve now thrown out for a much better one, I think), I had the whole 1st draft for a half-hour pilot in just over two weeks. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer or filmmaker? Get paid! Have something make it to air/screen! And, ideally, once the first two things happen, it’d be nice if folks enjoyed the result! Then, repeat until dead! Which film directors or screenwriters inspire you? Why? Far too many to list, so to pick ONE: Mike McMahan, creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks, for conceiving of a Star Trek that so closely aligns with my own tastes, and then delivering on it with such inspiring magnificence. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show? Changes all the time. Star Wars has pride of place in the #1 spot simply because I can’t imagine myself without it, but a close second and dearly beloved is Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer, where every element --characters, action, music, sheer life-affirming gusto-- delights me at every turn. What advice do you have for others hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? If possible, wrangle a job as a script reader. It’s easy to read great scripts, but it’s impossible to overstate the usefulness of reading dozens or hundreds of bad/so-so scripts to get a feel for how they fail. Also, try to have something funny/ interesting/ surprising on every single page! Know what the good parts of your script are! What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? Well, I’m also a cartoonist, creator of the online comic strip Bob the Angry Flower, and my 14th book Bob the Angry Flower: The Machines is in the pipeline for a July 2025 release. Wahoo! Where can the world find you? (Website, IMDB, etc.) Angryflower.com |
