STEVEN FREEHAUF
DIVERSE WRITERS BEST SCREENPLAY WINTER 2024: "AIR"
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Currently reside in Zanesfield, OH…but I grew up in San Antonio, TX. “You can take the boy out of Texas but never Texas out of the boy!” An Air Force brat in my early youth, lived in Pakistan, Turkey and Alaska!
Your script or media entry stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your project ?
Specifically, Air is based on my own life experiences from 1979 to 1982, with some creativity to allow all the various stories to flow in one script. “The names were changed to protect the innocent.”
How long did it take you to write your script or produce your pitch deck/sizzle reel/trailer...and what was your development process?
Air was written during the second wave of the pandemic from March to May 2021. My fulltime job requires significant time investment and travel but COVID put all that on hold. Although always a passion of mine, screenwriting became a way to deal with depression that developed while “grounded”.
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer or filmmaker?
As a 61-year-old, grandfather of 14, I realize that I am getting into the game rather late in life…and with that I am a realist. My ultimate ambition is to have one script, of the six that I have written since October 2020, be produced. Anything beyond a single film would be a blessing that I could not imagine.
Which film directors or screenwriters inspire you? Why?
Francis Ford Coppola is my favorite director (as well as screenwriter) of all time. His works are masterpieces. Classic films during my youth were “bigger than life” and turned me into a weekly Saturday Matinee groupie. Patton, The Godfather, and Apocalypse Now illustrated his ability to allow great actors to deliver powerful performances while having truly stunning visions, scenes and intensity.
Currently reside in Zanesfield, OH…but I grew up in San Antonio, TX. “You can take the boy out of Texas but never Texas out of the boy!” An Air Force brat in my early youth, lived in Pakistan, Turkey and Alaska!
Your script or media entry stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your project ?
Specifically, Air is based on my own life experiences from 1979 to 1982, with some creativity to allow all the various stories to flow in one script. “The names were changed to protect the innocent.”
How long did it take you to write your script or produce your pitch deck/sizzle reel/trailer...and what was your development process?
Air was written during the second wave of the pandemic from March to May 2021. My fulltime job requires significant time investment and travel but COVID put all that on hold. Although always a passion of mine, screenwriting became a way to deal with depression that developed while “grounded”.
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer or filmmaker?
As a 61-year-old, grandfather of 14, I realize that I am getting into the game rather late in life…and with that I am a realist. My ultimate ambition is to have one script, of the six that I have written since October 2020, be produced. Anything beyond a single film would be a blessing that I could not imagine.
Which film directors or screenwriters inspire you? Why?
Francis Ford Coppola is my favorite director (as well as screenwriter) of all time. His works are masterpieces. Classic films during my youth were “bigger than life” and turned me into a weekly Saturday Matinee groupie. Patton, The Godfather, and Apocalypse Now illustrated his ability to allow great actors to deliver powerful performances while having truly stunning visions, scenes and intensity.
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
The Untouchables is my favorite film, although my list would include 100 “runners up”. Recently I declared This Is Us to be the best-written television series ever, which says a lot since for the prior 30 years I would have said M*A*S*H, hands down.
What advice do you have for others hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Write, write, write! And find someone to help you edit! It is impossible to edit your own work…trust me, I have tried and failed. Any editors out there want to lend an old man a hand? My wife and kids think everything is “great”…smh.
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
My sixteen episodes (two seasons) of Sounds Familiar has significant mass-appeal. Timeless, my one and only musical, is perfect for today’s Swifty-obsessed nation (although I wrote it in 2020!). My first script, Driver’s Seat needs some polishing but it has a powerful, faith-based message. Although I took a two-year hiatus to battle (and WIN) cancer, I have begun writing again and look for more projects later in 2024 and beyond.
Where can the world find you? (Website, IMDB, etc.)
Another focus once I retire (2026) is to better market myself and my projects. I have not done a very good job of putting myself “out there”. I have profiles on Network ISA, Coverfly, Stage 32 and Film Freeway. My life plays out on Facebook, too. I use it as more as a public diary and legacy for my family than for “social” reasons.
The Untouchables is my favorite film, although my list would include 100 “runners up”. Recently I declared This Is Us to be the best-written television series ever, which says a lot since for the prior 30 years I would have said M*A*S*H, hands down.
What advice do you have for others hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Write, write, write! And find someone to help you edit! It is impossible to edit your own work…trust me, I have tried and failed. Any editors out there want to lend an old man a hand? My wife and kids think everything is “great”…smh.
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
My sixteen episodes (two seasons) of Sounds Familiar has significant mass-appeal. Timeless, my one and only musical, is perfect for today’s Swifty-obsessed nation (although I wrote it in 2020!). My first script, Driver’s Seat needs some polishing but it has a powerful, faith-based message. Although I took a two-year hiatus to battle (and WIN) cancer, I have begun writing again and look for more projects later in 2024 and beyond.
Where can the world find you? (Website, IMDB, etc.)
Another focus once I retire (2026) is to better market myself and my projects. I have not done a very good job of putting myself “out there”. I have profiles on Network ISA, Coverfly, Stage 32 and Film Freeway. My life plays out on Facebook, too. I use it as more as a public diary and legacy for my family than for “social” reasons.
