C.R. SHERMAN
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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Las Vegas, Nevada
 
Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story?
The script Avant-Guard was inspired by the concept of mystery celebrity artists, like Banksy, and the way they influence value in the art world. I was also inspired by the physical comedy films from the fifties and sixties; like Jacques Tati’s Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953), and films by Blake Edwards starring Peter Sellers, like The Pink Panther (1963) and The Party (1968).

Why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
I wanted the finished narrative to exist as a visual story.
 
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?
The script took a week to write and three weeks to edit.
I started as far as you can get to the end of the process, I drew storyboards. I do not recommend this as part of a viable process. It is what happens when you go to art school and get a BFA. I will outline feature scripts, for shorts I just start writing, or sketching.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
To become a member of the WGA and write screenplays for feature films.

Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
The authentic and elegant characters, and comedy writing, of Sofia Coppola in her films Lost In Translation and On The Rocks. Character driven action stories by the writer Vince Gilligan and the work he did on The X-Files, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
Tarantino’s, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Talented writing and a strong story will be dismissed due to non-industry standard formatting. This needs to be dialed in first. You probably have varied interests and several concepts for stories. I chose to enter Competitions in the Short Screenplay Category because it allowed me to write more stories in less time and show a broader narrative range.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
A thriller about an Army helicopter rescue pilot in Afghanistan forced out by threat of court-martial for staying past “pick-up” behind enemy lines to extract her team; she now leads a group of pilots in high-risk commercial salvage operations.