DILLON FUHRMAN
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Yuma, AZ, USA 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? My inspirations for Love and Death in Hollywood were Murder on the Orient Express, Knives Out, Clue, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Tropic Thunder, Robert Altman’s The Player and The Long Goodbye, Sunset Boulevard, State and Main, Bowfinger, L.A. Story, Irma Vep, The Big Lebowski, Adaptation., Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Dario Argento’s Deep Red as it’s a meta murder mystery with an element of noir and a satire of Hollywood. I write scripts because I enjoy imagining which actor would be best suited for characters in the script and the lines they would say. 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? It took me three-to-four weeks to write Love and Death in Hollywood as I just started with FADE IN and went from there. After I finished the script, I gave it to my father, as I have done with all my scripts, for him to read through and edit. After he finished reading and editing my script, he gave me his feedback and said he enjoyed reading it and found little to no errors in spelling and grammar. From there, I took his critique, slightly touched up the script, and submitted the script to various screenplay contest, including Wiki: The World’s Fastest Screenplay Contest. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? I want to write movies of multiple genres, whether it is action, comedy, crime, drama, horror, sci-fi, superhero, thriller and western, to showcase my versatility as a writer. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? It was a full script. Like the person who critiqued Love and Death in Hollywood said it’s a “page turner”. Had I sent the first ten pages, the person critiquing my script would be like, “Wait. What happens? Does the detective accept the case? Do we know who did it? Don’t leave me hanging, bro,” and I didn’t want to do that. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? Favorite movie. Man, that’s a really good question. For me, my favorite movie is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang because Shane Black is one of my favorite screenwriters and he did a great job in his directorial debut. I enjoyed the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, and I love how the film is both a love letter and satire of neo-noir. Plus, it’s one of those films you would revisit and quote whenever you’re around family, friends, etc. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? Don’t give up. I know getting rejection letters may make you feel like you want to stop writing and move on, but if you just believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, and just keep persevering, then one day, all your hard work will pay off. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? I’m currently working on another chapter in the Dillon Fuhrman Mystery Series, “Souls Be Damned.” This time, my lead detective is solving the murder of a blogger that may or may not be supernaturally motivated. It’s my love letter to the inventor of the detective fiction genre, Edgar Allan Poe. |
