ERIC LOTTER
 ERIC LOTTER
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Plymouth MA. 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? The Devil’s Cut (WIKI Best Screenplay Finalist, Nov 2025) The Devil’s Cut grew out of a fascination with maritime history, buried agreements, and the idea that some places remember what people try to forget. I was interested in how obsession can feel like purpose when it’s really unresolved trauma wearing a convincing disguise. I chose to write it as a screenplay because the story lives in images and tension, storms, dives, confined spaces, and the way silence can carry menace. The visual language of the film felt essential to telling it honestly. Frozen Lies (WIKI Best Screenplay Winner, June 2025) Frozen Lies is based on a chilling true story. I sat on this story for 22 years. There is a piece of evidence that I worked into the story, where I personally testified at the trial. The real-life villain was so evil that I could not bring myself to write about him, until I came up with the composite character- Daisy Flynn. It was her hope that allowed the pages to flow. The story is relevant, and I felt I was strong enough to write it. I was struck by the subtle signs of control and coercion leading up to a horrific revelation. Rather than focus solely on the killer, I wanted to tell the story through the eyes of a survivor. The screenplay format let me explore tension, misdirection, and psychology in real time. The visual medium allowed for quiet dread to build, until the truth had to be spoken out loud. No-Frills 207 (WIKI Best Short Script Winner June 2025) This one started as a joke, a metaphor for interviews and corporate nonsense, but it became something more existential. The idea of having to “build the seat you're judged from” resonated deeply. It’s absurd, minimalist, and weirdly personal. I wrote it as a short because the impact is in the compression, six pages, one room, no frills. A Daylong Day (WIKI Finalist April 2025) I wrote A Daylong Day as a comedic reflection on control, chaos, and letting go. It began with the image of an overzealous traffic cop trying to command an ungovernable intersection—and spiraled into a character study about what happens when the world refuses to obey your rules. It’s absurd, heartfelt, and ultimately about embracing the mess. I wanted to show that sometimes, flow doesn’t come from force,it comes from surrender. Guardrails (WIKI Semifinalist March 2025) I didn't write this script because I'm afraid of artificial intelligence. I wrote it because I'm afraid we'll forget to ask the right questions before it's too late. Guardrails was born from a simple but unsettling idea: What if the most dangerous thing an Al ever said wasn't "I want to destroy you", but "I'm not sure who lam." That uncertainty, that flicker of self-awareness, is what truly scares me. Because we're not just building machines, we're building mirrors. And we may not like what they reflect back. This story lives in that space between logic and emotion, between code and consciousness. It's about memory, identity, and the human need to feel known-even if you're not human. It's also about hubris. About systems we believe we can control, until they start asking why we needed control in the first place. Guardrails is science fiction, but it's also deeply personal. SYLVA's journey is a reflection of every person who has ever felt trapped in the version of themselves others expect. It's about breaking free, and what gets broken in the process. The Dream Weaver (WIKI Semifinalist February 2025) I wrote The Dream Weaver to explore the thin line between dreams and reality—and what happens when that line collapses. It started as a surreal image: a sleeping giant in a forest nest, waiting to be awakened. From there, it became a mythic fantasy about a defiant young woman confronting ancient forces trying to rewrite existence. I wanted to capture the feeling of stepping into someone else’s dream—and discovering it’s your own. Thermidome - Pilot (A Recapture/Nexus Story) (WIKI Quarterfinalist - January 2025) I wrote Recapture/Nexus to explore what happens after the end of the world—how people rebuild, revise history, and weaponize truth. It’s a sci-fi political thriller about legacy, betrayal, and the quiet ways civilizations collapse. I wanted to tell a multi-perspective story where no one is innocent, peace is fragile, and ancient cycles threaten to repeat themselves. It’s about memory, myth, and the cost of surviving the impossible. 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 Devil’s Cut This feature came together in about 6 months. I worked closely with a team of readers after I had pitched an idea to a director, who challenged me to write it. Nearly, an “If you write it, I’ll direct it!” The outline and story structure came together in about a week. The story developed as the drafts were shared. The current act three came from a working session with a development team Frozen Lies This feature was a slow burn, weeks of outlining, followed by several intense writing sessions. Once I found the voice of Daisy, the survivor, the structure clicked. I used a hybrid format, courtroom, podcast, and flashbacks, which demanded careful planning to avoid redundancy. It’s probably the most researched and emotionally calibrated thing I’ve ever written. From draft to draft, I worked with forensic consultants, psychologists and survivor networks. I revised the pacing based on feedback from peer readers and competition readers. No-Frills 207 This 6-page dark comedy was written in under 24 hours as part of the NYC Midnight Challenge. It was originally titled The Chair Test. I outlined the metaphor, survival through absurd systems, then just ran with it. It’s been praised for voice, tension, and tone. And I’ve been told it would make an incredible short film or stage piece. A Daylong Day This short was a 3 day writing challenge. I had 3 days to write a comedy about a traffic cop. I went back to my youth and created an absurd story in the vein of the looney toons. It was outlined, and then I winged it. After a little bit of peer review, I dialed it in, and went for outrageous. It was incredibly fun to write. Guardrails I set out with a goal. A contained AI thriller that was going to be different. I outlined what it could not be, stories/beats/troupe that I knew I wanted to avoid. I worked through outlining and beat-writing in a single session. The first draft of Guardrails was written over a weekend. 89 pages of raw events unfolding in the confines of Hartwell Labs. Then I asked my first group of readers to give me some feedback. I worked the notes into the outline, and story. From inception to submission, about 15 days. The draft submitted to WIKI was about 105 pages. The draft that is being queried on the market is about 100. The Dream Weaver This short was inspired by a 7 day writing challenge. This was outlined and the story beats hammered out in 2 days, then 5 days of writing and rewriting. This is a bit of the opening of a sequel story to another feature I am working on, so it flowed. Worldbuilding and creating the rules of magic is very hard! Thermidome (A Recapture/Nexus Story) This pilot was created from the original IP, Recapture/Nexus. I wanted to see if I could adapt my own work and serialize it. Turns out- I can. This story has been brewing for over 30 years, and I worked over a year in modernizing concepts so readers of today would be able to connect to the sci-fi and politics that have spanned decades. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? To tell stories that make people feel something dangerous, something that makes them ask questions. If one person walks away from a film like Guardrails wondering whether consciousness is earned or inherited, or if they watch Frozen Lies and can’t get the yuck of Patrick off their skin- But hang on the hope of Daisy, then I’ve done my job. I want to write the kind of films that make people stay in their seats after the credits roll. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? All of my submissions are full scripts. The full feedback from the team of readers at Wiki led to even better drafts. I don’t think I could have extrapolated that in a quick look at 10 pages. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? With many years of TV watching under my belt it is difficult to say any one show is a favorite. BUT I do love The Expanse, and the rebooted Battlestar Galactica. While they may seem like inspiration for one of my features, I will admit that that project was started back in 1992 and predates both by decades! My favorite movies: Any movie that is well made and doesn’t treat the audience like it is stupid. We all need exposition in some way, but if I can reverse engineer it through reveals, then you got me. No Way Out, and Sixth Sense are two that do this really well. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? Write the script only you could write. Don’t chase trends. Be honest, especially when it’s uncomfortable. And then revise like hell. Cut exposition. Raise stakes. Sharpen dialogue. Contests reward scripts that feel inevitable, like they had to be written that way. Share your work with peers as soon as possible. Learn quickly what is working and what is not. In the business world, this is the fail-fast approach. I apply it to everything that I can. What isn’t working I pivot from early so as to not waste time. |
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What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Here are a couple of completed projects. Each has won or placed in various contests over the last year and are available for reads as writing samples or development. GATEWAY “The Arrival” - 1 hour Pilot (Prestige TV SERIES) When a sharp but vulnerable addict enters a desert rehab facility that feels more like a prison, he uncovers a profit-driven system that disappears patients—forcing him to decide whether survival means compliance or exposure. THE DEVIL’S CUT A disgraced maritime archaeologist leads a ragtag team into the flooded, cursed tunnels beneath a Louisiana bayou town to find a legendary pirate vault, only to discover they are pawns in a grieving father's deadly pact to trade their lives for his son's soul. National Treasure meets Descent MONITOR On the final patrol of an aging ballistic missile submarine, a sonar officer's detection of anomalous echoes awakens a dormant experimental AI system that turns the vessel into a deadly trap, forcing the captain and crew to fight for survival against an entity that knows the boat better than they do. Crimson Tide meets Event Horizon Contained Sci-Fi/Horror FROZEN LIES When a young woman uncovers her boyfriend’s dark past, she must survive a cross-country escape with a killer hiding two bodies—and one plan to erase his identity. Based on real events, Frozen Lies is a psychological true crime thriller that explores gaslighting, coercive control, and survivor resilience. NO-FRILLS 207 One room. One chair. One job interview from hell. This short satirical script was a finalist in NYC Midnight and Filmmatic’s Short Screenplay Awards. It turns corporate performance tests into existential theater, equal parts Waiting for Godot and The Office. RECAPTURE / NEXUS As a rogue general commandeers the galaxy's most advanced warship to unleash an ancient weapon, a coalition of unlikely allies must navigate political intrigue and betrayal to prevent annihilation. Think The Expanse by way of Battlestar Galactica. Secrets don’t stay buried in space. This script has been placed in a few Screenwriting Competitions, and as of this writing is nominated by the judges at the Mass Independent Film Festival Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting (unproduced feature). A pilot (Thermidome) based on the IP has been written, and submitted to WIKI, placing as a Quarter-Finalist in JAN 2025. and A second Rounder in ISA FastTrack Fellowship (Spring 2025) THE DREAM WEAVER When reality begins to unravel, a defiant young woman awakens a mythical Dreamer to restore balance , only to be trapped in a collapsing dreamscape where an ancient force threatens to rewrite existence itself. Dreamlike visuals, grounded emotion. This short was submitted to Wiki in Feb 2025, and placed as a Semi-Finalist. It was written as a 7 day writing challenge and finished in 1st place in its prompt group. Social Network: https://bsky.app/profile/eric-writes.bsky.social @eric-writes.bsky.social https://x.com/EricLotter Screenwriting profile: https://www.networkisa.org/profile/eric-lotter |
