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MATT NEFF

Picture
Where do you live (City, State, or Country?
Missouri.
​
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 Tortoise is about a homeless gambling addict who embarks on a 30-mile trek along the interstate to cash in $1,000 worth of casino chips. In 2020, I was dealing with the same horror show as everyone else in the world. Toward the end of November, I realized I hadn’t written anything new all year. I turned to my writer’s group on Facebook and made a poll with eight different loglines. I decided that whichever logline got the most votes, I’d turn it into a full script before the end of the year. Much to my surprise, The Tortoise received the most votes, so that’s what I set out to write.
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...whiteboard...or just start with FADE IN?
I finished the first draft in just under a month. After I posted the Facebook poll, I outlined The Tortoise scene by scene. I had set a deadline for myself to finish the short before the end of the year, so I knew I had no time to waste. On December 29th, I was only halfway through the first draft, so I spent the next two days hammering out as many pages as I could. On the morning of New Year’s Eve, I posted the completed first draft of The Tortoise on Facebook. After reaching my milestone, I spent the next few weeks rewriting and polishing The Tortoise until I felt it was good enough for the competition circuit.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
My ambition as a writer/producer is to be involved in the filmmaking process from development to post-production. I want to work with filmmakers who are just as driven as I am to bring my stories to life. My long-term goal is to write for television and become the showrunner of my own TV series.
 
Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
My entry was a full script. Since my screenplay was less than 30 pages, I wanted the judges to see the full scope of my story from start to finish. I didn’t want the readers to be asking, “where is this story going?” I wanted to show them where it was going.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
My favorite TV show of all time is The Twilight Zone. As a kid who grew up reading Goosebumps, I loved the show for its spooky aesthetic and brilliant twist endings. I would constantly rent the DVDs from the public library and watch the New Year’s marathons on TV. I revisited the show when I was older and realized just how smart the writing was and appreciated the deeper themes of the show. When writing The Tortoise, I wanted the story to feel like a modern version of The Twilight Zone.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Focus on writing a good story rather than trying to create an “award-winning script.” Don’t be afraid to write the script you want just because you’re worried it won’t be as good as the version in your mind. A bad script on paper is worth infinitely more than a great script in your head.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Since entering the Wiki Screenplay Contest, I adapted The Tortoise into a feature-length screenplay, which was recently optioned by Stray Productions LTD. Stray Productions is a production company in Glasgow and was named the Best Filmmaking Production Company in Scotland at the 2022 UK Enterprise Awards.

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  • FEATURED "WALK OF FAME"
    • Cary Singleton >
      • Cary Singleton Bio
      • Cary Singleton Projects
    • ANDREA MASI
    • Michael Elliott
    • Gary DeMoss >
      • GARY DEMOSS BIO
      • GARY DEMOSS PROJECTS
    • Caoimhín Mac an Bhreitheamhan >
      • Caoimhín Mac an Bhreitheamhan PROJECTS
    • JOHN RICHMOND >
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  • 2025 "Walk of Fame"
    • 2024 "Walk of Fame" >
      • CAROL HOFFMAN
      • DREW ATCHISON
      • THORSTEN SCHADE
      • ANTHONY J ANDERSEN
      • GARY DEMOSS
      • ALI HABIB
      • JOE LEONE
      • MUJLI GLASBERG
      • MEGMILLER
      • NEIL WATSON
      • MARK ROBYN
      • GARY DEMOSS
      • DAVID H. FEIN
      • BROOKE DE ROSA
      • COLLEEN AYCOCK INTERVIEW
      • Henry Sarwer-Foner
      • DIANE TOMASSIN
      • TRICIA TRIBBLE
      • RICHARD HUTTNER
      • MICHAEL MONTEIRO
      • SEAN ROPER
      • ROBERT BRIDGE
      • JAMES C. BOYD
      • TOM WHELAN
      • ROBERTO S. OREGEL
      • MARCIA P. SAMUELS
      • NONO TAMURA-TASHA HARDY
      • BILL WELLS
      • STUART FRYER
      • MICHAEL GOSSETTE
      • KC BIBO
      • JOSH GOLDMAN
      • JASON WHITE
      • KAREN FRANKOLA
      • BILL JORDAN
      • CHRISTOPHER SCHULTZ
      • CAMERON MARTIN
      • CHARLIE SHOUP
      • JOHN ARNAU
      • PAM PRICE
      • ROB MCNEIL
      • SHANNON MCINTYRE
      • John Richmond
      • JEFF WALKER
      • DONALD MORGAN
      • LIZ MAYER
      • EMILY PELPHREY
      • DEBRA TOBIN
      • ANHTUAN DOVENTRY
      • GREGORY GEORGIOU
      • CAROL HOFFMAN
      • C.R. SHERMAN
      • JAMES FREEMAN
      • HANK ISAAC
      • ERIKA STONE
      • TODD HOLDEN
      • RAVEN PETRETTI-STAMPER
      • ANDREW EDMUNDS
      • ERIC WEBER
      • MOLLY FRANKLIN-LEARY
      • MATTHEW NICHOLSON
      • BRIAN NOLIN
      • ALGIS DANAITIS
      • HANK ISAAC
    • Henry Sarwer-Foner
    • KAREN MARGARET MURPHY
    • JANNE PULKKILA
    • RICHARD HOHENRATH
    • ANTHONY VOLLMER & CRAIG HORWITZ
    • Karen Siff Exkorn
    • GREG STELLEY
    • SUZANNE BUI LOC LUTAS
    • CHRIS CHURILLA
    • ROGER HILL
    • ROY EDMONDSON
    • ERIC LOTTER
    • JORDAN DAVENPORT
    • GREG MCCABE JR
    • TASHA HARDY
    • CATRYN BECKER
    • SEAN FOX
    • SHAUN DELLISKAVE
    • GIACOMO GIAMMATTEO
    • ROGERS WILSON
    • KAT-BYLSKA PRIMARY
    • MACK GORDON
    • Kristopher Pierce
    • Jerzy suchocki
    • DJ Alvine
    • KATE REMELIUS
    • VP BOYLE
    • Mohamed Mohsen
    • Frances Mccoy
    • Neil Goodchild
    • TERRY GEHRING
    • RUSSELL PUNTENNEY
    • TEEJAY SMALL
    • MIKE NIELSEN
    • TOM NEWMAN
    • MARIA GOMEZ
    • PEDRO CANAIS
    • MARK COHEN
    • VAL SERVINO
  • JOIN THE "Walk of Fame"
  • KEYS TO SUCCESS
    • What Writers Say
    • Why this screenplay contest?
    • Screenwriting Inspiration
  • Judges
  • Contact
  • FAQ