Fresh Films Emerging Screenwriters
I'm excited to introduce the young screenwriters selected to participate in the2008 Fresh Films Emerging Screenwriters Program as my students and program screenwriters. With these young artists, Fresh Films begins its first year as a teen filmmaking program from beginning to end, and I couldn't be more proud!
Our screenwriters for Comedy and Drama were selected from a wide field of entrants, and each one underwent revisions, story notes, and structural instruction with me, and with the program's creative director and executive producer, Estlin Feigley. Our Action screenwriters were challenged with a writers' room-style program, being assigned storylines to develop, while considering the logistics, budget and sponsor requirements on short, tight deadlines.
All of our teen screenwriters worked hard to bring in their scripts on time, in format and as strong as possible for the beginning of June, when their scripts are handed off to teen filmmakers completing the production phase of the program. And in August, we were pleased to announce the winning films of this year's competition.
Tim Gotimer, 16, Leesburg, VA2008 Fresh Films Winner
Drama, "Saturday"
Tim Gotimer, teenage writer, can't deny it: he drinks way too much Diet Coke. As a writer, a short story of his, "Wreck" was published in Young Voices of Loudoun County: Volume One in 2006. He has also been published in a 2008 essay collection, Celebrating What Is Important to Me by Creative Communication.
A brother of five, and a twin, he uses his writing to create people that actually listen to him. Other hobbies of his include band, traveling, and swimming, and he is an avid television watcher and moviegoer.
Caroline Fraissinet, 18, Nutley, NJ2008 Fresh Films Finalist
Comedy, "Just Some Friendly Advice"
Action, "Surviving Emily"
Caroline has been involved in filmmaking for over four years. She attended North Carolina School of the Arts' Summer Session in 2007. There she was acknowledged for her help with student film "Here's Waldo," which won Best Score at the Closing Awards Ceremony. Caroline writes short and feature-length works both independently and with other student screenwriters.
She is attending Drexel University in the fall of 2008, where she will be majoring in Film and Video. When she's not absorbed in the world of film, she enjoys cooking, spending time with family, and reading anything she can get her hands on.
Neal Heatherly, 19, Palatine, ILFresh Films 2008 Finalist
Comedy, "Out With the Trash"
Neal Heatherly has been working in the fine arts since the age of five, participating in school and community theater organizations for fourteen years. Over this time he eventually stretched out from acting to directing and finally writing.
Though he has completed many poems, short stories, and short plays, with some degree of success in the latter, and has come up with numerous screenplay concepts, this is his first completed screenplay in the proper format.
Derek A. Simon, 18, Melville, NYComedy, "Regularly Scheduled Programming"
Derek A. Simon just completed his freshman year as a film student at New York University, and is an intern at The Weinstein Company. He owns Test Dummy Productions, a video production company that creates personalized videos for family, corporate and not-for-profit events.
Derek was a member of the winning team from the 2005 Fresh Films competition, and he was a finalist in 2007 for the $40,000 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences college scholarship. Derek's drawings and cartoons have appeared regularly in Newsday, a daily newspaper on Long Island. He loves cheesy horror movies and Rice Krispies cereal.
Jessica Bolluyt, 16, Easton, PADrama, "Listening to Fireflies"
Jessica Bolluyt lives in a world constructed of picture books and Greek epics, sandcastles and cardboard forts, tubes of watercolors and tubs of finger-paint, the languages of ancient empires and the Italian dialects of classical piano music. She is homeschooled and has been writing poetry since she was nine years old; "Listening to Fireflies" is her first screenplay.
She has worked as a tutor and teacher's aide in kindergarten, first, second, third, and fourth grades and plans to establish her own schools. This fall Jessica will study at Drexel University, where she will miss watching fireflies that illumine her lawn.
Tatiana Bears, 17, Boynton Beach, FLDrama, "The Wood"
Tatiana has had her hands in theater arts since she was a wee tyke. She has co-written and performed in numerous stage plays with Sunflower Creative Arts Theater Workshop. She has performed as part of the We Love Shakespeare troupe playing the lead in "The Taming of the Shrew." Her first foray with Fresh Films 2007 led to a Jury's Choice award for the film "The Experiment," on which she worked.
Tatiana's passions are acting, writing, music, and film. She was home schooled from kindergarten through her freshman year at high school. Today, she is a sophomore at Park Vista High School in Florida, where she is avidly involved in the Drama Club, Film Club, and is a National Honor Society scholar.
Elizabeth Pollack, 17, St. Louis, MOAction, "Aftershock"
Elizabeth Pollack is a seventeen-year-old from St. Louis, Missouri. "The House on the Dead End" is Elizabeth's first completed screenplay, however writing is her passion, so there will be many more to come in the future! In addition to writing, Elizabeth loves acting.
Her most recent performance was playing Satan in her high school's student written and directed one act, "Eternity in Short." Elizabeth is also a student ambassador, yearbook editor, and plays volleyball.
Jonathan Wang, 16, Walnut, CAAction, "The Long Way Out"
Jonathan Wang is the president of his local film club, and a director and writer for two video teams. He's an eleventh grader living in Walnut, California and hopes to pursue a career in filmmaking after earning his degree in film in college.