Gordy Hoffman Redux

Last year around this time, I interviewed Gordy Hoffman. We covered topics like how he got into screenwriting, his background in the theater, his favorite movie of 2006, his experience directing A COAT OF SNOW and of course, the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Towards the end of the interview, he brought up the future of BlueCat, noting that he intended to "go beyond" the contest in 2007. Indeed, he followed through on that with the addition of a lab and weekend workshops. We pick up at that point...

1. You've done a number of workshops now in different locations. The ten-page workshop focuses on ten pages from a script, but not necessarily the first ten pages. Do most people bring the first 10 pages? (I find those are the hardest pages for me to write.) What's the best advice you can give writers about their first ten pages?

GH: Yes, most people bring their first ten pages, but others have brought other sections. They both work in this format. The best advice I can give about the first ten pages is not to think they are the most important pages. They are all important. So relax, and give it a whirl.

2. You have a more intensive workshop that's limited to five attendees. Scripts are circulated a month before the workshop to allow everyone to read and analyze the other attendees' scripts. It sounds intense! Any surprises when you've done this workshop?

GH: I think the most surprising thing about these longer workshops is how everyone's challenges all come together around a few principles: honesty and originality.

3. And the lab. Are you done selecting the winners? When will it be held? Do you anticipate the lab will be an annual event?

GH: I am actually announcing the last few winners in a day or so, and the Lab will be held in May. We are very excited. Right now, we don't know if it will be coming back next year------check back and see if I survive this one! Kidding aside, we are very excited about bring our three writers to LA to work with us.

4. I noticed on the website that you only received three video pitches for the lab. BlueCat decided to split the prize money for that category amongst the three entrants. That's so generous! In the future, will you keep the category and educate the community on how to create a video pitch, or ditch it?

GH: I would love to have a pitch contest every year, but I'm not sure if people feel comfortable with the video format. I definitely need to do one of my own and get it out there. When people see how badly I do, maybe they will get motivated to try it out for themselves. :)

5. What was your favorite film of 2007? And, why?

GH: I liked a few films last year, but I would have to say THERE WILL BE BLOOD, as I think it was a milestone in the history of our art form. It was turning point for Anderson, and we will look back to it as a gateway into the later chapters of his life's work.

6. When I interviewed you last year, I raised the "where are the female screenwriters?" question and this year, voila, four of the ten nominees were women. I was especially excited to see that LARS AND THE REAL GIRL and THE SAVAGES were both nominated, pictures that may have not gone wide but were expertly written, directed and acted. And RATATOUILLE, an animated picture, was also amazing. But I imagine the competition was just between JUNO and MICHAEL CLAYTON. Thoughts?

GH: I thought MICHAEL CLAYTON was expertly written, but it was very special for Diablo Cody to win. This was very important.

7. Last year's BlueCat winner, Ana Lily Amirpour, played bass and sang in a San Francisco-based indie band before focusing on screenwriting. Is this common? I.e., when you learn the backgrounds of BlueCat finalists and winners, do you often find that they've been successful in another creative field?

GH: Not necessarily, but they do seem to be proficient in other fields, this is not a surprise. Sometimes it's a sport! But it all adds to making for a great storyteller.

8. One thing that stood out about Diablo Cody's work was her incredible voice on the page. Let's say you're teaching an intro to screenwriting course. How do you define an abstract concept like "voice" for new writers?

GH: "Voice" is what you care about. Write about what you're passionate about, what is deeply meaningful and important to you as a person, and you will find yourself writing in an entirely individual way, and that is your voice.

9. What fallout from the writer's strike do you see? Are studios and independent producers still buying projects? Or is the town in reshuffling mode? It seems like this is a good time for amateur screenwriters to get their work out there via contests. I read in your interview with bluestocking that the winner of BlueCat is a script that's either making your laugh or cry while you read it. When is the last time a comedy won the contest?

GH: If anything, the strike reminded everyone how important the writer is, and I'll leave it at that. :)

A comedy won in 2005, and was made into a movie which Sony is releasing this summer: BALLS OUT: The Gary Houseman Story.

10. The final deadline for the BlueCat Screenplay Competition is around the corner - April 1st, 2008. What percentage of screenplays come in the final two days of the contest submission period?

GH: 25-35%!!

11. In 2007, you added the weekend workshops and the lab. Any new developments for BlueCat in 2008? I imagine you're probably near max output...

GH: We're looking to produce our 2007 winner, THE STONES, which should be very exciting. And we're also heading over to London for our first international workshop. Soon, we're also going to start releasing ASK BLUECAT videos, which will be posted on our website, answering submitted questions on screenwriting. Lots of stuff!

12. Have you ever thought about writing a screenwriting book?

GH: I am asked often about writing a book-------maybe I should!!

And with that, I'll leave you with Part 1 of Gordy's interview of last year's winner, Ana Lily Amirpour.



Don't forget to enter BlueCat if you're sitting on a good script. The deadline is April 1st at MIDNIGHT. I'm sending one in this year :-)