Introduce Yourself To The Group

[Heidi James]

Heidi James

Two pilots, one feature, one short, a transcription of a documentary and two treatments.

How to write a compelling and suspenseful thriller!!! A fully realized feature script of an adaptation of a hit off-broadway I have optioned.

My dad starred in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

[Emmanuel Sullivan]

Hi,

Emmanuel here.

I’ve written two original scripts and one spec for a TV animation show. That was years ago, they’re horrible, but hey, I guess most of us can say that.

Enjoy thriller movies and hope to learn the rules to creating an intriguing thriller script. I’m seeing more contained movies these days, and most are thrillers.

[Roscoe Pond]

1. I am Roscoe Pond

2. I’ve written 5 Westerns – 1 Drama – 3 Mysteries.

3. To turn 3 already written scripts into Thrillers.

4. I listen to old classic radio (1940s-50s). My favorite are the westerns.

[Virginia Tyson]

Hi Everyone.

I am Virginia Tyson, an L.A. resident.

I have co-written 2 comedy feature scripts, written (solo) a horror script and a comedy script (which needs a rewrite). Also written short stories, a novel and a half-completed novel.

I hope this course will get me back into a writing routine and help me create a saleable script or a great script to showcase my writing.

Previously, I was a reporter and a newspaper copy editor.

[David Bogoslaw]

Hi all,

I’m David Bogoslaw, a journalist and editor based in Brooklyn.

I’ve written, directed and produced 3 short films/videos and have written one original feature screenplay that is best forgotten.

In addition to working on a thriller script, I’ve been writing a TV pilot.

Glad to be here.

[C Holmes]

Hi, I’m Carol, (C A Holmes)

I’ve written on a feature, several series, documentaries, all produced

I’m using this time in lockdown to update writing skills. In a very strange way it has helped my writing because I’m also a producer/director and I like running around, actively making things happen, out in the world. This keeps my butt in the chair for longer periods, so it’s making lemonade out of this incredible time we are all living through.

Unusual thing about moi: I have another career, helped run a refugee clinic, and even now work on cold cases with a professional super sleuth group, so I use more than my imagination to write on this kind of project.

Glad to be amidst creatives, look forward to hearing from you.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by  C Holmes.

[Angela Gordon]

Hi Carol,

I enjoyed your intro and your background. That’s going to really come in handy while we are here creating our screenplay masterpieces.. Look forward to reading your work.

Angela 🙂

[BEKUYISE NDLOVU]

Greetings everyone. My name is MBONISENI NDLOVU all the way from South Africa.

Unfortunately, I haven’t written any produced scripts because I started to be in this film scriptwriting in 2019 after I have taken retirement from my teaching profession. Even there to I was a Maths teacher.

In this class, I want to learn as much as possible about writing thrillers so that I can quickly be recognized and renowned as the first African thriller writer in my country South Africa more especially at my 62 years of age.

I would say what is unique about me is that I am a fighter who never gives up easily, given my maths problem-solving skills. It might take me a while to absorb some concepts but I will never give on my effort. Thank you.

[wayne schrengohst]

Wayne Schrengohst

One produced play. An attempt to turn the play into a screenplay. One finished screen play. And a few 1/2 finished starts.

I very much like the idea of a map, separate from writing script.

I was on an Ani DiFranco tour as roadie for Bitch and Animal.

Here we go…

[Katharine Panzella]

1. Kathy Panzella

2. How many scripts you’ve written? dozens, short, long, animated

3. What you hope to get out of the class? I want to get my thriller script produced,

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you? I’m a PS 19 class graduate. I’ve invented and patented a shower caddy that holds a cell phone.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by  Katharine Panzella.

[Melanie Forchetti]

1. Melanie Forchetti

2. How many screenplays you’ve written? Around 15, give or take.

3. What you hope to get out of the class? I’d love to better understand the structure of a thriller and be able to use that as a guideline for a screenplay I’m currently working on.

4. At one point I pursued a veterinarian career. I would love to one day run an animal shelter.

[Michael Williamsen]

Hello classmates! I am humbled looking at the experience in this class!!

I am just finishing the ProSeries 78 class in which I have mostly composed a crime thriller”Zip!” It seems to change every class!!

Previously I have written 2 other complete scripts including one which I turned into a Novel “We Played Baseball.” I also wrote a biography on a Chicago Cubs Pitcher (Playing Catch with Destiny” and a real estate book which went to#10 on Amazon “Your Home in DIVORCE.” I have also written many real estate magazine articles, one won an award from Realtor.com – my guess is they didn’t even read because I exposed them as corrupt!!

My ambition in this course is to take the concept of the ProSeries course and spin it into an “edge of your seat” experience.

I am really looking forward to watching you all develop your stories.

[Kimberly Jurgen]

Hey, I’m Kimberly Jurgen.

I’ve written 2 features, several shorts, a few plays and 2 seasons of award-winning comedy web series.

Goal is to understand the thriller structure and amp up those elements in my current feature.

I had a guest star on a ep of Bones where I was covered in beetles.

[James Ridgley]

Hello everyone,

James Ridgley – I live in Los Angeles and I have written 20 scripts or more. Many genres. Mostly Action-Comedy or Comedy but I do have 3 Horror scripts in line for funding and a 1/2 Hr TV Series in development.

I have done several paid assignments and now want to feel I can write a great THRILLER! I have used many thriller elements in some of my scripts but want to really learn the MAP and the layering of M.I.S

My first career was as a Comedy-Juggler and then did lots of Stand-up and as I wrote scripts I felt I needed to get on set somewhere and ended up with a long Production Sound Mixing Career – won an Emmy Certificate and did sound on a film which won an Actor an Oscar.

Right now I just sent an Actor (with a fan base) a feature to star in and I will direct. Waiting for notes to do a rewrite and hope to do crowdfunding to make this thing happen.

Nice to e-meet everyone.

(PS – I see we have a South African aboard – I have spent a lot of time in South Africa many years ago – even married one – but eventually it didn’t work out)

[Ola Höglund]

Hi everyone,

1. Ola Höglund

2. Around hundred episodes in different Swedish tv series and three screenplays I hope to sell.

3. I hope to learn how to make my thriller story work.

4. Sweden’s biggest tennis nerd.

[James Peacock]

Hi, all. Jim Peacock here. I wrote two screenplays about 20 years ago – both optioned but never produced. Now I want to get back into it and am really interested in learning more about the complex format of thrillers. More recently I’ve written 2 TV series, each of which I’ll work on at some point again in the future.

I grew up overseas and only came back to the states to attend college. So I definitely have an international perspective that I hope to parlay into a successful thriller.

Jim

[James Peacock]

(let me try again as my first attempt had a runtime error)

My name is Jim Peacock and I’ve written 2 screenplays, both of which were optioned but never produced. One was runner up in the Charleston Film Festival. One was about the life of Shakespeare as told from the perspective of the sonnets, and one was about growing up in Africa.

I grew up overseas until college which gives my work a global perspective.

[Angela Gordon]

Hello James,

Looking forward to reading your work and seeing your international perspective shine through. A lot of our film will be shot across Africa so it should be cool sharing insights on our platform here . Cheers!

[Jeff Bryce]

Jeff Bryce

3 spec scripts written and rewritten…

I hope to transform them from drama to thriller, and see them produced. If that doesn’t work, I may rewrite them as novels, which seems a shame as they are so tight and visual.

I am a financial planner & tax advisor, and a published landscape photographer.

[Kathryn Ekblad]

Hi!

Kathryn Ekblad

I’ve written 6 features, one pilot and one stage play.

I want to get a great map, and subsequently, a thriller I am excited to market.

I used to be on off-broadway fight director and actress, and I am a published poet.

[Stephen Maynard]

Stephen Maynard.

Hello you lovely people. Let’s have some fun doing our assignments and reading each other’s work and let’s see if we can learn from each other. I know I will benefit from reading your stuff.

Stephen

XOXO

PS

I Accept the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement.

[Angela Gordon]

Sounds like a plan! I signed it too. The teamwork here will be epic!

Angela

[Leona Heraty]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Leona Heraty.

I’ve written one script, a comedy feature film, which I wrote in the MSC-15 class.

I’m writing my second script in the MSC-15 class, a low-budget thriller with supernatural, spooky elements. I really want to improve my thriller and make the stakes higher for the protagonist and antagonist and make it more exciting overall! So I’m hoping this class will help me do this!

Here’s something unique about me: I volunteer once a week for SoCal Parrot in San Diego County, where I live. SoCal Parrot rescues, rehabs and releases injured and sick parrots that we have here in Southern California. I love volunteering to help animals!

I am also on the Hospitality Committee at my parish, where I help serve coffee and donuts after Sunday Mass, and I really enjoy getting to know my fellow parishioners this way. For me, a life of service to others is a life worth living! 🙂

[John Conte]

Hello I am John Conte

I have written five screenplays in several genres,except no Thrillers.

My intention is for my next screenplay to be a Thriller. This class will provide the tools needed to write a good Thriller.

I am an anomaly, having sold my first screenplay to a studio with an Oscar winning star attached. Previously I was employed in film editing.

[Kimberli Curtis]

Kimberli Curtis

I have written 1 short.

I hope to learn techniques to write the 2 thriller ideas that have been running in my head successfully.

I can wiggle my ears.

[Andrea Verde]

Hello, I’m Andrea Verde

2. i’ve written 5 scripts and am working on 2 now at the same time. (one is for MSC 15 class)

3. One of the scripts I’m writing now is a thriller and I needed some insights into mapping it out.

4. Love country music, dance and pilates.

[Angela Gordon]

Greetings everyone,

My name is Angela Gordon and I am a director , based in Los Angeles, who writes and produces as well. I am co-writing this project with a fabulous writer, Keziah Githinji out of Nairobi, Kenya. We met through a mutual friend and are both part of an international program that mentors up and coming professionals in their chosen fields.

Since a lot of the people in the group are also filmmakers across various disciplines, we thought it would be super cool to create a group project that is produced with some of the other mentors from various countries . Our hope is to create an incredible collaborative movie set across 6 of the countries where our members are from , but that also speaks to the world.

I’ve written several short film scripts and have directed 11 shorts, some which have done the festival circuit and a few that will be out there shortly. I have written two features , one of them -Remy & Chance, will be my first feature directorial project, and the other which is an action piece which will be shot in maybe next year.

What I hope to get out of this class is to create a powerful International thriller script that is crafted with ingenuity and precision and all of the elements that are laid out in the map , that is worthy of being a selection at Cannes 2022. This masterpiece will encompass multiple cultures, plots, twists, major M. I. S. , unforgettable 3 dimensional characters and subtitles in languages where the thrills are happening.

An important motive of this class is to actually COMPLETE this script and have it ready to go into production shortly there after. I would like this film to be the catalyst which takes my directing career to a position of prominence and for my co-writer Kez and everyone else involved in this project to see their career elevated to the highest heights. I want to be able to utilize this class to really breakthrough some things and habits that have been holding me back… ie. Procrastination and other things. Finally, I want to make new friends , learn from my classmates and forge a collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship in which we all come up and support each other in achieving our dreams! Thank you.

Ps. Interesting thing about me… When I was growing up I wanted to be a spy or a marine biologist… well now I can direct and create spy movies and I recently got my PADI dive certification so I can create content underwater as well

• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by  Angela Gordon.

[Jeff Guenther]

1. Name? Jeff Guenther, as above.

2. How many scripts you’ve written? 2 film scripts, 21 play scripts. Read roles in the 16 works produced so far as readings. My 3-act play was produced as a staged reading in Santa Barbara with props and costumes for MCs.

3. What you hope to get out of the class? I’m hoping to back-adapt my spy novel to film as a thriller.

4. Something unique, special, strange or unusual about you? I publish papers on brain theory at ResearchGate.