I'm not sure if that's a coincidence but I rather hope it's not - the actresses in the lead roles of my first two full-length films both won Best Actress at the Estonian Film & TV Awards. One of them also won the Best Actress award at a festival in Spain. Of course, both of them are outstanding, brilliant and brave artists - and neither of them was very famous in our home country at the time, which is why I was absolutely overjoyed for them. That said, I'd like to stress how important it is to work on character - before and during the script development process. If anyone would like to share their methods of developing characters or find out which ones I use, please do get in touch!
Introduce Yourself : I'm writing roles that win awards for actors by Leana Jalukse
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Congrats Leana! That is such a big accomplishment! How did you break into the movie business in your country? I am from the united states and thinking about going abroad with my films. Again congrats!
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Hello Leana, that is so awesome, congrats to you and the actors. Have a great day..:))
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Congratulations, Leana! Fantastic.
Thanks, everyone! Lauren - I studied media at first and went to work in television, then moved to the film department of the production company I was working for and did my MA in film, majoring in screenwriting. I worked on the producer's and director's teams for ages and it was really difficult escaping that and establishing myself as a screenwriter. Everyone just wanted me to stick to ADing, line producing, production coordinating, etc. Also, young screenwriters aren't paid almost anything and I also had to earn a living. Luckily, one producer gave me a chance. It took us years to get a film financed, but when the first film premiered in competition in Tribeca, suddenly everyone else was interested. I've now worked with nearly 10 producers in Estonia and just got another offer two days ago. I'm happy to consider all offers, but my strategy now is to move abroad, just as you. I already have existing collaborations with Finnish, Romanian, British and German filmmakers. What also really helped me was working for the film market next to Tallinn's A-category international film festival (Black Nights) - I know producers in almost every European country. And I've gone to as many workshops and masterclasses as I could possibly afford. Networking is the key! ;)