Aimee Kimmey: Screenwriter in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Love to chat with you about a screenplay project. New Material Thanks Aimee

Hey Paul, I just finished rewriting my script, "Left"--about the struggling NASCAR driver forced to steal drugs from a federal lockup. I wanted to say a big fat THANK YOU for your comments on it! I followed your suggestions, cut out some characters, and shaved 33 pages off it! Now it's a svelte 87 pages, and hopefully a much tighter story. I'm going to let it chill for a couple of weeks, then put a final polish on it and send it off the Page Awards. I couldn't have done it without you, thanks again!

Hey Lyn, thanks for the network request! I'm always thrilled to learn that there are other screenwriters in our little town. I work at Central Park Liquor, say "Hi" if you're in the store.

LOG LINE: Sick of being bullied in school, Ralph Thompson devises a macabre plan to teach the bullies a valuable lesson that they'll never forget.

Great article, thank you! I think it's going to help me write both women and men characters--after all we're all just people, each with our own unique personalities. Characters should be rich and interesting no matter what gender the are!

Okay this is a bit ranty, forgive me, I just got back from the gym :)
Here's the thing: Great scripts are very hard to find! If a producer is interested in your script, I bet he's much more excited about it than he sounds on the phone or email. He's probably told a bunch of people how he's found this script that's quite interesting. Call his bluff on the first offer, and maybe the second and the third too. Sly Stallone called their bluff on the first offer they gave him on Rocky and kept saying no, and the offer kept going up and up and up to like 10 times the first one!!! Don't go by the tone of his phone or email or his stock statements like "That's really all we can do for an unproduced writer, it's a low budget film, etc.". He needs your script to give his life meaning. Meaning ain't cheap.
Now I'm not hating on producers but producers are BUSINESSMEN and anyone who has worked even 3 months selling stereos at Circuit City has a bunch of tricks they can use to get a screenwriter to sign over their script for much less than it's worth. It's not that businessmen are bad, they're just wired completely differently from artists. Artists get excited about their creations and their characters and the worlds they make. Businessmen get excited when they realize some new way to cut costs and they plug it into Excel and it results in a 4% increase in profits.
The truth is without that awesome 106-page invention that the screenwriter has devised out of nothing but thin air and their own inspiration, talented cinematographers, makeup artists, directors, and actors are sitting on their couch at home twiddling their thumbs looking for guidance in their lives. It's impossible to understate the importance of the screenwriter's contribution - in fact it's more a creation than a contribution.
Let's face it the WGA minimums are too low. For example, I'm an unproduced writer, and on a film with a $5m production budget, I believe I deserve at least $100,000! I don't care what precedents have already been set for writer compensation. I don't care that Tarantino sold his first script for $30k. If you're investing $5m in something, that means you hope to make at least $1m in net profits off it, that is a reasonable minimum hope for profit (20%). So of that $5m, I'm asking for 1/50th of your investment and I'm providing the key raw material that attracts the other elements. If you were selling leather jackets, I think you would spend more than 1/50th on the leather, right?
And if I'm wrong or I don't understand the math at play, then by all means enlighten me but come with something better than "That's industry standard" or "That's what's in the budget."
And to anyone who did sell a script for a small fee, I'm not criticizing you one bit, just musing on the power dynamic here which seems to highly favor the producer. No surprise there, but i think writers can push back more, be more Stallone-esque.
Okay that's enough ranting for today.

Hi all, I know this will be hugely subjective, but I am fascinated to know which you consider to be the most beautiful work of animation ever, and why, please. I don't mind if the content is for kids or adults, or what media (film/TV/web), I just want to hear your thoughts. Also, I don't mind if you cite a particular director or illustrator for their style, rather than a specific property. My reason for asking is that I've been asked by potential investors in my project whether I'd consider animation (it was originally conceptualised and has been developed this far as a live action property). If I do go this route, I would want it to be breath-takingly beautiful and distinctive but my own knowledge of animation is not vast. The project is for girls aged 8-12 in the last chapter of childhood. My personal preference is along the lines of Hayao Miyazaki's work but I would really value your insights. Thanks so much! Bridget

As a Sci-Fi/Comic Book/Game fan walking into a Con is like coming home. Ask any nerd, geek, fanboy (or girl), Trekkie, Whovian, Storm Trooper, Brown Coat, whatever. Suddenly you're immersed in your dearest fantasy with a few thousand of your best friends. Everyone completely understands your nearly palpable passion for fictional worlds and characters. It's not weird, or wrong, it's awesome! Coming back to reality is tough. Explaining why the Con was so amazing to people who'll never get it, is frustrating. These people aren't bad people; they're your co-workers, friends, and loved ones. They just can't quite grasp the magic in your passion. I'd like a gently term to describe these folks. Any suggestions?

When you write your character bios what kind of details do you list? There is no right or wrong way, in fact, my bios differ drastically from project to project, but I'm always looking for ways to expand on them. This is a generic bio that I sometimes start with. It includes a list of details and then an interview section with questions that you ask your character. Character Profile Name: Age: Height: Weight: Birth Date: Hair: Eyes: Birthplace: Other Facial Features/Other Appearance Details: Dress (Style, colors): Description of Home: Dominant Character Trait: Secondary Character Trait: Best Friend: Other Friends: Enemies and Why: Family: What kind of Person is character with others: Sees self as: Is seen by others as: Sense of Humor: Temper: Basic Nature: Ambitions: Educational background: Work Experience: Philosophy of life: Habits: Talents: Hobbies/past times: Choice of Entertainment: What trait will make Character come alive: Why is character likeable: Why is character lovable:   Personal Interview with Character (write in the character’s voice) Occupation: Current Home: Marital Status: Children: Favorite pig out food: Favorite performer/author/sportsman: New Years resolution: Nobody knows I am: I wish I could stop: I’m a sucker for: The worst part of my life is: I want to teach my children that: A good time for me is: The worst advice that my father gave me was: I thought I was grown up when: When I feel sorry for myself I: Nobody would believe me if they saw me: My friends like me because: My pet peeve is: My major accomplishment: I can die happy when:

Hi Emiliano! Nice to meet you. I love to hear about people working in Colorado, it gives me hope that maybe I don't have to move to California--it's a beautiful place, I just prefer Colorado. I'm also a huge fan of animation, it's what I really want to write for. What sort of things are you working on?

I am in the early stages of writing a short script, like any of my scripts I'm struggling to consolidate a big wordy idea of what my theme is into a simple statement to hold the story together. Anybody have any tips or tricks on creating simple, strong themes?

Hey Greg, it's so great to know there are people right here in the valley writing, directing, producing. What sorts of things are you working on? I work at Central Park Liquor, stop in and say "Hi" if you're in the neighborhood.

Hi Ben, I was super bummed to see the unfortunate message from Kickstarter in my mail box this morning! I'm sorry I couldn't do more. So what happens now? Can you guys proceed with a scaled down version of the project?

Hi Aimee! I used to ski in Steamboat Springs. Never got beyond intermediate though. Once got trapped in the canyon leading back to Denver during a rain-sleet storm that caused a rock slide. Many year's later, that experience made it into one of my screenplays.

Anyone has signed up? If so what are your feelings about the contest?

I'm working on a short script based on a comic book series I've written. I think it would be great for animation, should I approach it any differently than I would for a live action script?