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In
this section you will find movie scripts written by Sandra
Brandenburg and Debora Hill. To the left is a list of their
current movie scripts, with links to storylines and pitches.
Sandra
Brandenburg:
My earliest studies in scriptwriting began in front of the
TV. I loved film noire as a kid. I sat there and took notes,
literally. This obsession lasted a good 5 years. It started
with an old Gary Cooper movie on a hot summer day, and went
on until I discovered that one of my teachers also believed
I had writing talent. While I pretended to be a scriptwriter,
many imaginary producers, directors, actors, grips snd techies
of all sorts answered my questions.
When Debora first mentioned doing scripts, I was excited.
The problem was,
I'd done no formal studies at all. So Deb taught me format.
I was not a good
student, being much too eager to 'get on with it', but she
persisted. Thank
you, Deb. She taught me terms for the kinds of shots I wanted,
basic format,
and...persistence. Perhaps the last was the most important
lesson of all.
We were off and running. I do believe that one of our film
scripts will be produced within the next few years. All of
you who believe it as well, clap your hands. ..... Well, thank
you. The thunder of claps out there is heart warming.
Debora
Hill:
I learned script writing at San Francisco State University,
but my interest in working in the film industry didn't germinate
until later. I was heavily involved in the rock music industry
during those years, and my attention was completely absorbed
by that world and work on my three nonfiction books about
music, which were published in the 1980's. In 1986 I went
to live in London with a photographer named Christine Lawrence.
Christine was a remarkable woman with a great talent; I was
first drawn to her work when I saw her concert photography.
It was while I was living in England that the idea for my
first script, Paradise Lost, was born. During my undergraduate
years I read extensively in the classics, and John Milton's
epic poem was one of my favorites. With the usual twisted
workings of my mind, however, I saw Lucifer as the hero of
the epic; a hero who is strong in mind and body, and seeks
freedom from the oppression of a dictatorship.
I wrote Paradise Lost, a satire of Milton's religious poem,
and it was read first by David Bowie's agent, Duncan Heath,
and then by a producer at Paramount. Unfortunately the report
was that the film would cost 30 million pounds to produce...nearly
50 million U.S. dollars.
When I returned to the states, I began writing with Sandra
Brandenburg. We had begun work on our first novel, Beyond
the Glass Rainbow, before I went to England, and film work
would again recede to the back of my mind while we worked
as fine arts journalists during the early 1990's. We also
embarked on an ambitious four-volume fantasy novel series,
and in the middle of the 1990's I began working as an investigative
journalist. First for a local newspaper and eventually as
an internet journalist, I loved this phase of my career, which
unfortunately ended when the internet bubble collapsed.
My interest in film was renewed in the mid-1990's, and I tried
my hand at more scripts. Sandra and I wrote a few together,
and in 1997 I was nominated to the Who's Who of American Women
for my music books -- to my surprise, I was accepted. This
was followed by inclusion in a lot more volumes -- if these
interest you, see my biography page.
That year I was introduced to Scott Ferguson, who was at that
time an associate of my agent, Ellen Lively Steele. Ellen
was a remarkable woman who had been, in her hey-day, a New
Mexico state representative as well as a respected book and
film agent. She helped Sandra and I hone our novels and scripts,
but she was unfortunately past her prime, and a heart-attack
and the chronic illness of her husband forced her retirement.
We continued to work with Scott, and wrote a script to his
original concept entitled THE DANGER CLUB. This was our first
venture working with another collaborator, and it lead to
several true-life film scripts.
My film scripts with Sandra are featured at this site.
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