1. What is your screenplay about?
Tramps Like Us follows the eccentric and diverse crew of the Tramp Steamer Stella Maris as they encounter supernatural and monstrous adventures in the “East Indies” of the 1930s. As much about the price of colonialism and the evil of men as it is about the monstrous other, Tramps Like Us is also a very contemporary story in the costume of genre and period.
2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Character driven horror and adventure.
3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Well, it’s a pilot script, but it could certainly be expanded into a great retro monster movie with a wonderful twist.
4. How would you describe this script in two words?
I’m cheating but think of it like Firefly meets The Long Voyage Home in The Most Dangerous Game on The Island of Dr Moreau. Fine, in two words: retro thrills!
5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
I think it’s a toss-up between “Repo Man” and “The Godfather”.
6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I wrote it in a week, once I had done my research.
7. How many stories have you written?
At least a dozen.
8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
My answer right now is “Big Rock Candy Mountain” by The Motorcycle Boy. Ask me again in five minutes and I’ll give you a different answer.
9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
None, it was great fun from research to completion. Like many stories, no matter what I had planned it surprised me along the way.
10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Teaching, politics, and all kinds of nerdy stuff.
11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?
The platform itself is coherent, however many of the competitions are poorly organized and some have very unclear notification processes.
12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
The festival seems cool – I submitted because of the excellent black and white concept. The feedback I received was solid, the reviewer made one very important criticism that I took forward into my new draft. It was certainly smarter and more insightful than some I have read.
Watch the Screenplay Reading:
The diverse crew of the tramp steamer Stella Maris sails into fantastic danger in the South Seas in this horror adventure set in the 1930s.
CAST LIST:
Narrator: Hannah Ehman
Seaman Casey: Shawn Devlin
Sean: Steve Rizzo
Matthew Toffolo's Summary 