Screenwriting Student Jack Dickinson
After graduating high school in Troy, New York, Jack attended Quinnipiac University to study film.
“A couple of years into my degree, I found myself wanting to be more involved in the writing process rather than production; that’s when Purchase College sparked my interest with their Playwriting and Screenwriting program. Now with graduation only a year away, I am excited for what the film industry has to offer now that I am equipped with a whole new set of skills that have prepared me for anything. I am so thankful that I found this major and decided to transfer schools in order to challenge myself.”
Jack is Winning Multiple Screenwriting Awards From Festivals Across the Country.
“My first script, Taste, a short horror comedy, was selected at the Boobs and Blood Festival in Hollywood. My short script, Dead Getaway won ‘Best Short Script’ at the Lake Charles Film Festival in Louisiana and at The Twin Falls Sandwich Festival in Idaho. Most recently, it was selected as a finalist at the Big Shoulders International Student Film Festival in Chicago.”
Choosing Festivals and Competitions
“My experience submitting my work to festivals has been quite positive. I look for festivals that have inexpensive entry fees (as I’m still struggling as a college student) and I submit just to see what happens. Not all my submissions are official selections, but it is still important to put myself out there. I’ve heard many times that you must get used to rejection, so this is a nice, small- scale introduction to it. It’s definitely something I would recommend for young writers because most students don’t get their scripts read outside the classroom.
Current Projects
There are two projects that I am really focused on. The first is a feature entitled Living the Dream that I began writing in my Screenwriting III class taught by J.D. Zeik. It’s a mockumentary about a grocery clerk who hires a documentary crew to film his journey of becoming the national grocery-bagging champion. I really fell in love with writing this story; it’s an absurdist world inspired by my own life and experiences, working at a supermarket.
The second project is expanding my short script Dead Getaway that I wrote in Susan Kouguell’s Screenwriting II adaptation course. When I started writing this script a year ago, I knew I wanted it to be longer and further develop my characters. It’s a comedy about two boys who steal a van after a terrible attempt at robbing a liquor store – but of course more chaos ensues after the discovery of a dead body in the trunk. I had so much fun writing these scripts, so I’m excited to go back again and make them even better.”
Plans for the Future
“Though writing will always be my main career focus, I want to learn more about producing projects. This led me to taking books out from the library and absorbing as much knowledge as I can. After writing a script, I think it would be a little hard for me to completely let it go and give it to the hands of someone else. I have such a desire to see my work get shared with a larger audience (who doesn’t?) so producing with a team would be an amazing experience. Remaining involved with the production and post-production process of my stories is very important to me. As of now, I do have a script in mind that I would love to get started in pre-production right after graduation – so stay tuned.”
Advice for Aspiring Screenwriters
“Try to be as open as you can for critique; it can be difficult to hear, but it is much more important than any compliment. It does not mean you have to listen to people and take their advice, but it is always important to hear it. It’s easy to write alone, but if you intend your work to have an audience, you must be ready for a variety of opinions; good and bad. Another piece of advice is to never let a genre dominate you. A question I receive a lot is, “What kind of films do you want to write?” I never really have a good answer because I really don’t know. Always be open to try different things. In one of my classes I said I wanted to write a drama, but my professor said it sounded like a comedy. I was hesitant because I never thought my writing could be funny; his advice was blunt, but what I needed to hear “just be funny.” You won’t know until you write it.”
Written by Susan Kouguell, Lecturer in Screenwriting