Harvard Square Script Writers

04/14/2024

Went to see a few films from the Boston International Film Festival today and met up with my friends Bob Tremblay and Merna Victor from Harvard Square Script Writers. We saw a very cute animated cartoon about a cross dressing pirate who befriends a mermaid, An Indian American guy losses it on a job interview and ( Both shorts ) and a feature film produced by my friend Judith Richland about a fictional "Art Thief" who takes down the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It featured some great supporting work from Lenny Clarke and Keith Szarabajka and I look forward to seeing their next project.

10/18/2023

On Monday 10/23/23 we will meet up in a our FIRST EVER hybrid setup to review the feature biopic FRIEDL by Genine Tillotson at the Foundry in Cambridge.

Logline: When brilliant designer and painter Friedl Dicker Brandeis is transported to the “model” concentration Camp Theresienstadt in 1942, she must find a way to keep children’s spirits alive through the art program she volunteers to create.

Anyone interested in attending in-person should let us know by signing up at www.hsswriters.com and including a note - "in person." Or write to [email protected]. We will be meeting in one of the first floor conference rooms at the Foundry.

You can also attend virtually simply by signing up and you'll be added to our list.

The meeting will be held on Monday, October 23rd from 6:00 - 8:00. Please note the time change from our previous mtg time.

If you aren't a member of HSSW but want to read this script and participate, please also write to [email protected] to join our org. Since we offer virtual attendance, you can be anywhere in the world.

Cost is $10.00 per meeting to attend in-person or virtually via Zoom.

10/08/2023

The Premiere and talk back for Genine Tillotson's "NEXT GREAT HIRE" TV Pilot/Proof of Concept

10/03/2023

You’re Invited to Our First Screening of 2023 – A Look at the Comedy Pilot NEXT GREAT HIRE

October 7 @ 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm at the Foundry Arts Center in Cambridge, MA

Only $5.00 and includes refreshments.

This year (and next) Harvard Square Script Writers hopes to sponsor a series of screenings and talk-backs at the wonderful Foundry Arts Center in Cambridge, MA.

Meet and mingle with other writers, crew, and actors. New creatives of all ages and backgrounds are always welcome!

For more details and tickets -

This year (and next) Harvard Square Script Writers hopes to sponsor a series of screenings and talk-backs at the wonderful Foundry Arts Center in Cambridge, MA. Our first event will be on Saturday, October 7th from 3:00 - 6:00 PM. More

05/22/2023

Hope to see you at the final script review of the Spring '23 semester tonight!

You still have time to sign up -- just pay meeting dues (just 10 bucks!) via Zelle to [email protected] before noon.

See you soon...!

05/17/2023

We’re wrapping up HSSW Spring 2023! Join us virtually for a review of Eafat Newton’s SHE’S GOT TO BE KIDDING on Monday, May 22nd at 7-9pm EST.

-- Logline --
An aspiring teenaged comedian and her estranged father end up on a week-long road trip, each keeping a life-changing secret from the other.

Genre: Young Adult Novel

-- About the Author --
Eafat has been a member of HSSW since 2013. She has a film certificate from Emerson College and an MBA from Vanderbilt University. She is co-producer of Boston’s Women in Comedy Festival.

Eafat wrote SHE’S GOT TO BE KIDDING when she found herself pinned between parenting two teenagers and watching her own father make difficult end-of-life decisions. Comedy provided her–and her characters–a way to cope, completing the familiar equation of tragedy plus time.

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SAVE THE DATE & SIGN UP!
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If you're ready to join now you can:
• Simply pay $10 via Zelle to the account: "[email protected]"
• Or sign up at hsswriters.com using PayPal/your Credit Card
Please indicate "5/22/23 review" and include your email if you are new to HSSW.
Deadline for sign-ups is noon on Monday, May 22nd EST.
The Zoom link will be sent out on the afternoon of the event.

Contact [email protected] if you'd like more info.

Hope you’ll join us for a discussion of character, story, and motivation in the first chapters of her young adult novel.

05/15/2023

Hope to see you at tonight's Theme Workshop. Coz it's going to be fun -- and informative! ;)

You still have time to sign up -- just pay meeting dues (just 10 bucks!) via Zelle to [email protected] before noon.

See you soon...!

05/08/2023

And for our final meeting of the semester... a fun, interactive workshop!

Theme Workshop: Finding the Universal Idea at the Core of Your Story
Monday, May 15th • 7pm via Zoom

---ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP---
Most unproduced scripts detail what happens. They’re a slice of life, a chronicling of events. It’s all about who’s doing what, when, and where. But without the Why behind the script, stories fall flat. They’re the scripts you read and say, “Okay, that happened. But... so what?” You don’t connect.

What if instead of simply telling the audience what happens, a writer shares an underlying idea of why it’s happening? Then, they give it that extra something that brings in a broad audience because they connect with the story. That “extra something” is Theme — and that is what turns a great Situation into a sellable Story.

For example, very few people are Children of Deaf Adults. But many people watched and connected with CODA -- because writer-director Sian Heder infused it with two very specific themes. She found broad ideas that universally connected with the audience and wove them into her story.

In this workshop, we will arm you with everything you need to bring a universal Theme to your scripts.

• What Theme Is NOT: Busting the myth that Theme is a single word, like “Love" or “Family"
• What Theme IS: We’ll define a universal Core Idea, with examples from different genres (including CODA)
• Learn how: Find your theme with 3 Easy Steps
• Workshop: Bring your story ideas!* Together we’ll do a series of exercises to discover your themes.
*Participation is optional — you can just sit back, relax, and watch if you prefer.

This is a Live Event only. It will not be recorded, so mark your calendars for May 15th!

--- SAVE THE DATE AND SIGN UP! ---
• Pay $10 via Zelle using the [email protected] account
• Or, sign up on PayPal with [email protected] or 978-505-5652.
• Indicate "5/15/23 Workshop" and include your email if you are new to HSSW
• Deadline for sign-ups is Monday, May 15th at noon EST. The Zoom link will be sent out on the afternoon of the event.

Hope to come and learn how to use this powerful, underused screenwriting tool to make your scripts sing!

04/24/2023

Hope to see you at tonight's script review!

You still have time to sign up -- just pay meeting dues (just 10 bucks!) via Zelle to [email protected] before noon.

See you soon...!

04/18/2023

Be sure to catch this virtual review of the latest installment of JON, an audioplay by Paul Falcone on Monday, April 24th. We hope you can join us!

JON Episode 9 Logline: Jon takes his mother on a trip down memory lane and Route 6 to Provincetown where she is being honored for her early work running an art gallery with her deceased husband Val. Joining the fun is Jon’s young protégé Anna.

About the Author: Paul Falcone has been making movies since he was a child at his parents’ school of animation: The Yellow Ball Workshop. He later went to the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated with a BFA in Film/Video/Animation.

Since then, he has worked in all phases of video production and is a long-time member of the Harvard Square Script Writers and serves on its board.
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SAVE THE DATE & SIGN UP!
-----------------
Contact [email protected] if you'd like more info.
Or, if you're ready to join now you can:
• Simply pay $10 via Zelle to the account: "[email protected]"
• Or sign up at hsswriters.com using PayPal/your Credit Card
Please indicate "4/24/23 review" and include your email if you are new to HSSW.
Deadline for sign-ups is noon on Monday, April 24th EST.
The Zoom link will be sent out on the afternoon of the event.
Hope to see you then!

03/28/2023

Join us virtually for a discussion of Joel Karlinsky’s short script and short play. We hope you can make it on Monday, April 3rd!

---Loglines---
• EARLY BIRD SPECIAL •
A woman lunches with her very good friend and gets some surprising advice.

• PULLING THE PLUG •
An ICU doctor grapples with the difficulties of his emotions affecting his life and death decisions.

--About the Author--
Joel is a graduate of MIT, Tufts Medical School and the BU School of Management and now a retired Professor of Medicine at BU. He’s been a member of the Harvard Square Script Writers for over fifteen years. Joel has a Certificate in Screenwriting from UCLA and has written twelve features, mostly comedic and many have done well in Screenwriting contests. The Magic Hourglass was a semifinalist at the 2020 PAGE Competition. Brisket, cowritten with Eafat Newton, was a finalist in the 2019 Big Break Contest and a winner in the 2020 Fresh Voices Competition as well as a quarterfinalist in the 2021 PAGE Competition. His pilot, The Siphonist, was a semifinalist at the 2020 Austin Film Festival.

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SAVE THE DATE & SIGN UP for two short scripts by Joel Karlinsky!
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Contact [email protected] if you'd like more info.

Or, if you're ready to join now you can:
• Simply pay $10 via Zelle to the account: "[email protected]"
• Or sign up at hsswriters.com using PayPal/your Credit Card
Please indicate "4/3/23 review" and include your email if you are new to HSSW.

Deadline for sign-ups is noon on Monday, April 3rd EST.

The Zoom link will be sent out on the afternoon of the event.
Hope to see you then!

03/21/2023

Join us virtually for a discussion of DANCING ISLAND based on "Gifts of Unknown Things," a novel by Lyall Watson. We hope you can make it on Monday, March 27th!

-- Logline--
Shipwrecked on a remote Indonesian island in the mid-1970s, a marine biologist champions a 13-year-old dancer in her power struggle with the leader of the local mosque who’s threatened by her steadily increasing paranormal abilities.

-- Genre-- Feature

-- Statement from the Author --
Ever since falling in love with Lyall Watson’s Gifts of Unknown Things back in 1978, I’ve wanted to adapt it for the screen. But I felt stymied by lack of firsthand knowledge about Indonesia’s basic landscape and culture. Then in 2013, when our daughters were 13 and 10, we sold our house in Vermont, pulled them out of school, and decided it was time for a family adventure.

Asked to name their ideal destination, both girls voted for Bali. Why? Because for years when they were sick and needed to sit still, we let them watch Ring of Fire, a PBS documentary by a pair of English brothers who spent ten years exploring the most out-of-the-way islands of Indonesia from their base of operations on Bali. (Both came to know Watson personally.)

We wound up staying either there or on the neighboring island of Lombok for seven weeks–enough time to soak up the religion (Hindu on Bali, Islam on Lombok) and culture, especially the Balinese form of dance, which features the mesmeric percussiveness of gamelan that accompanies mythical storytelling through the highly stylized movements of the young teenage dancers.

Under the advice of a seasoned professional in the film business that “no studio exec would dare touch this story with a ten-foot pole,” I’ve kept this script on the shelf despite having revised it multiple times. But the recent violent suppression of women’s rights in Iran and Afghanistan coupled with the religiously inspired curtailment of women’s reproductive choices in this country have changed my attitude. I now feel that it’s time to confront head-on through the medium of film the male-dominated power structures that fear and attack the power of what I term the feminine principle. I can only hope that some producer out there feels the same.

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SAVE THE DATE & SIGN UP!
Contact [email protected] if you'd like more info.
Or, if you're ready to join now you can:
• Simply pay $10 via Zelle to the account: "[email protected]"
• Or sign up at hsswriters.com using PayPal/your Credit Card
Please indicate "3/27/23 review" and include your email if you are new to HSSW.
Deadline for sign-ups is noon on Monday, March 27th EST. The Zoom link will be sent out on the afternoon of the event.
Hope to see you then!

03/07/2023

Don’t miss our discussion of Bob Tremblay’s rewritten feature script STRANDED. We hope you can join us virtually on Monday, March 13th!

Logline: A female assassin gets stranded on a deserted island with the man she’s been hired to kill.

Project Type: Rewrite of a Feature Script

About the Author: Bob Tremblay is a former editor and film critic for the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham. He had been a professional journalist for more than 40 years and a film critic for around 30 years. He is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and a longtime member of the Harvard Square Script Writers.

He has written more than 20 screenplays. One of the scripts he co-wrote, The 6th Amendment, was made into an award-winning short film shown on Amazon Prime. He has also been a CineStory finalist for his black comedy Jack the Messiah, a Stage 32 finalist for his romantic comedy Death Gets a Life and a Stage 32 semifinalist for his sci-fi script Redfeather. Death Gets a Life was also optioned.

He lived in Paris for about three years and almost speaks French. His hobbies include tennis, bridge, composing music and listening to rock and classical music.

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SO SAVE THE DATE AND SIGN UP
Contact [email protected] if you'd like more info.
Or, if you're ready to join now you can:
• Simply pay $10 via Zelle to the account: "[email protected]"
• Or sign up at hsswriters.com using PayPal/your Credit Card
Please indicate "3/13/23 review" and include your email if you are new to HSSW.
Deadline for sign-ups is noon on Monday, March 13th EST. The Zoom link will be sent out on the afternoon of the event.

Hope to see you then!

03/06/2023

Hope to see you at tonight's script review!

You still have time to sign up -- just pay meeting dues (just 10 bucks!) via Zelle to [email protected] before noon.

See you soon...!

02/28/2023

We’re starting off March with Mari SanGiovanni’s screenplay review of, GREETINGS FROM JAMAICA, based on her first novel, GREETINGS FROM JAMAICA, WISH YOU WERE Q***R. We hope you can join us virtually on Monday, March 6th!

-- Logline --
Eternally single Marie inherits a fortune and plans to meet her favorite actress after she takes her eccentric Italian family on a tropical vacation. Her dreams for a private romance blow up when the actress shows up at the same resort.

-- Comparisons --
My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Four Weddings And A Funeral (only with Italians, couple of lesbians…and a meatball.)

-- About the Author --
Mari is the author of the comedy romance novels Greetings From Jamaica, Wish You Were Q***r, Camptown Ladies, and 80% Done With Straight Girls, published by Bywater Books. Mari is the winner of a Golden Crown Literary Award for Best Traditional / Contemporary Romance. Mari has produced two Audiobooks from this series. Her 4 th novel, Liddy-Jean, Marketing Queen will be published in 2023. Her original screenplay THE SIBLING RULE was made into a micro-budget 51-minute film by Love Is Love Productions which Mari directed & produced along with HSSW’s Paul Falcone as cinematographer & editor. 2-time Bronze winner at Independent Film Shorts, LA (Logline: Twowomen with a past fake a gay marriage to keep their children in the same school together, but complications arise when the marriage becomes real.) Contact Film/Screenplays: [email protected]

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So, save the date and sign up!
March 6th, 7PM • via Zoom
Contact [email protected] if you'd like more info.

Or, if you're ready to join now you can:
• Simply pay $10 via Zelle to the account: "[email protected]"
• Or sign up at hsswriters.com using PayPal/your Credit Card
Please indicate "3/6/23 review" and include your email if you are new to HSSW.
Deadline for sign-ups is Noon EST on Monday, March 6th. The Zoom link will be sent out on the afternoon of the event.

Hope to see you then!