WRITER PROFILE
It’s always great to get together with a large group of writers and investors and keep up to date on what’s new, the screenplay contest, any recent deals, new dealmaker contacts, agents or managers that are looking and simply encouraging everyone to keep going after every dream in this difficult industry. For the hard working writer we want to do as much as we can to continue the exposure and word of mouth in the investment circles of the industry. Another way we do this is with writer interviews that we send far and wide and showcase at all possible meetings and markets.
We want to encourage your writing spirit, motivate you and again give you the accolades you so deserve.
Fields of Grace
Written by Jill Hargrave
What motivated you to become a writer?
When I was seven, I picked up a book on a rainy day called “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens. I loved to read and write throughout my school years and majored in journalism in college because I considered Dickens a journalist of his time. I interned with WCBS-TV in its documentary unit and chose broadcast journalism over print as my career path.
Starting on a blank page is not easy- where does your creativity come from?
As a documentary producer, I discover many interesting stories that I considered would make good movies. My genres are drama, biopics and adaptations. This requires extensive research prior to creating the screenplay. I always outline the story before sitting down and writing, which helps me understand my characters and their journeys. This makes starting the process of writing easier for me.
Do you write projects knowing that so many other factors need to happen to get it to screen and does that come into your project creation?
I tend to compartmentalize my work and initially focus on writing a strong first draft before considering other factors. Once I complete a second pass, I send it out to trusted readers for their feedback. I then take these notes and complete another rewrite. At this time, I will focus on what competitions I will enter and post the screenplay on the WGA Platform. I will then research production companies through IMBdPro and the WGA Platform and send out query letters. I always make an Excel Spreadsheet to keep track of whom I contact and when to follow up with them.
What is your dream for this project and what other ancillary revenue do you think it could generate?
My dream is to see “Fields of Grace” on the Big Screen. It’s an epic coming-of-age and love story set in the 1930s that encompasses the lifestyle of the West End theatre district populated by actors like John Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft. As the story unfolds, it addresses social issues of the day such as the criminality of homosexuality and the rise of Hitler and his persecution of German Jews. Investors could realize ancillary revenue by publishing Wendy Waters’ novel, which is currently self-published.
How has your experience been with screenwriting contests for this project so far?
“Fields of Grace” was selected The Hot 100 List 2022, Capital Fund Screenplay Competition; Quarterfinalist, Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2022; Finalist, Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards – Fall 2021; Semi-Finalist, Los Angeles International Screenplay Award, Summer 2021 and Quarterfinalist, ScreenCraft Drama Competition 2021.
If you could stand in a room full of investor partners looking at many projects what would you like them to know about you and this project?
Originally from England, I was a pop singer in the Sixties and still enjoy performing in musicals and plays at my local community theatre in Vero Beach, Florida, so I know what goes on behind-the-scenes. My latest role was playing Jessie in “Calendar Girls” in January 2022. I fell in love with the characters and their stories in “Fields of Grace” and knew immediately that I had to option it from the author, Wendy Waters. Our Letter of Agreement gives me exclusive rights to my screenplay in perpetuity. The West End of London was my old stomping ground in my late teens and early twenties and I related to the characters that lived in the Ladies Only Boarding House where Grace lived as she began to follow her dream of becoming a famous actress and finding her one true love.
Do you have any website links for your writing, credits, background, etc that you would like to share?
I majored in Journalism, Magna cum Laude, and have worked as a Production Assistant, Script Supervisor, News Writer and Documentary Producer for WCBS-TV “Eye On New York,” NBC-TV “Fantasy,” ABC-TV News and NJN Public Television, respectively. I am a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America, East. If you have access to the WGA Platform, you are able to download my screenplays. I am Founder and President of EagleVision Productions, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit production company, whose mission is to produce documentaries and educational programs for Public TV and other media outlets. Please visit www.eaglevisionproductions.org for more information on my credits.
You will also find me on IMBdPro at Jill A. Hargrave – Contact Info, Agent, Manager | IMDbPro; The Black List at Jill A. Hargrave | The Black List (blcklst.com); and Coverfly at Jill A. Hargrave – Repped by The Newton Agency – Coverfly for her screenplay, “The Bottom Line.”