WRITER PROFILE
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President Zappa
Written by Joe Tripician
What motivated you to become a writer?
As a young child, I spent a lot of time fantasizing. So much time that I began drawing the stories that filled my mind to make room for the real world and occasionally go outside and play (and also to placate my mother.) Growing up I watched SciFi films and NASA rocket launches which were a big inspiration.
Starting on a blank page is not easy- where does your creativity come from?
As an adult, I had to train myself to silence the critical part of my mind so that my muse would have the time and space to speak to me. I know this sounds pretentious and borderline psychotic but taming the critic inside you is one of the great challenges for most if not all writers. Once you silence self-criticism you are able to let your imagination run free while directing it with prompts. These can be a character, a scene, a plotline, a setting, or even just a title. The trick is to get as much down on the page as possible and then let the critic have at it.
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?
When I started producing my own documentaries and short films, I learned quickly what gets accepted in the market and how to target specific audiences. I studied industry trends along with financing and distribution models. This informs what ideas I will start working on as well as what elements to include or exclude in a script. That doesn’t mean I censor myself. In fact, I have a few scripts that started out as micro-budget that ballooned into high budget. These I keep in my drawer.
What is your dream for this project and what other ancillary revenue do you think it could generate? Please include script title in reply.
My current dream project is “President Zappa.”
Logline: When rock star Frank Zappa runs for President in 1992 to reform a government he sees as corrupt he wins the election, but soon confronts the tough choice of sacrificing his ideals for political gain or sticking to them and facing indictment and imprisonment.
The audience is not limited to Zappa fans. Others include fans of films with Sex, Drugs & Rock’n’roll; lovers of Politics; Socially conscious audiences; devotees of sci-fi/alternate history; and fans of history, drama, and comedy.
What makes me passionate about this film now are the social and political echoes of the past that are recurring in the present. Similarities between a conservative populist like Trump and a liberal populist like Zappa are made evident in the film, as well as the differences. These are deployed organically and sparingly so that they make a strong impact when shown.
The ancillary revenue includes music recordings, merchandise such as t-shirts and action figures, and spin-offs like TV series, comic books, and video games.
How has your experience been with screenwriting contests for this project so far?
I have only recently completed this script and began entering it in various contests, 15 so far. The Capital Fund is the first response of the lot. My past submissions for other scripts have garnered some recognition, most notably one that placed in the top 15% of the Nicholl competition.
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?
I want the audience to think beyond political ideologies and see how the personal becomes the political. By connecting the characters’ emotions and behaviors to the political repercussions the effect becomes more memorable and affecting.
In the script, Frank discovers that he must bend his principles in order to win the Presidency so he can enact policies that benefit many people who are in need. However, he pays a price for his compromises and regrets doing them.
In his personal life, Frank is callous with other people’s feelings, convinced that his art comes first. It is only when he sees how this negatively affects people who are close to him that Frank realizes that he needs to change his behavior.
My vision of the film’s tone is one that employs drama and comedy in a structure that is similar to a symphony. The juxtaposition of these elements creates a rhythm of tension and release that replicates the dynamics of orchestrated music, much like Frank’s more ambitious compositions.
Do you have any website links for your writing, credits, background, etc that you would like to share
I’m on IMDB and on my website: joetripician.com