Craig and Judy Kellem operate Hollywoodscript.com wherein they assist screenwriters in a forthright and caring manner. They bring to their work a wealth of talent and complementary backgrounds as wide as they are deep. They were gracious and allowed me to pick their brains a bit.

(Hank Isaac) Your WEB site, Hollywoodscript.com, has joined the myriad of others seeking success in the film industry via the Internet. What made you decide to take the non-traditional route of marketing your services electronically?

(Craig Kellem) I wish I had a profound answer. The truth is, we just decided to give it a try and the business took off.

(Hank) You have been a talent agent, development executive, producer, writer, and were at the center of several successful television and film endeavors. Of all of the hats you've worn, which has fit the best? Which did you wear because it looked good on the shelf? Which, if any, have blown off in the wind?

(Craig) To be honest, at the time, they all fit.

Most of the jobs that I've had over the years looked good on the shelf, which was part of the appeal of going into the business in the first place. I thought that the notoriety angle would feel good and make me happy. And it did I guess to some extent but I've discovered that in the long run the "shelf factor" is really an empty bag. The work that I do now gives me great peace, joy and satisfaction and it is the least high-profile and least remunerative work I've done to date. Go figure!

(Hank) I read in your bio that you've written a nonfiction book about fate. Is this a sneaky way of saying that success in the film industry has less to do with how well you dive but rather more to do with who you hit when you land?

(Craig) I wish that I was that clever. Imagine, a life of successive, stealth metaphors. Judy and I wrote the book because we were fascinated with the subject matter.

(Hank) Through your WEB site you actively seek to improve a screenwriter's story and his delivery of it. And you've seen many screenplays over the years. Would you say the current gene pool of screenwriters is improving the species or is it ripe for a mass extinction?

(Craig) It's hard to say whether or not the current gene pool of screenwriters is improving the species or not. In order to make that determination I would need a deeper perspective on the entire 20th century.

However, because of the massive interest in screenwriting today, it's probably inevitable that the larger pool will produce a greater quantity and quality of scripts. Also, there are many screenwriters out there who love the medium and are fascinated with the idea of creating for the cinema. This also has to be a positive sign.

The biggest secret going (in my opinion) is that there are some truly outstanding non-pro writers out there just waiting to be discovered. There are many professional writers who would give their eye teeth to have the talent of these undiscovered people.

(Hank) We all can paint like Renoir in our heads. So carrying the previous question a bit further, would you say that there may be individual writers who for one reason or another will just never be able to write cinematically? Or do you believe anyone can become a successful screenwriter?

(Judy Kellem) I believe anyone can learn to write more cinematically. Craft can be acquired and honed through those old tools of practice and discipline. This is especially true in terms of the screenplay, for the key seems to be in developing a specific way of perceiving and using language to transmit that perception as one is in the physical act of writing --that is, keeping all language first and foremost visual, remembering that the words are being used to create images -- it's the ultimate exercise in forcing words to "show" versus "tell".

Success is a whole other question, more the luck of the draw, who you know, timing, etc. There are plenty of wonderful writers who are not getting recognized, not because they aren't talented but because of the way business works.

(Craig) Like Judy, I believe that anyone who tries hard enough can learn valuable and powerful things about screenwriting and write reasonably inspired screenplays. But, there are obviously some very naturally talented screenwriters who, with knowledge of their craft and practice, can be hard to compete with.

(Hank) I imagine the following issue is a common one with readers. When you read a screenplay whose venue is your least favorite genre or which contains a theme you abhor, despite the fact that you are a professional, how difficult is it to remain objective in your evaluation of the screenwriter's work?

(Judy) In truth, I don't think of it in those terms, so I'd say objectivity isn't an enormous challenge. When I sit down to read a script, I'm reading it as a writer, that is, I am hyper aware of its structure, its design, its pacing, character and plot development. I am aware and of course sensitive to whether or not I'm enjoying the script, feeling entertained, being moved, made to laugh. But in the same way medical doctors don their "doctor lens" through which our bodies appear as living/organic systems rather than, for example, sexual objects to be judged attractive or not, I read client material as the blue print for an idea. My interest is in zeroing in on what the writer was going for and form a detailed analysis of how well they rendered that vision. For example, someone says their script is a horror flick-- I'm not thinking about whether or not I like horror movies in general-- I sit down and make it my business to figure out if the person in fact wrote a horror story or not and offer suggestions as to how they can get even closer to what they set out to do.

(Craig) This may sound corny but I work from such a joyful and caring perspective that I refuse to fall into the trap of being negative. Hating writers and material is a haughty, Hollywood-like trap that I want no part of. With me, the glass is always half-full and I'm always panning for gold.

(Hank) More and more, screenplay contests seem to be popping up like kitchen fruit flies. And they all promise "exposure to industry professionals." Well, the guy who sweeps the floor at Universal is an "industry professional", right? Any advice for us potential Bingo players?

(Craig) My advice is this: Succeeding as a screenwriter is a PROCESS. It's less about hitting a home run with the big script and more about doing the next right thing that propels you and your material a step further up the ladder. Finishing well in contests is good for the soul and gives you something to brag about. It's another component of the big game. Writers are fortunate to have this as an option.

(Hank) How do you and Judy divide your workload? In other words, are you each autonomous, seeking individual clients? Do you consult with one another on individual clients' screenplays? Or does each of you have more or less a "specialty" which might appeal to different types of screenwriters or a particular writer's problems?

(Judy) It's a combination of doing our own thing and some give and take. We refer clients to one another on occasion, if the logistics of time, availability, demand (or the project seems more suited for one over the other). Or, if the client prefers a man/woman's feedback first. We sometimes advise one another, get the other's opinion if we're wanting more thoughts on a particular script, what suggestions might help the most etc. Once in a while we'll refer a client to the other if it becomes clear that the writer will benefit more from the others perspective. But that's rare. For the most part we provide the same service to our own separate clients.

Re specialty: The main difference is that I do book manuscripts in addition to the screenplays.

(Hank) When you read screenplays, what are your major turnoffs? Major turn-ons?

(Judy) Hard to say ? I guess the main turn off is when a script is incredibly overwritten -- ie: long, prosy descriptions, redundant dialogue, exposition that is given five times over -- this demands the reader wade through all that language before s/he can truly see what the writer is really writing about.

Major turn-ons? Characters and relationships that feel real -- where they are "on the page" -- dialogue that is honest, rings true, where I can hear the voices and feel like I know who these people are, where there is nothing contrived or recycled about the language. Pacing that feels deliberate, where I can trust I'm in the hands of a smart, solid narrator, who's in the driver's seat, taking me on a journey planned with conviction. Action that keeps the script moving, keeps it tight, urgent. Imagery that is clear and metaphoric, like watching poetry -- visual gestures that impress the mind. A script in which subtext and mood have been clearly cultivated so I really feel the material, feel taken on an emotional, visceral experience. That and more turns me on.

(Craig) The major turn offs are scripts that read as if little or no ground work has been done.

Most writers love to write and hate to prepare. Generally, writers who prepare deeply write better scripts. Major turn ons are scripts that feel well thought out, economically written and executed with the obvious realization that every scene needs its own agency and magic.

(Hank) Any words of inspiration you'd like to share with screenwriters? Words of warning?

(Judy) Keep reminding yourself that even though you are writing, what you are really doing is creating a visual experience. Cinema is a visual medium that happens to use language as one tool toward its imagistic end. When we "read" you, we need to have the experience/ sensation of "watching" you. So as you plot out your script, chart out your scenes, keep asking how you can SHOW what you want to TELL.

(Craig) The need for instant gratification is a writers quagmire. This is a long-haul process. Write everyday at a given time. Keep files. Grow ideas. Write from your heart rather than for the market place. Author Julia Cameron says, "The singular image is what haunts us and becomes art." Think about that! At last "a place" to put all of your little insights, moments of truth, fascinations and unique experiences that previously lacked a "file." If you access that "file" while preparing your script and use these hot little tidbits as springboards for scenes, your script is going to be buzzing with honesty and life. This is what audiences crave.

If you want to find out more about Hollywoodscript.com and the work Craig and Judy do with screenwriters and their scripts, please visit their site at http://www.hollywoodscript.com