Dennis Coleman wrote APPROACHING SUNSET, an incredible script about the story behind the legendary film SUNSET BOULEVARD — a story steeped in Hollywood history and nostalgia. We are so proud to be able to showcase this script in our first slate of Gauntlet Endorsed scripts. We wanted to get to know Dennis a bit more with a few questions to share with you.
How about letting us in on some of your background?
I'm from Philadelphia, the son of a Philly cop dad and a legal proofreader mom. Went to
Emerson College for Creative Writing and then Rutgers to major in English. Moved to LA just to
get into the business since I love film and TV. I knew no one, just had to find my way.
My day job has been as a field director and producer for entertainment news shows. The short
version of the bio goes like this:
Dennis Coleman is a screenwriter, producer and director who has worked on such television
shows as "Entertainment Tonight", "DVD on TV", "Inside Edition" and "Lifestyles of the Rich
& Famous". He has interviewed thousands of celebrities, including Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Will
Smith, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. He has visited hundreds of movie and TV sets,
ranging from the "Lethal Weapon" and "Mission Impossible" films to "Friends", "CSI" and
"Everybody Loves Raymond."
As for screenwriting, I've been doing it fairly steadily for about ten years, depending on how
much time I have away from working. Some weeks are 60-70-hour weeks, so it's not always
possible. I've been a Nicholl Semi-Finalist and Quarter-Finalist; been an Austin Second-Rounder
several times; and won a few smaller contests. The Gauntlet Endorsement has been the biggest
thing to happen to me.
What made you want to become a screenwriter?
I'm the English Major who always intended to write. I did write some short stories and sold a few, couldn't finish a novel. When I finally tried screenwriting, all the pieces fell into place. I'd loved movies all my life and suddenly putting down scenes and dialogue just felt like the avenue I was always meant to take.
Favorite film or TV show?
I love old movies and TV shows. Turner Classic Movies is my comfort food. I'm always on there
watching obscure old films.
I should say that "Sunset Blvd." is my favorite film because my script is about the making of that
perverse masterpiece. And it is up there, definitely top five.
But I'm a genre fan, a lover of sci fi, horror and fantasy. So my favorite film is an obscure sci-fi
one from the 1960s called "These Are The Damned." It was made by the famous Hammer Film
Studios but directed by blacklisted American Joseph Losey, who leaned much more highbrow
and artistic (and later directed masterpieces written by Harold Pinter, namely, "The Servant" and
"Accident"). So this collision of a studio that just wanted a standard genre action film and a
highbrow artist makes for a truly unique work. It breaks all the rules. It's probably forty minutes
into it before you even know what it's about. It's an amazing film.
Favorite TV Show: the old 60s classic "The Prisoner." I'd never been aware of it, but when I was
in Boston at college, a local art theater showed all 13 episodes on consecutive Saturday
mornings. My mind was blown. This was similar to what HBO and FX do now, a genre show
that's really about individuality and standing up to the forces of conformity.
Who is your favorite screenwriter/filmmaker?
In keeping with my love of genre, my favorite director is Terence Fisher, who directed the
greatest of Hammer's horror films; and my favorite screenwriter is Jimmy Sangster, who wrote a
lot of those classics.
But for me, Roger Corman is right behind: churning out amazing films on little money with a
small crew. Chuck Griffith wrote a lot of those and he did a great job.
My other favorite screenwriters are: Ben Hecht, Paddy Chayefsky, Billy Wilder and Charles
Brackett.
Favorite movie snack?
Gonna go rogue here and say it's soft pretzels.
Do you have a favorite movie theater experience?
I always loved going to the Cinerama Dome and I hope it'll re-open again. I would say the greatest overall experience was seeing a restoration of Abel Gance's "Napoleon" from 1927 in its full three-screen format with a live orchestra at the Shrine some years back.
What is your screenwriting hot take?
Learn the rules and pay attention to them so you can know when you can break them. And you should break them, but not until you know how they work.
Prior to the Gauntlet, what was your strategy for breaking into the industry?
I entered tons of competitions; I pitched a lot on Stage 32 and Roadmap Writers. I took several screenwriting classes at UCLA Extension. I was already living in LA.
What are your overall screenwriter goals?
Well, my realistic goal is to sell a few scripts, get a few assignments, and hopefully end up in a writers room on a show. But my long-range dream goal is to be a Greg Berlanti or Dick Wolf and have a TV/streaming empire of tons of shows.
Up until now, what have been your screenwriting "wins?"
As I said earlier, I was a Nicholl Quarter-and-Semi-Finalist and did win some smaller contests.
How many screenplays have you written?
Over ten years, I've probably got a good twenty-five scripts ready to go.
Have you always written features?
I write features and pilots. More features, but I write both.
What is your favorite genre to write?
I love science fiction, that's my favorite. But my endorsed script "Approaching Sunset" is Hollywood historical and I could write Hollywood historical for the rest of my life and be happy if there were only a market for it. I'm an amateur expert on Hollywood history.
Is there a genre you'd like to try in the future?
I've done most everything, including a musical. But I've never done a police procedural or a Western, so I guess I have to try those some time.
What is your process?
I start with an idea file, just what the basic idea is, where the inspiration came from. It could be a
character, a scene, a premise, whatever. Then I just start adding ideas: what scenes I'd like to
have in it, who the characters are and what are their arcs. In this file, I eventually do a very short
three-act outline that's just a paragraph for each act, just the general flow of the story, no details.
From there, I actually use the Save The Cat software because it has a great Board for index cards.
(No, I do NOT prefer to use a real board and real index cards — doing it online is so much easier).
So I use that to do an outline in index cards for the story. This makes me think about each
individual scene and how they fit into the story.
From there, I just do a Detailed Outline in Word, drilling down on each scene, where it goes, who
says what, what's accomplished in it.
And from there, I start writing pages. And I find lately that I tend to keep maybe 70% of what
I've outlined but I always find when I'm in the middle of it, in the pages, that new ideas and
connections suggest themselves and I have to be open to that because they're almost always
better than what I've outlined.
Do you have any tips on starting a new screenplay? What about finishing one?
Starting a screenplay is always tough, it's intimidating. So I allow myself to just write one page
and work on that for a while. Once I'm happy with one, I go to three. Then I can usually get a
flow going and do 3-5 a day.
I write every day. Every single day. If I'm doing pages, it's at least 3 pages a day. If it's an
outline, then it's just 3-4 scenes a day. But I think writing every day and getting that discipline is
important.
If you write every day, then you will finish. It may not be great, it may be too long, so you'll be
rewriting, but if you write every day, you will get to the end.
What is the first thing you do after finishing a screenplay?
Actually I put it away for a few weeks and then read it through, make any changes I feel I need.
And I'm in a writing group, so then they get to see it.
After I've implemented their notes, then I probably scream "Eureka" and have a glass of whisky.
And then start thinking about the next one.
As the Hollywood landscape shifts, how has that changed your approach to the industry? Any tips for other up-and-coming screenwriters?
I think it's important to know what's going on in the industry, so every day I look at The
Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Deadline's sites. It seems to me that the appetite for streaming
series is much bigger than for features, so I'm trying to lean into that.
My advice to up-and-coming screenwriters is just to find your own way to start. Mine are listed
above but everyone's different. The most important thing is to get words on a page. And once
you have overcome that inner critic and gotten words on the page, just finish that first draft.
Remember that the first draft of "Chinatown" was over 300 pages, so just get it done. Getting
that first one done is the hardest work you'll ever do but you'll be so happy when you do. And
then you'll have to rewrite but at least you've got a working draft.