Sam Baron

screenwriter to watch

Bio:
Sam Baron wrote and directed short film “The Orgy” which premiered at the Austin Film Festival. He is developing it as a series with Clerkenwell Films. His shorts have six million hits online. Sam won the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship for his screenplay “The Science Of Love”. He is developing it with the BFI to direct as his first feature. He has also co-written an original feature “Blue” for Blueprint Pictures and a feature adaptation of “The Girl With A Clock For A Heart” for Unanimous Entertainment. He is represented by UTA, Curtis Brown and 3 Arts.

How did you break in or get your start in screenwriting?
I made no-budget short films with my friends when I was a teenager. They were almost all terrible. Then I realized they got better if I actually came up with an idea before we started filming. In that moment, I became a screenwriter.

Credits:
Writer-Director of “The Orgy”

What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned?
Writing is re-writing. Every first draft sucks, so don’t be precious – dive back in!

What’s the hardest scene or project you’ve ever had to write? How did you navigate the challenge?
Every project has moments where you feel the whole story is broken and will never work. But that’s great. That means you’re trying to do something original – and that the audience will truly believe your characters are screwed when they’re in trouble. It can take days, weeks or years to figure out how to fix the problem, but the final story will be stronger because you didn’t plaster over it with an easy fix.

What was a major turning point in your career?
After several years of working entry-level roles in the film industry and writing in my evenings and weekends, winning the Academy’s Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship award allowed me to quit my day job and become a full-time screenwriter.

What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a new feature idea and developing my first TV series.

What are some of your favorite movies?

• Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
• Before Sunrise
• The Squid and The Whale
• The Talented Mr. Ripley

Who are some of your favorite screenwriters?
I love Richard Linklater and Charlie Kaufman for their ability to tell emotional stories about life and love with hyper-specific characterization and humor.

Share a memorable experience at Austin Film Festival.
Collaboration is the most important aspect of filmmaking, so making friends with lots of brilliant emerging filmmakers at the festival was exciting and inspiring.