The Big Picture: Shreveport Indie Film Alliance, screenwriter Tim Miller

Written by Alexandyr Kent July, 09 2010 3:32 PM

Today's Big Picture profiles Tim Miller, a screenwriter from Bossier City, and touches on the Shreveport Indie Film Alliance (find them on Facebook). The script is below. Find the mp3 here. Podcast here (iTunes).

The Big Picture airs Fridays at 4:32 p.m. on Red River Radio, 89.9 FM.

ALEXANDYR KENT: Good afternoon, and welcome to the Big Picture. I’m Alexandyr Kent from the Robinson Film Center. Earlier this week, I wandered into the downtown offices of CoHabitat Shreveport. Chris Lyon, leader of the newly formed Shreveport Indie Film Alliance, was talking about ways to bring local filmmakers together.

CHRIS LYON (in meeting): We have so many people, and some that couldn’t make it tonight, that have a ton of equipment, or they have great ideas, or they are great screenwriters.

KENT: And sitting attentively in the corner of that meeting was a screenwriter. His name is Tim Miller. He lives in Bossier City. And he writes screenplays because he, like people gathered at that meeting, believes in the collaborative art of filmmaking.

TIM MILLER: To have someone come in and say, you’ve got a script here we can interpret it this way … we can look at it this way … there are all these different ways. They can take it further and build on that, and people can come together in a creative effort. That’s very special to me.

KENT: As the lore goes, getting a producer or director to pay attention to your script is no easy feat. Of course, the script’s got to be good. But the writer also has to have good timing. Better timing, it turns out, than Miller chose for moving to Hollywood a few years ago. Just after arriving there, the writers’ strike started in November 2007. That timing didn’t feel good at all.

MILLER: [It was] really, really depressing, for everybody I think, but certainly for me. I got a couple of meetings while I was there that where strictly get to know you meetings because you couldn’t talk about a script. But it was an interesting time.

KENT: What proved more interesting, though, was Miller’s next move, to Bossier City. The Film Institute at Bossier Parish Community College decided to turn his script, “At War with the Ants,” into a movie. And now filmmakers in New Orleans are busy transforming another called “Scanned” into a short film. These are positive steps forward, and reassurance that local voices can strengthen the local film community.

MILLER: And now here … I think there is a lot going on here. I think there is a lot to work with, and a lot of people to work with, that really want to make something special. As I’ve discussed with you before, if we work on it, this [northwest Louisiana] can become a film center and not have to depend on Hollywood largesse.

KENT: If you want more information about the Shreveport Indie Film Alliance and efforts to bolster local talent, search for the group on Facebook. I’m Alexandyr Kent for the Big Picture.