Brandon Sparks

Career Map From Student to Writer/Director

Final Semester at UA

S During my final semester, I plan to write and direct one

short film. I also plan on helping other students with their films by either doctoring their scripts or by holding a crew position.
S I also plan on producing one short film and at least one

more episode of the Alabama Ghostbusters web series.

S I plan to develop and work on some of the feature film

ideas that I have at the moment.

Right After UA

S I plan to attend film school after graduating from the

University of Alabama in May of 2014. I have applied to five film schools and depending on which ones I get into will determine where I will be living and what program I will be in.
S I will either be living in either Los Angeles or New York. I

will either be in a Directing Program or Screenwriting Program.

Graduate School

S If I am able to attend to Graduate School then I will try to

work on a number of projects during my tenure there. Also, I will be gaining contacts during my time there.
S I will also be honing my skills as a storyteller. S If I do not get into graduate school then I will still move to

Los Angeles and attempt to find a job through the contacts that I have already made from the people I know who have worked in the industry.

Life in L.A.

S I will live in Los Angeles with two friends from college. We

will in The Lorenzo Apartments and wed pay $900 a month for rent. We will live off of microwavable dinners.
scripts to sell.

S While working on my M.F.A., I will also be working on

S I will attempt to land a job doing coverage or as an

assistant in Los Angeles through some of the contacts I have already met or know.

After Graduate School

S After graduation, I will attempt to sale a script or have it

get produced. The Weinstein Company is a place I will look at a good deal because of their track record with independent features.
S I will work my way into the writers room for either a

variety show or television show if I am not able to get the script produced or sold. I will even try writing a play. Examples: Woody Allen and Neil Simon.

Five-Year Goal

S My Short-Term Goal: to become a script doctor in Los

Angeles. Example: Joss Whedon

S While being a script doctor, I plan to be working on a

personal spec script.

S I also plan to have joined the Writers Guild of America by

this point in time. The dues that I have to pay are $2,500. By this point I should have collected 24 WGA units to be considered a Guild member.

Television

S Ill be trying to work on a spec script, but in order to make

money I will continue to work in a writers room for a comedy television series.
S While doing that I will try to even develop a television

series. Example: J.J. Abrams

S Possibly even write a made-for-television movie.

Working for the Studio

S I plan to continue developing feature-length scripts on

spec. Most of them will be comedies because that is my strength.

S After selling a couple of scripts off of spec, I plan to be in

a position to be hired by a studio to write a feature for them.

S Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., and Walt Disney

Pictures are a select group of studios I would like to work for.

Long-Term Goals

Long-Term Goals:
S Write and direct my first

feature-length film.
S Create a production

company, so that I will have more freedom to develop other projects. I will also use this as way to bring in more UA Alumni into the industry.

The People I Look To

S S

Woody Allen (Annie Hall) Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now) Joss Whedon (The Avengers) J.J. Abrams (Star Trek)

S S

I look at these successful writer-directors as template for my career. They all tell different stories and have different styles. Through my films, I hope to tell personal stories that can affect people. I do not want to limit myself, though, in my films. I do not want to just do comedies or small films. I want to try other things.