nterview:

Cionin Lorenzo is a born and bred Brooklynite. Growing up in a Russian neighborhood, spending summers with family in Spain and Puerto Rico, and having all types of characters as friends has helped her develop an open mind and an open heart. Deciding to major in Video Production to make documentaries that would save the world, she got an internship at MTV and has been there ever since- she is now a Supervising Producer for the News & Docs department. She has had many amazing experiences at MTV and has felt it as an extension of her college years with all the learning every new project brings along with it. Carrying the tools of her experiences on her belt, she is now searching within to find her own form of expression apart from her career.

Is "To Be Seen Is To Exist" your first script? If not, what else have you completed?

Yes, “To Be Seen Is To Exist” is my first script. But since then I have written a couple of other shorts.

Why did you write "To Be Seen Is To Exist"? And how long did it take you to write it?

I was inspired to write “To Be Seen Is To Exist” by a painting I saw in the Guggenheim museum in New York. There was a wonderful exhibit on Russian art and there I came upon the painting “Vsevolod M. Garshin”, a portrait by Ilya Repin, dated 1884. Something about it enraptured me. The painting was so realistic I felt as if I could touch it and feel Vsevolod’s hair. And there was something about the expression on his face that I couldn’t get out of mind. When I got home I looked up both the painter and the subject, and saw that Vsevolod was a writer that was just becoming known when he committed suicide on Feb 14, 1855 at the age of 33- I was born Feb 14, 1975. I ordered the two published works of his I could find and discovered that he had been a soldier for a time and that he had been institutionalized, and well, my imagination ran wild. It took me about 2 and a half years to get it where it is now after many, many re-writes. At first I thought of it as practice to warm up to writing a different feature length I had in mind, and then it took on a life of its own.

Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing?

I can’t say I have a routine or a process. I have a really busy work schedule so when it is hectic it is hard for me to sit down and be creative, although I do have moments where I just need to get it out and will have a session on my laptop. But for the most part since I freelance, I take advantage of the downtime in between jobs to write as much as I can.

What inspires you to write?

I think what most inspires me is other people’s lives. I believe strongly that every single person has an interesting story to tell about themselves. So if I don’t know what that story is, I like to make it up. Travel, film, music, photography, and painting inspire me as well. Discovering new ways of telling stories and just seeing that other people can make their art happen motivate me to keep going.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Apart from writing, I am also passionate documentary filmmaking. I am working on my first feature length documentary about Afro-Colombian-Ecuadorian music and culture entitled “Pacific Beats”. And when I have the time I devote it to writing, photography, and collage making.

What influenced you to enter Movie Script Contest: The Golden Brad Awards?

I heard about the Movie Script Short Contest through the site Without a Box and what I liked about it was that the 1st prize winning script gets produced. The exposure it gives scripts to Hollywood producers and agents was also appealing to me.

Do you feel that screenwriting contests are worthwhile for writers and why?

Yes, I definitely feel that screenwriting contests are worthwhile for writers because there are a lot of talented people trying to get their work known and produced and you have to find a way to stand out. Unless you have major connections, you have to start getting your name and your work out there. Well, even if you do have major connections, you have to start getting your name and work out there to be taken seriously. So writing contests are a great way to do that.

Who is your favorite screenwriter or writer and why?

My favorite screenwriters/filmmakers are Ingmar Bergman, Pedro Almodovar, Jim Jarmusch, and Woody Allen. There is so much to learn from their storytelling style and their unique vision that I can watch their films over and over and just keep learning and learning.

Any advice or tips you'd like to pass on to other writers?

I don’t know much, but I do know that 3 years ago I thought, “Why am I doing this? Shouldn’t I be out drinking with friends? No one will ever notice my work, so what’s the point?” and here I am being asked for advice. So just do it if you really want to.

What's next for you?

I am hoping to have time to devote to a feature script I am working on, also to be able to raise funding for my first feature length documentary on Afro-Colombian-Ecuadorian music and culture “Pacific Beats”. And of course, getting my shorts on film!