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Something unexpected happened while I was going through my screenplay development materials. I rediscovered two creator's statements I'd written earlier this year—and completely forgotten about. The first, "The Architecture of the Machine," was written for my WWII supernatural television...

Thank you, John. That's an excellent point, particularly regarding Sleeping Beauty of Catania and my interest in the European market. I'm certainly open to working with the right producer, especially someone familiar with Italian or European television production. My preference is to pursue...

Thank you. That's a very good question. I'm actively pursuing representation for both The Black Sun and Sleeping Beauty of Catania, although I'm approaching their outreach somewhat differently. The Black Sun is primarily being pitched to American literary managers and management companies...

Mark, First, my apologies for the late response. It's been an unexpectedly eventful couple of days on my end. Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I'm glad the idea of the system itself functioning as an antagonist came through, because that's at the heart of what I mean by “administrative...

Norwest, I agree. I think there's an important distinction between using comparables to help communicate where a project might sit in the marketplace and using them to determine what the project should become. I'm comfortable with the first. I'd be very cautious about the second. One of the...

Adam Films, that's a useful perspective, especially coming from the distribution side. The Black Sun is actually being developed as a television series rather than a feature, but your broader point about positioning early rather than waiting until a project reaches buyers makes sense. My...

Norwest, yes. In fact, the timing of your question is interesting because I began a targeted manager outreach campaign this morning. Ten queries went out today, so I’m already actively pursuing representation. At the same time, I wouldn’t want that search to prevent me from having a legitimate...

Michael, I think my public-service and union background makes me particularly sensitive to this question. For years I've encouraged coworkers to seek union representation when dealing with consequential employment matters—not because management or HR are necessarily acting in bad faith, but...

George, that’s a very useful distinction, and I think you’re right. I’ve been thinking primarily in terms of which project best introduces me as a writer, but your point about asking what I want the person on the other side to do next adds another layer to the strategy. So The Black Sun may...

George, that’s exactly the strategic question I’ve been working through. My current thinking is to lead with The Black Sun. Of the two projects, it probably represents my writing voice most completely—historical drama, science fiction, supernatural elements, and the systems-oriented perspective...

Isla, thank you. I’m glad the idea of administrative horror caught your attention. Both projects are actually well beyond the concept stage. The Black Sun and Sleeping Beauty of Catania both have completed television pilots and full series bibles behind them, along with supporting development...

Norwest, I think you’ve hit on something really interesting there. Administrative horror can condition ordinary sounds into signals of institutional threat. Your comment also makes me look differently at something I deliberately did in the opening of Sleeping Beauty of Catania. On the page, I...

Norwest, I really like your point about sound and ambience because I hadn’t been thinking about administrative horror from that angle. One place I’ve played with something similar is the opening of Sleeping Beauty of Catania. Angelina is running through an empty castle while Jefferson...

Mica, I think it can be both. First, it has to work during the story. The audience has to care about the characters and experience the conflict through them. Film and television naturally tend to organize conflict at that level: protagonist, antagonist, hero, villain, and all the morally...

John, yes. I think that’s a big part of what separates administrative horror from a more traditional thriller. The frightening part is that nobody inside the system necessarily thinks they’re the villain. One person follows the rule. Another verifies the information. Someone approves the...

Cinema Doktor, I really like that distinction. I’ve spent most of my time thinking about administrative horror from the writer’s side—how to construct the system, who has authority, what incentives keep it operating, and how its responses progressively remove the protagonist’s choices. What...

Samantha, great question. I usually build the system first—or at least the rules and causal machinery that will eventually surround the protagonist. I tend to reverse-engineer stories. I ask what the system wants, who has authority, what rules govern it, where the possible exits are, and what...

Hi Cinema Doktor. Thank you for the warm welcome. “Administrative horror” really grew out of spending more than 30 years working inside large public institutions and watching how systems actually function. What fascinated me was that you don’t always need an evil person for something terrible...

Hi everyone. I’m David Figueroa, a Los Angeles-based screenwriter coming to the craft after more than three decades working inside large public institutions. That background heavily influences how I write. I’m particularly interested in what I call “administrative horror,” stories where the...