Georgia Screenwriter and Actress Jennifer Mercurio ? ?Still Burning ...

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Jennifer Mercurio is a sought after actress who has appeared in well over fifteen local film projects, industrials, commercials and new media. Jennifer is also a screenwriter who has completed her first screenplay through the Blank Page Screenwriting workshop, the psychological thriller ?Still? and has another project in the works. ?Still? is a paranormal thrill ride that keeps you guessing with each major turn. It delves into the?obsessive?nature of love and?explores?the?lengths?some will go to get what they want.

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Paul Clark is currently an?intern at?Blank Stage Productions. He produces content in the form of written articles, webisodes, and podcasts for the site. His goal is to advertise upcoming projects in the film industry to show the talent we work with at Blank Stage and through Get Connected, and promote the creation of each professional?s project for financial backing.?

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So Jennifer, what was the screenwriting process like for you?

This was my first feature length screenplay, so I really didn?t know what I was doing. I had this story inside of me, but I didn?t know anything about screenwriting. I met Brent Brooks of Blank Stage Productions through an audition and he invited me to attend a writing group that he was hosting- The Blank Page Screenwriters. After several meetings and reading through the works of other screenwriters, I became inspired to finally put my story on paper. At The Blank Page, we would meet every other week and at each meet we would read one act of a screenplay until all three acts had been read. After each read we would offer feedback and criticism to the writer. When it was my turn to present, I had completed the first act only. That meant I had two weeks to write the second act, and then the third. Having each act read aloud and hearing such positive and encouraging feedback always left me inspired and burning with excitement to get back into my story and continue writing the next act. I wasn?t just writing a script- I was actively telling a story to this group of wonderful people who seemed genuinely invested and eager to find out what was to happen next. It was the greatest experience, writing for this pre-existing audience whose expertise you hold in such high regard. They were all mentors to me, especially Brent Brooks.He really pushed me to do something I didn?t realize I could. By the time I was ready to write the third and final act of ?Still,? I was so on fire that I wrote the entire act in one day. When you love something that much- when you are that connected to a story- it just flows.

Did you have any personal events that influenced the writing of?STILL?

I have always been fascinated by the paranormal and I am a creative person. I tend to take things that exist in my life, imagine what it would be like is something paranormal was suddenly somehow involved with these things in my life, and then create a story out of it. I used to LOVE telling ghost stories. I didn?t know it would someday lead to telling them through the art of screenwriting. For ?Still,? I was inspired by something in our home. In our sons? bedroom, my ex-husband and I had painted one wall with chalkboard paint. The kids would do art work on that wall with their chalk. One day I had this crazy thought about how terrifying it would be if unexplainable messages written in chalk appeared on that wall, as if they had been written by a ghost. I also have a fear of death, and a fear of separation from my children. That is how the idea for this story was born.

You refer to?STILL?as a psychological thriller.?

Yes. Paranormal/Psychological Thriller. It is a story that keeps the audience guessing whether there is actually something paranormal going on, or if there is a perfectly logical explanation.

You really captured this genre in your writing. Why do you love the thriller genre?

I love the ?Thriller? genre because I love the thrill of fear. But for me, the scariest stories are the ones that you believe could actually happen. Not like horror flicks, where the villain is often so fantastical that you know it?s not real, that it could never be real. I love thrillers because they deal with more realistic scenarios, like the dark side of human nature? or the unknown. I love M. Night Shyamalan films? he has a way of playing on our fears by bringing very realistic elements to terrifying scenarios. That is what I hope to create for my audience.

What are?Mark?and?Jenna?s?relationships with the kids and with each other like?

In the beginning of the story, we see a picture perfect family. We see a couple- Mark and Jenna- who seem to be very much in love. We introduce the family to our audience on Christmas Eve, a time for family. We see how important it is for Mark and Jenna that their two sons, Cameron and Carter, have a perfect Christmas. We get to see Mark and Jenna setting about the task of laying all the presents underneath the tree once the boys have gone to bed? this time they spend arranging the gifts is, I think, special? because the task at hand is centered solely around the children, but the interaction between Mark and Jenna as they perform the this task at hand is very intimate and special. From these opening scenes, we can only assume that this little family is full of love, and that they have close and healthy relationships. As the story progresses, relationships become strained and confusion sets in for our audience. We may begin to doubt this perfect marriage, or even the parent/child relationships.

How do?Cameron?and?Carter?take the paranormal news that their father starts to believe??

Cameron, age four, seems to know more about the seemingly paranormal events than anyone, but he becomes withdrawn. Carter is only an infant, unable to speak. We never know how much he has witnessed or how he may be connected to the unexplainable.

What does?Emily?think of the paranormal activity?

Emily seems terrified. Unexplainable messages-some threatening-are directed at her.

Can you tell us more about the Blank Page Screenwriting process?

The Blank Page Screenwriting process is something that I highly recommend to all local screenwriters. In this industry, there is so much criticism. Whether you are an experienced writer or just starting out, I think it is important to surround yourself with POSITIVE people who are knowledgeable in the craft, knowledgeable in the industry, and excited about your story. That is what The Blank Page has to offer.

Jennifer, I understand you are also an?incredible?actress, how do you think that experience has helped you write STILL?

Thank you! I think that being an actress allows you to see a story from one perspective, while being a writer allows you to see from the perspective of every character in it. As an actor your job is to really know that character so intimately that you are able to become them. I think that if you take that skill and apply it to writing, it allows you to create deeper, more complex characters.

*Blank Stage Productions is currently in the process of seeking funding for ?Still?. To inquire further about this and other projects, email us at brent@blankstageproductions.com

Jennifer Mercurio ? Acting Demo Reel from Brent Brooks on Vimeo.

Source: http://blankstageproductions.com/georgia-screenwriter-and-actress-jennifer-mercurio-still-burning/

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