By Audrey Larson

​After a brief hiatus from the blog since our "Screenwriter Spotlight" series this summer, we're back! In the past few months we saw our film DRAWING INSPIRATION screen at the awesome Boston International Kids Film Festival, had some great press (see the Boston Globe article we were featured in), and also pored over scripts to select finalists for our Summer of Screenwriting National Youth Script Contest (full winners list here). For this contest, FYP invited youth 18 and under from across the U.S. to submit their original screenplays of maximum 20 pages. Now's your chance to get to know the 1st place winner, Emily Connolly, 17, from Foxboro, MA who won for her script After Hours. Thanks to sponsors Final Draft, ShotPro, and Shot Lister for donating prizes! 

Without further ado... meet Emily! 

Emily Connolly is a senior at Foxborough High School.  Creative writing has been one of her favorite hobbies since the third grade.  Emily plays the flute in her school's band and runs long distance on the track team.  She also enjoys reading and spending time with friends. Her script is about a self-centered teenager, Daisy, who goes through her days making snap judgements of everyone she meets.  However, one night she discovers the hidden lives and unknown stories of the same people that she encountered during the day. After the final bell rings, the door closes, and the conversation ends, what will Daisy learn "after hours"?

Do you have any advice for other young writers/screenwriters like yourself? 

My advice would be to really stick with any screenwriting goals that you have, and not to shy away just because "the industry is too hard to get in to" or "it will take forever to finish this project".  It doesn't matter how young you are; any story that you believe in and you feel is an important one to tell is valid and one that you should pursue.

Also, on a completely different note, I would suggest that one reads as many screenplays and books as they can get their hands on, especially in a genre you're interested in writing.  

What are your goals for the future? Any more screenplays you're working on or ideas you'd like to develop? 

I am currently working on a pilot script for a television drama that I originally planned out as a book series. I'm super excited about this project, as I've been working on the story itself for several years now!

By Audrey Larson

You may have heard about our exciting new program Summer of Screenwriting. It’s free and open to youth 18 and under. And the best part— you can live across the country from us and still participate! We’re so excited to see kids sign up from California, Oregon, Montana, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and New York (in addition to our home-base of New England). 

Why did we start this program? 

1. We love screenwriting
2. It’s hard to find resources for youth on the subject
3. Most kids like movies or TV
4. But many kids have never seen or read a screenplay, let alone written one
5. And have we mentioned we love screenwriting?

Our goal is to introduce kids and teens to screenwriting by providing hand-picked resources, videos, tips, spotlights on successful screenwriters, and everything else they’ll need to get started on their own screenplay. We’re even running a contest for New England residents to submit their short (max 20 pages) script to win prizes. 

I got interested in screenwriting many years ago, before I was interested in filmmaking. I liked writing, especially novel writing. The more I practiced screenwriting, the more I realized that I think very visually— which lends itself well to screenwriting. I soon found it was easier for me to express my vision as a screenplay. 

I also found that I didn’t know anyone else my age who was screenwriting. That’s why an important element of Summer of Screenwriting is connecting young writers. We created a private Facebook group for participants to share, discuss, and connect with each other. We’ll also be doing several live stream discussions or chats that participants can listen and participate in. FYP’s Young Writers Meet-Ups are also a great opportunity for local participants to join together, play games, and discuss screenwriting. 

And don't think that Shay and I won’t also be participating! We are working on FYP's next short film script-- so we’ll be writing along with everyone this Summer. 

By Shay Martin

Recently, Audrey and I attended the Best of The Boston 48-Hour Film Project 2015 screening and awards at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, MA. It was a really great experience and we wanted to share it with you. For those of you who don't know what the 48-Hour Film Project is, you can visit their website here. It's a really cool project and worth checking out. 

The only way I can describe the Kendall Square Cinema is an alternative movie theater. In addition to standard new releases, it shows many films that you won't see at other theaters, including independent films, restored classics, and foreign films. It also hosts many local premieres, benefit screenings, and film festivals. But that's not the only way it's different. Your first clue that you are not in a standard movie theater is the menu: filled with all the theater classics like popcorn, candy, soda and water, it also goes further. Much further. It includes not only refreshments, but dinner items, and specialized food like vegan cookies and edamame. Very cool!

Exciting things are happening at FYP! First of all, we've organized a casual meet-up for teens interested in screenwriting to come learn, create, brainstorm, and have fun together. The YOUNG WRITERS MEETUP will take place at the Barnes & Noble Cafe in Walpole, MA on Wednesday May 20th at 6 pm. Bring your friends, a snack, and get ready to explore the movie script. We hope to see you there! 

Second, our short film DRAWING INSPIRATION will be premiering to the public online this Thursday (May 21st) at 8 pm. We'll be hosting a live stream Q&A discussion simultaneously so you can get your questions answered by the Directors (Audrey & Shay). We've worked hard the last few months to make this film the best it can be and we're so excited to share it with you! Check out the film's page to read about the cast and crew, and view exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from filming in our gallery. 

We have so many ideas for future events, programs, and films -- but we want to know what YOU want too! What film or acting opportunities are you looking for? What areas of film are you interested in? What resources are you looking for? Shoot us an email and let us know. Help us spread the word about FYP by sharing our website with friends and those who might be interested. 

Stay tuned... More events to come! 

By Audrey Larson

FYP we will be filming a 3-minute short film for the White House Student Film Festival this Sunday (AHHH! 3 days from now!!!). Shay and I have been consumed this week with final script edits, prop lists, wardrobe plans, location scouting, finding extras, storyboarding, and so much more. 2 years ago we were busy with the same items for our debut short film, "Countdown" which was filmed over the course of 4 days in February 2013. I dived into the FYP "archives" and found a fun list of lessons we learned from those 4 amazing, stressful, fun, chaotic days. 

So without further a do, I present... 27 lessons from filming "Countdown"! 

1. Kids need food. 
2. Lots of food.
3. That food should never be candy. 
4. Or else they will break into laugh attacks
5. Sometimes laugh attacks can bring real tears - which is good... if the scene is sad
6. Sometimes you just need a snack break
7. But there is a time for food. And there is a time for filming. Don’t let them cross. 
8. Attempting to confiscate Oreos from the Producer/Director is a stupid and potentially dangerous activity. 
9. You will need to hide them. 
10. Very well.
11. Filming outside in February in Massachusetts = Very. Bad. Idea.
12. You will need hot water and lots of tea.
13. Or else the Directors may just freeze (kidding...)
14. Except the Associate Producer is somehow immune to cold... We are all in awe, Sarah.
15. Even doggie “actors” need to be properly taken care of and kept warm.
16. A fake bomb is not a good prop to make last-minute
17. Don’t let cast members go home in their costume. Do not. 
18. Tears are really hard to produce. Even with onions.
19. Some people like eating raw onions.
20. It is near impossible to get the smell of onions out of your set.
21. Remember to take a group picture when everyone’s actually there.
22. Don’t bother the makeup artist. Ever. You will be yelled at and possibly speared with a makeup sponge.
23. Always leave the camera on. Or else you may miss a perfect shot.
24. Nerf guns + boys = Chaos
25. Remember continuity.
26. Remember continuity.
27. Remember continuity. 

We'll be back soon with more announcements about our newest short film! 

By Audrey Larson

On Sunday, April 6th, I had a fantastic time at the “Mega-Awesome Adventure” author event presented by Wellesley Books and organized by Disney Hyperion. The event featured four super-cool and hugely successful authors: Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson), Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl), Jonathan Stroud (Bartimaeus Sequence), and Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers). 

I arrived an hour early and a crowd had already lined at the Dana Hall School auditorium in Wellesley, MA. It was a beautiful day. I spotted excited kids in bright orange “Camp Halfblood” t-shirts (Percy Jackson fans). 

Author Ridley Pearson went down the line of people, shaking hands and taking photos with loyal fans of his Kingdom Keepers series. I overheard a girl shouting into her phone, “I just met Ridley Pearson!”

Once inside, volunteers threw candy at the waiting audience. Dance music blared. Anticipation filled the crowd. Finally, each author was introduced on stage and the audience cheered. Host Seale Ballenger (publicity director at Disney Publishing) introduced the authors and posed a few interesting questions. Mr. Ballenger asked the authors to describe their best moment as a writer. Rick Riordan told us about the time he got a call from his agent while in a car rental place in Las Vegas, sharing the news that Percy Jackson had made the New York times bestseller list. Rick said that he'd started dancing right there on the spot.

During the Q & A, Jonathan Stroud was asked what he’d tell his younger self. He answered: 

  “Enjoy it, keep going, don’t worry about what you’re actually doing; if it doesn’t actually work. I had endless projects that I started... and I used to think it was terrible; I’m never going to be a good writer. And slowly, all the time you’re getting better without realizing it.” 

As an aspiring writer, I have several unfinished novels, short stories, and screenplays saved on my computer. Jonathan Stroud’s words resonated with me. I realized that all those attempts were not failures. Each one had contributed to making me a better writer.

As for advice for other young writers? In the humorous words of Eoin Colfer: 

“Everybody’s got that funny friend, and they say something hilarious - and what happens to that thing? It usually just flies off like a butterfly or something, maybe it gets repeated by someone else once and mangled. But if you’re a writer, it’s up to you to collect all those things, write them down on your notepad, and then don’t pay anybody for them and keep all the money yourself. That is my literary advice.” 

Everyone left the event smiling - including me. I went home with a bagful of autographed books, the event t-shirt, and lots of inspiration to keep on writing. In other words, what a fantastic experience! 

Meet Countdown cast member of the day… Maayan Ziv-Kreger!

Maayan, age 12, enjoys painting, drawing, and acting. She has some experience with acting and is excited to be a part of a movie! Maayan takes a drama class and has been in a few school musicals, such as The King and I, Peter Pan, and The Little Mermaid. She also performs in a chorus.

Maayan plays 10-year-old Tori in FYP’s first project, Countdown.

Meet Countdown cast member of the day… Matt Keilty!

Matt is 12 years old and lives in New Hampshire with his mom, dad, brother, sister and cat. He has a passion for acting, filmmaking, and comic book history. Over the last year and a half he’s played lead and supporting roles in six college student films (see one here), a Hallmark film, an Italian restaurant commercial, a webtv documentary, and two stage plays.

In his spare time Matt enjoys creating lego stop action animations, pivot animations, and home-made movies that he posts on his own Youtube channel.


Matt plays 9-year-old Luke in FYP's first film, Countdown.

Kayla Schechter, age 9, is excited to be a part of Fountain of Youth Productions! 

Aside from acting and her passion for drama, Kayla enjoys singing and writing original short stories. Her other hobbies include reading and enjoying nature. Kayla is a 3rd grader at Striar Hebrew Academy in Sharon, MA.  She is in the middle of a brother sandwich with both an older and younger brother at home. In her own words, being involved with FYP “totally rocks!”

Kayla plays 7-year-old Riley, in FYP’s upcoming short film Countdown.

Meet Countdown cast member of the day… Liam Murphy!

Liam is eight years old, turning nine in June. He is in third grade at Beaver Brook Elementary School in Abington, MA. He is on the Student Council and likes lacrosse and flag football. Liam enjoys playing pranks and telling jokes! He is in the Boy Scouts and as of recently he likes to express his creativity and imagination through acting.

Although Liam is a novice to the industry, he recently participated in a music video for a Boston Band, Gentlemen Hall (which will be released shortly). Liam takes direction well and really enjoys being in front of the camera exploring his emotions and telling tales!

Liam plays eight-year-old Kyle in FYP’s current project, Countdown.