Cheap, Sexy, and Shocking! is loosely based on the career of Louise Downe who played a significant role in the exploitation cinema movement in the 1960s and early 1970s. Her contributions as an actor, screenwriter, assistant director, and designer are a noteworthy chapter in twentieth century cinema history, but her efforts have been routinely overlooked, as she has been overshadowed by her moviemaking partner, the king of gore, Herschell Gordon Lewis.

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Steve Rizzo
Sheila: Val Cole
Janet: Elizabeth Rose Morriss
Sebastian: Geoff Mays
Louise: Hannah Ehman

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?
Cheap, Sexy, and Shocking is about the evolution of a young actress in the early 1960s in Miami.
It is based on a real person, Louise Downe, who was a young actress in Miami and became a writer, assistant director, set designer for the king of gore Hershell Gordon Lewis.
Louise wants to make movies that matter, but there are many obstacles in her way.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Cheap, Sexy, and Shocking is a biopic, a period piece, and a dramedy.

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
First, Miami in the early 1960s is a dream time/place for a movie.
Second, it is a story about a woman's journey as she finds her power as an artist.
It also passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors, and to top it off there is a women's motorcycle gang featured in the script.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?
Sexy and Shocking (of course!)

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
One of the movies I've seen the most times is the 1938 Bringing Up Baby, with Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. I watched it again recently, and I realize how much it has influenced my writing. I would love to do a reboot of Bringing Up Baby. To write that rapid fire dialogue would be such a challenge, but I think I can do it.

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I have written an academic article about Louise Downe. I discovered her when I was doing research about old movie theaters in Detroit. There was an article about her entitled "She Writes Dirty Movies." Wow. Here was the lovely woman who was writing these edgy movies and trying to frame them as socially significant. I immediately abandoned the Detroit movie theater research and started doing research about Louise Downe.
It wasn't easy to do because Hershell Gordon Lewis pushed her into the background every chance he could; she went by at least a half dozen different names, and she was a woman in the film business in the 1960s.
She also quit the movie business and moved to Chicago and isn't interested in speaking about her film work—at all.
Nevertheless, I persisted.
I decided to write a script because it just seemed so cinematic—Miami, nudie-cuties, woman motorcycle gangs to name a few.
All of this is just to say, before I started writing the script, I had thought a great deal about Louise and her story, so it only took me four weeks to write the script.

7. How many stories have you written?
I have written nine scripts, some of the shorts. I recently have written two shorts about a profoundly autistic young man, Danny, and his mom, Wendy.
The scripts are thrillers. It is by far the most challenging writing I've done, but I'm really happy with them.
One is called Grab and Go. Wendy and Danny are at a convenience store and a baby gets abducted, and Wendy and Danny pursue the abductor and get the baby back.
The other is called Dump It. In Dump It, Danny disappears at the landfill, so Wendy must find him. She encounters some horrifying things along the way, including a mama rat and an arm (that is not attached to a body).
I have also published three books and a bunch of essays, mostly about film, architecture and design.

8. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the
most times in your life?)
One of the songs I've listened to a million times is The Weight by The Band. But there's a cinematic reason behind it. I love The Last Waltz so much and Mavis Staples. I was lucky enough to be at the Directors Guild in LA at a tribute to Martin Scorsese. He was there and there were beautiful fresh prints of many of his works for the tribute.
The sound system at the Directors Guild was amazing, and when they played The Weight, well I was blown away. So, I love watching that clip from The Last Waltz. It is a great song, a fantastic "music video" and a lovely memory.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
I faced no obstacles. It was like I was watching a movie in my mind and transcribing it.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I am passionate about horses and have been for most of my life. Every single day I spend time with my horses and mule. It is grounding and healing.
I could not do what I do if I didn't have horses in my life.

11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your
experiences working with the submission platform site?
My experiences have been extremely positive. I am particularly happy that Film Freeway keeps track of my wins for me, so I don't have to.

12. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings
on the initial feedback you received?
I just finished Cheap, Sexy and Shocking this summer. WILDsound is my go-to festival to get thoughtful and constructive feedback. I was not expecting to win; I just wanted to get the feedback. I'm so grateful for the very positive feedback I received!