An aspiring screenwriter’s nightmare road trip had a dream ending when it earned him an award for Best Screenplay at the New Orleans Horror Film Festival 2011.
 
Alex Bulpitt, from Sheffield, graduated this year from Leeds Trinity University College with a BA in Film Studies, and says the award has given a real boost to his ambition of working as a screenwriter.
 
His screenplay Hidden Devils follows four men whose dreams of stardom are forgotten when a drive through the lonesome Nevada Desert descends into a primitive fight for survival.
 
He said, “I’ve always been a big horror fan so I stuck with what I knew best for this screenplay. It practically wrote itself – it’s all about the characters, and their predicament is a reflection on them.”
 
“The film studies course at Leeds Trinity covers every decade of film, so when writing a screenplay I know the heritage of film making and understand the conventions and purpose in contemporary context. Everything I learned about character archetypes, spiritualities and hero journey have been absolutely invaluable to me.”

Liz Rymer, Programme Leader for Film Studies, said, “Our students have access to the best film making equipment in our Media Centre - but without close attention to the story and the script, there is no film.”

“It’s wonderful to see that Alex has developed his considerable writing talent through the module ‘Script to Screen’, which guides students through development of a filmable script for a five minute short. Students are encouraged to include what they have learnt in other modules and in this case, 'Screening Character' with its focus on character development was crucial in adding depth and richness to the story.”

“We are very proud at Leeds Trinity to be a part of developing the screenwriters and film makers of tomorrow.”

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