Scott Essman
Encyclopedia
Scott Essman is an American writer, who has been writing and producing projects about motion picture craftsmanship and Hollywood history since the mid-1980s.
. In 1986 he transferred to the University of Southern California
in Los Angeles, where he studied psychology, screenwriting, and film criticism
. His classmates with whom he attended film screenings at USC at the time included future director Bryan Singer
and editors David Bertman and John Axelrad. Among the directors who brought their films to USC at the time were an unknown Oliver Stone
(who brought an unreleased Platoon
to the campus), Clint Eastwood
(Heartbreak Ridge
), Ridley Scott
(Someone to Watch Over Me
), and recent USC graduate Phil Joanou
(Three O'Clock High
).
and in 1988, before graduating, he performed standup comedy
in a show at USC's Cafe '84 hosted by future writer-director Judd Apatow
and also featured actor Mark Christopher Lawrence
.
After returning to New York in 1988, Essman formed Visionary Cinema, an eclectic artists group that was formed with a mixture of unproduced writers, performers, 2D artists, and filmmakers. When NYC proved unfruitful for Essman and Visionary Cinema, both he and the company relocated to Los Angeles. At that time, Essman wrote the screenplays KRAZY-TV, Rodeo Drive, and Candyland and made the rounds. There were a few bites but no buyers.
Switching to journalism, Essman was first published in Cinefex
Magazine in 1996 with a story about makeup legend Michael Westmore
. Three more articles for Cinefex followed, and in the past 14 years, Essman has published over 400 articles as a freelancer for outlets also including The Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Design, The American Cinema Editors' magazine, The CinemaEditor, Creative Screenwriting, MovieMaker
, Acted By, Below the Line News, Fangoria
, plus several Internet sites dealing with filmmaking, especially in the science-fiction
and horror genres. In 1998, Essman established Directed By: The Cinema Quarterly, a periodical that strictly focused on the craft of movie directors
and directing. Seven issues were published, printed, and distributed and Directed-By.Com is now a working web version of the magazine.
In February 1996, Essman and his team documented a weekend-long creature effects film called Wolvy. It was eventually made into a 24-minute documentary, now available on Amazon.com and a two-minute music video
from the doc was uploaded to YouTube
, with over 64,000 individual views as of Halloween, 2009.
Also in 1996, Essman created his first special live event, a tribute to the greatest living makeup artist
, Dick Smith. Created at the Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn
in North Hollywood, the event was decorated with original posters of Smith's films and was attended by 40 of Smith's closest protégés, friends, and colleagues and included film footage of Smith's work, interviews, and tributes to Smith by all in attendance. In 1998, Essman created a 30-minute highlights video of the event, currently available on Amazon.
Events in 1997 (A Tribute to John Chambers
and Planet of the Apes
) and 1998 (A Tribute to The Wizard of Oz
) ensued and doubled each year in attendance. In June 2000, Essman recruited 16 actors plus a team of production designers, lighting designer
s, makeup artists and costume designers to create Jack Pierce - The Man Behind The Monsters, which was a staged multimedia play with a 48-page unique commemorative program. In 2004, Essman created a tribute to silent film
star Lon Chaney
at Universal Studios' CityWalk
. In 2009, he created a tribute to the Westmores of Hollywood at the Monsterpalooza convention in Burbank, CA. All of the aforementioned items are now available on Amazon.com with the Westmores tribute to be available in late 2009.
In 2002, noting that "if you can't beat them, join them," Essman started working for Universal Studios
as a writer and publicist of classic monster films. As of late 2009, he produced over 25 publicity projects for Universal Studios Home Entertainment where he made video documentaries about filmmakers, co-produced special live events, and wrote publicity materials and interviewed movie craftspeople, including directors Peter Jackson
(King Kong
- 2005), Zack Snyder
(Dawn of the Dead
), and David Twohy
(The Chronicles of Riddick
) and produced documentaries about the visual effects
of The Incredible Hulk
and the stunt work
in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
.ef>Interviews « SCARS – The horror magazine that leaves marks! Essman won a Rondo for Best DVD Commentary for 2008's The Mummy (1932) Legacy DVD Set and was nominated that same year for best article for his tribute to effects pioneer Stan Winston
in Fangoria Magazine
. In 2008, he served as publicist of the horror movie Trailer Park of Terror
, and in 2009, he consulted on the publicity for the family comedy Monster Mutt
, the horror film Sorority Row
, and the remake of Mother's Day
. Essman has also consulted as publicity and demo reel producer for the renowned Drac Studios.
Scott Essman published his first book, Freelance Writing for Hollywood, in 2000 and has a book about Tim Burton
due in 2010. In 2008, he won a Rondo Award for Best Feature Film Commentary for work on the Legacy Set of Universal's The Mummy (1932 version). Later that year, Scott produced two short traditionally hand-drawn animated films: Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters and Monster Kids and is preparing to complete an animated film
about dogs. He has partnered with a media financing and production company
to shoot the first of three science-fiction features in 2010 under the banner My Science Fiction Project. Scott lives in Los Angeles county where he has won a multimedia teaching award from The Art Institute of California and has also taught video production
and DVD authoring
at California State University
at Pomona and mass media
at the University of La Verne.
Early life
Essman grew up on Long Island. In 1984 he went to college at Hobart in Geneva, New YorkGeneva, New York
Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
. In 1986 he transferred to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles, where he studied psychology, screenwriting, and film criticism
Film criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
. His classmates with whom he attended film screenings at USC at the time included future director Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
and editors David Bertman and John Axelrad. Among the directors who brought their films to USC at the time were an unknown Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
(who brought an unreleased Platoon
Platoon (film)
Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is the first of Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, followed by 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth....
to the campus), Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
(Heartbreak Ridge
Heartbreak Ridge
Heartbreak Ridge is a 1986 American war film, starring Clint Eastwood and Mario Van Peebles, surrounding the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada, West Indies. A portion of the movie was filmed on the island itself....
), Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
(Someone to Watch Over Me
Someone to Watch over Me (film)
Someone to Watch Over Me is a 1987 film starring Tom Berenger and Mimi Rogers and directed by Ridley Scott. The film's soundtrack includes the George and Ira Gershwin song from which the film takes its title, here sung by Sting, and Vangelis' Memories of Green, originally from Scott's Blade...
), and recent USC graduate Phil Joanou
Phil Joanou
Phil Joanou is an American film director. He is also well known for his work with Irish rock band U2, having directed their rockumentary/live tape Rattle and Hum, one of three videos filmed for "One", and the video for "All Because of You"...
(Three O'Clock High
Three O'Clock High
Three O'Clock High is a 1987 high-school comedy film, directed by Phil Joanou, written by Richard Christian Matheson and Thomas Szollosi, and produced by Aaron Spelling. It was filmed at Ogden High School in Ogden, Utah, but, in part, was inspired by Joanou's own experiences at La Canada High School...
).
Movie career
In 1987, Essman's camera teacher was future director Jay RoachJay Roach
Matthew Jay Roach is an American film director and producer, best known for directing the Austin Powers films and Meet the Parents.-Life and career:...
and in 1988, before graduating, he performed standup comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
in a show at USC's Cafe '84 hosted by future writer-director Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is well known for his work in comedy films, especially for films he has been involved with throughout the latter half of the 2000s. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, a film production company that also developed the...
and also featured actor Mark Christopher Lawrence
Mark Christopher Lawrence
Mark Christopher Lawrence is an American character actor, stand-up comedian and voice-over artist. He is perhaps best known for his role as esoteric D.J., Tone Deaf, in the 1994 satirical rap mockumentary, Fear of a Black Hat. He has co-starred in popular films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day,...
.
After returning to New York in 1988, Essman formed Visionary Cinema, an eclectic artists group that was formed with a mixture of unproduced writers, performers, 2D artists, and filmmakers. When NYC proved unfruitful for Essman and Visionary Cinema, both he and the company relocated to Los Angeles. At that time, Essman wrote the screenplays KRAZY-TV, Rodeo Drive, and Candyland and made the rounds. There were a few bites but no buyers.
Switching to journalism, Essman was first published in Cinefex
Cinefex
Cinefex is a quarterly professional movie special effects magazine. It is among the first dedicated special effects magazines ever produced, at a time where computer generated imagery effects were not as common....
Magazine in 1996 with a story about makeup legend Michael Westmore
Michael Westmore
Michael George Westmore is an American make-up artist best known for his work in various Star Trek productions, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and four feature films.Born in Los Angeles, California, Westmore is the son of Monte Westmore,...
. Three more articles for Cinefex followed, and in the past 14 years, Essman has published over 400 articles as a freelancer for outlets also including The Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Design, The American Cinema Editors' magazine, The CinemaEditor, Creative Screenwriting, MovieMaker
MovieMaker
“Moviemaker” redirects here. For the software, see Windows Movie Maker.MovieMaker is an American magazine focused on the art and business of making movies with a special emphasis on independent film....
, Acted By, Below the Line News, Fangoria
Fangoria
Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band...
, plus several Internet sites dealing with filmmaking, especially in the science-fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and horror genres. In 1998, Essman established Directed By: The Cinema Quarterly, a periodical that strictly focused on the craft of movie directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and directing. Seven issues were published, printed, and distributed and Directed-By.Com is now a working web version of the magazine.
In February 1996, Essman and his team documented a weekend-long creature effects film called Wolvy. It was eventually made into a 24-minute documentary, now available on Amazon.com and a two-minute music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
from the doc was uploaded to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, with over 64,000 individual views as of Halloween, 2009.
Also in 1996, Essman created his first special live event, a tribute to the greatest living makeup artist
Makeup artist
thumb|[[Michelle Camaclang]], an international-certified professional makeup artistthumb|Special effects makeup techniquesA Make-up artist is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics for theatrical, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions...
, Dick Smith. Created at the Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
in North Hollywood, the event was decorated with original posters of Smith's films and was attended by 40 of Smith's closest protégés, friends, and colleagues and included film footage of Smith's work, interviews, and tributes to Smith by all in attendance. In 1998, Essman created a 30-minute highlights video of the event, currently available on Amazon.
Events in 1997 (A Tribute to John Chambers
John Chambers (make-up artist)
John Chambers was a famous make-up artist who became a veteran in both television and film.-Biography:...
and Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes
La Planète des singes, known in English as Monkey Planet or Planet of the Apes, is a French 1963 science fiction novel by Pierre Boulle...
) and 1998 (A Tribute to The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
) ensued and doubled each year in attendance. In June 2000, Essman recruited 16 actors plus a team of production designers, lighting designer
Lighting designer
The role of the lighting designer within theatre is to work with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create an overall 'look' for the show in response to the text, while keeping in mind issues of visibility, safety and cost...
s, makeup artists and costume designers to create Jack Pierce - The Man Behind The Monsters, which was a staged multimedia play with a 48-page unique commemorative program. In 2004, Essman created a tribute to silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
star Lon Chaney
Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
at Universal Studios' CityWalk
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is wholly owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. The resort consists of two theme parks , Universal CityWalk , and three Loews Hotels...
. In 2009, he created a tribute to the Westmores of Hollywood at the Monsterpalooza convention in Burbank, CA. All of the aforementioned items are now available on Amazon.com with the Westmores tribute to be available in late 2009.
In 2002, noting that "if you can't beat them, join them," Essman started working for Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
as a writer and publicist of classic monster films. As of late 2009, he produced over 25 publicity projects for Universal Studios Home Entertainment where he made video documentaries about filmmakers, co-produced special live events, and wrote publicity materials and interviewed movie craftspeople, including directors Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
(King Kong
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
- 2005), Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder
Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. After making his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead, he gained wide recognition with the 2007 box office hit 300, adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics...
(Dawn of the Dead
Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)
Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 horror film directed by Zack Snyder in his directorial debut. It is a remake of George A. Romero's 1978 film of the same name and stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, and Jake Weber. The film depict a handful of human survivors living in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin shopping mall...
), and David Twohy
David Twohy
David Neil Twohy is an American film director and screenwriter.-Life and career:Twohy was born in Los Angeles County, California...
(The Chronicles of Riddick
The Chronicles of Riddick
The Chronicles of Riddick is a 2004 American science fiction film which follows the adventures of Richard B. Riddick, as he attempts to elude capture after the events depicted in the 2000 film Pitch Black, and details his meeting with Jack and Imam, his escape from the prison planet Crematoria, and...
) and produced documentaries about the visual effects
Visual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
of The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk (film)
The Incredible Hulk is a 2008 superhero action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It is the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
and the stunt work
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a 2008 American action adventure film and sequel to The Mummy and The Mummy Returns . The film stars Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Luke Ford, and Jet Li, and was released on August 1, 2008 in the United States...
.ef>Interviews « SCARS – The horror magazine that leaves marks! Essman won a Rondo for Best DVD Commentary for 2008's The Mummy (1932) Legacy DVD Set and was nominated that same year for best article for his tribute to effects pioneer Stan Winston
Stan Winston
Stanley Winston was an American visual effects supervisor, makeup artist, and film director. He was best known for his work in the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, the Predator series, Iron Man, Edward Scissorhands, and Avatar...
in Fangoria Magazine
Fangoria (magazine)
Fangoria is an internationally-distributed US film fan magazine specializing in the genres of horror, slasher, splatter and exploitation films, in regular publication since 1979.-Planning:...
. In 2008, he served as publicist of the horror movie Trailer Park of Terror
Trailer Park of Terror
Trailer Park of Terror is a 2008 American direct-to-video horror film directed by Steven Goldmann and written by Timothy Dolan.-Plot:Based on the Imperium Comics series of the same name, Trailer Park of Terror follows six troubled high schoolers and their leader, the optimistic youth ministries...
, and in 2009, he consulted on the publicity for the family comedy Monster Mutt
Monster Mutt
Monster Mutt is a monster truck from West Chicago, Illinois, competing in the United States Hot Rod Association Monster Jam series since 2003. Styled after a 1951 Mercury, the truck has a canine motif, complete with big ears, tail and tongue. It is painted in two tones of brown, with a dog mouth...
, the horror film Sorority Row
Sorority Row
Sorority Row is a 2009 American slasher film, and a re-imagining of the 1983 slasher film The House on Sorority Row. It was directed by Stewart Hendler, written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger, and stars Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Audrina Patridge,...
, and the remake of Mother's Day
Mother's Day (2010 film)
Mother's Day is an upcoming American horror- thriller film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. It is a remake of Charles Kaufman's 1980 film of the same name and was written by Scott Millam.-Plot:...
. Essman has also consulted as publicity and demo reel producer for the renowned Drac Studios.
Scott Essman published his first book, Freelance Writing for Hollywood, in 2000 and has a book about Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
due in 2010. In 2008, he won a Rondo Award for Best Feature Film Commentary for work on the Legacy Set of Universal's The Mummy (1932 version). Later that year, Scott produced two short traditionally hand-drawn animated films: Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters and Monster Kids and is preparing to complete an animated film
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
about dogs. He has partnered with a media financing and production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
to shoot the first of three science-fiction features in 2010 under the banner My Science Fiction Project. Scott lives in Los Angeles county where he has won a multimedia teaching award from The Art Institute of California and has also taught video production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
and DVD authoring
DVD authoring
DVD authoring is the process of creating a DVD video capable of playing on a DVD player. DVD authoring software must conform to the specifications set by the DVD Forum group in 1995...
at California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
at Pomona and mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
at the University of La Verne.