Paul Bagnall, LISFF 2026, TV Pilot Official Selection

- Can you please tell us about you and your daily life?

I am 34 years old and living the life of a local news journalist, where every day I spend writing about people’s true stories that help shape communities in small-town America. Every day I am always at my writing desk at some point, either hammering out copy for tomorrow’s newspaper or enjoying some time exploring more creative opportunities like screenplay or novel writing.

My New England background inspires me to write some of the more terrifying stories and cautionary tales when I am not writing the latest news. I grew up on Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts, and I knew I wanted to be a writer after witnessing my best friend’s father working on a children’s book. The process fascinated me so much that I knew I wanted to pursue this as a living, and journalism was one avenue for me.

- When and how did you get into writing/filmmaking?

I mentioned how I got into writing in general, but how did I get into screenplay writing? I had a passing interest in screenwriting for fun during my earlier college years that I would do every once in a while. This completely changed during the pandemic, where through a string of different writing groups I met Elin-Margareta Nordin, who sent me a pitch to a horror TV show she was writing.

After reading it over, I liked what I saw, and this is when my journey as a screenwriter began. Over the past five years, we have been steadily working on what would become The Frenzied Quill and are planning to film the pilot episode as soon as this year, with eight episodes planned for season one.

It is a completely original show, not based on existing intellectual property and inspired by various modern and urban ghost stories from across the world. There is no shortage of strange occurrences happening, and they serve as really compelling stories that I believe need to be tapped into more.

- How often do you write/create/ develop ideas? Do you have a writing/creative routine? And what inspires you to write?

I develop ideas almost on a daily basis but I do take a break every once in a while. Even then, I still feel the call of the pen to write something down that pops into my head or is inspired by a dream. I don’t really have a strict routine that I follow and write down my ideas or explore more of my thoughts by crafting layered and complicated characters either solving, or in horror writing, failing to solve a problem. Putting words on a page gives me a great sense of joy and happiness, exploring worlds and situations that exist in my head and sharing them with everyone else. There is no better feeling than finishing a story and having that story resonate with someone else’s lived experience.

- How does it feel to have your work recognised?

As a journalist, I am pretty satisfied with the work I have done so far, but I am also looking forward to new possibilities with The Frenzied Quill. A part of me writing screenplays in my college dorm might’ve once had a fleeting ambition of writing a TV show specifically. Who would’ve guessed I would get a chance to do that years later and receive recognition for my first crack at making a TV show.

My background in journalism has allowed me to research the film industry and figure out the many ins and outs to it. Also satisfying that need to share something brewing that Elin-Margareta Nordin and I have been working on for the past few years. We both have big plans for The Frenzied Quill and are currently seeking financial backing, as I see an inspiring trend in original horror filmmaking that has proven to resonate with audiences.

- What's the best and most challenging thing about writing/filmmaking in your genre/form?

To remember that I am not writing a novel, as the screenplay has a different set of rules for storytelling. Part of the challenge of writing a screenplay is setting the scene without providing too much detail and making it interesting to keep reading on.

Sometimes I immerse myself in a crowd of people and listen to conversations in passing to get a better idea of how people speak to each other. This is so that the character dialog comes across more naturally when I am writing actors and actresses speaking lines that push the plot forward. Writing a screenplay is kind of like writing an article where you need to use an active voice to make the spoken word and what is in the environment of a location tell an interesting story worth watching.

- Can you please give us a few tips about filmmaking/ scriptriting/writing?

Dedication. Find time to write your screenplay, which I usually do on the weekends or after work on some days depending on how inspired I still am to write an idea down before it gets away from me. What I love about writing is coming up with something that hasn’t been seen before, which is a daunting challenge, but one I find worth taking one. I find it fun to do and even more satisfying when it’s complete.

- What's the best thing and the most challenging thing about competitions/festivals? 

Since this is my first go around in the festival scene I am still learning and absorbing everything I can possibly do to bring the screenplay to life. Elin-Maragareta Nordin has taught me a lot about how the film industry works, while I also put in the time to learn the ins and outs of making a TV show. It has been a really fun ride, and I am eager to see where it goes to next.

- Lastly, do you recommend the writers/filmmakers submit to LISP/LISFF?

Yes, I would recommend other writers turn in their finished pilots and see what happens after that. Another recommendation I have is turn in a pilot you know is done and doesn’t need any last minute adjustments.