Alexis Niki is the author of 101 Screenwriting Tips, an excellent book for anyone interested in writing screenplays. After more than a decade as a freelance translator and subtitler for customers such as Columbia Tristar, Warner Brothers, and German national and private television, Alexis understands storytelling on both sides of the Atlantic.  Alexis is not only a veteran writer of screenplays, she is currently filming on the streets of Paris, and I can’t wait to see her new film. For more information, visit www.bitchywitchy.com/

What brought you to Paris?

This is my third time living here. And this time it was to be with my husband.

What keeps you in Paris?

The quiet and beauty.

What books are on your nightstand?

“The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film” by Michael Ondaatje. It’s a series of conversations between Murch, a film and sound editor who frequently worked with  Francis Ford Coppola and who also edited “The English Patient,” and Ondaatje. It’s fascinating! Writers and storytellers of every ilk can learn a lot from reading it. 

What movies makes you laugh out loud?

“Harold and Maude.” “Little Miss Sunshine.” Certain Asian films. And this is not a movie, but “The Simpsons.”

What advice would you give to struggling writers?

Learn to love the process–all of it. Writing has its ups and downs, but the downs are absolutely necessary for the ups to occur. It’s useless to wish them away. It’s much more constructive to accept that they, too, are a part of the experience. 

What is the best advice you have ever received?

To think of myself as more than a screenwriter. When you look at the way the film industry is changing, being a writer just isn’t enough any more. This holds true for publishing as well. I now consider myself a writer/producer. I wrote a blog post about this, which you can read here: http://www.thethirddraft.com/news-and-views/2009/10/28/how-i-became-a-producer.html 

How does living in a foreign country affect your writing?

On the plus side, it’s quiet, I have time, and I’m away from the heart of the film industry, which could easily become too negative an influence. On the minus side, I miss the energy and drive of the US, and I’m away from the heart of the film industry, which leaves me wondering if I’m working in vacuum!

Can you tell us a little about the rewards and challenges of filming a movie in Paris?

Not many filmmakers in France take the initiative to launch a project on their own. For me, this was an advantage. The filming of “My Bitchy Witchy Paris Vacation” came together easily because people were excited to be working on something a little different, a little outside the usual boxes. The challenges of filming in France are the same as anywhere. There’s never enough money or time, the weather is never perfect, and when you’re doing a no-budget piece like I was, you have to account for delays while people go off to do paying work. 

What is your favorite Parisian café?

Of course I read that question as what is my favorite Parisian café for WRITING. This is constantly changing, but right now I’m partial to Café Martini near the Place des Vosges.

What’s next?

I’m filming the last weekend of “My Bitchy Witchy Paris Vacation” at the end of the month, and then it’s into post-production. I’m also working on a rewrite of another script.

 
Here is a beautiful scene from the first day of rehearsal; it is completely improvised. In the summer of 2009, Alexis Niki wrote MY BITCHY WITCHY PARIS VACATION, a film about a late-blooming American teen who travels to Paris with her menopausal mom and her pregnant sister. Here, the trio explores a French market. Featuring Esmee Buchet-Deak as 15-year-old Miranda, Pelham Spong as 24-year-old Ashley, and Kate Michaels as their mother Diane. 

Bitchy Witchy at the Bastille

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