Noelani Mei Lee

Sugar Water is a feature-length psychedelic thriller that follows a woman trying to recover her missing memories while navigating familial trauma.

Writing Sugar Water was one of the most difficult, but also most cathartic, creative experiences I've ever had. The script is inspired by real events, and not fun ones, so I found that the challenge really was learning to overcome my own trauma as I turned it into words. Nina's journey mirrors much of my own, and it was sometimes a tough pill to swallow--but once I finished the final page, I felt healed. I hope that this story can provide a similar sort of feeling for the audience.

I began working in the film industry in Austin, TX in 2006 or so, and have been a script supervisor for over fifteen years in Los Angeles.

I wrote my first screenplay when I was fourteen. It sucked. Pretty bad, honestly. I was shot down when I tried to have it produced. They told me to write a short. I did. Then I wrote another. I just couldn't stop. Eventually, I wrote my second feature screenplay and that became my directorial debut as a feature director. (Sleight 2020). Since then, I've written a multitude of scripts and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.

My life has been full of ups and downs, but I've always lived and breathed film. I truly believe that it is the fullest way to express oneself and to spread positive, uplifting messages or tell stories that really mean something.

Stories come to me in bits and pieces, and writing them is almost like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. I do try to outline, I swear I do, but my mind seems to just prefer chaos. The stories always come together in the end, but it's not a process I'd recommend to most writers!

All of my stories are character-driven rather than plot-driven, as I think the human experience is the most interesting thing possible that one can write about or watch. My favourite films are character studies, and I have borrowed a lot of inspiration from directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and David Fincher in that regard.

Once my Characters have shape, they tend to write themselves. Dialogue comes naturally to me--just as soon as I understand, truly, who is speaking it.

A great screenplay is the blueprint for a movie that leaves an audience walking away deep in thought. That's my opinion. Popcorn films are great, but I do think this medium has so much more potential than that. Formulas exist for a reason, but rules are also meant to be broken. Get weird with it. I think people want that.

I don't even want to discuss the state of the film industry--it makes me a little sad. I've worked in the film industry for so long as a union script supervisor that I've seen it all. Right now, what seems to be very popular is the vertical space, which is creating room for writers to push out schlock that sells but is ultimately devoid of true meaning. I get it. There's a place for that. But I want to do more. I want to pull heartstrings. I want to change minds. I don't see a lot of films coming out right now with that intention.

The good thing is, that can change, and it starts with indie film projects like this and the other ones you see on this page.

You have to get into the mind of your audience. In order to tell a good story, you need to understand what people want--and need--to see. That means you've got to do groundwork. I talk to people all the time about what movies they like, what they wish was coming out, what isn't working for them. It's constant research.

And then it's trial and error. I write and I write, and I let people read my work. If it works for them, I understand that I'm onto something and lean into that. If it doesn't, I try something new. You just have to throw things at the wall and see what sticks, while maintaining that special essence that makes the art yours.

If you can't take feedback or criticism, you aren't ready to write a good story. One pair of eyes is never enough to know if what you've written is good, or really works. I don't take it personally if someone critiques my work--I thank them, and if I feel they're right, I make the change. It's as simple as that.

When you want to produce or sell a script, you'll always get kickback on your writing from someone. It's part of the process. "Kill your babies" is a saying for a reason, and it's a good one.

I've actually been very active in the YouTube space as a reactor, and that is something I'm very passionate about, because it's a great platform to break down music and film and have real, human discussions with other people about what we're watching together! You can find me @grouchoporx

Screenwriting is always going to have to evolve with the medium of film. Film is always changing, contracting, and expanding as an industry with new technology and it's our job as writers to adapt to those changes while still maintaining individual authenticity.

Will AI work to steal our jobs? Yeah. Do we have to let it? Hell no.

Just do the thing. Seriously, everything will try to stop you from writing and finishing a script. Don't let it. A bad script is still better than an unfinished one, and practice is the only way you'll improve. Just write. Just keep writing.