Who is Kenneth McClintock?

I have been interested in movies (creating them, not just watching them) since about the Year 2000, while studying a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Teaching. At first I wanted to be an action star (thanks to Arnold) so I hit the gym pretty seriously.

Thinking about it, I figured that my best chance to star in a movie was to make my own. My Grand Plan was to write a ripper action script that was:

  1. awesome
  2. cheap, and
  3. starred me! 🙂

From that point, I virtually abandoned my studies and borrowed every book on filmmaking the library possessed. I devoured books on the many and varied aspects of filmmaking and started making short films with friends. Then, something unexpected happened.

The more I read about filmmaking, the more I was drawn to writing and directing, rather than acting. I abandoned my desire to star in a movie (to the benefit of cinema-goers everywhere) and focused on becoming a filmmaker hyphenate extraordinaire, a writer-director and, if possible, -editor.

My first script was a thriller called The Negative, which I entered in the first Project Greenlight Australia competition. Although disappointed not to win and receive the million dollar budget to make my movie, I soon rationalised defeat into victory. By not winning, I could make a film on my own terms rather than be held to creative ransom by a pushy studio!

Placing in the Top 50 with my first script was encouraging. I figured– rightly or wrongly– that this writing business was something I could do alright in.

I began this blog to write about ideas on screenwriting, and was active for a few years. But in 2013, personal tragedy put a stop to my writing.

For a while.

Like, years.

But I’m now back on the screenwriting bandwagon. A script I wrote called Unexpecting, which details the events of 2013 and the years subsequent was a Second Rounder at Austin, and a finalist in the 2020-21 Kairos Prize.

My Grand Plan, Mk II,is to:

  1. write and sell a script
  2. write and sell another script
  3. rinse
  4. repeat
  5. and, eventually, leverage screenwriting success into the opportunity of one day directing my own films.

Good luck and God Bless,
Kenny