LIL-I-ATH: [lil-ee-ath] noun. Elvish. “Laughter.”
PE-NUM-BRA: [pi-nuhm-bruh] noun. Latin. A fringe region of half shadow resulting from the partial obstruction of light by an opaque object.
About Diane
Diane is a writer/director who is drawn to magical realism and science fiction/fantasy. Her favourite topics to explore usually involve mental illness, or the dark side of love and spirituality.
She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies and Literature/Writing from Columbia University, and her Master of Fine Arts in Writing for the Screen + Stage from Northwestern University. While at Northwestern, she spent part of her summer shadowing Richard J. Lewis while he directed an episode of C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation. And before grad school, she worked briefly as Darren Lynn Bousman’s director’s assistant while he was in post-production on Saw IV and pre-production for Repo! The Genetic Opera.
Diane then went on to write, direct, and produce the short film Replica, which was selected for the 2020 Bristol Science Film Festival and is now streaming on Amazon Prime in the US and the UK and Vimeo VOD worldwide.
She also directed the short film Penny Foster, which was selected for the 2019 National Screen Institute Online Short Film Festival.
And her young adult fantasy pilot script, Lucy, was both a Quarterfinalist for the 2022 ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship, while a previous draft was a second rounder at the 2018 Austin Film Festival Script Competition.
She has just now finished shadowing a director on a major franchise television show (she’s not allowed to talk about it), and is excited about the next steps in her directing career. She has also completed post-production on the proof-of-concept film she directed for a science fiction television series called The Time Is Right, which is currently being submitted to festivals. Finally, she is also outlining a new feature science fiction film script that she is very excited about, and which she plans to direct after the script is finished.
Meanwhile, she continues to work her day job as the Star Trek Franchise Assets Coordinator, soaking up as much as she can on how to write and direct on that kind of massive budget scale.
Liliath & Penumbra is her company.
Services Offered
***If you are a woman, person of colour, disabled, LGBTQIA2S+, and/or what most would label “diverse” in any other way, please contact me about the rates listed below. I will only charge you a percentage of what is listed, commensurate with the current pay gap between you and the average cisgendered able-bodied straight White man.***
SCRIPT CONSULTING
$500 + applicable taxes to read a single draft
$4000 + applicable taxes, flat rate, to work until project goes into production (must already have producer attached)
Diane is willing to work with you on your screenplay, giving you constructive criticism and meeting with you to brainstorm ideas, until your project is ready for production. This is something she loves to do: to help other writers achieve their goals. (If you are a producer in search of a Story Editor to work with the writer of your project, even better!)
SCRIPT ANALYSIS
$250 + applicable taxes for Standard Delivery (within 3 business days)
$350 + applicable taxes for Expedited Delivery (within 24 hours)
As a university instructor teaching the mechanics of screenwriting to undergraduates, who has achieved degrees in screenwriting from both an Ivy League University and a Big Ten college, and has also worked numerous positions that required writing coverage, Diane is now offering her expertise for hire to studios, production companies, and film funds.
Coverage is comprised of a 2-page synopsis of the script, plus 1-2 pages of professional feedback as to whether it should be considered for production.
Writers: please remember that script consulting would be done from the development position of encouraging you in your goals and helping you make your next draft stronger, whereas script analysis is meant to be from a prospective optioner’s perspective to assess whether your current draft is ready for production as-is. For this reason, I do not necessarily recommend script analysis directly to writers, since the feedback can be difficult; this service really is intended for producers. However, if that is your true goal, to see whether your script is ready to go, then so be it!
COPY-EDITING
$30/hour + applicable taxes, 4-hour project minimum
It may sound odd, but one of Diane’s favourite parts of reading her students’ and colleagues’ work is to proofread it for formatting and typing errors. So, if you have a script you’d like to submit to a producer or a contest but need someone to look it over first, she will do it for you.
WRITING AND PRODUCTION
Diane has a full portfolio of feature film and television pilot screenplays she has written.
She also has experience directing numerous short films.
Diane has a fantastic personality. Over the past three years, she has proven herself time and time again. Most recently Diane coordinated the ticketing requests for 220+ film stakeholders, sales agents, distributors, etc — our most high demand customers — and completed the task flawlessly.
She would be a great asset to any team.
JUSTIN CUTLER, Senior Manager, Sales & Industry Office, Toronto International Film Festival (2010-2015)
Diane’s astute understanding of film and story development is a premium. When it comes to script analysis, she is consistently constructive, valid, and incisive. She is able to discuss story with confidence and sensitivity, and her analysis is always meted out with agility and professionalism.
A quality we also truly appreciated in Diane, is her symbiotic gauging of artistry and commercial appeal – an imperative for any kind of success in this industry. So much so in fact, that while she worked with us, we often relied upon her for priority script reports that directly informed some of our business decisions. Her comments can be trusted and her expediency is vital for anyone who thrives on deadlines and quick turnarounds.
Liliath & Penumbra 