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In This Issue :: July 13, 2009
SCREENWRITING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009 [REGISTRATION IS OPEN]
SCREENWRITER'S CHALLENGE 2009 WINNERS ANNOUNCED
EVENT CALENDAR [UPCOMING EVENTS]

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2nd Annual Screenwriting Championships
Writers are challenged to create screenplays 5 pages or less based on genre, location and object assignments and accumulate points based on their placement in each round of the competition. Every writer that registers will compete in at least 2 challenges, and writers can compete in as many as 4 challenges based on their placement in each round.

Feedback will be provided for every entered script and there is over $13,000 in cash and prizes. The Early Entry Deadline is August 13, 2009. Space is limited!

*Special Discount - use the discount code CHAMPS for $5 off the entry fee.

Click here to Register / Learn More

Screenwriter's Challenge 2009 Winners!

Congratulations to Luke Kalteux (Sherman Oaks, CA), who placed 1st out of over 550 writers and took home over $4,000 in cash and prizes in the 6th Annual Screenwriter's Challenge! The finalists were challenged to create original short screenplays in just 24 hours based on a genre (fairy tale) and subject (dreaming) assignment. The top 10 screenplays from the final round are listed below.
#1 'GNATE: A Gnat's Tale' by Luke Kalteux (Sherman Oaks, CA, USA)
LOGLINE - An animated fairy tale that proves big dreams come in all sizes.

#2 'Non-Human Resources' by Aaron Burdette (Astoria, NY, USA)
LOGLINE - Adam's failing job search takes an unexpected upswing when he meets a magic spirit, but with spirits, matters are never cut and dry.

#3 'Unbearable' by Stefan Feuerherdt (Tualatin, OR, USA)
LOGLINE - Papa Bear, married to the beautiful golden-locked girl of his dreams, ponders the reality of life in his alternative happily-ever-after.

#4 'THE WOOD SPRITE' by ANDY NELSON (Surprise, AZ, USA)
LOGLINE - A young girl asks the Wood Sprite to make her wishes come true in exchange for her dreams, but how much farther will she go when she's used all of her dreams up?

#5 'Khab' by David Harwood (Austin, TX, USA)
LOGLINE - A contemporary fairy tale concerning four refugee children on a perilous journey. Dreaming up fantasies as they go, they search for the fairy who will save them all.

#6 'The Keeper of Dreams' by Annika Wood (San Francisco, CA, USA)
LOGLINE - A plucky farm girl pledges to save a sleepwalking prince whose dreams have been bartered away.

#7 'Dr. Boaz's Amazing Automata Circus' by Tim Downie (London, UK)
LOGLINE - Come and see the greatest show on earth before the sands of time run out.

#8 'Rose and Briar' by Bradley Barnes (Aurora, OH, USA)
LOGLINE - Edward's been having crazy dreams and lately, they've been more real than ever. Is he a 16 year old high school student or the hero of the Land of Nodd?

#9 'The Nefarious Wizzlewump' by Garrett Henderson (Encino, CA, USA)
LOGLINE - The stealer of dreams, the destroyer of innocence, the Wizzlewump has gone about his wicked business unopposed since the beginning of time. 8 year-old Tristan thinks that's about long enough.

#10 'Chicken and Snake' by Eli Flouton (San Francisco, CA, USA)
LOGLINE - Journalist Lou Davies is thrust into the strange world of dream-inducing hallucinogenics at, ironically enough, a substance abuse clinic in Hawaii.

Click here to learn more about the Screenwriter's Challenge

EVENT CALENDAR [UPCOMING EVENTS]

7/15/09 – Boston Film Race 2009 Final Entry Deadline
7/15/09 – Vancouver Film Race 2009 Final Entry Deadline
7/16/09 – Atlanta Film Race 2009 Early Entry Deadline
7/16/09 – Washington, DC Film Race 2009 Early Entry Deadline
7/22/09 – Montreal Film Race 2009 Final Entry Deadline
7/22/09 – Philadelphia Film Race 2009 Final Entry Deadline
7/23/09 – Chicago Film Race 2009 Early Entry Deadline
7/23/09 – St. Louis Film Race 2009 Early Entry Deadline
7/30/09 – Houston Film Race 2009 Early Entry Deadline

Some more juicy goodness:

http://filmstreamer.net/index.cfm?ev...FRlcagodLklr-Q

1st Annual Screenplay Competition

Enter now for a chance to win the Grand Prize valued at over $2,700 in cash and prizes,
and your screenplay read by top industry insiders!

So you’re a screenwriter and you’ve written a screenplay... Great! So now what do you do? Over 50,000 scripts are registered with the WGA every year — yet the hard part is only 600 to 800 scripts are produced each year. FilmStream is looking to help you - and we’re hosting this contest in real world style – using the exact same process produced Hollywood screenwriters experience step by step.
ROUND 1

In Hollywood, it all starts with the Pitch. And so does this contest.
Logline: A brief description of your screenplay.
What’s the first thing a producer, agent or director wants to know ... what’s your story about?
“Pitch me, 25 words or less.” — Steven Spielberg
Pitch us your story. Who’s it about, what’s the conflict, and what’s the arc? If it’s important to the story, where does it take place? It doesn’t have to be limited to 25 words but should not be more than two or thee sentences.
Hint at the ending but don’t give it away. And please avoid simply stating “It’s like Tootsie meets The Road Warrior.”
Examples: A headstrong farm-boy must learn to become a warrior in order to join a galactic rebellion against an evil empire.
— Star Wars
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
— The Godfather
Each logline will be seen and voted on by at least 5 of our judges. They will each assign a value on a scale from 1 to 10, and the top 100 loglines with the highest scores will move on to round 2 - the semifinals.

ROUND 2

Here’s where you get to flush out your story — the one-page synopsis.
A one-page synopsis is essential when you send out query letters. If an agent or producer is interested in your script, often times you’ll be asked to provide a one-page synopsis so they can get a feel for your story without having to read the whole screenplay. Don’t give away your ending. You want to lure the reader into reading your entire screenplay.
The logline along with your one-page synopsis will be a very important part of the package of tools that we’ll be using when we pitch the winning screenplays to our network of agents, directors, producers and production companies. So make them amazing!
“A good log line conveys the basic plotline, the hook, tone and genre of a script, which is perniciously tough to do in one sentence. It's an essential tool to sell a screenplay, and the sharper it is, the better your project comes across. A brief synopsis expands on the hook and fills in the blanks; it also illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of your plot. Both are vital skills to have.” — Mary Brown, Story Analyst, Sony Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Castle Rock, HBO and many more.
Each one-page synopsis will be read and voted on by at least 5 of our judges. They will each assign a value on a scale from 1 to 10, and the top 10 scripts with the highest scores will be in competition for the final round.

ROUND 3

Each script will be read and voted on by at least 3 of our judges. They will each assign a value on a scale from 1 to 10 in four different categories. Dialogue, Characters, Story Arc and Marketability (this includes overall story strength).
Judges will have the option to comment on your screenplay package (logline, synopsis and script) during each phase of the competition. Available feedback will be sent to contestants at the end of each round.

And Here are the Prizes!
Winner — Congratulations! You have a great script. Now we want to take it to the next level. Your screenplay will be sent to Mike Cheda for his professional script analysis. This service is valued at $1,000. Mike taught script analysis at the American Film Institute and has worked as a development executive at numerous production companies, including HBO and Walt Disney Studios.
Mike will give your script a rigorous examination and e-mail you a detailed analysis of your work page by page, scene by scene with specific suggestions about how to improve story, structure, action, characterization, dialogue, formatting and anything else he thinks needs to be done ... He won’t just critique your material — he’ll also give you step-by-step directions on how to bring it up to professional standards.
“...the best resource out there for making scripts that sell.” ~ Blake Snyder, author of SAVE THE CAT! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need!, speaking about Mike Cheda.
Once you complete Mike’s program and turn in your new draft, you’ll be awarded $1,000! Using our network of established professionals, FilmStream will then take your logline, one-page synopsis and revised screenplay and spend the next year looking to find your story a home.*
PLUS

The Winner will receive Write Brothers professional screenplay software — Screenplay Studio valued at over $700.00.

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2nd Place — Your screenplay will be analyzed by Matt Stevens.
Matt has sold both fiction and documentary projects and worked as a script analyst for many companies, including Creative Artists Agency. He’s the co-author of Script Partners: What Makes Film and TV Writing Teams Work, about the art of collaborative scriptwriting. For five years, Matt taught graduate and undergraduate screenwriting classes at the Florida State Film School and has since conducted workshops across the country, including the L.A. Creative Screenwriting Expo (where he was named “Star Speaker”). He is a film critic and writes articles for E! Online, plus contributes to numerous new-media outlets. Matt’s screenwriting analysis service is valued at $500.00.
Once you’ve completed your new draft, we’ll work with our professional network and use your logline and one-page synopsis to shop your screenplay around town.*
PLUS

The 2nd Place Winner will receive Write Brothers professional screenplay software Screenwriter 6 and Dramatica Pro valued at over $500.00.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V5SRAE?ie=UTF8&tag=filmstreamref-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creative ASIN=B000V5SRAE"][/ame] [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H774K0?ie=UTF8&tag=filmstreamref-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creative ASIN=B000H774K0"][/ame]

3rd Place — You’ll be awarded the story creation software of Write Brothers Dramatica Pro valued at over $250.00.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H774K0?ie=UTF8&tag=filmstreamref-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creative ASIN=B000H774K0"][/ame]
“The software takes you to a story-development environment, where you’ll solve the plot and character problems that prevent many good stories from becoming good enough to sell. Dramatica’s StoryGuide assists you from the initial idea all the way through to completed narrative treatment, inspiring you and supporting you along the way.”
Prizes for all Final Round Contestants
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471225452?ie=UTF8&tag=filmstreamref-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creative ASIN=0471225452"][/ame] Each Final Round Contestant will receive a signed copy of How to Adapt Anything into a Screenplay by Richard Krevolin.
“Aspiring and established screenwriters everywhere, take note! This down-to-earth guide is the first to clearly articulate the craft of adaptation. Drawing on his own experience and on fourteen years of teaching, screenwriter Richard Krevolin presents his proven five-step process for adapting anything-from novels and short stories to newspaper articles and poems-into a screenplay.”
PLUS

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0941188752?ie=UTF8&tag=filmstreamref-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creative ASIN=0941188752"][/ame] Each Final Round Contestant will receive a signed copy of Script Partners: What Makes Film and TV Writing Teams Work by Claudia Johnson and Matt Stevens.
“When I saw some of the people in SCRIPT PARTNERS, I said, ‘I’ve got to go out and buy this book!’”
— Carl Reiner, Writer, Director, Actor, Producer, and Father.

Submit your screenplay package. (You must be a FilmStream member to apply. Click here to join. Membership is free.) Competition ends October 31st.
Fee: $25 to pitch your story to 5 industry professionals.
Existing members, click here
All entries will receive an official badge on their FilmStream script details page.

Official Entry in the FilmStream 2009 Screenplay Competition

UPDATE:

In This Issue :: September 25, 2009
SCREENWRITING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009 [FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED!]
EVENT CALENDAR [UPCOMING EVENTS]


2nd Annual Screenwriting Championships
The Final Entry Deadline has been extended until Friday, September 25th at 5PM EST - TODAY! Writers are challenged to create screenplays 5 pages or less based on genre, location and object assignments and accumulate points based on their placement in each round of the competition. Every writer that registers will compete in at least 2 challenges, and writers can compete in as many as 4 challenges based on their placement in each round.

Feedback will be provided for every entered script and there is over $16,000 in cash and prizes. Hurry up and register before it's too late!

*Special Discount - use the discount code CHAMPS for $5 off the entry fee.

Click here to Register / Learn More


EVENT CALENDAR [UPCOMING EVENTS]

9/25/09 – Los Angeles Film Race 2009 Final Entry Deadline
9/25/09 – Screenwriting Championships 2009 Final Entry Deadline
10/14/09 – Brooklyn Film Race 2009 Final Entry Deadline

Another movie script contest. Winner gets his or her script turned into a 2-hour, professionally produced public radio program. Very cool.

http://www.divebomberradio.com/index.html

The one-month novel writing contest begins November 1st. Here's a last minute youtube video (more found on the site) to motivate you: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LxqmHQFyR8&feature=related"]YouTube - Novel Writing Made Easy[/ame]

http://www.screenplayshootout.com/

Welcome to the 4th Annual Screenplay Shootout!

This year the Screenplay Shootout is better than ever:

• With over $8,500 in Cash and Prizes, including prizes from our sponsors Write Brothers, The Writers Store, ScriptDelivery and InkTip.com.
• The Grand Prize Winner will receive $5,000 in cash, Movie Magic Screenwriter 6, Script listing in InkTip Magazine, The Writers Store gift certificate, and their script will be considered by some of the industry’s top producers, managers and agents.
• The Top 5 Finalists will each receive over $800 in cash and prizes and their scripts considered for representation by some of the industry’s top producers, managers and agents. See the Companies reading the winning scripts.
• The Top 40 Finalists will be announced on our website, in our industry newsletter, and a Press Release will be provided throughout the Hollywood Community.

Open to all genres, the Screenplay Shootout offers great prizes, exposure and recognition within the entertainment community, and most importantly we work hard to help launch careers for our entrants. Driven by success in discovering promising writers, the Shootout has rapidly become a reliable source for new screenwriting talent. Since its debut, the competition has seen finalists secure high-profile representation and gain option and production deals. Recent alumni include Andrew Gerngross, who secured representation with the Brant Rose Agency; Brian Watanabe, whose screenplay ROGUE'S GALLERY was picked up by Infinity Films and went on to star Zach Galifianakis, Ellen Barkin, and Jeffrey Tambor; and Brian Jude Leahy, who signed with ICM and Foremost Films after the Shootout.
The Shootout serves up over $8,500 USD in cash and prizes, plus valuable exposure. The top five scripts will be read and considered by top agents, managers, producers, and green-lighters from such companies as Benderspink, Foremost Films, The Radmin Company, and Energy Entertainment, among others. Sponsors of this year’s Shootout include Write Brothers, The Writers Store, InkTip and ScriptDelivery.

Past participants have raved about the Shootout. Alum Brian Watanabe gushes, "I honestly just feel lucky to have placed so high among so many great scripts," and finalist Brian Jude Leahy declares, "Winning this contest was such a personal reward. It was validation. I realize that I have a way to go, but this is definitely the type of encouragement that I need."
For the chance to have your screenplay read by some of Hollywood's elite, submit to the Screenplay Shootout today!

Greetings, citizens of NaNoLand!
As a great man (Austin Powers) once said, "Allow myself to introduce myself."
Hi! I'm Jennifer Arzt. I run Script Frenzy, NaNoWriMo's sister event.
Even though we haven't met until now, I already know a few things about you. I know you are a storyteller. I know you aren't shy about jumping into the deep end of the literary pool and laughing in the face of outrageous deadlines. I know you are creative and brave.
Because I know all this, I'm here with a proposal.
Try something new in April: Write a script.
I dare you. (Because I also know you can do it!)
Script Frenzy and NaNoWriMo are part of the same family, so you'll see many similarities between them. But, like any siblings, they have some defining differences.
Some familiar things:
The Daily Writing Habit. You'll write everyday. (Always a good thing in my book. Ahem, script!)
Practice. You'll have a month to flex those creative writing muscles. And I'll bet you a cup of coffee that by writing a script you'll find new muscles.
Pep Talks. I'll be sending weekly emails filled with pep, exclamation points, and metaphors that often get off-track. (I've asked a writer I know to guest pen one of the pep talks. I can't tell you who it is, but you may have heard of him, or at least be familiar with his love of wombats.)
Coffee. It will be mentioned. Often.
The Kitchen Tornado. You know how during week three of NaNo your fridge is empty, the coffee supply is fearfully low, and your inbox is stuffed with messages from concerned family members checking to make sure you haven't been abducted by aliens? The week-three tornado also rips through April. I look at it as the excuse—or better, the justification—for take-out Thai food four nights in a row.
Adventures in Writing. I love how at the beginning of April and November I have no idea where my story will end up by the end of the month. That doesn’t necessarily mean I didn't outline; I attribute it to the kinetic energy inherent to writing—especially writing against a deadline. Stories splinter off. Minor characters take over. The plot twists away from the outline. It is a wild ride that I'm sure you're all too aware of. This happens in NaNo. It also happens in Script Frenzy.
Some new things:
Formatting. No matter what kind of script you write, there will be guidelines for formatting it. Don't fret! And don't let that stop you from diving into a script. There are many programs (many which are free) that take no time to learn.
Pages. We'll be counting pages instead of words. To hit 100 pages in 30 days you'll want to shoot for three and a third pages a day.
Economy of Words. This might be the most significant difference between NaNo and Script Frenzy (other than the height of the program directors). In a script, the goal is to convey the story without using more words than needed. Take this opportunity as a creative exercise in succinct writing; indulge in finding the perfect word, and play with using sentence structure as a tool for conveying tempo, mood, and voice.
Dialogue. At some point, the dialogue on the page will actually be said out loud. As you write (or once you return from the cafe or library) read it out loud. Act it out. One read through will quickly highlight what sounds forced or contrived.
I Wrote a Script, Now What? Now what, indeed! There are so many options! A script is just one part of the whole. When you're done, you can sell it to Steven Spielberg, grab a camera and make it into a wildly successful indie flick, see it on Broadway, or turn it into the next big thing at Comic-Con. There are a million ways you can continue your trek with your story when April is over.
I really think the storyteller in you will love the similar parts and the creative champion in you will have a blast taking on this new challenge.
Now that we’ve met and you know that I know that you can do this amazingly fun and frenzied scriptwriting thing, what do you say?
Are you in?
Feeling scripty,
Jen
Script Frenzy Program Director

In This Issue :: July 6, 2010
FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE 2010 [EARLY ENTRY DEADLINE ONLY 2 DAYS AWAY!]
EVENT CALENDAR [UPCOMING EVENTS]



3rd Annual Flash Fiction Challenge
Writers are challenged to create stories (1,000 words or less) based on genre, location, and object assignments in just 2 days. Each writer is guaranteed to participate in at least 2 challenges and feedback will be provided on all submitted stories. The Early Entry Deadline is this Thursday, July 8, 2010 and space is limited, so register soon!

*Special NYC Midnight Discount - make sure to use the discount code FLASHFIC for $5 off the entry fee.

Click here to Register / Learn More


EVENT CALENDAR [UPCOMING EVENTS]

7/8/10 - Flash Fiction Challenge 2010 Early Entry Deadline

In This Issue :: July 8, 2010
FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE 2010 [EARLY ENTRY DEADLINE IS TODAY!]
EVENT CALENDAR [UPCOMING EVENTS]



3rd Annual Flash Fiction Challenge
Writers are challenged to create stories (1,000 words or less) based on genre, location, and object assignments in just 2 days. Each writer is guaranteed to participate in at least 2 challenges and feedback will be provided on all submitted stories. The Early Entry Deadline is TODAY, July 8, 2010. Space is limited, so register soon!

*Special NYC Midnight Discount - make sure to use the discount code FLASHFIC for $5 off the entry fee.

Click here to Register / Learn More


EVENT CALENDAR [UPCOMING EVENTS]

7/8/10 - Flash Fiction Challenge 2010 Early Entry Deadline