Entries Tagged 'screenwriting contests' ↓

Contest Alert!

Those trackingb.com folks are at it again with another writing contest. This time it's for original TV pilots. They're open to any genre and length. Entry fee for the early deadline (March 15, 2010) is $50. Check for details here.

Contest Alert!

Almost forgot to mention this...

Write a short horror film for Fewdio.com

Incentive: Have the chance of getting your horror script produced
We are looking for writers to submit the script for scariest short film of all time! If you are up to the challenge, and you are able to scare the hell out of the horror film community, Fewdio will produce your script as a short film.

The short will be shot in the first quarter of 2010 and released through Fewdio's online outlets as well as on their NIGHTMARE HOUSE DVD series.

The story should be no more than 5 pages long, equal to a 5 minute film and submitted in PDF format. You will have the opportunity to submit your short film scripts until February 2, 2010.

The Talenthouse community will be able to read and vote upon all submissions starting February 3rd, 2010 and the horror experts at Fewdio will determine the final selection and choose the script they'll produce in 2010.

This is a project in cooperation with Scripped.com

Check out one of Fewdio.com's shorts below:

Write on!

Two weeks since my last post?! I almost feel like apologizing. A couple of recent (and not so recent) thoughts....


V and Flash Forward are both done until March, but I can't say that I'll miss them terribly. After a shaky start, V has settled into guilty pleasure viewing, nothing more. Flash Forward has always felt like a blatant attempt by ABC to catch lightning in a bottle. There's been a lot of flailing around in the last couple of weeks. Characters with inconsistent behavior, dumb plotting, and the overload of soap opera elements -- who really cares about the Doc's quest to find his Japanese true love? Lots of retooling during hiatus, but will viewers return to see the results? I still can't believe the network doesn't have supplemental content to keep fans engaged during that long of a break.



Better than Twilight -- yeah, I know, that's not saying much, but still.. Occasionally, more often than we'd like to admit, bad/cheesy stories sell. But don't just dismiss it as dumb luck. Understand that these stories are bypassing the head and speaking directly to the hearts of their intended audience. Can your stories do the same?


So I (finally) settled on my procedural and I'm getting there. Made some huge strides a few days ago. Early on, I promised myself that I wouldn't hastily throw something together just for the sake of a contest. No need to add another ill conceived idea to my unfinished spec graveyard. If this contest doesn't work out, I still have a pretty good start for a feature. The details for the first act are almost fleshed out. My biggest adversary is time. I suspect the contest will reach 1500 entries well before the January deadline. A productive weekend is a must.

Crazy


In search of inspiration, I revisited Raines on Hulu, the short-lived Jeff Goldblum series from a couple years ago about a detective who interacts with hallucinations of murder victims as he works their cases. More grounded than something like Ghost Whisperer, it's an intriguing premise that doesn't quite take off. Goldblum's great as a man battling to maintain his sanity, but too many of the episodes were hit or miss.



I also caught Mad Detective on Sundance's Asia Extreme. A brilliant-but-not-all-there former cop (there was an "incident" involving an ear) who claims he can see people's inner personalities, as well as the ghost of his wife. Think an insane Asian Columbo. A young detective enlists his help with a baffling case. Surprised this hasn't been remade for the States, probably just a matter of time... *googling* ... which will be sooner than later, according to this blurb in Variety.

I got bored with straight procedurals like Law & Order and C.S.I. years ago, but audiences still can't seem to get enough of them. The challenge for me is to find a happy medium -- hey, that's a thought...

Tick, Tick

The Trackingb.com late deadline is slowly creeping up on me, only few days away. Aside from the occasional tweak, my script has been done for a while. Only thing left to do is hit send. Moving along, even though I've settled on a idea for the ION TV-movie contest, some of the nuts and bolts still manage to elude me. I've got the structure figured out, but I haven't found an interesting enough protagonist. And unlike my last pilot attempt, I'm trying not to go overboard with the supernatural/fantasy stuff...

Contest Alert!

Act I: ION Television Movie Contest

Enter “Act I: The ION Television Movie Contest” and submit your original idea for a dramatic TV movie. One winner will receive $40,000 and a development deal with ION Television. Up to 25 finalists have the opportunity to earn a first-look deal with ION.

Ideally, the ideas submitted by entrants will be for a two-hour made-for-TV movie that could potentially serve as a pilot for launching an hour-long drama procedural TV series.

We are looking for procedural dramas meant for mature audiences. The ideal script would have a strong central character or team of characters and a plot that focuses on the introduction, investigation, and solution of a central problem or mystery. An ending that leaves the door open to further stories or sequels involving some or all of the same characters is recommended.

In the TV realm, CSI, Law & Order, and House are perhaps the best known examples of procedurals. There are also TV movie series that fit this definition well: The Jesse Stone movies, the Movies of the Week featuring Columbo, etc.

While many procedurals focus on crime, law, or medicine, stories set in any field are encouraged, so long as they allow for an examination of the procedures by which the central problem or mystery is overcome.

Within this dramatic movie genre, there can certainly be comic themes, characters or tones so long as the procedural element is prominent.

To enter, submit a treatment describing your idea (5-10 pages) and the first act of the script (15-40 pages).

Scripts must be entered by uploading them in a PDF format on the NYTVF upload page or via Withoutabox (please read the upload guidelines on the Withoutabox submission form-- file requirements differ). For more information on how to convert documents into PDF format, Click here.

The submission period will open on October 26 and will close at 12:00 noon Eastern on January 15, 2010.

All submissions must be uploaded during this time period, without exception. The contest will stop accepting entries if this period elapses or if it receives 1,500 valid entries, whichever comes first.
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Television isn't my focus anymore, just too hard to break in, but the prize money here is more than worth the gamble. The gears are already turning... mature audiences... procedural... think I've got an angle. I'm not crazy about the short window -- not enough time for heavy procrastinating, but worse case scenario: there's another spec script on my pile.

Sooner or Later

Dear Scream,

With a record number of entries and a readily apparent increase in quality, this year’s Nicholl Fellowships was more competitive than in any previous year. Now that scores have been tallied for all 6,380 entries, we have to inform too many writers of scripts featuring compelling stories, intriguing characters and excellent craft that they have not advanced into the next round. Regrettably, ________ was not one of the 321 entries selected as a Quarterfinalist in the 2009 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.

Blah, Blah, Blah..

Had pretty realistic expectations going into the competition, but the dink still stings. I didn't even get a P.S. at the bottom of my e-mail saying, 'positive reads' , 'top 15 percent' or whatever. Only 5 percent were able to move on, but I wasn't in that 'almost' 10-15 percent group, and that's where the doubt creeps in. I'm gonna wallow in it for a while, dust myself off and then get back to work.

I Need A Hero!

I can't remember the last time I posted some of my stuff, so here's something I threw together this morning for John August's Superheroic Scene Challenge.




It's a very rough draft (and probably too dark?), but I had a lot of fun with my losing entry. Hopefully, I'll have better luck next week when the Nicholl's quarterfinalists are announced -- or not...

Contest Alert!

No rest for the weary. Fox, Procter and Gamble Productions and The New York Television Festival comedy script contest. They're looking for an original sitcom script (between 25-35 pages). Winner gets 25k, a development deal with Fox and best of all, its FREE! Check out the link for more details.

Closure

Been a long time coming. Last week of tweaking the werewolf spec before sending it off to contest land. I've settled on the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship and Screamfest. Thought about entering Austin or Scriptapalooza as well, but that money might be more useful elsewhere -- like in my pocket! It's way too easy to catch contest fever and wind up with very little to show for it.

Missed the “Life on Mars” series finale, but the spoiler over on "syfywire.com" makes me glad I did. Sounds ridiculous. Hope the folks behind “Lost” are paying attention. I wish “Life” and “Sarah Connor Chronicles” had more time to wrap things up, be prepared for their respective season -- most likely series -- finales to contain loose ends.

Still watching “Dollhouse”, not exactly sure why. I no longer drink the Whedon flavored Kool-Aid in mass quantities… maybe the occasional sip or two.

The new “Cupid” was okay, not as good as the original -- ratings weren‘t that hot either. Didn’t see a lot of chemistry between the two leads. Bobby Cannavale has a tough act to follow after Jeremy Piven.

Silent Running

Been quiet most of the week because I was trying to finish up a screenplay for the Screamfest Screenplay Competition. Didn’t quite make the deadline. I haven’t said much about my scripts in a while, but I’ve been still plugging away. The Slamdance Horror contest is still out there, so I've got another shot at something.