The Stage 32 Blog

May 3, 2012

Fade To Black - Now What?

Julie Gray returns this week with a follow up - although it could certainly be called a prequel - to her guest post, Competition Season. The subject prompted hundreds of questions, but the ones asked most by 32’ers was some version of: How do I know my screenplay is ready for prime time?

Julie offers her invaluable insight below. I thank her again for her generous contribution to the community.

As always, Julie is available for followup questions and remarks in the comments section below.

Enjoy.

— RB

Julie Gray

Eight Action Steps You Should Take After Fade to Black:

After weeks and months of the frustration, joy, hard work and amazing moments, you have finished your script. Now what?

Get feedback. Rewrite. First, you must ask yourself: is the script really done? Did you get feedback? How many drafts of the script is this? If it’s anything less than 3 rewrites based on feedback, the script isn’t in fact ready to go anywhere. You can get feedback from a number of sources: friends, writing pals, online writing resources or a professional.
Do a proofread pass. Make corrections. Go through the script and proofread it within an inch of its life. Look for and eradicate typos, homonyms and format mistakes. Make sure the script is perfect. Don’t let silly mistakes knock you out of the competition.
Write a great logline. Make sure that you have an entertaining and concise (50 words or less) logline that represents your script at its finest. The logline should feature the hero, the main conflict, the villain and the entertaining upshot of the whole enchilada. I cannot overemphasize the importance of having a great logline ready to go before you consider doing a thing with the script.
Consider competitions. Competitions are a great way to test the waters and see how your material does out there in the world of other screenwriters. Moviebytes is a good resource for competition deadlines and listings. Please see my earlier blog post on Stage 32 for hints and tips on screenwriting competitions and how to take advantage of them.
Network and reach out. Shake your network tree to see if you know anyone who knows anyone who is a literary manager, producer or agent. You might be surprised whom you know. Six degrees of separation! Be polite, be professional, be unattached to the outcome and give it a try.
Research production companies and representation. Consider investing, if you haven’t already, in an IMDB PRO membership. Look up movies that you really love and the companies that produced them. Find a production company that has made movies that you not only love but that you would compare your script to. Match up your tastes and theirs, in other words.
Write query letters. Write query letters to the agents, managers and production companies that you have targeted. A good query letter should be short, to the point. Include the title of your script, the genre, the logline and your contact information. There is no need to write a novel. Remember, people in Hollywood have short attention spans. Short, sweet and to the point is the magic formula. Production companies receive hundreds of queries, so make yours stand out in its simplicity, authenticity and its great logline. (A good query letter is a whole other blog post, by the way.)
Keep writing. One of the first things you will be asked, if you are lucky enough to get a read, is what else you have. Don’t come up short on that answer. Ideally, you should be writing all the time. And if you aren’t writing, you should be outlining, networking, learning more about screenwriting and querying too. Keep all of those balls up in the air at all times. I know. It can be exhausting. But it is, in many ways, a numbers game. No good ever came to a writer who put all his or her eggs in one script.’

Good Luck!

— Julie

Third Eye Volunteer Nepal

May 11, 2012 · view discussion

nice , cool

L.A. Eide

May 6, 2012 · view discussion

That was a great blog/article/piece of screenwriting advice! I use http://www.withoutabox.com to track festivals and competitions. As for coverage, I suggest ScriptShark (www.scriptshark.com) or www.screenplaycoverage.com. They're great because you pay them enough so the analysis you receive is thorough and unbiased (unlike what you may receive from friends/family/your network of writing buddies).

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Richard "RB" Botto - May 7, 2012 1:35pm

For coverage, I would also recommend Andrew Hilton, aka The Screenplay Mechanic. As professional as they come. Notes are spot on. Years of experience. And, a produced screenwriter himself...

www.screenplaymechanic.com

Richard "RB" Botto - May 7, 2012 2:21pm

And be sure to tell him RB sent ya!

Phyllis K Twombly

May 3, 2012 · view discussion

One thing I check my writing for is a repetition of a word or phrase that can jar the ear when heard or the eye when read. For example, if something floats in one sentence nothing else should float within a paragraph or two at the very least. Thanks again for posting here. All recommendations are gratefully accepted.

Julie Gray - May 3, 2012 5:50pm

FOR SURE; alliterations, repetitive words, all of that stuff. Make it very easy for the reader :)

Lonie Nichols - May 4, 2012 12:34pm

Great read Julie. Compact and packed with information.

Which begs the question... can a script have too much, or conversely too little, dialog?

Julie Gray - May 7, 2012 6:29am

Yes, it can. But the question isn't really relevant: dialogue is one of the primary ways that your characters communicate and that the plot moves forward. The question really should be: is this premise working? Is it compelling? It is original? Is it uniquely entertainig? Is it a page turner? :)

Gilbert Mbeh

May 6, 2012 · view discussion

SIMPLY INSTRUCTIVE !

Julie Gray - May 7, 2012 2:24am

Glad you liked the article, Gilbert! xoxo

Benjamin Barak Andrews

May 4, 2012 · view discussion

Love the Stage 32 Blog content! Keep up the excellent work and the excellent guests!

Richard "RB" Botto - May 5, 2012 1:30pm

Appreciate it, Benjamin. Curt and I both come from an editorial background, so we're committed to bringing content that informs as much as it entertains. Thanks again...

Lisa Vandiver

May 5, 2012 · view discussion

Thanks for the great advice and valuable information.

Lonie Nichols

May 4, 2012 · view discussion

Great read Julie. Compact and packed with information.

Which begs the question... can a script have too much, or conversely too little, dialog?

ROBIN METZE

May 4, 2012 · view discussion

OH YEA.. NOW WHAT.. ?

Lee Seng Beo

May 3, 2012 · view discussion

Hi Julie,

Thanks for sharing. Where can we get hold of contacts and information on good agents, managers and production companies ?

regards

sengbeo

Julie Gray - May 3, 2012 5:50pm

IMDB PRO :)

Richard "RB" Botto - May 4, 2012 9:11am

I'll second that...

Daniel Delago

May 4, 2012 · view discussion

What are your thoughts on script analysis services? Is it worth it?

Julie Gray - May 4, 2012 12:27am

Well, full disclosure - I am a script consultant (among other things!) so of course, my opinion would be yes, use that service, lol. But you know, I used script consultants before I was one and I found it to be helpful to find someone who can give you feedback in an organized, matter-of-fact, honest yet encouraging way. I think the bottom line is that you can only get so far with feedback from friends or fellow writers. Paying a consultant is like going to a specialist. You know? If I want my hair colored so it's okay, I do it myself. If I want it to be AWESOME I go to someone who colors hair for a living. :)

Daniel Delago - May 4, 2012 1:04am

Julie, how much are your script analysis fees? A literary/talent agency in Santa Monica gave me the green light to send a copy of my latest script to them. I'm sure it came from a reader that liked my logline. I just want to make sure I show them the best polished example of my work because I know you only get one chance to impress them.

Julie Gray - May 4, 2012 6:11am

Hi Daniel - you can contact me at storieswb@gmail.com

Denise Loughlin

May 3, 2012 · view discussion

So inspiring, thanks for all the support and inspiration!

Saulo Valley

May 3, 2012 · view discussion

Divine lession! Thanks so much for this inspirational moment!

Babz Bitela, Agent/Silver Bitela

May 3, 2012 · view discussion

LOVE HER! bb

Julie Gray - May 3, 2012 5:51pm

Heya Babz! Back atcha! xoxoo

April 27, 2012

65 comments

Competition Season

There's a peak season for just about everything... When it comes to screenwriting, that time is now. I asked Stage 32 member and screenwriting guru, Julie Gray to break things down.

A regular contributor to the Huffington Post, Julie directs the Just Effing Entertain Me Screenwriting Competition. Julie has read at production companies including: Walden Media (Narnia, Holes, Journey to the Center of the Earth), Red Wagon (Sony: Memoirs of a Geisha), Cinergi (Swim Fan, The Terminator), Bedford Falls (Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai) and Seed Productions (Hugh Jackman and John Palermo), Julie consults privately with a variety of writers all over the world and has taught at the Oxford Student Union at Oxford University, The West England University in Bristol and San Francisco University in Quito, Ecuador.

Julie also teaches screenwriting classes at Warner Bros., The Great American Pitchfest, The Creative Screenwriting Expo and the Willamette Writer's Conference in Portland, Oregon.

Finally, Julie is a volunteer at the Afghan Women's Writing Project, and is the founder of Stories Without Borders, a non-profit organization committed to fostering the creative voices of students and women in the Middle East through the medium of film. A resident of Tel Aviv, Julie's ebook, Just Effing Entertain Me will be available at the Amazon Kindle Store in late spring, 2012. Her ebook I am Not Myself: A Year Grieving Suicide is currently available on Kindle.

You can check out Julie's Stage 32 profile here.

Enjoy,

RB

Julie Gray

Every spring, just like birds returning to their native habitat or the migrating butterflies of San Juan Capistrano, screenwriting competitions open their doors for yet another season. And what a flurry it is!

Every year, it seems there are more and more competitions available!

So … what’s good about competitions? Well, aside from the prizes, what competitions really provide for writers are goals and deadlines. But more than that, competitions can offer a way to gauge your writing against that of other writers. It helps you test the waters, in other words. How is your writing compared to other screenwriters? Is your premise as unique as you think? Is your writing fast, fun and engaging? Going up against thousands of other writers is a good way to find out how you are doing.

There is, of course, a great deal of subjectivity in competition judging. I had a script optioned at Fox that just for fun I entered in the Austin Screenwriting Competition. It quarter-finaled only. Oh! The sound and the fury! But I didn’t take it personally. I have run a screenwriting competition for five years now and I get that while there are guidelines and minimums every writer has to meet, there is also just plain old subjectivity.

If you do well in more than one competition, or if you place as a semi-finalist in at least one, you can indeed know that your writing is competitive. And that knowledge does two things: it gives you perspective and it energizes you to keep writing. It is validation, in other words, and we writers really need some good old-fashioned “you done good” approval once in awhile. Can you really put a price on that?

The truth about being a quarterfinalist is that it simply means that your script was better than average. But the thing is, that the average script entered in a competition isn’t very good. Your initial competition is writers who jot off scripts too quickly and enter under-cooked scripts with a thin premise, two-dimensional characters and humungously dense action lines. But that’s only the first wave. After that, as the judges sort through the scripts and compare them to established criteria of competency, artfulness and originality, the competition can be very fierce. That’s your REAL competition, so aim high.

Entering competitions, in my opinion, is a fun way to get and stay motivated, to find out how you are doing compared to others, and to maybe - just maybe - collect some pretty cool prizes.

Not all competitions are the same. Some provide notes and feedback; most don’t. Some are new, some have very old track records (Nicholl comes to mind). Some offer big cash prizes, others offer smaller, more pragmatic prizes. Yes, you can enter your script into as many competitions as you like.

Before entering a competition, ask yourself what your desired outcome is. Of course, everybody wants to win, but you should also seek something more pragmatic and that is to simply see how your work does compared to that of others. If you only get to the quarter-final round, you can certainly mark that as an accomplishment; but when the semis are announced, read the loglines and try to figure out where those writers parted ways from you in terms of premise.

Make sure that the competition you entered is an established one. Winning a semi-final in the Downtown Albuquerque Whatever Competition doesn’t exactly do you any good.

Writers usually have pretty limited resources - most of us have day jobs or other obligations. Nobody has an endless supply of competition entry fees. So choose 4 or 5 comps each year that you submit to.

For my money, the top competitions really worth entering are:

The Final Draft Big Break Competition (final deadline June 15th, 2012)
The Nicholl Competition (hurry, May 1st is the deadline this year!)
The Blue Cat Screenwriting Competition (November 15th, final deadline)
The Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition (June 1st, final deadline)
The Just Effing Entertain Me Competition (final deadline July 12th)

What? I just listed my own competition! Well, of course I did and here’s why: because I am a writer and have entered many of these competitions before I directed my own. I get what’s hard and what’s fun about these competitions. So I designed a competition that awards the winners something much more valuable than cash money - an experience. Click HERE to read about the experiences of past winners.

The bottom line is that like anything else, screenwriting is full of opportunities and widgets and classes and conferences and books that you can spend your money on. But there’s a more important bottom line for writers and that is to write and write and write and write. Even as I write this, it is a beautiful, sunny day in Tel Aviv outside. I would LOVE to go to the beach or do something fun. But I have a lot of writing to do. And it won’t write itself. So there are sacrifices we have to make. Nobody got rich writing one script and then going to a conference to talk about writing scripts. No, chair in butt, unfortunately, is the only way and that’s a fact.

Spend more time writing than you do on online forums about screenwriting. Spend more time writing than you do going to conferences about writing. Spend more time writing than reading about writing. Be judicious with your time and your money. Conferences, books, DVDs, etc. are a wonderful way to bone up on your writing. But choose carefully and well how you spend your money and your time.

Entering a couple of scripts in 3 or 4 competitions each year is a good motivator to get your writing done - on time - and it is also a pretty low investment for what can be a very high return.

Here are five tips before entering any competition:

Make sure you’ve gotten and implemented feedback from at least 2 or 3 sources.
Proofread your script to within an inch of its life. Don’t let a typo or 18 cut you loose.
Write a great logline for the script, whether it is requested or not. Stay under 50 words.
Follow entry directions carefully and provide all materials requested so you don’t get disqualified on a technicality.
Submit and don’t look back :). Send those scripts in and get right back to your writing, in other words. Let the announcements come as a wonderful surprise.

Julie will be available to answer questions and respond to any remarks. We also welcome any productive banter, including your experiences with contests, in the comments section below.

Anugerah Wardana

May 10, 2012 · view discussion

Wow.! that's Great

Suzanna Johnson

Apr 30, 2012 · view discussion

Thanks Julie! I read this blog earlier and it encouraged me to just keep entering. I entered the following screenplay contests this year: Nicholl, Pipeline, Page, Scriptpalooza, and Sundance Screenwriter's Lab. I also posted my screenplay yesterday at Talentville and I am thinking about posting it here. As an extremely busy person, I decided "What the heck do I have to lose?" Now, I need to heed your advice and let the announcements come as a wonderful surprise or disappointment later on...good thing I'm so busy this time of year. Thanks again for the advice and encouragement.

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View all 6 comments…

Richard "RB" Botto - May 4, 2012 9:04am

Hey Ruth...I appreciate the post! I'm glad you brought up Ink Tip...Always a hot button topic in the screenwriting community. Some swear by it. Some say it's a breeding ground for production companies with no juice who are just looking to option material for free. I've had no experience either way, but I know there are screenwriters on the site who have brought the subject up in the past. Would you be willing to share some of your experiences with the site/product?

Ruth Atkinson - May 5, 2012 4:57am

happy to. i've reached out to a couple of clients who used inktip to get their thoughts and will post more shortly...

Richard "RB" Botto - May 5, 2012 1:24pm

Appreciate it, Ruth...Looking forward to it. Might not be a bad topic for the Screenwriting section of the Stage 32 Forum as well...

Ruth Atkinson - May 7, 2012 3:41am

I first learned about Inktip when I was hired by a director to develop a script she found there. Anne, who had directed a short film, went to Inktip in search of her first feature project. She found a script she liked, optioned it and on a referral from FIND (Film Independent) we started working together. The original writer had limited experience so Anne hired a new writer and with the additional help of her producers developed the piece into a script strong enough to attract Kathleen Turner. Flash forward 4 years and that script is now a completed feature film, The Perfect Family, showing in theaters as I write this!! While admittedly the original writer wasn’t involved in the development of the script it’s still a win-win as she was paid for the script and received a writing credit.

So that’s certainly one of the better outcomes a writer could hope for when using Inktip. One of my clients, who lives in Alaska, posted her eco-thriller on Inktip didn’t have quite as much success and has this to say, “While in the course of 4 months, I got about 40-50 hits on my logline, I did not get a single read of my synopsis. I tried several different loglines and although each new logline generated a spurt of hits, it still did not lead to anyone reading my synopsis. My take away is that those who use Inktip have a specific production already in mind and they looking for scripts that match their pre-determined need. They don’t use Inktip to explore and consider new ideas per se.”

Another client, who is on the East Coast, received a lot of interest for his buddy comedy on Inktip and says, “I think InkTip provides a great service for out-of-towners looking to have their scripts reviewed by real producers and real agents/managers who seek new material or writers to rep. One thing is that many of the producers/agents/managers are just like the writers - people trying to break into the playing field. But that's a small negative compared to the positives of the service.”

My feeling is it’s relatively low cost, nominal work (you’ve already done the heavy lifting by writing the script!) and there’s little to lose. I have one caveat here and that’s I would suggest using Inktip after you’ve exhausted traditional methods for getting your work out there such as query letters, pitchfests and A-list contests (ie: Nicholls). These are the routes more likely to get you an option/sale and lead to the kind of networking you need to move your career forward. After that, why not post on Inktip? Seems better to have it there than sitting in your desk drawer where no one can read it!

So that’s my experience with Inktip. Love to hear further thoughts.

Ryan D. Canty

May 2, 2012 · view discussion

Great post, Julie!

Geno Scala

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

I find this "article" to be more of a spam mail, self-serving newsletter than anything remotely educational, newsworthy or accurate. Imagine putting your own contest on a (short) list that includes The Nicholl and The Blue Cat? I guess everyone is allowed an "opinion"...so how about the "tips" regarding a logline? I suppose adding a logline would be a requirement of a contest that requests one, but to include one when it is not requested comes off as arrogant and shows ME that you failed to follow directions; ironically the very next "tip". Keeping a logline under 50 words? Are you kidding? Try cutting that in half- that's what a real logline is. If you submitted a logline of fifty words, you just forwarded your synopsis. Btw, the "peak" of the competition season for entering was the first three-four months of the year. That's when the early-bird discounts are in effect. If you are paying another 25% because you want to enter a contest that others entered for less, and have no advantage for paying top dollar, be my guest. As I said, everyone has, and is entitled to an opinion. I just find this opinion to be less grounded in helpful information for the screenwriter and more grounded in the quest for the almighty dollar.

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John R Worsley - Apr 30, 2012 6:20am

Julie Gray is living in Tel Aviv to create a filmmaking center for Jewish and Arab women to come together to create short films collaboratively. She's a warm person with a large heart. To accuse her of being self-serving and motivated primarily by money can only mean you don't know her.

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 30, 2012 12:35pm

You're entitled to your opinion, Geno, but you couldn't be more off base. Julie has not only been in the business for a long while, but she has helped hundreds of writers.

She spent the last week teaching screenwriting to Palestinian teenage girls.

Self serving indeed...

Colin T Mercer - May 1, 2012 4:38am

I have to agree with RB, I was born and raised in Belfast Northern Ireland during the worst years of the troubles. I feel that Julie is making the most positive happened from a negative source situation. I have realized, as I am sure she has, that sometimes great inspiration and results can be born out of the worst situations and happenings that man is capable of and that through it all there are people on both sides feeling the same.

Richard "RB" Botto - May 1, 2012 7:38pm

Great post, Colin. Inspiring...And I couldn't agree more. Thank you.

Ben Trebilcook

Apr 28, 2012 · view discussion

A brilliant article. Great one, Julie and cheers for getting this doing one on this, RB. I especially like "Going up against thousands of other writers is a good way to find out how you are doing."

I thought I'd enter the Scriptapalooza comp a few weeks ago. I had never entered a screenplay competition before and as I had just completed perhaps one of the most bizarre scripts I had ever written, I thought I'd enter it. See how it fared and as Julie said: Submit and don’t look back :)

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Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 30, 2012 12:28pm

Think that's a great approach, Ben. I applaud you for testing the waters. But, as with anything creative, the process is extremely subjective. I know someone who was a finalist at the Page who didn't even make the first cut at the Nicholl with the same script. so when it comes to competitions, keeping perspective is key.

Ben Trebilcook - Apr 30, 2012 12:48pm

Keeping perspective entirely, RB! Nobody has requested the script and I don't have an agent anymore to pimp it out, so whilst I'm casting and awaiting financing for my movie Knockout, I thought 'what the heck, give it a go!' Cheers for the encouraging boost as ever pal.

Richard "RB" Botto - May 1, 2012 8:23am

Think that's absolutely the right approach, Ben. As the saying goes, there's no one road into town...Not in this business.

Curt Blakeney

Apr 30, 2012 · view discussion

Great info Julie! Thanks for the fantastic contribution! I dig your writing style. Love to see more in the future.

Luis Machicao

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

How about asking me for wardrobe design possibilities? I'm really looking forward to work with people who really need my services as a designer.

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 27, 2012 3:32pm

I would check out the Stage 32 Lounge, Luis.

Linda C Smith - Apr 30, 2012 2:20pm

Any thoughts about the contest run by The Writers Store, "The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest" which gives all entrants the same logline and you enter with the first 15 pages of whatever your treatment/story is for that logline.

Andrew T. Halmay (Andy)

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

Good to read your list of competitions. I'd previously heard of only one of these. Two items have kept me away from competitions - actually three. 1. Charlie Chaplin once entered a Chaplin-look-alike contest and won third prize. 2. I'm a bottom line thinker and have analyzed the economics of script contests which led me to speculate that the only way for the promoters to make money or break even, is to dump two thirds of the submitted scripts without reading them. In fact, in my files I have a film outline about a Hollywood Hustler who gets his start in this very way. 3. In my bible it says: "Never waste time or money showing literary output to friends, relatives or strangers who are not in a position to buy your output. Sticking to these rules I've made some meaningful money on options and sales without ever having a script produced. Cheers, Andy.

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Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 30, 2012 12:31pm

No 2 is one reason to stick with the reputable competitions, Andrew. I wish you the best of luck!

Jared Kelly

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

I was lucky enough to win Julie's competition in 2011 and can't recommend the competition (and Julie) enough.

I've now spent time in the inner sanctum of working Hollywood, and you'd be very surprised just how many script competitions are genuinely not given any real weight by the gate-keepers - renowned competitions that market and sell themselves as being a direct route to these gate-keepers are not even known by many of the top development execs. When you consider the steady stream of competition marketing we're all continually subjected to, it was a real surprise to discover that the industry just doesn't care about the majority of them.

They are only interested in personal recommendations from trusted sources, such as recommendations from agents and managers, which is where Julie comes in, as her word and ability is clearly trusted. If you need any proof of that, just think about the fact Warner Bros employ Julie to teach their 'experts' about story and craft. When I visited Warner Bros (and Dreamworks) with Julie, on entering the premises she's treated like royalty (much to her humble embarrassment!).

Also consider Julie's story experience and ability combined with the fact she personally manages all script submissions to her comp (last year she made a point of reading the first 10 pages of all scripts rejected by her own judges!!!) that's a lot of time, but it's that kind of commitment to the cause that is exactly the kind of thing that Julie is all about - genuinely caring about the writer, not just the check they've handed over!

That kind of enthusiasm is reassuring because being concerned about the ability of the reader is a massive concern for all writers handing over their baby to an unknown entity. Compare that to some major competitions who market themselves as offering fantastic feedback as part of the deal, yet who seem to consistently deliver feedback that is below par (and shockingly embarrassing in some cases). I have spoken to quite a few screenwriters who have told me, and showed me evidence, of shocking stories of complete incompetence by one such major feedback competition.

I really should add that Julie hasn't asked me to write this, and knowing her I guarantee she will feel extremely uncomfortable and awkward about me suggesting the sun shines out of her ass! :) But the fact is she's one of the few genuinely good spirits in this often cut-throat business and it's something I would happily shout from the rooftops! She's on our side.

You can read about my experience here: http://www.justeffing.com/screenwriting-competition-previous-winners/

Good luck with your writing everyone and keep on keeping on. x

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Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 30, 2012 12:30pm

Excellent post, Jared...Really can't add a thing.

This should be required reading by all aspiring screenwriters. Thanks for taking the time to contribute!

MJ Brewer

Apr 28, 2012 · view discussion

All of this is terrific information! Writing is something I really enjoy and would love to make a screenplay profession out of. Reading everyone's information of success, like walking in footsteps on the beach, is a tumultuous task and I have to say that this is the most detailed, yet to the point, information I've seen yet. Thankful I read this email and grateful to you for sending it to me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some writing to do!

www.breakingchase.com

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Julie Gray - Apr 28, 2012 12:27pm

You go, MJ! Make me proud - get on that writing

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 30, 2012 12:29pm

Love the enthusiasm, MJ!

Eisha Marjara

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

Thanks for the advice. I just submitted my script to my first ever screenwriting competition. Can you give advice as to what competition might be better suited for the genre you are writing? Festivals, for example sometimes give preference to certain types of films (according to genre, theme, length etc). Is that the case for script competitions?

Trevor Mayes - Apr 27, 2012 2:53pm

@Eisha - I like your question too! I didn't submit to the Austin Film competition this year, because I don't like how they only have two main categories -- comedy and drama. They suggest that if your script isn't entirely comedy you should submit it to drama. But then what if you have an action-comedy? It seems strange to submit it under Drama.

I know Nicholl lets you check off which genres apply to your script, so I like that.

Final Draft lets you pick from multiple genres, but only lets you select the primary one.

Hope that helps a bit!

Eisha Marjara - Apr 27, 2012 2:59pm

Yes, thank you Trevor!

Julie Gray - Apr 28, 2012 12:32am

That is a very good question. I can only answer for my competition, but we do give genre prizes, but have no preference, ultimately, when it comes to the winner. So far, the grand prize winners have been: drama, thriller, comedy and horror. We just look for the best scripts.

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 30, 2012 12:26pm

While it's true that some competitions break things down by genre, many of those distill even deeper by rewarding scripts with a high concept. To me, that's not a screenwriting competition, that's a search for a marketable script.

Although I agree, it's tough to judge a horror script against a, let's say, period piece, most judges (as Julie mentions) are simply looking for the best work regardless of any genre. Austin does this very well. The track record speaks for itself.

Trevor Mayes

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

Hi Julie, great write-up! Quick question: What are your thoughts on the timing of script submissions to contests? I've heard that most contest readers make their minds up fairly quickly to reach their quota of selected scripts. Would you agree that there's an advantage to submitting scripts to contests well ahead of the deadline?

Eisha Marjara - Apr 27, 2012 2:41pm

@Trevor - Good question!

Aaron Majewski - Apr 27, 2012 4:14pm

I think your suggestions on writing more than you talk about it, read about it ect, are dead on. And your obvious positivity just shines through your post!

Julie Gray - Apr 28, 2012 12:30am

Hey Trevor - it makes no difference. Judges have judging guidelines that they have to adhere to. They get assigned a number of scripts and then the judges and scripts get switched up (in my competition, anyway) to ensure fair judging.

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 30, 2012 12:18pm

I have to agree...Speaking with some of the judges down at Austin, the general consensus is that whether they read it early or late in the process, a good script is a good script.

Aaron Majewski

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

I think your suggestions on writing more than you talk about it, read about it ect, are dead on. And your obvious positivity just shines through your post!

Julie Gray - Apr 28, 2012 12:01am

Oh wow, thank you, Aaron! If you can be positive while living in Israel, I consider this a major feat :)

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 30, 2012 12:18pm

Appreciate the contribution, as always, Aaron.

RJ SMITH

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

awesome article.

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 30, 2012 12:17pm

Thanks, RJ...Julie really covered all the bases.

Andrew T. Halmay (Andy)

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

CONFESSION! I'm impulsive, easily swayed and have too little self-discipline. Your notes, Julie, and the enthusiastic comments by others - plus the 11th-hour deadline by the Nicholl Competition (plus the fact that it's from the Academy, which is more likely to be Kosher) prompted me to submit a screenplay to this competition. If I win anything I'll ask you to meet me at a lovely restaurant along the boardwalk between Jaffa and Tel Aviv. I walked the entire boardwalk on a warm November day in 07 and befriended a number of very special cats and kittens along the way. You have an interesting breed there, rather petite, and quite likely direct descendants of the sacred cat Goddess worshiped by the Pharaohs in Egypt's saner days.

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Julie Gray - Apr 29, 2012 10:20pm

That's great, Andrew! Good luck! Nicholl is quite prestigious! I LOVE the kitties here! So many. And they are feral. Israel has a huge problem with feral cats. There are over 50,000 in Jerusalem alone. Actually the cats here are mostly descended from cats the British brought here during the mandate!

Clorine Jackson

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

Hi Julie, Thanks for your interesting article on contests, and I agree with what you say about subjectivity. I used to belong to a screenwritng group started up by a number of local screenwriters here in Adelaide, South Australia and we'd read a script each fortnight and give each other feedback. I discovered that the first read through was totally subjective and I'd miss a few things when I made notes that on the second read through I'd pick up on. I've had several scripts reviewed by so called professionals since, which I found unsatisfactory as I realized from the notes given that they'd only bothered to read it through once. I entered a competition this year called the Page Awards, have you heard of that one?

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Julie Gray - Apr 29, 2012 10:19pm

Subjectivity is a fact of life. But screenplay judges have a required number of pages they have to read and they also have grids they have to fill out, rating various aspects of the script.

DrGlen Hepker

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

Thanks so much for sharing about Julie - it means a lot!

http://www.aglimpseofheaven-thephilosophyoftruehealth.com - http://www.youtube.com/user/DrGlenHepker -

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Wanda Weaver Kight

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

Thanks Julie. Trying to figure out which contests to enter this year.

Andrew Leckonby

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

Really interesting read, Julie, I have submitted to a couple of competitions on the list. Thanks for the heads up!

Michael Hager

Apr 28, 2012 · view discussion

What about Script Pipeline? Open to both TV and silver screen entries (deadline, May 1) http://www.scriptpipeline.com/screenwriting-competition

Julie Gray - Apr 29, 2012 7:59am

Also a good one, Michael! And I like the guys at Script Pipeline (formerly known as Script Pimp, I believe!)

Daniel Delago

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

Insightful article. I had a bad experience with Blue Cat Screenwriting Competition. They provide feedback on your script. The readers are young, college types and not industry professionals. The notes were subpar compared to what I've received from other competitions.

Julie Gray - Apr 28, 2012 12:28pm

Well, you know, Blue Cat really is very good overall. Gordy Hoffman is a great guy and he's very professional. You have to know that judges get paid very, very little and a lot of them are in fact new to script reading - it's a good way for them to gain experience . You may have gotten some particularly inexperienced readers that time but I wouldn't take that as an accurate snapshot of Blue Cat. I was once a Blue Cat judge myself!

Daniel Delago - Apr 28, 2012 1:03pm

I will enter my latest screenplay in Nicholl in the next few days. The deadline is looming (ticktock). I also have a talent agency interested in it. Maybe I'll enter your contest. You sound very professional and I like your comments. Anyway, I know who Gordy's brother is. Now if Philip Seymour Hoffman read my script and told me it was pure dog poop, I would be flattered. Lol

Julie Gray - Apr 29, 2012 7:58am

LOL, yes, Philip is Gordy's brother, all right. Although from what I understand from Gordy, he is not involved in Blue Cat.

Phyllis K Twombly

Apr 28, 2012 · view discussion

Thank you for giving us this window into the other side of screenplay competitions. It helps to have a short list when there are so many out there (many of which are currently cramming the inbox of screenwriters everywhere.) I keep telling myself to wear blinders until my work is complete. There will always be another competition but there's only one chance to make a good first impression.

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Julie Gray - Apr 29, 2012 7:58am

That's RIGHT, Phyllis! Competitions are fun and a great way to set deadlines but they are frosting compared to just generating fresh work. The writer who you are competing against is writing every single day, no matter what.

MARK RATERING

Apr 28, 2012 · view discussion

THAT IS GREAT ADVICE. HEY EVERYONE WHAT DOES AN OPTION PAY NOW? IT'S BEEN AWHILE??? TNX MARK

Julie Gray - Apr 29, 2012 7:57am

it really depends upon whom is giving you the option, Mark. The mystical "dollar" option really does exist and it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's still an opportunity although it does tie up your work for the duration of the option.

Lisa Vandiver

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

Thanks for this advice. As a new Screenplay writer, this info is VALUABLE! I appreciate any and all good advice.

Loris Rizzo

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

For those who have a screenplay and want to give it a chance, there's also Amazon Studios. They've revised some of their procedures recently, so it's worth a try. I put a a script of mine there also to see how things work. http://studios.amazon.com/scripts/11976

Benjamin Barak Andrews

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

Very informative Julie. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Maddie Paige

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

Hm.

April 23, 2012

18 comments

Following The Nerd

Richard "RB" Botto

When he's not enjoying a pint at his favorite local pub, Marc Savage runs a terrific site out of Ireland called Following The Nerd. He also hosts an equally brilliant podcast. Marc was gracious enough to have me as a guest on the show, and we discussed all things 32 including welcoming our 50,000th member to what the future has in store. My thanks goes out to him for his time and his generosity of spirit.

Special thanks also to my friend, Scott Myers. Scott runs Go Into The Story, simply the most comprehensive screenwriting blog on the web. With no less than six updates a day, nobody brings the effort like Scott. From tips to honing your craft, to breaking down screenplays, to what's selling, the information Scott doles out on GITS is second to none. I have been a reader and a fan for years. I cannot recommend the site highly enough. Go... bookmark... go again...

Scott was kind enough to cover our 50,000th member milestone... I'm deeply appreciative.

Click here to listen to the Following The Nerd podcast (Fast forward to 60:20 for the start of the Stage 32 segment): FTN weekly Podcast Episode 18

Read Scott's coverage of Stage 32 on Go Into The Story here: Go Into The Story: Congratulations, Stage 32!

Please feel free to leave remarks in both the Following The Nerd and Go Into The Story comments section.

As always, if you have any questions or remarks for me, please post them below.

Thanks again to Marc and Scott.

Best, RB

DrGlen Hepker

Apr 29, 2012 · view discussion

Dear RB:

Once again, great stuff! Thanks so much for sharing...please know it means a lot!

Warmest regards -- Dr. Glen Hepker

http://www.youtube.com/user/DrGlenHepker http://www.aglimpseofheaven-thephilosophyoftruehealth.com - http://www.amazon.com/Glimpse-Heaven-Philosophy-True-Health/dp/1463687125/ref=sr11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331358849&sr=1-1 -

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John Harman

Apr 27, 2012 · view discussion

Good to see you interviewed and you created a great site! Now the even the "Common Nerdy Ape" can pound his chest! I love my T-shirt! Only the Stage 32 is fading.

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 27, 2012 11:26am

Thanks, John! Fading? What the hell are you doing to that thing? :)

John Harman - Apr 28, 2012 9:39am

I just wear it! I golf a lot too! :)

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 28, 2012 4:26pm

Ahhh...Got it!

Gilbert Mbeh

Apr 26, 2012 · view discussion

Congrast, Listed it on my blog to let go the word.

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 27, 2012 11:26am

Very cool of you, Gilbert. Appreciate you re-posting and spreading the word. Means a great deal.

Emanuel Camacho

Apr 25, 2012 · view discussion

Congratulations, re-listed the podcast on our social networks to help spread the word. Cheers.

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 27, 2012 11:25am

Appreciate you doing that, Emanuel. Paying it forward...That's what it is all about. Thanks for spreading the word!

Margaret S. Smith

Apr 25, 2012 · view discussion

These are terrific - definitely bookmarking. Thanks for the heads up. :)

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 27, 2012 11:24am

Thanks, Margaret...One of our goals with the site is to make sure it's content rich. We want to educate and inform. Keep looking to this space for more features. Thanks again!

Stephen Richard Melling

Apr 24, 2012 · view discussion

I'm listening to the podcast now. Sounding good Richard!

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 27, 2012 11:24am

Thanks, Stephen. Marc and his crew did a fantastic job. Really enjoyed the interview.

Seán Martyn

Apr 23, 2012 · view discussion

Thanks for the update RB also congrats on stage32 its going great keep up the good work

Richard "RB" Botto - Apr 27, 2012 11:23am

Appreciate that, Sean...Much more to come!

Billy Kravitz

Apr 25, 2012 · view discussion

Wow...this is a whole different part of the forest for me. It's like I dreamed it. Only on for a few seconds. Still dizzy. please browse through my more than 1,000 page series of lengthy story arcs, akin to readable film treatments called Vampire Wonderland (but that's just the title) at http://bit.ly/gw7fAE or go to You Tube and search Vampire Wonderland 4.24.2012 for our first visual (a blog trailer)... Put your stuff up on our blog COMMENTS too. Take all the space you want. Make it like a guest blog. I gotta go sit down.

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Jason Stuart

Apr 23, 2012 · view discussion

ID BE HAPPY TO BE A GUEST IF THAT'S WHAT YOUR ASKING

Bobby Reed

Apr 23, 2012 · view discussion

Funny you should mention Nerds. I'm in the middle of shooting ANGRY VIDEO GAME NERD (the internet sensation's feature) for James Rolfe. I'm the hateful video game company owner. Stay tuned.

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The founders

Richard "RB" Botto is co-founder of Stage 32 and CEO of Fair Warning Productions. In 2010, he was an Associate Producer on Sam Levinson's first feature, Another Happy Day. Previously, he was the founder, publisher, and editor of Razor magazine. His latest screenplay, Rocket's Red Glare, was a top 10% finisher in the 2011 Nicholl Screenwriting competition.

Curt Blakeney is co-founder of Stage 32 and CFO of Fair Warning Productions. He is also president of Edge Public Relations, a firm that specializes in media exposure and PR campaigns. He served as Editor in Chief of several sports, lifestyle and business publications, and also spent time as a radio talk show host on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. Blakeney is working on his first script, called "Sports Radio."

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