From Red Planet's website:
"Thanks for your patience, but we've now decided on the finalists for the Red Planet Prize. The quality of entrants has been amazing and it's been incredibly hard to decide on those to make it through. Those that haven't made it, take heart. With two thousand entrants we had to be extremely exacting - so do please try again next year!
Over the next week, the finalists will receive requests for their full scripts. We can't, unfortunately, individually reply to everyone else, but do keep writing and thank you."
Rabu, 31 Oktober 2007
Script Call
You may have seen this on Shooting People, Talent Circle, and the like, but they're still open to submissions, and they've got a bit of cash to offer, which is better than none. Actually, it's quite a decent offer, all things considered. And I know the guys involved, and they're top blokes, oh yes.
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Many Hands Productions Thriller Scriptcall
Further to our success in the corporate sector, Many Hands Productions Ltd is now seeking to acquire screenplays for feature film production.
Many Hands Productions is looking for material that...
• Is a member of the Thriller genre only (no horror or gangster material please)...
• Features a UK backdrop...
• Is innovative, and very “pitch-able” – able to hook an audience on the strength of its premise alone...
• Can be shot on a micro-budget...
You must include a 1 PAGE TREATMENT, broken down into the following categories, along with your SCRIPT (in Final Draft or PDF):
• Project title.
• Writer’s name, address, daytime telephone number and email.
• Logline delivered in the industry-standard format (ie. THE FUGITIVE – “After he's wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, a high-powered surgeon escapes custody and hunts down the real killer, a one-armed man”).
• Genre (and sub-genre, if applicable).
• Full narrative synopsis including ending.
The following will harm your application:
• Poor spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Poor layout and failure to follow the above remit.
Many Hands Productions is able to offer a fee of £1000 MINIMUM (contracts will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis) for scripts accepted onto our slate.
Due to the anticipated volume of applications Many Hands Productions will be unable to inform unsuccessful applicants individually. Applicants are not limited to submitting one project, however.
If you do not hear from us, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
Please email your screenplays and 1-page treatments to manyhandsproductions @ googlemail.com and specify “SCRIPTCALL APPLICATION” in capitals in the subject line of your email. Your application will be judged solely on the strength of the material attached, so no text is necessary in the email itself.
Strictly no phonecalls or messages please.
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Many Hands Productions Thriller Scriptcall
Further to our success in the corporate sector, Many Hands Productions Ltd is now seeking to acquire screenplays for feature film production.
Many Hands Productions is looking for material that...
• Is a member of the Thriller genre only (no horror or gangster material please)...
• Features a UK backdrop...
• Is innovative, and very “pitch-able” – able to hook an audience on the strength of its premise alone...
• Can be shot on a micro-budget...
You must include a 1 PAGE TREATMENT, broken down into the following categories, along with your SCRIPT (in Final Draft or PDF):
• Project title.
• Writer’s name, address, daytime telephone number and email.
• Logline delivered in the industry-standard format (ie. THE FUGITIVE – “After he's wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, a high-powered surgeon escapes custody and hunts down the real killer, a one-armed man”).
• Genre (and sub-genre, if applicable).
• Full narrative synopsis including ending.
The following will harm your application:
• Poor spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Poor layout and failure to follow the above remit.
Many Hands Productions is able to offer a fee of £1000 MINIMUM (contracts will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis) for scripts accepted onto our slate.
Due to the anticipated volume of applications Many Hands Productions will be unable to inform unsuccessful applicants individually. Applicants are not limited to submitting one project, however.
If you do not hear from us, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
Please email your screenplays and 1-page treatments to manyhandsproductions @ googlemail.com and specify “SCRIPTCALL APPLICATION” in capitals in the subject line of your email. Your application will be judged solely on the strength of the material attached, so no text is necessary in the email itself.
Strictly no phonecalls or messages please.
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Jumat, 26 Oktober 2007
NaScriptWriMo
It's NaNoWriMo from the 1st of November which means you have to write a novel in a month. Masochists, the lot of you. However, for the scribosphere, surely a NaScriptWriMo is more apt. It would seem to be less challenging and demanding than writing 50,000 words of novel, and you'd have another script under your belt.
There's even books to help you - How to Write a Movie in 21 Days (not even a month!). Phill did one recently in five days - as did I last year over a long weekend, and I'm still recovering. So it can be done. Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on. Or like, don't. No biggie.
There's even books to help you - How to Write a Movie in 21 Days (not even a month!). Phill did one recently in five days - as did I last year over a long weekend, and I'm still recovering. So it can be done. Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on. Or like, don't. No biggie.
Rabu, 17 Oktober 2007
Stuff
Well, you probably know this already but here's the latest on the RPP:
"We are still working our way through the thousands of entries, but still hope to inform those who have made it through by the end of the month. Thanks for your patience and keep your eye on the website for further updates."
Nearly there!
In other comp-related news, I didn't make the semis of the BSSC but had been in with a shout up until then. I wasn't going to get excited or optimistic until the semis (too many rounds!) but my hopes were quickly dashed with the latest announcement.
One of Sam and mine scripts did make the final shortlist of South West Screen's Development Competition so bah, boo, I mean, congratulations to Patrick Evans with his winning entry, White Elephants. We still get feedback off "Bill", which is sweet, so I'm looking forward to that.
There's a new link service called 'Cliq' which looks pretty cool (similar to Technorati's My Favourites), so you may want to check it out. Thanks to Stewart McKie for the heads up.
That is all. Run along.
"We are still working our way through the thousands of entries, but still hope to inform those who have made it through by the end of the month. Thanks for your patience and keep your eye on the website for further updates."
Nearly there!
In other comp-related news, I didn't make the semis of the BSSC but had been in with a shout up until then. I wasn't going to get excited or optimistic until the semis (too many rounds!) but my hopes were quickly dashed with the latest announcement.
One of Sam and mine scripts did make the final shortlist of South West Screen's Development Competition so bah, boo, I mean, congratulations to Patrick Evans with his winning entry, White Elephants. We still get feedback off "Bill", which is sweet, so I'm looking forward to that.
There's a new link service called 'Cliq' which looks pretty cool (similar to Technorati's My Favourites), so you may want to check it out. Thanks to Stewart McKie for the heads up.
That is all. Run along.
Minggu, 14 Oktober 2007
Save Kids' TV
While Jamie's School Dinners was a brilliant campaign by the cheeky chef to raise nutritional awareness all around the country, the knock-on effect meant that 'junk food' was no longer allowed to be advertised during children's telly.
Consequently, budgets for children's TV were slashed, and CiTV took a major hit, turning to rely on imports rather than home-grown commissions. And so, producers and writers have been denied work, and, according to Philip Pullman (patron of Save Kids' TV): "we should be able to trust the television channels to create and broadcast excellent programmes for our children, programmes which reflect the lives of modern British children in the society they know, as well as exploring the imaginative, the funny and the fascinating."
There is a now an on-line petition which will help thrust the Save Kids' TV campaign into the Government’s consciousness (on the 10 Downing Street website). With Ofcom’s consultation on the future of children’s broadcasting under way until the 20th December, now is the time for everyone to sign up in support. A couple of clicks could make all the difference. Sign up here. The Save Kids’ TV website has more on the petition and its aims.
Consequently, budgets for children's TV were slashed, and CiTV took a major hit, turning to rely on imports rather than home-grown commissions. And so, producers and writers have been denied work, and, according to Philip Pullman (patron of Save Kids' TV): "we should be able to trust the television channels to create and broadcast excellent programmes for our children, programmes which reflect the lives of modern British children in the society they know, as well as exploring the imaginative, the funny and the fascinating."
There is a now an on-line petition which will help thrust the Save Kids' TV campaign into the Government’s consciousness (on the 10 Downing Street website). With Ofcom’s consultation on the future of children’s broadcasting under way until the 20th December, now is the time for everyone to sign up in support. A couple of clicks could make all the difference. Sign up here. The Save Kids’ TV website has more on the petition and its aims.
Rabu, 10 Oktober 2007
Story Vault: Analysis Awareness
It's been a blur since 1st September, not just 'cos of the RPP but because of sudden writing deadlines and script editing gigs. It's all coming together nicely and the RPP is getting nearer the second round shortlist as I type. It's still fairly hectic so here's a post from this time last year, about using self-analysis on your scripts. See you soon!
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After a few years of script reading, and an equal amount of effort trying to write scripts of your own, you begin to see things with a bit more clarity and focus than before. The skill of being a script reader starts to compliment the craft of being a screenwriter. It’s all about being aware of the specific reasons why you’re reacting, or not responding, to the characters and story in a script.
Most people will read a script or watch a film and give generic reasons why they did, or did not, like the material. Some of these will touch on the specifics of the story: “that scene was funny”, or “I really liked his character”, but, when pushed, will not be able to adequately describe or explain WHY they really liked the character, or why they thought it was funny.
To make yourself a better reader, and writer, you’ve got to be able to identify the key moments in a script where you’re beginning to form your opinion of the story. The next time you find yourself saying “I don’t like this” or “I don’t like that character”, ask yourself why, and more importantly, where. It could be the key to improving your rewrite, or shaping the film in the edit suite.
People make subliminal judgements on characters and their behaviour from the very first moment they meet them. One misplaced look or line of dialogue could throw them off, and if the plot proceeds in an awkward manner, or the characters behave inconsistently, you’ve lost the audience for good. To amend this outlook, it’s important to retrace the plotting steps to the moment where the characters are first introduced. What do they say, what do they do, and what kind of dramatic or motivational need is established for them at that point?
Does it set up a false expectation for the audience about who the character is, and what the story is about? You may not have noticed. What’s entirely clear for us as writers about our characters and their motives may be ill-defined and unfocused for a reader because of the impartial information and exposition they're gleaning from the words on the page.
Characters are usually the focus and centrepiece of whether or not a reader/audience will engage with your story but there are other essential components to consider too. Tone, concept, structure are all tangible emotional elements despite their academic connotations. If the audience is laughing one minute but thrown by a serious and grim development in the next scene, they may not feel comfortable or satisfied with your choice of direction. Has the concept been effectively dramatised and put into place? Are the audience still struggling to figure out what the film is about?
After thirty pages of a script, we can usually tell if we like the script and/or the characters. If we don’t, it’s beneficial to ask ‘why’: what scene or moment made me think this way about that character? And what was it in the scenes that followed that either confirmed my view or confused me even more? Get down and dirty with the storytelling techniques of the writer. It’s “analysis awareness”; realising what a scene’s purpose is, or what the dialogue is really conveying, and analysing its dramatic and emotional value.
As a reader, this helps to give valuable and constructive feedback in the report. The more specific you can be, the easier it is for the exec, and for the writer who may receive the coverage. As a writer, it’s preferable to be aware of the specific techniques that help us elevate our stories and characters into wonderful and unexpected areas. However, the infinite complexities of story and the subjective nature of opinion will always challenge and divide us, making the pursuit of excellence a never-ending endeavour. It's a bitch, basically.
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After a few years of script reading, and an equal amount of effort trying to write scripts of your own, you begin to see things with a bit more clarity and focus than before. The skill of being a script reader starts to compliment the craft of being a screenwriter. It’s all about being aware of the specific reasons why you’re reacting, or not responding, to the characters and story in a script.
Most people will read a script or watch a film and give generic reasons why they did, or did not, like the material. Some of these will touch on the specifics of the story: “that scene was funny”, or “I really liked his character”, but, when pushed, will not be able to adequately describe or explain WHY they really liked the character, or why they thought it was funny.
To make yourself a better reader, and writer, you’ve got to be able to identify the key moments in a script where you’re beginning to form your opinion of the story. The next time you find yourself saying “I don’t like this” or “I don’t like that character”, ask yourself why, and more importantly, where. It could be the key to improving your rewrite, or shaping the film in the edit suite.
People make subliminal judgements on characters and their behaviour from the very first moment they meet them. One misplaced look or line of dialogue could throw them off, and if the plot proceeds in an awkward manner, or the characters behave inconsistently, you’ve lost the audience for good. To amend this outlook, it’s important to retrace the plotting steps to the moment where the characters are first introduced. What do they say, what do they do, and what kind of dramatic or motivational need is established for them at that point?
Does it set up a false expectation for the audience about who the character is, and what the story is about? You may not have noticed. What’s entirely clear for us as writers about our characters and their motives may be ill-defined and unfocused for a reader because of the impartial information and exposition they're gleaning from the words on the page.
Characters are usually the focus and centrepiece of whether or not a reader/audience will engage with your story but there are other essential components to consider too. Tone, concept, structure are all tangible emotional elements despite their academic connotations. If the audience is laughing one minute but thrown by a serious and grim development in the next scene, they may not feel comfortable or satisfied with your choice of direction. Has the concept been effectively dramatised and put into place? Are the audience still struggling to figure out what the film is about?
After thirty pages of a script, we can usually tell if we like the script and/or the characters. If we don’t, it’s beneficial to ask ‘why’: what scene or moment made me think this way about that character? And what was it in the scenes that followed that either confirmed my view or confused me even more? Get down and dirty with the storytelling techniques of the writer. It’s “analysis awareness”; realising what a scene’s purpose is, or what the dialogue is really conveying, and analysing its dramatic and emotional value.
As a reader, this helps to give valuable and constructive feedback in the report. The more specific you can be, the easier it is for the exec, and for the writer who may receive the coverage. As a writer, it’s preferable to be aware of the specific techniques that help us elevate our stories and characters into wonderful and unexpected areas. However, the infinite complexities of story and the subjective nature of opinion will always challenge and divide us, making the pursuit of excellence a never-ending endeavour. It's a bitch, basically.
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