This initial reading team consisted of me, two execs from Red Planet and three execs from Kudos. We've laughed, cried, argued, debated and agreed. Now, we're at the last hurdle where the final shortlist will be presented to the esteemed judges to make their pick for the winner.
If you don't already know, the judging panel are: Tony Jordan (Red Planet), Jane Featherstone (Kudos), Polly Hill (BBC) and Ben Stoll (C4).
Cor, exciting!
So, they'll be making their decision in the next week or so, with the winner and runners-up notified very shortly afterwards. The Red Planet/Kudos workshops will then take place some time in the New Year, where everyone will receive mentoring and support.
It really is a terrific screenwriting competition. Nothing like it anywhere else in the whole wide worldz. I can't think of one drawback in entering because (a) it's FREE (one of the conditions I insisted on); (b) you start a new script (or polish an existing one); and (c) you have to finish the script, so it gives you motivation.
As with any competition and shortlist, it's extremely tough and subjective to make a choice, so just because your script didn't make the cut doesn't necessarily mean it won't stand you in good stead. All thanks should go to Tony Jordan and Kudos for being so generous and passionate about the competition, and it'll be back next year for a similarly exciting run. More news in December when the winner will be announced!
In the meantime, if you haven't listened to the latest edition of the UK Scriptwriters podcast with me and Tim Clague, then catch up on the site or listen below. In this episode, we've got a great competition, courtesy of movieScope magazine. Up for grabs this month: Movie Magic Software, DVD Screenwriter Series and five trial subscriptions to movieScope (which is a great magazine for any industry insider as it discusses everything from pre-production right through to visual FX and other post-production mysteries).
