Chances are if the contest is new, and not directly connected to a commercial filmmaking entity, it is not worth your time or entrance fee. How long has this competition been in existence? Dozens of competitions come and go every year, making grandiose promises of success for potential entries. How are the organizers connected to the means of production? Is there a direct link, or is the connection, if it exists at all, of the secondary or tertiary nature? There is a great line of dialog in the movie WALL STREET, spoken by Michael Douglas as Gordon Gecko: ™If you are not inside, you are outside.∫ Before you enter your screenplay into a competition, make sure that the organizers have a legitimate ability to help move your screenplay forward.Ĥ. By avoiding the amateurs, you will save yourself a ton of money and disappointment.ģ. Most of them will not read your material all the way through. Who will be reading my screenplay? Many competitions will advertize that your screenplay will be reviewed by a jury of industry professionals, when in reality, it is a group of unpaid interns who do the reading. The word industry is the key here, and its definition should be limited to those entities who work exclusively in the film industry for their livelihood.Ģ. Who is running this contest? Make sure that the organizers are working, industry professionals. So, do your homework and do your best to answer the following questions.ġ. With this in mind, any reward from a screenplay competition should help you accomplish that goal, in a legitimate way. The most important step in getting your screenplay to the screen is to sell it. If your goal is to become a working screenwriter, the goal of entering any competition is to connect with an entity or group of professionals who will either buy or help you sell your screenplay. Begin by asking yourself the important question: What do I want from this? On the back end, most of them will promise one or more, of the following:Ī pitch meeting with an industry executive, agent, or some other industry person with access to the means of production.Ī cash award or some other form of payment in kind, e.g., donated production services.įeedback on your screenplay from an industry expert, or a roundtable meeting with a group of industry folks.īefore pulling out your checkbook and dusting off your screenplay, take out your magnifying glass and do a little bit of homework. spec, short films etc.) Just about every one of them requires an entrance or application fee. Some request entries from writers of specific genres, (horror, romance, etc.) and formats (TV. In the past ten years, these contests have sprung up everywhere. There are literally hundreds of screenplay competitions that a writer can choose from. When I asked her what she had produced, her reply was this: ™Nothing yet. There, I met a woman who claimed that she was a working screenwriter. I had rented a booth and had the opportunity to speak with many aspiring screenwriters. Exhibition, Theater Rentals & Film FestivalsĪ few years ago, I attended a convention that was geared towards aspiring filmmakers and actors here in Connecticut.Hotels, Accommodations & Travel Services.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |