"The Ultimate Screenwriting Challenge!" discussion thread.

Joe Calabrese · Aug 28, 2005

Please submit entries in the "submit thread" and only post work there.

Here is where you can talk about the competition, the entries (when posted), ask questions, etc...

Joe Calabrese · Aug 28, 2005

Nikee. Copied it to here.

NikeeGoddess said:
1 - can it be an adaptation of the "title" to the news article or are we expected to adapt from the information in the article? because i can just take the title and run with it. i don't need no stinkin' article

2 - just clarifying - 10 properly formatted script pages (not a treatment or synopsis) due by 9/17? and you used the term "the hook" so i'm assuming it's suppose to be the first 10 pages of the script. not something from act 2 (if there was an act 2). am i right?

Joe Calabrese · Aug 28, 2005

The article should be the inspiration and I assume the title could inspire you as well. However I warn that most voters may look for at least some small connection to the subject in the article and not just the title.

"The Hook" is the beginning of your script which tells the reader the genre, tone, intros the protagonist and ultimately tells what the basic film is about. It can be up to ten pages. If you can accomplish the hook in less, good for you.

And yes, this should be in the form of a properly formatted screenplay, TV script or Stageplay.

No synopsis or treatments.

Annabanana · Aug 28, 2005

Who does the jury of peers consist of? Is it sort of an everyone gets one vote but can't vote for themselves sort of deal?

Joe Calabrese · Aug 28, 2005

Yup.
One member, one vote. You can vote for yourself if you want. Bush did.

PS. I can see if a member tries something sneaky.

Annabanana · Aug 28, 2005

So essentially the people not submitting an entry are the tie breakers?

NikeeGoddess · Aug 28, 2005

have you thought this all out?

yeah, what's the point of having one vote. who is going to spend all that time working on a project and then "not" vote for themselves?! it doesn't really make sense in that respect.

somewhere on another board they gave everyone 3 votes which works to eliminate the non-entrant tie breaker factor.

question: is the voting open to the public? or blind like a survey?.... to eliminate the popularity and "i don't like your posts so i'm not going to vote for you" factors.

StephieM · Aug 29, 2005

Should we include a logline, that way the person reading it has a good idea of where it is supposed to be heading? And with the title should we include the genre, so the reader can determine wether or not the tone is fitting?

Steph

dpaterso · Aug 29, 2005

Joe suddenly realizes he's standing in the middle of a minefield.

On that "other board" they're using the 1st, 2nd and 3rd vote system for their fun short script contest (1st place vote earns 3 points, 2nd earns 2 points, 3rd earns 1 point).

And author identities are being kept anonymous so there's no "personal" voting, at least in theory.

I mention these options only for discussion's sake, I'm not pushing or pulling one way or the other. But I know I'll be voting for my entry.

-Derek
Derek's Web Page - stories, screenplays, novels, insanity.

Joe Calabrese · Aug 29, 2005

Not everyone is adept at loglines and it runs the risk of being judged along with the script pages.

I would include a title and genre only.

One vote will work fine since not everyone here will be submitting scripts. I venture that we will have less than a dozen entrants, whereas we have far many more members.

As for making them anonymous so there are no biases, I think that's a good idea.

So, when you are ready to post it, let me know and I will give further instructions to how.

StephieM · Aug 29, 2005

"Not everyone is adept at loglines and it runs the risk of being judged along with the script pages."

Me included. Boy that takes a load off.

Should we post exactly on the 17th. That way no one can look at someone else's work ahead of time? Not worried about anyone stealing anyone else's idea, I just think it would be kind of weird. Does that make sense?

I think the anonymous thing is a good idea. Not naming any names, but there's been a few members who have been kind of partial to other members. And wether we want to admit it or not, it sometimes becomes personal rather than professional. This way it's fair, and no one can say otherwise.

Steph

Joe Calabrese · Aug 29, 2005

Stephanie76 said:
Should we post exactly on the 17th. That way no one can look at someone else's work ahead of time? Not worried about anyone stealing anyone else's idea, I just think it would be kind of weird. Does that make sense?

When you are ready, PM the script pages to me (PM retains all formatting just like a regular post would.) and I will post them under an assumed name with an assigned number. People will vote on Entry 1, 2, 3 and so on.

FYI.

Voting will be for one week, starting the 18th and ending the 25th and then the 2nd task will be announced on the 25th along with the results of week 1.

You will have 2 weeks for the second task, then again 1 week of voting and results.

Then 2 weeks for the last task, 1 week of voting and the winner (and 2nd and 3rd place) will be announced on November 5th.

The working list of prizes is pretty cool so far. We have (so far) the new edition of the HCD, a 1 yr. magazine subscription of your choice, a membership to a top industry database and still waiting to hear, but maybe some software and other cool items.

Good luck to all and please participate.

Win or lose doesn't matter. The purpose of this competition is to give you an idea of how this industry works on the day to day. Task 2, the assignment and 3, the rewrite for hire, will have some real life curve balls thrown in that will make this very interesting.

This will be fun.

Boo_Radley · Aug 29, 2005

Showing my stupidity, here, but then I never claimed to be a genius...

...you're saying you only want the first ten pages, right? Or am I misreading it?

Joe Calabrese · Aug 29, 2005

UP TO 10 PAGES.

As long as you got "the hook" and inciting incident in there.

By the end of reading your sample, a reader should be able to:

Know who the protagonist is and at-least hint to what his/her conflict will be.
Know the genre
The tone.
A basic idea of what the story is about.

In Hollywood if a producer's, agent's or competition reader can't find these things by page 10-12, they will not read your script.

Joe Calabrese · Aug 30, 2005

Hey everyone! Come on and step up to the challenge. I promise it won't be too hard.

Did I mention it is FREE and there are prizes?

It will be fun, so who's in?

Annabanana · Aug 30, 2005

I'm in (and 30% done w/ the assignment!)

Joe Calabrese · Aug 31, 2005

This just in ...

Write Brothers has just given me a $750 "Ultimate Screenwriter's Suite" for the 1st place Winner.

Including:

Movie Magic Screenwriter
Dramatica Pro
StoryView
Word Menu

2nd and 3rd place prizes include a year's subscription to Scr(i)pt, a copy of the new Hollywood Creative Directory and much, much more!

Come on and enter!

After all it's FREE, but you have to let me know you're in by Sept. 10th

NikeeGoddess · Aug 31, 2005

well...

i'm in....but, i'm not readin' no stinking articles. i'm working from the title ONLY.

however, i wish one of the prizes would be something i don't already have

i don't know what that is thou.

Joe Calabrese · Aug 31, 2005

Someone asked a good question.

This forum, its owners, administrators, and/or moderators have no interest in anything you write and you retain all rights to anything you submit. It's your work.

royalguardian · Aug 31, 2005

heys

i hope this isnt the only time you have a screenwriters challenge, i just joined and i cant write my story down that fast. i went through your site too, and i sure am glad i joined here, would be interesting to talk to you.

And the other thing with my script is, since i am Estonian ( tho i have studied english a long time ) it takes some time to expand my vocabulary so i could express the meaning exactly as i ment.

greetings to you all

Joe Calabrese · Aug 31, 2005

Welcome.

StephieM · Sep 1, 2005

Joe Calabrese said:
This just in ...

Write Brothers has just given me a $750 "Ultimate Screenwriter's Suite" for the 1st place Winner.

Including:

Movie Magic Screenwriter
Dramatica Pro
StoryView
Word Menu

2nd and 3rd place prizes include a year's subscription to Scr(i)pt, a copy of the new Hollywood Creative Directory and much, much more!

Come on and enter!

After all it's FREE, but you have to let me know you're in by Sept. 10th

That is sweet! I'm in, but even if I don't win, I'm going to have fun doing it.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

Steph

The ImagiNation · Sep 3, 2005

Come on Joe....Why do you have to have this now right when I start college? If this had taken place during the summer then I would be all up in the compition but oh well...

Good luck to everyone! I'll be voting.

Aldenard · Sep 4, 2005

Questions:

Ok, I'm new around here, and found it because I'm insanely intrigued by scriptwriting. I have an intense passion for movies and love reading and writing, and the fusion of these two has created this love for screenwriting.

I am very interested in this contest, but i have a question: is there an age limit on the awards? like i know in some contests, the winner must be 18 or older and I was wondering if a similar requirement applied this one.

I also have another question: should we write the 10 pages like they will be the begining of a much longer film (such as 200 or so pages) or like that is all the audience will know, or simply be the begining of a much longer work which will not be completed? I ask this because I'm not sure how much I should reveal in the begining (because in the overall scheme of a script, while the first ten pages are important, you don't want to spoil all the fun there)

Also, as a side note, Joe, in your profile you talk about hanging out with Kaufman. Are you talking about Charlie Kaufman? (who wrote such amazing screen jems as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation)

Joe Calabrese · Sep 5, 2005

No. That guy next to me in the pitcure is Lloyd Kaufman-- Owner of Troma Films and Producer of such fine films as Toxic Avenger, Surf Nazis Must Die, and dozens of other low budget Gore / Bad Taste Horror films that have made him rich beyond our dreams. If you click on my profile, the guy in that picture is Udo Kier (Blade, Shadow of the Vampire, etc)

As for your questions.

No age limit or restrictions.

yes. Your submit the opening, UP TO the 1st 10 pages of a much longer script, OR not, if it is a short film.

**** NOTE****

When you PM me your pages (By midnight Sept 17th), please include:

1) your full name,
2) a title,
3) what article(s) inspired it,
4) genre
5) and if you do not have it here, your regular, working email address.

Thanks.

"The Ultimate Screenwriting Challenge!" discussion thread.

Joe Calabrese

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