Have YOU entered a screenwriting competition?

MrJayVee · Jun 23, 2011

On my blog a few years ago, I interviewed a handful of screenwriters who entered some of the myriad screenwriting competitions. That was a very popular blog and it really opened the eyes of many budding (and not-so-budding) screenwriters.

Well, I'm ready to do another interview.

If you've entered a script comp in the last couple of years (whether you won or not), I'd very much like to hear what your experience was. Interviews will be done via e-mail.

Please get in touch with me here via AW, or e-mail theworkingscreenwriter(at)yahoo.com.

Let's hear from you!
Jim

PS: To the AW moderator: Please feel free to move this to another forum. But keep in mind, this message is meant for screenwriters ONLY. Thanks.

LIVIN · Jun 24, 2011

You should ask the guy who is sueing WME and CAA. Seriously, do a hard-hitting piece. When he says "no" ask why not, since the script entries without names or indications of race would not give any judges any inclination of anything besides SCREENWRITING ABILITY! Crazy.

MrJayVee · Jun 24, 2011

Interview...

If this is the same guy I think it is -- and I'm pretty sure it is -- then I've had many dealings with him. Did a few script critiques for him, too. I sent him an e-mail earlier today to see if he'd like to do an interview for my blog. We'll see if he gets back to me. I'll keep ya posted.

SJS DIRECT · Jun 26, 2011

Entered a couple of contests in 2009. Didn't win any

Most were a waste of time and money. It's a black hole for cash.

The ones that promise to give a writer feedback are a joke. The notes were vague, poorly written and offered me nothing I could work with.

One contest wanted writers to spend even more money to resubmit and get another analysis. I got wise after reading that. $50+$30= MONEY PIT.

From what I've seen, most of the winning scripts are arthouse movies, not commercial stories or that could be sold.

Then I read about a year ago that many of the scripts submitted to these contests aren't even read. And the ones that are, are read by people recruited off Craigslist. That's not the professional opinion of a story a writer is paying for.

Personally I feel the screenplay contests play on a writer's ego and those that write the feedback write negative comments in the hopes of getting writers to continue resubmitting or giving them more money to attend workshops, script coverage, and seminars to "improve" their writing. As I stated before, it's a black hole where money goes out of a writers' pockets, and none comes back. A screenwriter would be better off spending money on queries to prodcos.

Have YOU entered a screenwriting competition?

MrJayVee

Pro scribe

LIVIN

MrJayVee

Pro scribe

SJS DIRECT