Hey all, if you haven’t already checked out our newsletter, our twitter page, or our FB page, please note that we’re putting on a cool competition! Here’s what we sent to our users yesterday:
Scripped will award the winning writer $500 for his or her short script.
Please sign up for the contest email list for instructions on how to enter on this page, and here are the highlights:
Write a 5-10 page script relevant to the current financial crisis
Entry fee is $10, and your script is due by August 1st (we encourage you to submit earlier)
We will buy the winning script for $500 and publicize it heavily to our user-base. We will also send your script to the entire Harvard Kennedy School current student and alumni list-serv. There is a chance your script will be produced, though financial constraints do apply
Good luck in the competition, and please contact us with any questions. Let us know what you think about the changes we’ve made to the dashboard section of our site….
In association with management/production company BENDERSPINK (A History of Violence, The Butterfly Effect, Just Friends) Cowrite (www.cowritescript.com) has launched a truly innovative screenwriting competition. The contest provides a unique opportunity to those who have always thought they could write a screenplay to play an essential role in a potential Hollywood blockbuster.
A fun movie premise has been posted on the Cowrite website and writers now have the opportunity to contribute to the developing story. The script is being written in ten page increments by aspiring writers throughout the world and is currently on page 85.
Every other week, the best ten-page script submission will be added to the developing story until the script is finished and ready to be sold. For their ten-page contribution, each winning entrant will receive money and prizes totaling $3000, a pitch meeting with Benderspink and a chance to win the grand prize of a paid rewrite of the script. Winners will also share in any potential script sale proceeds.
Another exciting aspect of the Cowrite website is the “Pro’s Take” section where professional screenwriters and industry professionals are offering comments and suggestions on the developing story. Guest mentors have already included screenwriters Andrea Berloff (World Trade Center), Jesse Wigutow (Irreparable Harm) and Josh Schaer (TV’s Jericho).
Cowrite is believed to be the first screenwriting competition where the end goal is to try to sell a collaborative screenplay. In true Web 2.0 fashion, Cowrite utilizes social networking and the “wisdom of the crowd” to create a community-sourced product. Cowrite believes this method of art creation will become a widely accepted, and, in fact, sought out way of finding new talent while producing blueprints for major motion pictures. After all, what better market research tool for studios trying to figure out what audiences want to see at the theaters than letting the audiences provide the content?
Cowrite has already been featured in The NY Daily News and Script Magazine’s newsletter.
Hey everyone - every once in a while, a competition comes along that we just have to promote. The Monterey Teen Film Festival is one such competiton. To all you young filmmakers out there, you absolutely need to enter this contest. You can enter here, and it should only take a few minutes of your time. To our young Script Frenzy entrants, this is a terrific opportunity for you! Please check it out when you get a chance - special thanks to Rebecca and Enid for passing this along!
You HAVE to enter this competition that CoverageInk is sponsoring. It’s called Writers on the Storm and the first prize is 10 grand. If I had any talent whatsoever, I’d enter myself. Instead, I rely on Zak and Ryan to do all the talking/writing.
Special thanks to Jim Cirile for his nice post the other day about his young daughter writing with Scripped! I can say with certainty that our partnership with Coverage Ink will be beneficial to the Scripped community. We will be announcing more details on our coverage partnership with Coverage Ink soon!
In the meantime, enter this competition and make some $$$! Tell us if you wrote your script on Scripped and please notify us of any success stories! The folks at CI are extremely nice, and they, or Scripped will be happy to help you with any questions about the competition.
Writers on the Storm Screenplay Competition
*DEADLINE APPROACHING 7/7/08*
$10,000 first prize!
Over $22,000 in total prizes
www.writerstorm.com
Writers on the Storm is presented by Coverage Ink and Writers Boot Camp, two leading names in screenwriting education. With over 140 companies participating and the most development-heavy prize package of any contest, WOTS is designed to help you take Hollywood by storm.
BONUS for Scripped members: ENTER the contest, then e-mail us at info@coverageink.com and say, “I want my free CI Spec Format & Style Guide 2008!” and we’ll send you our fun and comprehensive 80-page guide as a PDF download for free!
Or submit your script to Coverage, Ink for analysis before the 7/27, and contest entry is FREE!
Here’s an interview I had with the Marlene Neubauer, co-founder of the Creative World Writing Competition. I wanted to post it so you all get a better sense of why their banner is up on every page of Scripped.com this month!
Creative World Awards (CWA), co-Founder Marlene Neubauer
An interview with Marlene Neubauer regarding the Creative World Writing Competition.
Ryan: Who sponsors CWA, and what is their background in the industry?
Marlene: In addition to the growing list of prominent companies and executives that have committed to reading our finalists, Heather Waters and I are the key sponsors for the 1st Annual Creative World Awards. Before segueing into producing and writing, I worked for over 15 years in film distribution with such companies as Capella Films (AUSTIN POWERS, MY LIFE, CARLITOS WAY); Pathe Distribution (IN THE CUT, THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING); Mobius Pictures (THE WENDELL BAKER STORY starring the Luke and Owen Wilson, BORDERTOWN starring Jennifer Lopez); and GreeneStreet Films (UPTOWN GIRLS, SWIMFAN and WEDDING DAZE starring Jason Biggs). Heather Water’s background ranges from the performance side of film to writing and producing for television. If you wish, you can view the CWA website to get a more extensive list of our sponsors’ credits.
R: Why enter a screenwriting competition?
M: There are several important reasons for entering. A top one is exposure. Most emerging writers don’t have access to agents, producers or production companies and screenwriting awards and festivals provide an important venue to bridge this gap. I would recommend entering several contests as an important way of increasing your exposure. Getting your script in the hands of the decision makers is what it’s all about. Also, mentioning any placement in a prominent competition increases your chances of getting seriously read at production companies. Inline with that, these competitions also provide an important catalyst for meeting writing deadlines, providing valuable feedback and simply, getting your script read.
R: What do you offer your winning writers?
M: In addition to a prize award, we, at CWA, have made it our goal to find emerging talent and give them access and exposure to key industry people. Through the judging review process and post award circulation, our winning screenplays will be sent to top agencies, major studios, managers, producers, and international financers. In addition, several companies have committed to reading our top finalists. These include: Mel Gibson’s Icon Films & Entertainment (APOCOLYPTO, PASSION OF CHRIST); Crystal Sky (BRATZ, GHOST RIDER); GreeneStreet Films (UPTOWN GIRLS, SWIMFAN, TENDERNESS starring Russell Crowe); Voltage Pictures (FLYBOYS, PERSONAL EFFECTS starring Ashton Kutcher). Be sure and check out our website for the rest of this list. In addition, we also have a myriad of companies that are not listed but have also agreed to participate.
R: Who judges each phase of the competition?
M: The first round of judging is done by qualified, hand selected readers and professionals. If your script advances to the quarterfinalist round, it will then be read by multiple industry professionals who will help determine which scripts advance to the semifinalist and finalist rounds. The top three winners of the 2008 Creative World Awards will be determined with the help of leading industry executives.
R: What advice can you offer to Scripped writers?
M: Write from your heart, set your intention and get your work out there. Any way you can! Along with entering contests, take a trip to LA, surround yourself with like-minded individuals. Deals are made everyday in coffee shops, restaurants – you can meet a contact just walking in the street. Remember the industry is screaming for good scripts. So if you feel your script is ready to go out then you’re half way there. Be sure to check out our video showcase on our website. Each week a key industry individual offers invaluable tips on the whole filmmaking process.
R: Why is CWA excited about Scripped.com?
M: Heather and I are very excited to be teaming up with Scripped.com and its writers. What Scripped offers writers is invaluable and unprecedented to date in the industry. It’s this kind of creativity and support that writers need and we applaud the Scripped guys’ efforts for thinking and creating outside the box. The most important thing for a writer is to get your thoughts and ideas on paper and now with Scripped.com there is no excuse.
Don’t forget to give this competition a shot! Prices go up on July 1, so submit now!
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