Screenwriting Aspirations

There's a pretty good reason why I haven't been posting on here regularly and I'll let you know what it is...

I'm polishing up a script that I'm going to be entering into the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards.  I've been working on this script for a while and, a few weeks ago, I saw that the late deadline for the contest was Monday, April 2nd.  So, I made that my goal.  When I say I've been working on it a while, I mean I've been working on it for a while... like, 2 years.  I wrote my first draft fast, like a month and a bit.  Then, I rewrote it a couple times, I gave it out to a few people to get their advice and feedback, then I sat on it... for about a year.  Not sure what I was doing during that time, probably just drinking and contemplating the shittyness of aspiring to be a screenwriter.  Anyhow, I picked it back up a few months ago and, well, here we are.  So, every spare minute I get, I've got that fucking thing open and I'm tweaking words, phrases and sentences.  I'm cutting lines of description and I'm really working hard to polish this turd up.  At absolute worst, I want to be done with it so I can move on to my next script, for Christ's sake.  

There's only a handful of screenwriting competitions that are worth entering, let's start with that, and PAGE is one of them.  Slamdance's early deadline is in a couple weeks, that one is also worthwhile, especially as they have a horror specific category AND they've developed some of the screenplays.  I'll be entering it, as well.  Here's a link to the PAGE Awards site, as well as Slamdance, if you're interested.  I actually know a couple people that have been judges at PAGE and I've spoken with the festival director before.  I've also spoken with the festival director at Slamdance.  Long and short, I trust them.  For horror, there's also Screamfest and Shriekfest, but I don't know when their deadlines are.  I'm going to look into that.  

The cool thing is that, for an extra $50 or so, both PAGE and Slamdance will give you feedback on your script.  This is really what I'm looking forward to.  Truth is, not that many people have read my work.  Sure, a lot of my friends in the industry have, but they're going to be bias.  Sure, a few friends outside the industry have, but they don't know a good script for a piece of shit.  Sure, my film professors and some script supervisors have read my work, but I was paying them.  This will be industry folks that don't know me at all and have nothing to gain.  I want to know where I stand with them.  Quite frankly, so should you.  If you're an industry outsider and you're an aspiring screenwriter, what kind of options do you have of getting noticed?  Well, I'll tell you what... some sort of accolade from one of these competitions is a good start and if you get the big heave-ho right away, knowing why you suck is just as important.  

Anyhow, I'll let you all know how it goes, every step of the way.  

Stay tuned...      

Horrorfind, Scarefest, HP Lovecraft Film Fest and news from my camp...

A bit of good news from my camp... I officially finished the first draft of my latest script. Now, it's not in any condition to show anyone, but it's done - 109 pages of raw, unpolished screenplay. I'm going to take a few days off from it, then take a few passes through it and fix it up a bit. Then, it'll go off to a few trusted sources and I'll take it from there. When I first conceived of the idea, which was basically a modern take on "Taxi Driver" with a bit of Lovecraftian angle, I had the whole story plotted out in my head... then, you know how it goes. I wrote out the treatment and promptly dumped my Lovecraftian angle. Then, as I'm writing, a few more changes, add a character here, change the ending a bit, move this, alter that and, guess what? The whole thing is completely different than what I originally conceived. I don't know if this happens to you, but, to quote Indiana Jones, "it happens to me all the time". Anyhow, I'm pretty happy with it... at least until I get feedback. Now that I'm taking a short break from that, I can try to tackle my inbox and, quite frankly, that's a far scarier place than anything I can come up with. In keeping with last week, I'm going to pass on some new information from the festival world.

So, Horrorfind Weekend is coming up in September, it takes places over the 3rd-5th in Gettysburg, PA. Horrorfind is a great mix of everything, they have a film festival, they'll have celebrities, events, seminars and parties. According to their site, the best way to describe the weekend is like this, "P.T. Barnum had "The Greatest Show On Earth" with his circus, Horrorfind has "The Spookiest Show On Earth" with the Horrorfind Weekend". If you live on the East Coast, it looks to be a great one to attend. In fact, it's not too far from my parents place... I may have to plan a visit around then.

Scarefest is a ways away, but they've already wrangled up some pretty big stars. The horror & paranormal convention takes place in Lexington, Kentucky from November 5th to 7th and, already, they've got George Romero, Adrienne Barbeau, Amelia Kinkade and Tom Atkins swinging by. The cool thing about this festival is the fact that it's also a paranormal convention, so they have psychics, ghost hunters and demonoligists there, as well. They actually don't do a film festival, so to speak, but they do have screenings... I think.

The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival & CthulhuCon has a couple things going on. They have the annual festival in October in Portland, Oregon, as well as their first film festival in L.A. in September. I like the fact that they're specialized, all submissions have to be influenced by or related to Lovecraftian themes or stories. Having said that, don't feel shunned... you'd be surprised how far reaching Lovecraftian themes and ideas can go. I mean, he's one of the godfather's of modern horror, after all.

That's it for this week, have a great weekend and we'll see you next week!

Shriekfest Film Festival & Screenplay Competition announces it's call for entries!

Okay, we should be able to get things back on track this week. I just made it through a whole bunch of obligations over the last week or so and I'm ready to get caught up. First off, here's the call for entries from Shriekfest, which is a great competition to get involved in, if you get the chance...

Shriekfest Film Festival & Screenplay Competition announces it's call for entries!
POSTMARKED BY MAY 24TH OR JUNE 28TH! HURRY!!

The 8th annual Shriekfest, the Los Angeles International Horror/Thriller/SciFi/Fantasy Film Festival and Screenplay competition is currently accepting submissions for it's 2008 festival to be held in October of 2008! The festival is dedicated to screening and recognizing the works of filmmakers and screenwriters in the often forgotten genres. Superior screening facilities, parties, and panels make this a wonderful networking experience for all. Awards will be given in most categories and prizes include cash, product awards, trophies, etc. Please see our website for more information and an entry form http://www.shriekfest.com/ Also, check out our news page and testimonials page and see how Shriekfest has helped many filmmakers and screenwriters in the past.

Horror Screenplay Competition Updates - write your horror script, submit to one of these, get famous.

I took a look through our screenwriting competitions page and it was brutally out of date... so, here's a few updates. I'll get around to fixing up the actual page soon.

Shriekfest is one of THE horror festivals of the year AND I owe them big because they just sent out a big email blast on our behalf. Regardless, 2008 call for entries is officially open and, check this out... this year they're partnered with the biggest agency in town, C.A.A., and their horror division. Rumor around the campfire says they're looking for directors and screenwriters for representation AND they're a finalist judge on all screenplays and films. It can't be a lie, it says so right on the Shriekfest website.

The AAA Screenplay Contest, sponsored by creativescreenwriting, not only looks like it's always accepting submissions, it looks like they just randomly give away prizes whenever they feel like it. They had winners from June '05, December '05, June '06, January '07 and February '08. They're currently looking for submissions for their 'Spring - Summer 2008 Contest'. It says they're sponsored by 'creativescreenwriting' (all one word) and I have no idea what the hell that is, but they have prize money and prize money is nice. Remember, "AAA" stands for Access, Acclaim, Achievement... but, I'm thinking it stands for "get me at the top of every listings page". Not this one, buddy! Around here, you're number 2.

The International Horror and Sci Fi Film Festival and Screenplay Competition is not accepting submissions now, but they will be some time in May. Screenplay winners not only win cash prizes, but they also get the opportunity to have their screenplays reviewed by major entertainment companies. Well, one major entertainment company, Lionsgate. The other two, Jaret Entertainment and Energy Entertainment are a slight step down.

Screamfest is another one of the big horror film festivals of the year. They were formed a few years back by film producers Rachel Belofsky and Ross Martin to give emerging filmmakers in horror and sci-fi a venue to showcase their work to people in the industry. They have a bunch of success stores and they're currently accepting submission, deadline is August 15, 2008.

Eerie Horror Film Festival Screenplay Competition is part of the Eerie Horror Fest and they're now accepting, final deadline is August 1, 2008. These guys are also one of the more respected names in this category... and what's really cool is that they also incorporate video games. So, you can submit your film, screenplay and video game all at the same time.

Project Screamlight still has a website up, but I think they're done. I checked out all their links, their last log in on their myspace page was in 2007 and there's nothing that mentions new dates or anything on their webpage. So, done... and I'm glad I could pass that information on to you.

Screenplay Festival is open to all genres, specifically: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family and Thriller/Horror and they give awards and stuff, but I'm not going to go into to much depth, as it's not really about horror, although you can enter your horror script. I'm just thinking that what they think is good horror, may not be what I think is good horror. Either way, they're now accepting submissions, final deadline is October 1, 2008

I guess I missed the boat on the 41st annual WorldFest-Houston Independent International Film Festival. It was April 11-20. However, it's one of those festivals that is open to EVERY category, like... there's an award for best Public Affairs program in Television and Cable Production, as well as best Horror/Thriller/Mystery Screenpaly. So, excuse me if I haven't been keeping a close eye on this one. I'll be sure to keep you posted NEXT year, though.

Now, I wonder if Something Scary was a scam, they appeared to be accepting entries up until last month. Now, their site's not there and I can't find information on them anywhere. Hmmm....

On top of not updating the above contests, I came across a whole bunch that I didn't have on there before. I'll look into them further, but for now, here's links to the screenplay contests that are new to Dead Harvey...

Terror Film Festival - deadline is May 1, 2008.

I covered these guys in the film festival section, but I wasn't aware that the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival accepts screenplays, as well. So, there you go. You learn something new every day.

2008 Great Lakes Independent Film Festival, which they boast as being one of the top 100 most popular film festivals in the world, has various horror screenplay categories. Final deadline is August 30, 2008.

Rhode Island International Film Festival is another festival that's covered in our film festivals section, but not in our screenplay competitions. A lot of these guys have screenplay competitions, who knew? They're final deadline is July 15, 2008.

The Movie Deal! Screenplay Contest: Respected Industry Judges, Potential Review for Representation by a Hollywood Lit. Agency and A chance to Have your movie made. Final deadline is September 30, 2008.

Got a finished script? Lucky for you, the 2008 PAGE Awards extended their deadline!

I've already discussed The 2008 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards competition a little while back (here's the link), but I just got a note from them and I thought I'd pass it on to you because if anyone's got a finished script laying around that they don't know what to do with, it's you. Also, since I wrote my last post, I had a chance to speak with Jennifer Berg, the Administrative Director and she did tell me that horror scripts tend to do alright and there's definitely a demand for them. So, dust off that finished script that you've got laying around and throw it in the mail, what have you got to lose? Also, I'm thinking that if you wrote a script, then went out and shot it yourself and you're either self-distributing it or you have a very limited DVD release, there's no reason you can't enter the script. I don't know if there's a rule against entering scripts that have been produced and, to be honest, I didn't really read the fine print on there, but... are the guys who read these really the type of guys who would go out and rent low-budget, shot of DV horror? I kinda doubt it... so, chances are they'd have no idea that it's actually been shot already.

Anyhow, here's the note they sent me...

Just in case you haven’t already entered this year’s contest, I wanted to remind you that the Late Entry Deadline for the 2008 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards competition is just a few days away -- Tuesday, April 15th. Don’t miss it! This year our judges will once again be presenting a total of 31 awards in ten different genre categories. The winning screenwriters will receive over $30,000 in cash and prizes, including a $10,000 Grand Prize, along with Gold, Silver and Bronze Prizes in all ten categories.

Over the past four years the PAGE Awards competition has become one of the most important sources for new screenwriting talent within the Hollywood community and worldwide. Since receiving their Awards, many of our past winners have gone on to land script assignments, secure representation, and sign option agreements on their work, and several now have movies in various stages of production and release. You can read the latest news from our winners on our website: www.internationalscreenwritingawards.com/news.shtml

Due to the success of our winning screenwriters, the PAGE Awards competition has become extremely popular, and we receive many entries each year. However, the way the PAGE Awards is structured, it actually operates as ten small, highly-focused contests, so in the First Round of competition your screenplay is only competing with a few hundred others in the exact same genre category. And because we want to give full consideration to as many scripts as possible, each year the judges advance the top 25% of all entries to the Quarter-Final Round, where your screenplay will be given a second read by another judge. Next we announce the top 25 Semi-Finalists in each category. Then the top ten Finalists in each category. Then this September all of our Finalists in all ten categories will be competing for the Grand Prize. It's all designed to give your script the maximum possible attention and the best possible shot at an Award.

But now let me tell you the real reason to enter the PAGE Awards contest. It’s not just about the winners. Ultimately, this is a wonderful opportunity for everyone who participates.

First and foremost, at each level of competition your work is reviewed by industry professionals – people who have the connections and the ability to represent, promote and/or produce your script. So, win or lose, just by getting your material into the hands of these Hollywood insiders you have the chance to launch your career. In fact, several of our past Finalists and Semi-Finalists have gained representation or sold options to the judges who read their scripts during the contest. And our judges and staff have been instrumental in promoting many of our contestants’ screenplays to other industry contacts, as well.

Also, when you enter the contest, you will have the opportunity to request Feedback from your First Round judge. If you order Feedback, your judge will write you 3-5 pages of notes specifically designed to help you develop your screenplay: explaining how he/she scored your script, describing your script's strengths and weaknesses, and offering any suggestions for improvement. It's a great way to see how an industry professional evaluates your script.

You want know the best part of my job? It’s getting all the wonderful emails from past contestants who, whether they won a prize or not, are making huge progress in their careers. Here’s a sample of one message I received a few weeks ago. (And as I’m sure you can imagine, this one really made my day!)

“I was a Quarter-Finalist last year with my script CLYDE THE GLIDE, THE BOY WHO TRIED, a family comedy. That was nice, but what was great was the input I got from my judge. He gave me pages of help on formatting (most of which I did not know) and lots of encouragement about the good points of the screenplay. How if it was cleaned up format-wise and otherwise fine-tuned it would be marketable and memorable. It was well worth the little bit of money I paid to get some advice and pats on the back from a savvy industry veteran.

“I did all that he advised, and also did some reading about screenplays in recommended books, and then started sending inquiry letters to various independent film companies in L.A., to which I got no response. Not even an acknowledgment that they had received my inquiry and they weren’t interested thank you very much. Finally I started going out of Hollywood with my inquiries, and a production company in Canada agreed to look at the script (it was the first one that did). They loved it. We have exchanged letters of intent and plan to produce it in spring/summer 2009. Funding looks good and we are already looking for a director, a star, etc. So there you go.

“Your contest is the classiest, best organized, and deserves the great rep it has. You all have been a tremendous help to me and I will forever be grateful for that.”
Bret Kofford
Imperial, California

All of us here at PAGE H.Q. are very proud that so many of our past contestants are now realizing their dreams, and we’re very happy that we’ve been able to encourage and assist in their success. And of course, we’re very excited about this year’s fifth anniversary competition. I hope you plan to participate!

If you’ve already submitted your script, thank you very much! And if you haven’t yet entered this year’s contest, please make sure to get your entry postmarked or submitted online by midnight on April 15th.

For more information and access to our easy new online entry forms, please visit us at:
http://www.internationalscreenwritingawards.com/

We look forward to reading your script!

Best regards,
Jennifer Berg
Administrative Director
The 2008 PAGE International
Screenwriting Awards