Thanks to my dear friend Val for sharing this goldmine. Eight screenplays (both original and adapted) in the running for this year’s Oscars are available free online from Raindance. As an emerging writer, this is an incredible opportunity to verse yourself with the best of the best. The Hurtful Locker by Mark Boal was an easy read. Immediately you know this was written by someone who just had to be there. But it also got me to wondering whether this guy was really a soldier, so a little Internet search reveals that Boal, a journalist, was embedded with troops in Iraq.
http://www.raindance.org/site/picture/upload/image/general/movies/hurt_locker_script.pdf
Now here’s a tale from the script that plays out into a drama that perhaps Boal wasn’t anticipating; i.e., he’s being sued by US Army Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver who claims the story is based on him. It will be interesting to see how the lawsuit plays out. Regardless of who wins or loses the legal battle, emerging writers should be cognizant of potential legal landmines.
Other scripts available from Raindance include:
A Serious Man by Joel and Ethan Cohen
Up by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Inglorious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino
An Education by Nick Hornby
In The Loop by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche
http://www.raindance.org/site/2010-oscar-nominated-scripts
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
COMPETITION FEVER
Deadlines can be a good thing and may be just be what you need to motivate you to finish a script, or perhaps the chance to win cash and prizes will be an added incentive.
The 11th Annual Big Break Contest opens February 2010. With over $30,000 in prizes, check out entry fees and contest rules at www.finaldraft.com/bigbreak. Last year’s fees ranged from $40 (early bird deadline) up to $65.
Scriptalooza (http://www.scriptapalooza.com/) features two competitions – one for screenplays, the other for TV. With a $50 entry fee and a $10,000 first prize, the 12th Annual International Screenplay Competition’s regular deadline is March 5, 2010. Highly recommended by Robert McKee.
The winners of the 11th Annual Scriptalooza International Television Writing Competition will be announced February 15th.
May 1, 2010 marks the final deadline for the 8th Annual Script Pimp Screenwriting Competition and 3rd Annual TV Writing Competition offering $20,000 in cash and $80,000 in prizes. If you can make the March 1st deadline, the entry fee is $45, otherwise it’s $50. Visit http://www.scriptpimp.com/ for more details.
The 2010 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 7thAnniversary Competition can be entered for $49 if you meet the March 1st deadline. The fee goes up to $59 for April 1st late entry deadline. With over $50,000 in Cash and Prizes, including a $25,000 grand prize, check out http://www.pageawards.com/.
My personal deadline to enter at least one of these contests in one year from today. What’s yours?
The 11th Annual Big Break Contest opens February 2010. With over $30,000 in prizes, check out entry fees and contest rules at www.finaldraft.com/bigbreak. Last year’s fees ranged from $40 (early bird deadline) up to $65.
Scriptalooza (http://www.scriptapalooza.com/) features two competitions – one for screenplays, the other for TV. With a $50 entry fee and a $10,000 first prize, the 12th Annual International Screenplay Competition’s regular deadline is March 5, 2010. Highly recommended by Robert McKee.
The winners of the 11th Annual Scriptalooza International Television Writing Competition will be announced February 15th.
May 1, 2010 marks the final deadline for the 8th Annual Script Pimp Screenwriting Competition and 3rd Annual TV Writing Competition offering $20,000 in cash and $80,000 in prizes. If you can make the March 1st deadline, the entry fee is $45, otherwise it’s $50. Visit http://www.scriptpimp.com/ for more details.
The 2010 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 7thAnniversary Competition can be entered for $49 if you meet the March 1st deadline. The fee goes up to $59 for April 1st late entry deadline. With over $50,000 in Cash and Prizes, including a $25,000 grand prize, check out http://www.pageawards.com/.
My personal deadline to enter at least one of these contests in one year from today. What’s yours?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
KINDLE READER REVIEW - A Screenwriter's POV
On January 1st, I ordered my Kindle Reader (6” Global Wireless, Latest Generation) and was surprised at the speed at which it arrived. I had expected it would end up in customs for several weeks, followed by demands for duty and brokerage fees – none of which occurred. Off to a good start.
Not an avid fan of reading instructions and user manuals, I advanced to the Getting Started booklet enclosed in the packing case. Seemed simple enough, and in seconds I was away to the races, eager to download my own scripts created in Final Draft and converted to PDFs.
This marked the beginning of the disappointment curve. I first uploaded a one-pager I’d written, Signs of the Time that made the top 30 in a Wild Sound competition. http://www.wildsound-filmmaking-feedback-events.com/screenplay-reading-series-january-2009.html
Squinting, it’s barely readable regardless of the ability to change font size and flip between landscape and portrait views of the reader. However, when going back to the original script in Final Draft and bolding and increasing the font size on my computer, things improved insofar as being readable.
One downside of taking these time-consuming steps is the percentage of page that’s displayed; i.e., the Kindle reader is now capturing about half a page of a script on the screen which means more page turnings for the reader. And for readers like me who like a large visual field and the ability to eyeball a lot of words in one fell swoop, it’s another plot point on the disappointment curve.
On a positive note, I downloaded American Beauty from http://www.script-o-rama.com/table.shtml, which I then converted to PDF. Quite an acceptable read on the Kindle, but limited to seeing only a fraction of a page at a time.
Another sore point is the Kindle User Manual. I am going to suggest that less would be more. Instead of countless pages (107 to be precise) where you have to search for information, a simple diagram properly labeled would have saved a lot of time and frustration.
The following are a couple of the commands that should have been on the diagram in the Getting Started booklet. Like why didn’t they label the ALT key on the opposite side of the SPACE BAR, the arrow up key and SYM? Even in the Kindle User’s Guide, 4th Ed, page 27, they missed the opportunity to label the ALT key and arrow up key. As well, the text key AA is very difficult to read as the font is so small. Increasing the magnification on the page only provides a distorted image.
Some shortcuts include ALT B to add or remove a bookmark, ALT spacebar to play or stop background audio, ALT F to forward to the next track.
I also ordered the Amazon Kindle leather cover for $29.99. It was more difficult to install than setting up the reader. The only instruction was a transparent plastic insert held in place by two plastic pieces. The wording on the insert is simply:
1. Rotate
2. Snap
3. Slide
Good old Murphy’s Law kicked in. I rotated, I snapped and I slid to the point where the little plastic pieces and I were all ready to snap. Figured there must have been a little tool hidden somewhere in the packing case, kind of like a mini screwdriver to facilitate the “rotation,” but alas none was to be found.
Then the word “hinged” dawned on me as I was becoming unhinged. Simply line up the hinge openings of the reader with those two little plastic pieces, slide them in for a nice snug fit.
For those of you who sew or know someone who does, soon I will have a free pattern on how to make your own Kindle carrying case. When completed, I’ll update this with a link.
Haven’t tried the audio on the reader where you can select either a male or a female voice. Now if I could only get the Kindle version of the script of Paul Abbott’s British TV series State of Play with him reading it, I’d be in seventh heaven. Heck, I’d be there if I could buy a copy of the script anywhere. The TV version far outshines the movie starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe – but that’s another story.
Not an avid fan of reading instructions and user manuals, I advanced to the Getting Started booklet enclosed in the packing case. Seemed simple enough, and in seconds I was away to the races, eager to download my own scripts created in Final Draft and converted to PDFs.
This marked the beginning of the disappointment curve. I first uploaded a one-pager I’d written, Signs of the Time that made the top 30 in a Wild Sound competition. http://www.wildsound-filmmaking-feedback-events.com/screenplay-reading-series-january-2009.html
Squinting, it’s barely readable regardless of the ability to change font size and flip between landscape and portrait views of the reader. However, when going back to the original script in Final Draft and bolding and increasing the font size on my computer, things improved insofar as being readable.
One downside of taking these time-consuming steps is the percentage of page that’s displayed; i.e., the Kindle reader is now capturing about half a page of a script on the screen which means more page turnings for the reader. And for readers like me who like a large visual field and the ability to eyeball a lot of words in one fell swoop, it’s another plot point on the disappointment curve.
On a positive note, I downloaded American Beauty from http://www.script-o-rama.com/table.shtml, which I then converted to PDF. Quite an acceptable read on the Kindle, but limited to seeing only a fraction of a page at a time.
Another sore point is the Kindle User Manual. I am going to suggest that less would be more. Instead of countless pages (107 to be precise) where you have to search for information, a simple diagram properly labeled would have saved a lot of time and frustration.
The following are a couple of the commands that should have been on the diagram in the Getting Started booklet. Like why didn’t they label the ALT key on the opposite side of the SPACE BAR, the arrow up key and SYM? Even in the Kindle User’s Guide, 4th Ed, page 27, they missed the opportunity to label the ALT key and arrow up key. As well, the text key AA is very difficult to read as the font is so small. Increasing the magnification on the page only provides a distorted image.
Some shortcuts include ALT B to add or remove a bookmark, ALT spacebar to play or stop background audio, ALT F to forward to the next track.
I also ordered the Amazon Kindle leather cover for $29.99. It was more difficult to install than setting up the reader. The only instruction was a transparent plastic insert held in place by two plastic pieces. The wording on the insert is simply:
1. Rotate
2. Snap
3. Slide
Good old Murphy’s Law kicked in. I rotated, I snapped and I slid to the point where the little plastic pieces and I were all ready to snap. Figured there must have been a little tool hidden somewhere in the packing case, kind of like a mini screwdriver to facilitate the “rotation,” but alas none was to be found.
Then the word “hinged” dawned on me as I was becoming unhinged. Simply line up the hinge openings of the reader with those two little plastic pieces, slide them in for a nice snug fit.
For those of you who sew or know someone who does, soon I will have a free pattern on how to make your own Kindle carrying case. When completed, I’ll update this with a link.
Haven’t tried the audio on the reader where you can select either a male or a female voice. Now if I could only get the Kindle version of the script of Paul Abbott’s British TV series State of Play with him reading it, I’d be in seventh heaven. Heck, I’d be there if I could buy a copy of the script anywhere. The TV version far outshines the movie starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe – but that’s another story.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Thinking Outside the Label -- Thanks to John August
For years I've teeter-tottered as to whether I was an audio learner or a visual one. Guess what? Discovered I'm both after watching/hearing/reading John August's scriptcast, "Writing better scene openings." Not only is Mr. August's content amazing, so too is his multi-faceted delivery. For an awesome personal experience, check it out at http://johnaugust.com/archives/2009/entering-a-scene.
Share your thoughts, share your knowledge.
Share your thoughts, share your knowledge.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
GIZ - HOW TO GET IN THE ZONE – WRITING ZONE
Dear Reader:
There’s been a lot written about writer’s block – probably by a lot of writers who were blocked, left their big project(s) to begin writing about their block. I’ve discovered there are a myriad of reasons for the condition which I’ll refer to as “WB,” but rather than focus on a negative proposition, I’ll share my ways of how to “get in zone.”
GIZ is a lot like love – not something you can command unless you are in command of how you think. Begin by Focusing (yes, with a capital F) on something else. Like the elusive butterfly you try to capture, when you turn your attention to something else, it quietly lands upon your shoulder.
Have you ever noticed how people set themselves up for failure? Whether spoken out loud or those little internal whispers in your head, it goes something like this.
Sally says to herself, Oh, I’m no good at technical things. I wreck everything I touch.
What does Sally do next? She proves herself right by pushing all the wrong buttons on the computer resulting in the blue screen of death. It’s what we all do – prove ourselves right whether the outcome is a positive or a negative one.
What has this got to do with GIZ? Everything. It’s how our subconscious minds work. Garbage in equals garbage out.
The first step to becoming a successful writer or successful at anything is to Focus on those little thoughts that flash through your mind on a constant basis. It can be an endless stream of background chatter that competes with conflicting thoughts, or it can be your rainbow bridge to connect you to a higher consciousness, a plane where you reach your full potential as a human being. Happiness, love and joy are the products of this process. Enable them, enable yourself. Become conscious of the way you phrase those thoughts as well as the thought content. Every thought can be expressed in a positive way. Become conscious of the conscious. The subconscious will take care of itself. We are all the sum total of all our thoughts. How do you think? As your own best friend? And with all of the educational opportunities available, how many schools teach people how to think? Do you really believe the more trigonometry you learn, the more dates you memorize or getting a trial balance to balance teaches you how to think?
After you’ve done some acrobatic thinking, new habits will displace the old quite automatically. It becomes natural and second nature. Just as we are all the sum total of all our thoughts, we are all the sum total of all our habits.
Sally may argue with you that she is a positive thinker as she wishes and hopes her way through life, but as long as Sally is just wishing and hoping, deep down in the subconscious there is a big conflict going on. As long as she wishes and hopes, in effect she is saying all those things will elude me, I haven’t reached them, and her subconscious will act on those wishes and hopes not only to prove herself right, but to bring about her biggest fears. Fear is the great immobilizer. Afraid to live, afraid to die, afraid to make a mistake, afraid to make a fool of one’s self, afraid of success. Plain old fear.
What’s the opposite of fear? Bravery? Bravery implies you must be strong to overcome scary things, and as long as you’re being brave, you’re admitting those scary things are still there. How about desire? It is impossible to have fear and desire at the same time, just as it is impossible to smile and frown simultaneously. You can flip from one to the other in a nanosecond, but only one thought can exist at any given moment in time -- a nanosecond being about 1,000 picoseconds or 1/1000 microsecond or a billionth of a second. Look up at the sky on a starry night and it’s mind-boggling. So too is your internal galaxy.
Where’s the galactic road map to love, joy, happiness and success? Are they still distant destinations or a byproduct of your thoughts? Take command of your space ship and maximize your travel through the universe. How? Dedicate at least ten minutes of each day for you, yourself (yes, you’re worth it) and get into a quiet place. Focus on your breathing, breathing slowly, deeply and naturally, getting more and more relaxed with each and every breath that you take. Starting at your feet, crunch them up really tight, let go and relax. Continue working your way up your body, from calves, to thighs, right up to the top of your head. Contract each muscle group, let go again, relax. You are on your way to GIZ. Now that you’re in a relaxed state, give yourself some positive suggestions. Make sure they are framed in a positive tone. Compose a positive affirmation for yourself to repeat over and over again. One I particularly like is I am an able, capable, self-confident, self-reliant, forward-looking, happy, responsible, productive writer. I believe in myself, and I love life.
Compose your own mantra, and in a very short time you will experience transformation.
OMG – the butterfly has landed! Yesterday I began to write this piece and quite amazingly (why does this still surprise me?) it took me to the Zone at Mach 7. As a result, in less than an hour, I’ve sketched out an outline for a new screenplay, As Good As My Word.
PS – Would love to hear about your journey. Thinking happy thoughts for everyone.
Best Regards,
Elaine
There’s been a lot written about writer’s block – probably by a lot of writers who were blocked, left their big project(s) to begin writing about their block. I’ve discovered there are a myriad of reasons for the condition which I’ll refer to as “WB,” but rather than focus on a negative proposition, I’ll share my ways of how to “get in zone.”
GIZ is a lot like love – not something you can command unless you are in command of how you think. Begin by Focusing (yes, with a capital F) on something else. Like the elusive butterfly you try to capture, when you turn your attention to something else, it quietly lands upon your shoulder.
Have you ever noticed how people set themselves up for failure? Whether spoken out loud or those little internal whispers in your head, it goes something like this.
Sally says to herself, Oh, I’m no good at technical things. I wreck everything I touch.
What does Sally do next? She proves herself right by pushing all the wrong buttons on the computer resulting in the blue screen of death. It’s what we all do – prove ourselves right whether the outcome is a positive or a negative one.
What has this got to do with GIZ? Everything. It’s how our subconscious minds work. Garbage in equals garbage out.
The first step to becoming a successful writer or successful at anything is to Focus on those little thoughts that flash through your mind on a constant basis. It can be an endless stream of background chatter that competes with conflicting thoughts, or it can be your rainbow bridge to connect you to a higher consciousness, a plane where you reach your full potential as a human being. Happiness, love and joy are the products of this process. Enable them, enable yourself. Become conscious of the way you phrase those thoughts as well as the thought content. Every thought can be expressed in a positive way. Become conscious of the conscious. The subconscious will take care of itself. We are all the sum total of all our thoughts. How do you think? As your own best friend? And with all of the educational opportunities available, how many schools teach people how to think? Do you really believe the more trigonometry you learn, the more dates you memorize or getting a trial balance to balance teaches you how to think?
After you’ve done some acrobatic thinking, new habits will displace the old quite automatically. It becomes natural and second nature. Just as we are all the sum total of all our thoughts, we are all the sum total of all our habits.
Sally may argue with you that she is a positive thinker as she wishes and hopes her way through life, but as long as Sally is just wishing and hoping, deep down in the subconscious there is a big conflict going on. As long as she wishes and hopes, in effect she is saying all those things will elude me, I haven’t reached them, and her subconscious will act on those wishes and hopes not only to prove herself right, but to bring about her biggest fears. Fear is the great immobilizer. Afraid to live, afraid to die, afraid to make a mistake, afraid to make a fool of one’s self, afraid of success. Plain old fear.
What’s the opposite of fear? Bravery? Bravery implies you must be strong to overcome scary things, and as long as you’re being brave, you’re admitting those scary things are still there. How about desire? It is impossible to have fear and desire at the same time, just as it is impossible to smile and frown simultaneously. You can flip from one to the other in a nanosecond, but only one thought can exist at any given moment in time -- a nanosecond being about 1,000 picoseconds or 1/1000 microsecond or a billionth of a second. Look up at the sky on a starry night and it’s mind-boggling. So too is your internal galaxy.
Where’s the galactic road map to love, joy, happiness and success? Are they still distant destinations or a byproduct of your thoughts? Take command of your space ship and maximize your travel through the universe. How? Dedicate at least ten minutes of each day for you, yourself (yes, you’re worth it) and get into a quiet place. Focus on your breathing, breathing slowly, deeply and naturally, getting more and more relaxed with each and every breath that you take. Starting at your feet, crunch them up really tight, let go and relax. Continue working your way up your body, from calves, to thighs, right up to the top of your head. Contract each muscle group, let go again, relax. You are on your way to GIZ. Now that you’re in a relaxed state, give yourself some positive suggestions. Make sure they are framed in a positive tone. Compose a positive affirmation for yourself to repeat over and over again. One I particularly like is I am an able, capable, self-confident, self-reliant, forward-looking, happy, responsible, productive writer. I believe in myself, and I love life.
Compose your own mantra, and in a very short time you will experience transformation.
OMG – the butterfly has landed! Yesterday I began to write this piece and quite amazingly (why does this still surprise me?) it took me to the Zone at Mach 7. As a result, in less than an hour, I’ve sketched out an outline for a new screenplay, As Good As My Word.
PS – Would love to hear about your journey. Thinking happy thoughts for everyone.
Best Regards,
Elaine
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Screenplay Contest -- Over $30,000 in Cash and Prizes
Find out more about Big Break, a Final Draft, Inc. screenwriting contest with over cash and prizes of $30,000. Click on the link for rules and more information.
http://www.finaldraft.com/products-and-services/big-break/faq.php
Friday, January 1, 2010
BEAT SHEETS
In my mad scramble (a touch of OCD or just getting old and running out of time) to update the "to do list," I came across John August's site which is full of useful information for screenwriters. Will definitely have to check out and follow his blog.
Just click on the page and scroll down to Ops.
Just click on the page and scroll down to Ops.
TO DO LIST
1. Write, write and write -- the blog counts, doesn't it?
2. Get Kindle reader -- just ordered from "Getting Started" below. The idea is to download scripts and read on my daily commute to the office.
3. Software
4. Lists of scripts/books/movies/contests (in progress)
5. Work on second draft of Hopeful Harry
6. Blogs to follow (work in progress -- just discovered if you click on my profile, you can see the blogs I'm following)
7. Work on outline of untitled script with co-writer (who is somewhere between England and Spain at the moment)
8. Find the script for Sliding Doors
9. Beg/bribe someone to post a comment
Here are some of the free downloadable scripts available from
Chinatown
Hard Candy
Insomnia
New York Minute
L.A. Confidential
Body Heat
Annie Hall
The Bucket List
The Piano
The Queen
Pulp Fiction
Slumdog Millionaire
Thelma and Louise
Sex and the City
Psycho
The Bourne Supremacy
American Beauty
Runaway Bride
The Matrix
2. Get Kindle reader -- just ordered from "Getting Started" below. The idea is to download scripts and read on my daily commute to the office.
3. Software
4. Lists of scripts/books/movies/contests (in progress)
5. Work on second draft of Hopeful Harry
6. Blogs to follow (work in progress -- just discovered if you click on my profile, you can see the blogs I'm following)
7. Work on outline of untitled script with co-writer (who is somewhere between England and Spain at the moment)
8. Find the script for Sliding Doors
9. Beg/bribe someone to post a comment
Here are some of the free downloadable scripts available from
http://www.script-o-rama.com/snazzy/table.html
Chinatown
Hard Candy
Insomnia
New York Minute
L.A. Confidential
Body Heat
Annie Hall
The Bucket List
The Piano
The Queen
Pulp Fiction
Slumdog Millionaire
Thelma and Louise
Sex and the City
Psycho
The Bourne Supremacy
American Beauty
Runaway Bride
The Matrix
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