Okay, I'm intrigued! If you are a screenwriter who has been making an effort to market your work, then you have probably entered your script into a competition or two. You have likely found some social networks such as Talentville.com and Stage 32. These are excellent forums to connect with others in the industry and to get help and creative feedback on your projects. Inktip.com and Amazon Studios are other places where you can upload your work in the hope that a producer, agent or manager might seek it out one day and offer an option deal. I have my script, Martin Eden residing in these communities.
If you have not explored these avenues, I recommend that you take a look at some of these opportunities. My contention is, if your work isn't out there to download, nobody will ever find it. I would not rely on Facebook or Linkedin to get you much action, as they are not dedicated to the craft. And those seeking material for a new film projects are not combing through either of these places for new prospects.
One drawback to entering competitions, subscribing to screenwriting newsletters and becoming a member of the dedicated forums, which I mentioned above, is that your email box will soon get bombarded with junk related to selling, improving getting expert feedback and coverage on your script. You will receive all types of mail regarding every screenplay competition coming up, software, how to pitch your script to Hollywood, get an agent and how to write loglines that will get you in the door. It gets crazy I tell you!
Much of that junk I ignore and delete, but every now and again something comes through that I find intriguing, for example this from The Writers Store:
The Writers Store is pleased to announce that Edward Saxon, Academy Award-winning® producer of The Silence of the Lambs, has joined the next round of the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest, which is now open for submissions!
As a principal of his production company, he has developed and produced pictures with Fox, Universal, Warner Brothers, Columbia, Paramount, and Disney as well as working with numerous independent financiers, including a multi year pact with Participant Productions. Combined, Saxon's films have grossed over $700m at the box office worldwide and garnered twelve Academy Awards®. He won his Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs, which swept Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture at the Academy Awards®, one of only three films in history to do so. He also produced Philadelphia , which won two Academy Awards®, including Best Actor (Tom Hanks); Adaptation, which was nominated for 4 Academy Awards®; and the Academy Award-nominated® documentary Mandela.
Break out your scriptwriting software and get to work, because the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest gives you the unique opportunity to turn this idea into a solid spec screenplay that could be your ticket to Hollywood success.
The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest is an international screenwriting competition that facilitates relationships between new writers and Industry leaders looking to help aspirants embark on writing careers.
Working from this A-list logline, you’re challenged to create up to the first 15 pages of an original script based on the given concept. Make it your own - drama, action, sci-fi... anywhere your imagination takes you.
But it doesn’t stop there. The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest goes much further than your average competition, by providing the top 10 finalists with mentors to guide them through the entire script creation process, with the goal of completing a spec screenplay to be judged by a panel of Hollywood power players.
Here’s how it works:
- Entrants write up to the first 15 pages of a script based on the logline above, provided by Edward Saxon
- The top 10 finalists are chosen from the submissions, and receive a personalized letter of congratulations from Edward Saxon
- Each of the 10 finalists receives a copy of Movie Magic Screenwriter to professionally format their work as they enter into a 12-week Story Specialists mentoring program, consisting of feedback for every 10 pages submitted, with the goal of completing a spec screenplay based on the given logline
- After the mentoring, the finalists submit their rough drafts to our professional script readers for comprehensive Development Notes, and then have two weeks to work with their mentor and notes to complete the final draft of their screenplay for judging.
- Edward Saxon and production company Benderspink judge the completed screenplays and choose a winner
Lush Accommodations at the Chateau Marmont
The
chic Chateau, conveniently nestled right off the Sunset Strip, will
serve as the home base for the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest
winner. Thinking of the many opportunities to network and hobnob with
the Hollywood elite that frequent this hotspot is mind-boggling!
One-on-One with Edward Saxon at The Ivy
First
on the agenda? Lunch with producer Edward Saxon at Robertson Blvd.’s
uber-popular bistro, known for its steady stream of celebs and location
near power-agency ICM. The winner will take in some serious knowledge
and know-how from Saxon, while filling up on the Ivy’s famous nouvelle
American cuisine. 
Meeting with Benderspink
The
Hollywood treatment continues through a conference with Benderspink, a
diversified management/production company with credits including The Hangover, American Pie, and The Ring.
Aspiring screenwriters dream of this kind of opportunity to meet with
such an influential group, a fantasy that will come true for the lucky
winner!
Movie Magic Screenwriter - Professional Formatting Software
Format
your script and outline it, too, with the newly redesigned Movie Magic
Screenwriter 6! This award-winning screenwriting software formats
movies, television, novels, stage plays and even comic book scripts,
making it the only program for all types of creative writing.
The
Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest can give you the tools and the
resources you need to complete a saleable screenplay. But besides the
experience and the mentoring you could receive, placing in this
competition shows that you can take another’s idea and turn it into a
winning script - a trait that’s truly valued in Hollywood, and serves as
a priceless addition to your screenwriting resume.
Looking for the regulations and answers to specific questions? Check out the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest’s Rules and FAQs.
Click here for news regarding previous rounds of the contest.
Edward Saxon
|
Academy Award-winning® producer Edward Saxon has
been producing feature films for 25 years. As principal of his
production company, he has developed and produced pictures with Fox,
Universal, Warner Brothers, Columbia, Paramount, and Disney as well as
working with numerous independent financiers, including a multi year
pact with Participant Productions. Combined, Saxon’s films have grossed
over $700m at the box office worldwide and garnered twelve Academy
Awards®. He won his Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs which
swept Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director,
and Best Picture at the Academy Awards®, one of only three films in
history to do so. He also produced Philadelphia, which won two Academy Awards®, including Best Actor (Tom Hanks); Adaptation, which was nominated for 4 Academy Awards®; and the Academy Award-nominated® documentary Mandela. Currently Saxon is producing Elsa & Fred starring Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer and directed by Academy Award-nominee® ... |
What a great exercise and creative challenge for any scriptwriter! I like this one and I'm seriously considering the challenge...
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