Contest Advice for Screenplay Writers
BY LYNNE PEMBROKE
There are many screenplay contests available to the aspiring
screenwriter. These contests can be a good avenue to getting one's work
noticed and/or make a sale. So, it's important to make certain that you have
written your screenplay to the best of your ability and according to
industry standards.
The most important thing to do for any aspiring screenwriter is to first
learn the basic techniques of screenwriting before sitting down to write
one. I come across many hopeful writers who think that all it takes to write
a script is a good story idea and a lot of explosive special effects. While
a good story is important, with or without the special effects, writing that
story using proper industry standards is equally important. (Visit
Tips for Screenwriters for further information.)
There are specific techniques to the craft of screenwriting involving
everything from act structure to proper screenplay format, which must be
followed. It's difficult to write engaging characters, focused plots and
entertaining screenplays without having a solid framework in which to bring
it all to life.
Before any money is spent submitting your work to a screenwriting
contest, it would behoove the writer to first educate himself in the "tools
of the trade". There are many, many screenwriting books available as well as
workshops and seminars, both online and in live classroom situations. My
advice is to take advantage of them. Then, armed with the basics, write,
write and then write some more.
Then before submitting your work to any screenplay competition have it
copyrighted and WGA registered (United
States Copyright office;
Writers Guild of America).
Advice and Suggestions
I am a judge for many contests and as such, have read thousands of TV
scripts and screenplays. I can assure you that the winners are chosen
because their screenplays or TV scripts contain great stories and are
written to industry standards. Therefore, putting your best foot forward is
a must. Below are some pointers to keep in mind before you submit your
screenplay.
- If your purpose is to "break into the business", make certain that the
script contest you enter offers meetings with agents and/or producers as
part of the prize for winning and not just cash prizes. Of course, if it
is just the extra cash you're after, then go for it!
- Make certain, before you write that entry fee check and send in your
material, that the screenplay contest or TV script competition is a
reputable one and indeed has, in the past, delivered to its winners what
it promised in its promotion.
- Presentation of your screenplay does count so make certain your
screenplay follows the accepted industry standards. This not only includes
using the proper screenplay format but also such things as a typo-free
screenplay and the correct binding.
- Keep in mind that the industry professionals who sponsor some of these
film and TV competitions do so in order to find good producible material,
hopefully for lower rather than higher budgets. Therefore, entering a
screenplay in a genre with a story that screams "high budget" lessens the
writer's chances of winning. This means that
- Sci-fi special effects stories taking place on purple planets
populated with giant, paisley-skinned, seven-armed, Plasmanian
Wooglegorps who magically float through the air using anti-gravity belts
or
- a 1920s Period Piece necessitating Model-T's, Zoot suits and
flappers or
- an action/adventure story that has the bad guys blown to
smithereens, along with their Lear jet, over the ocean, followed by a
high-tech nuclear submarine underwater search and rescue mission while
the oil slicked water burns out of control, may not be the best way to
go.
- Make certain that your story is told visually. Film is a visual
medium.
- Make sure you don't have "on the nose" dialogue or too much dialogue
and that all the dialogue sounds natural.
- Check to make sure that your characters are interesting, engaging and
have good character arcs. Nothing worse than having an unlikable hero, a
wishy-washy bad guy, or a protagonist who starts out angry at the world
and by the end of the story is still angry at the world having learned and
changed nothing in his nature.
Conclusion
Once you've gone through your screenplay and are satisfied with it, have
it read by someone else. After all, your story is intended for a movie-going
audience so honest opinions from friends and family members will give you a
feel for that audience reaction.
Then do yourself a favor and have your screenplay read by an industry
professional that has experience and good credentials in the area of script
analysis. A writer can become too close to his work and not be able to "see
the forest for the trees". It is to your advantage to have any possible
format, story, character, dialogue and structure flaws found and corrected
before it is submitted to a movie or TV script contest.
While there is never any guarantee your screenplay or TV script will be a
winner, writing one to the best of your ability and which meets industry
standards is a must, as the competition is fierce.
I wish you great success in your present and future story-telling
adventures.
Copyright © 2004 Lynne Pembroke
Lynne Pembroke is a writer, poet,
screenwriter and owner of
Coverscript.com, with over 18 years of experience in screenwriting
and screenplay analysis helping individual writers, screenwriting
competitions, agents, studios, producers and script consulting
companies. Services include screenplay, TV script and treatment
analysis, ghostwriting, rewriting and adaptation of novel to screenplay.
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