Month: November 2012

I’ve been doing some work for a screenwriting contest. They’re using me to read the material in the advanced rounds and it’s a nice change of pace from consulting directly with writers on scripts. When consulting, I read a script, make notations while reading, write a set of notes up after, then spend about two hours discussing the script with the writer on the phone. Reading for a contest I read the script, write up a few quick paragraphs, fill out some boxes and bam, on to the next–I don’t need to retain anything for later, unlike a consulting project where a writer will say “I wanted to do X” and I’m on my toes, prepped to throw down a response like “but on page 47, you did Y”. Here’s some great advice for those of you looking to enter screenwriting contests: If possible, enter EARLY. The reason to enter early is because you’re up against an abstraction in the reader’s mind: is this script good enough to move forward? And because it’s a contest, the bar here is abstract. When reading a script or book for a producer, I’m asking myself “is there ANY chance this material will sell and if so, why?” It’s an easy call. Seriously. But with a contest, there’s a good chance even the winner won’t rise to the level of something a major...