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2024 ScreenCraft Horror Competition Quarterfinalists

ScreenCraft — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 18:00:00 +0000

Listed below are the Quarterfinalists of the 2024 ScreenCraft Horror Competition. These exceptional screenplays were selected from almost 1,200 submissions. Congratulations to the writers who have made it this far and thanks to all for submitting!

Stay tuned for the Semifinalist announcement on January 17th on our blog and on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages! And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

Here are the Quarterfinalists:

*"BLOOD GULLY"*	Jesse Bouma
*"Enduro"*	Bernadette Rivero
*"The Transfer"*	Brian De Palma
*(Li)thium*	Red Davis
*#SelfCare*	Christian Tucker Perry
*A Bad Case of the Mondays*	Paul Coleman, Matt Landry
*A Hymn for the Darkness*	Alex Sosin, Chris Courtner
*A Voyage to Forgiveness*	Anthony Greenstone
*ABOMINATION*	Corrigan Foley
*ABRAHAM VAN HELSING AND THE HUNT FOR DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE*	Gary M Raskin
*Ada's Bride*	Michelle Domanowski
*All Are Not Lost*	Melissa Bruning
*Alter*	Garret Ricker
*Answer Me*	Craig Stewart
*ARCHIVED*	Jordan Vogeney
*Athena*	Sabrina Wheeler, Serena Wheeler
*Attunement*	Nick Holiday
*Aunt Carrot's Christmas Eve Massacre*	Adam Lamb
*Bad Bad Things*	Andrew Olson
*BADBLOOD*	Aaron Lovett
*Baker's Dozen*	Chris Leisure, Christy Leisure
*Baristas of the Boondocks*	Theodore Ricker
*Be My Eyes*	Jud Cremata
*Beast of Virginia*	Matthew Corley
*Before You*	Rachel Petzinger
*Bestial*	Tyler Fedele
*Better Off Undead*	Ray Keller
*Better the Demons You Know*	Greg Harvey
*Billie Black*	Nick Reiber
*Black Menagerie*	Justin Sharp
*Blindsight*	James Kriz
*BLOOD MOON*	Caroline Chidester
*Blood Yolk*	Myles Yaksich, Dani Alvarado
*Bloodletting*	Alee Ruggieri
*Bloody Burlesque*	Jill Morley
*BLOW*	Maggie Mae Fish
*BORDERLORE: Llorona*	J. Angel Sierra
*Born Again*	Richard Mathiasen
*Botica*	Matt Healy
*Breaker Hill*	Robyn Kenney
*Bright Light*	nathan crooker, J. Alan Ryker
*Burn House*	Destiny Macon, Sh'kia Augustin
*Cadaver*	Todd Naylor
*Camp Mallice*	Julian Rubin
*Candyman*	Darla Drendel
*Cart Girls*	Juliet Mace, Bill Mace
*CASKET GIRL*	John Darbonne
*CAST*	Kimberley Wells
*Cellar Door*	Sean Buttimer
*Cerebral*	Cheyenn Alberti
*Charred*	Thomas Joseph
*Child's Play*	Charlotte Gajek
*Chipper*	MK Kopp
*Chosen*	Cosmo Wallace
*Christmas Feast*	Bryce Raffle
*Cinema Roulette*	Frankie Infante
*Cold Dead Fingers*	Jack Warner
*Conduit*	Willo Johnston
*Contained*	Jennifer Wilton
*CORKSCREW*	Brett Hauze
*Coy Dog*	Matthew Corley
*CRAWLER*	Luke Harvis
*Crimson and Vine*	Richard Cotzabuyucas
*Cryptid*	Brandon Weavil
*Curse of the Final Girl*	Karen Ralph
*Daisy Dips*	DH F
*DANTE'S CIRCUS*	Sianne Tarda
*Dark Frost*	Ryan Lee
*Dawn of the Woman*	Martyn Eaden
*Dead of Night: The Man-Thing*	Garrett Dunne
*Dead-Enders*	Tyler Walker, Fidel Ruiz-Healy
*Deathless*	Biagio Gulino, Tyler Kamens
*DESECRATION*	Maddy Schwartz
*Devil Says Goodnight: Shadow Of The Cross*	Andrew Monge
*Devil's Gate*	Samuel Holladay
*die famous*	Joshua Sonny Harris, Kathryn Vandervalk
*Discreet*	Jeremy Bradford
*Don't Forget About Us*	Brittany Falardeau
*Don't Touch Me*	Ervin Anderson
*Don't Touch the Floor*	Dayne Tanioka
*Doomscrollers*	Danny Baram
*Down*	Charlie McCarrick
*DRAYKULA:GENESIS*	Jack Polo
*Dream Parasite*	Sora SH Chung
*Drip*	Phoebe Gibb
*Eden '93*	Julian Martin
*El Cucuy*	Shane Redding
eM	David Barras
*Emmitt's Culling*	Jason Miller
*End Of Day*	Andrew Kaberline
*FAITHFUL SHADOW*	Kevin J. Howard
*Family Values*	Vanessa Võ
*Fantasma*	Taylor Tejada
*Faux*	Graham Nelson
*Festival Of Souls*	Patricia McCammond
*Final Boy*	Final Boy
*FINAL EXAM*	C.J. Ehrlich
*Flower Park Children*	Daryl Wayne
*For Thy Peace*	Jordan Klaja
*Foreign Exchange*	Nazanin Anosheh
*Foreverland*	Bev Chukwu
*Gains*	JP LeRoux
*Galentine's Day*	Carlos Gabriel Ruiz
*Ghost Girl*	Wayne Turmel
*Ghost Goose*	Seth Woodhouse
*GLITCH*	Rebecca Berrih
*Group D*	Brandon NV
*Happily Never After*	Alec Cuddeback
*Happily Severed After*	Travis Watson
*Hardcore*	Jaime Andrews
*Hatebreed*	Devin Weber
*HEART OF FLESH*	Thomas Park
*Heather Would Never*	Emelie Claxton
*Hello Again*	Jeremy Jackson
Hi	Patrick Pfupajena
*High Moon*	Isaac Ruth
*HOME*	Jan Pearson
*HOMEWARD*	Ben Mehlman
*Hopper's Creek*	Michael Tippett
*HOSPICE*	Paul Gonzales, Todd Biggerstaff
*Hunted House*	Chris Schwarz
*I Need a Killer*	Pat Kiss
*I Will Love You, Even When We Fall Out of Time*	Campbell Wright
*In Red*	Rebecca Lee Lerman
*Indigent*	Briana Cox
*Island of Graves*	Ryan Dilbert
*Izanami*	Michael Rogers
*Kid Gloves*	Mathew Wright
*Killer Party*	Joshua Saltzman
*Killer Soundtrack*	Jeff Ullman
*Killing Myself*	Nathaniel Feeley
*KINGMAKER*	Victor Ridaura
*Knight*	Alex E. Chew
*Kurwick's Daughter*	Timothy Richardson
*Laberintus*	Segolene Zimmern
*Lenora*	Rich Ragsdale
*LIKE YOU*	Hannah C. Langley
*LOCKED*	Andrew Creme, Jeff Verge
*Love to Watch You Bleed*	Virginia Hendry, Amanda Ellis
*Lucile*	Ian Wee
*Lure*	Jacob Daniel Phair, Vrishub Merai
*Maggot Brain*	Max Flora
*Maudit*	A.J. Vasquez
*Mimic*	Cameron Tubbs
*Mirror Gaze*	Josh Nadler
*MISCHIEViOUS*	Warren Lane
*Miscreations*	Alain Loubeau, Mike Meyerson
*Monsters Below*	Carol Bass
*Moonshine*	Preston Ray
*Mothers of the Disappeared*	Paul Wilson
*Mount Hopeless*	Richard Machin, Michael Ivey
*Mount Mendocino (Current)*	Thomas Wortham
*Mumia*	Hendrik Harms
*Murder In Plane Sight*	Shawn Duenas
*Muse in the Mazeum*	Clay Fusco, Pamela Chiacchiaro
*Nain Rouge*	Michael Basha
*NATURAL BORN SINNER*	Brittney Coon
*No Man's Land*	Barry Ambrose, Armand Kachigian
*No One Leaves Alive*	Jeff Kallet
*Offspring*	Hannah Silverman
*Oh, Great Cosmic Master!*	Kyle Spleiss
*Olivia Mabel*	David McClellan, Martyn Eaden
*Our Dead Lives*	Percival Pasquin Jr
*Our Father*	Bartosz Pietryka
*Ouroboros*	Red Davis
*Owuompe*	Daniele Baiardi
*Pascualita*	Valeria Miranda
*Pet-Cam*	Pia Cook
*Petrified*	Terry Richardson
*Play Demon / Oni Gokko*	Valentin Narziss
*Poppet*	Emma Niles
*Primeval*	Drew Hellmich
*Punk*	Marcus Jones
*Putrid Spirit*	Paul Landry
*RAGUEL*	Ali Jordan
*REMNANTS OF MAN*	John Battistessa
*Renegate*	Slade Sahoye
*Requiem*	Nick Cardiff, Riccardo Berdini
*Revival*	Abby Selden
*Riddle*	Shiva Ramanathan
*Ruby*	Darren Geare, Jeff Allen Geare
*SATANIC INHERITANCE*	Igor di Kali
*Savage*	Joshua Johnson, Jamie Napoli
*Scream Queen*	Robert Stephen Apetagon
*Season's Creepings*	Chris Holt
*Seed*	Rudi O'Meara
*Selling Your Soul*	Joanne Rose
*Sentient*	Nik Mohan
*Serial Summer*	Walter Quinn
*She's Not There*	Jacob Staudenmaier
*SHELTER FROM THE STORM*	Nathan Patton
*Shit Show*	Patrick Lehe
*SHOOK*	Kenneth Bogar
*Silver Venom*	Joseph Monaghan
*SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE*	Michael D Gutierrez, Zachary Ross
*Sinistaar!*	Kai Martin
*Sink*	Kyle Jutkiewicz, Alexander Seltzer
*SiTTER*	Ryan Austin
*Skudakumooch - The Ghost Witch*	Ryan L. Jones
*Small Packages*	Scott Sadek
*Snake Oil*	Sean Plemmons, Jeff Hassen
*SNOW MAN*	Rhys Bufford
*So Deep*	Maisie Hooper
*Society of the Moon*	Jack Warner
*Somewhere Beyond the Sea*	Daniel Michael Gurney
*Somnium*	Michelle Narayan
*Speak of the Devil*	James LeJeune
*SpermBoy*	Mark Dollard
*Spine*	Richard Chiles
*Stairway to Hell*	Tina Lowe
*Still Life*	Matthias Pasler
*Stonebleeder*	Ted Bronson
*Strong*	Emilia Black
*Substance*	Brendan Ryan
*Suburbaknight*	Adam Johnson
*Sun Never Sets*	Aashish Gadhvi
*Sunflower*	A J Roberts
*Swine Lake*	Michael Rakoff
*Syncope*	Dashiell Demeter
*Systemic*	Michael Freeman
*TATT2WO*	Deirdre Patterson
*Teenage Monsters*	Tara Marie
*TELL*	Benjamin Baraad, Mishal Mahmud
*Ten Good Deeds*	Anwen Bull
*Tenants*	Travis Cook, Joshua DiPaola
*THE L E A T H E R M A N*	Mike Meyerson, Alain Loubeau
*THE ADJUNCT*	Charles Schulman
*The Amends*	Amanda Cole
*THE BLACK DOG*	Joe Favalaro
*The Body Farm*	Mike Gerbino
*The Body Thief*	Peter Fink
*The Bracken Fern*	Elizabeth Eromosele, Nicole Rosario Muller
*The Bushwick Psycho*	Brian DiLorenzo
*The Claim*	chuck oneil
*The Cold Read*	Adam Gutierrez
*The Couple at The End*	Cliff Ryan
*The Crossing*	Daniele Baiardi
*The Culvert*	Drew Hellmich
*The Curse of Zozobra*	Adam Davis
*The Demon Job*	Robert Husted
*The Dullahan*	Maria Meluso
*The Fall of Caribou Lodge*	Eamonn Cogan
*The Farm*	sean birney
*The Flip and the Dead*	Greg Harvey
*The Forbidden Pendant*	Ken Harris
*The Ghost Under My Bed*	Sara Caldwell
*The Haunting of Olivia Mabel*	Martyn Eaden, David McClellan
*The Herdsman*	David Castle
*The Hots for You*	D.M. Zultowski
*The House Always Wins*	Scott Richards
*The Hum*	Anthony O'Connor
*The Human Shackles*	Thorsten Kalteiss
*The Hunter*	Cathal McCall
*The Ice Curtain*	Caleb Ellis
*The Keeper*	Daniel Jamal Judson
**The Kidnapping of Skylar Fcking Spears***	Emelie Claxton
*The King of Chasms*	Darren Oakland
*The Labyrinth*	Billy Reid
*The Last Cabin Left on Old Sycamore Lane*	Michael Rakoff
*THE LAST RIDE OF THE BLOOD BROTHERS*	Johnny Galvan 3
*The Last Vampire on Mars*	Hunter M. Altman
*The Last Zombie*	STAN EVANS
*The Lighthouse*	lee meaden
*The Lineage*	Max Rissman
*The Little Death*	Tanya O'Debra
*The Long Night*	Tony Bloodworth
*The Lycan*	Paula Cantillo
*The Malignant Shift*	Scott Scheirich
*The Method*	Erika Van Doren
*The Miracle of Birth*	Holden Weihs
*The Night Channel*	Ryan McDuffie
*The Only Safe Place Left Is The Dark*	Warren Wagner
*The Psycho Killer's Guide to Love*	JP LeRoux
*The Pulpit Collector*	Peter Fraser
*The Pyre*	Benjamin Webster
*The Rath*	Timothy Stevens
*The Realtor*	Jack Newsome
*The Red Key*	Paul Sheridan
*The Return*	Daniel G. King
*The Savage Beast*	John Battistessa
*The Seder*	Isaac Smith
*The Shadow Falls*	Clay Callender
*The Show Must Go On*	Bret Miller
*The Splinter*	Francisco Castro
*The Terror*	James Shepard
*The Thin*	Todd Holden
*The Torture of Kent Maddox*	RJ Buckley
*The Vessel*	Kyle Ferris
*The Watcher*	Sienna Kosalka
*THE WHODUNNITS*	Ryan Malik
*The Woman at the Lake*	Chris Inekhomon
*The World Between*	Chuck Czech
*The Wretched Man*	Joseph Landing
*THERAPY*	scott cramer
*There's Something Strange Inside The Church*	Matteo Anthony
*They Call Her Prey*	Ryan Douglas Gore
*They Wake By Night*	Andrew Beberman
*THEY'RE THERE*	Jared Januschka
*Thin*	Patrick Hegarty
*This Does Not End Well*	Bailey Abedon, Gavin Conlon
*This Is Living*	Alex Piliouras
*This is Not a Place*	Kelsey Grace Pfeifer
*Three*	Mark Ballantyne
*Three Orchards*	MJ Farber-Ray
*Timberland*	C. Shane Davis
*Trash*	Odie Burnatowski
*Treatment*	Aaron Sprecher
*Trick Selfie*	Chad Wellinger
*Two Lost Lambs in The Black Woods*	Nick Kloppenberg
*U N E A R T H E D*	Billy Reid
*UNFINISHED*	Sabrina Barton
*Unidentified*	Mikel Wisler
*Untitled Slasher*	Trevor Zhou
*VAMPIRE CARS*	Danny Matier
*VERSUS!*	Kevin Tavolaro
*VINE OF THE DEAD*	Matt Karol
*Viridian Lake*	Cynthia Webb
*VISCERAL*	Damir Catic, Eric Alfio Jafari
*Visitors*	Mark Galarrita
*WAKEN*	Shero Syndicate
*Wendigo*	Jake BEAN
*Why Would I Let You Go*	Gabe Mouer
*WiLL*	Ryan Hughes
*Winter Harvest*	Nicole Grant
*Winter-Over*	Lorenzo Galuszka
*Wisteria*	Adam Lapallo
*WITHIN THE BAMBOO FOREST*	Kevin J. Howard
*WOKE*	Stefano Anania
*Wolfblood*	Jaime Silverman
*Worn*	Mike Underwood
*Worry Doll*	Eddie McConville
*Worship Me*	Craig Stewart
*Yoga Hell*	Jessica McLaughlin
*Zealots*	Brandon Johnston
*Ziggurat*	Matthew Cunha

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The post 2024 ScreenCraft Horror Competition Quarterfinalists appeared first on ScreenCraft.

2023 ScreenCraft Sci-Fi & Fantasy Screenwriting Competition Semifinalists

ScreenCraft — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 17:00:33 +0000

Listed below are the Semifinalists of the 2023 ScreenCraft Sci-Fi & Fantasy Screenwriting Competition. These exceptional screenplays were selected from almost 1,300 submissions. Congratulations to these writers!

Stay tuned for the Finalist announcement on August 30th on our blog and on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages! And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

Here are the Semifinalists:

*A Glass Darkly*	Jonathan Talbert
*Adrift*	Aaron Edwards
*AFTER LIFE*	Cheeyang Ng
*All That Is Seen and Unseen*	Laura Becker
*Amerika*	Zaf Ayub
*Anything You Can Do*	David Hailes
*Ask Me For Anything*	Ariel Ehrlich
*ASTOUNDING*	Amanda Kowalski
*AUTOPILOT*	David Luz, J Randolph Harrison
*Beau Rivage*	Logan Rees
*Bigfoot*	Matthew J. Beier
*Brother's Keeper*	David Zeltser, Joseph Greco
*COMMON PEOPLE*	Jon Fletcher
*CONTAINED*	Johnny Hartmann
*Coy Dog*	Matthew Corley
*Cross of Wotan*	Bradley Stryker
*Death's Daughter*	Sunny Karnan
*DRIFT*	Eva Konstantopoulos
*Earthbound*	Bryce McLellan
*From Above*	Ben Tedesco
*Growth*	Casimir Nozkowski
*Gun Clown*	Jax Ball
*HAVEN*	Addie Manis, Bob Oltra
*Hereditary*	Craig Berger
*I Hold It True*	Joohun Lee
*i, bogeyman*	Sean Steinberg
*Instant Justice*	Dan Buckley
*It's All Been Done*	Laura Becker
*Liars*	Alicia Louzoun-Heisler
*Like Earth Without the Problems*	Anne Silke Czichos
*Man-Made*	Ryan Cunningham
*Matriarch*	Matt Hodgkinson
*North Star*	Zach Grossman
*Only Apparently Real*	Michael Richter
*Out of This World*	Jeremy Pick
*Pandora*	Jeff Bower
*Point Nemo*	Alex Rivers
*Positron+*	Jud Cremata
*Pulling Seedlings*	Eris Qian
*RETRO*	Aaron Lindenthaler
*Rim of the World*	Chris Knauer
*SCÁTHACH: A SHADOW'S TALE*	Daniel McNaught
*Scavenge*	Curt McCray, Kent McCray
*Search*	Angela Treviño
*Sequence*	Alex Britten
*SHE*	Jonathan Klemke
*Shentu Across the Ages*	Allen Wu
*Sleeping Beauty*	Jonathan Uriel Lopez Cruz
*Sleepless Beauty*	Cheryl Lodovico
*Sole Mate*	Michael Apgar
*Soul Hammer*	Allen Wu
*Starfall*	Seda Anbarci
*TAKEOVER*	Jace Serrano
*The Cure*	Zander Grantham
*THE DEADHEAD*	Justin Ballheim
*The Ghost Door*	Laura Quimby
*The Lights of Time*	Paul Ian Cross
*The Return of the Last Dragon*	LaShawn Evans
*The Shadow League*	C.J. Baer
*The Tides*	Paul Del Gesso
*Time Janitors*	Ryan Manns, Jocelyn Manns
*To the Moon and Back*	Brea Cola Angelo
*Trashy*	Chelsea Marshall
*Universal Frequency*	Richard Krzemien
*Vessel*	Sean Mogridge
*VIENNA CALLING*	Renate Grassmugg
*Zarmina's World*	Arturo Corces

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Sci-Fi & Fantasy Screenwriting Competition Semifinalists appeared first on ScreenCraft.

2023 ScreenCraft Comedy Competition Quarterfinalists

ScreenCraft — Wed, 31 May 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Listed below are the Quarterfinalists of the 2023 ScreenCraft Comedy Competition. These exceptional screenplays were selected from almost 2,300 submissions. Congratulations to the writers who have made it this far and thanks to all for submitting!

Stay tuned for the Semifinalist announcement on June 28th on our blog and on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages! And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

Here are the Quarterfinalists:

*"Authorship"*	Russell Paris
*"MEET ME AT THE END OF THE WORLD"*	Ori Kowarsky
*1876!*	Damion Adams
*2060*	Lindsay Kent
*26th and Cal*	Ben Berkman
*A Brat Blooms in Bushwick*	Judd Schlossberg
*A Dog's Life*	Sammy Leach
*A Girl's Guide to Vampirism*	Jack Aupperle
*A More Perfect Union*	Jonathan Weisbrod
*A.A. and The Ghosts*	Onil Lad
*ACTING TEACHER*	Montana South Dakota
*Adapted for Outer Space*	Justin Spiegel
*Adolescents*	Joel Michalak, Andrea M. Jensen
*Adult Baby Genius*	Lori Chandler
*Adulting*	Kaleigh Fitzgerald
*Adventures in Serial Killing*	John Munn
*Aim Me*	Sandi Jerome
*Alex and Her: A Great Story*	David Dorman, John Knight
*Alexi I*	Alex Murawski
*Am I?*	Alex Smith
*Amalgam*	Erez Mossek
*American as Fuck*	Jazz Mann, Ravi Kamble
*American Awesome*	Mike Gerbino
*Americool*	Tim Janas
*Andi Lake Has Things To Do*	teri elam
*Any Given Sundae*	Jackson Davies
*Anything Serious*	Francisco Castro
*Apocalypse Later*	J.W. Hendricks, Madison Crews
*Apocalypse Not*	Samantha Silver
*Arts, Crafts, Time & Space*	Michael Beddoes
*ArtWorks*	Jeffrey Meyer
*Assisted Living*	Charlie Griffin
*Astronaut Angel*	Kevin Sterling
*Aunt Flo*	Justin Rubner
*Aviations Anonymous - "Co-Pilot"*	Luciano Mendez
*Backsliding*	Bill Kelman
*Bad News Lane*	José Luís Lopes
*BALK*	Gabriel Santi
*Ball Don't Lie*	Isaiah Mouw
*Bankers*	Sparky Truman
*Bar Hop*	Zach Grossman, Sasha Grossman
*Barbara the Barbarian*	Des Burnison
**Bat Sht Debbie***	Billy Abraham
*Baxter's Brain*	Walter Jacobson
*Beach Patrol*	Sarah Larkey
*Beard*	ismail hysam
*Beaverton*	Alexander Dagley
*BEFORE 420*	Jeffrey Ching
*BEINTEINN VALTÝSSON AND MÆJA MÖLLER SAVE ICELAND.*	Einar Gunn
*Bent Out Of Shape*	Sheri Flanders
*Best New Artist*	Ryan Luong
*Bible Park*	MEGAN SASS
*Bite Me*	Andy Palmer
*Black Apples*	Daviesha Rice
*Blenders*	Kenneth Mosley
*Blood Sisters*	Sera Barbieri, Heather Barbieri
*Blue Lobsters*	Daniel Powell
*Bodice Rippers*	Laura Mannino
*Boil the Ocean*	MATT LINTON
*Boiling Points*	Kevin Nguyen
*BOOMERANG*	scott cramer
*BOSS B!T@#*	Brandon Myhan
*Bowie in Birmingham*	Nick Griffiths
*Brave John Burns*	John Biolsi
*Brew*	Kimberly Dilts
*Broke Eat Pray Love*	Shakira Paye
*Bros Before Hoes*	Shane Anderson
*Brother of the Bride*	Connor Reveley
*Bug Nuts*	Stephen Polakiewicz
*Bully Bottom*	Hadley Carpenter
*Bumblefuck*	Lindsay Heiman
*Bust*	Leah Bleich
*C.O.R. - Lift Off*	Ross & Alex Donewald
*Camouflage and Lipstick*	Lawrence Daly
*Camp*	Cody Brantley
*Camp Murder*	Jaden Curtis
*Camp S.L.A.Y.*	Joel Michalak, Andrea M. Jensen
*Cancel Me*	avery koenig
*Canceled*	Ansuya Nathan
*Cancer Culture*	Becky Braunstein, Brianna Barrett
*Carnegie's Call*	Ryan Skinner
*Central Baggage*	Dan Taft
*Charles Darwin in Charge*	Ben Gottlieb
*Chasers*	Justin Spiegel
*Chasing Love*	Rebecca Glazer, Marianne Gilles
*CHASING SHADOWS*	Tony Ferrendelli, Kim Turner
*Chinatown Eyes*	Kathy Tao
*Chosen*	Ryan Manns, Jocelyn Manns
*Chris and Dave*	Christopher Agnew
*Chronic: A Comedic TV Series*	Mary Lemmer
*Chrumbs*	Aubrey Maddock
*Circle Yes or No*	Kym Mosley
*Circus of Smiles*	Allen Wu
*Class Act*	Kate Leslie
*Clean Sweep*	Isabelle Davis
*Clown*	Oliver Silver
*Coffee Boy*	Daniel Siegelstein
*Colette*	Steve Coy, Marie Bertonneau
*Come Again*	Marshall Seese, Jr.
*Come As You Were*	Aidan Kilpatrick, Christopher Loeber
*Confidence*	Joel Michalak
*Cool Boy*	Andrew Wailes
*Cool New Town*	Julie Sharbutt
*Crash and Burn*	Iam Typn
*Cream City*	Chris Osterndorf
*Crowdpleaser*	Bill Kelman
*Cub TV*	Kevin Eis
*Culty*	Melissa Balint
*CurioCity*	Maxwell Gay, Tucker Flodman
**Dckhle**	Jacob Stuebs
*Daddy Baby*	Phillip Roquemore
*Daddy Issues*	Justin Viar
*Daphne and Althea Save Greece*	LeeAnn Patrick, Daniel Shinners
*Dead Cthulhu Waits Dreaming*	Connor Farrell
*Dead Woman Walking*	Samuel Hutchison
*DEAD-END JOB*	Alison Lynch
*Deadbeat Fantasy*	Duncan Dwyer
*Death to all Weebs*	Alexia Verbeke
*Death's Daughter*	Sunny Karnan
*Destination Layover*	Olivia Nam
*Día de las Carpas*	Marina Kato
*Diary of a Teenage Lesbian*	Marina Pavoncelli
*DICK*	Omeed Boghraty
*DIE FOR ME*	Oliver Kent
*Dire Transfers*	Nate Suppaiah
*Disruption*	Hunter Patterson
*Doctor Babies*	Annie Sicherman
*DOG MOM*	Tamra Teig
*Doomsday Blade Masters*	Kevin Gillese
*DOWN & OUT*	Nick Madson
*Down To Earth*	Declan Shrubb, David Trajanoski
*Downhill*	Nicholas Schmid
*Driver's Ed*	Hayley Zablotsky
*EASY GAME*	David Bass
*EAT ME*	Leslie Thomas
*Eloise at the Crossroads*	Peter R. Feuchtwanger
*Emery & Ellsworth Make a Picture*	Madi Stine
*Errant Good*	Matthew Lucas
*ESCAPE FROM JURY DUTY*	Alan Larson
*Estate of the Art*	Ellen Lewis
*Eternally Yours*	Lou Wollin
*Even Better*	Valerie Hurt
**Fckin' Palm Springs***	Kathleen Krauland, Bryan Chesters
*FAKE*	Vana Medeiros
*Fantasma*	Anneliese Farrer
*FANTASY*	Grace Marlowe
*Fashion Apocalypse*	susan berman
*Fatal Family*	Hilary Schwartz
*Featured Extra*	George O'Connor, Diana Porter
*Feudal*	Jared Duryea
*Finding Alison's Playbook*	Andrew Judge
*First Ex*	Amy Sleper
*First Man*	Sandi Jerome
*Fisheye Pilot*	Dien Sun
*Foodie for Love*	Nicole Torre
*For-Profit*	Derry Fan
*Free Chickie*	Liz Lachman
*Freeze*	Alexandra Dell
*Fricasso*	TIZIANA GIAMMARINO
*Gentrifried*	Max Marcus
*Going Nowhere*	Matthew Davis
*Golden Views*	Lorin Williams
*Good Con/Bad Con*	Joshua Redfield
**Good Fck Charm***	Isabelle Davis
*Good Graces*	Hal Kirkland
*Good News Gary*	Chad Hutson
*Goodbye Everybody*	Benjamin Lewis
*Grateful Thankful Blessed*	Alex Taylor Eldridge
*Gumshoe Brooklyn*	Jordan Obey
*H.O.A.*	Jon Wierenga, Jay Thomas
*Hafrocentric - Girl, Interrupts*	Juliana "Jewels" Smith
*Half and Half*	Ruby Morgan
*Half-Cocked*	Jason Phillips, Theo Poling
*Hangers On*	Sylvia Park
*HAPPY CAMPERS*	Michi Broman
*Happy Yet?*	Laura Gray
*Hard Feelings*	Michelle Farhang
*HARD TIME*	Nick Pappas
*HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT BRAINS, TOO... (not a sequel)*	brian murphy
*He Will Be Missed*	Josh Folan
*Headwinds*	Noah Miller
*Heartless Romantic*	Keegan Duncan
*Hearts on Fire*	Ryan Frances-Wright
*Heaven Forbid*	Lia Nies
*Hebrew School Dropout*	Josh Hyman
*HERE WE GO AGAIN*	James Ward III, Bryon Starks
*Hey Hun*	Liz Galvao
*High Grades*	Zac Musolino, Cass Dennis, Ruby Davis
*High Heels Story*	Lily Ho
*Higher Ground*	Pamela Ryckman
*History Tycoon*	Amanda Pastunink
*Ho Era*	Margaux Susi
*HOBO GROVE*	Gary Graves
*Hollywood Cannibals*	Chad Wellinger
*Horny Devil*	Missak Artinian
*Hostage Party*	Jesse Nowakowski
*Hotel Marie*	Rachel Bailey
*How Many Licks?: "Trial By Error" (Pilot)*	Brennan Howard
*Huge in Japan*	Kayla Rosenberg
*Human Stalk*	Nil Unerdem
*HUMOR ME*	Tracy Curtis
*Humpster Dumpster*	Lane Unsworth
*I Told You So*	Brian "Crusty" Horgan
*In The Heart Of America*	Jordan Cooper
*Influence*	Laura Han
*Injured*	Megan Mazer
*InstaGraham*	Harry Borland
*Invent Hard*	Janne Pulkkila
*It Wants To Feed*	Elvis Wilson
*It's a Long Long Way to Tipperary*	Rick Hays
*It's All Been Done*	Laura Becker
*It's Complicated*	Maggie Callis
*It's Only Us*	Will Beaby
*It's Over*	Emily Bernard
*IVG*	Christopher Backs
*Izzy*	Victoria Lu
*Jan's Awakening*	Julia M. Sauder
*Jenkins and Watts: Paranormal Attorneys At Law*	Michael Brennan
*Jerusalem Idol*	Lewis Papier
*Jesus Rocks*	Cindy Shiner
*Johnny Arrow*	Paddy Roberts
*Judy's search for God*	Dave Wade
*K-Poparazzo*	Max Werkmeister
*Kids Today*	Unnamed
*Killer Vegans*	Soni Benson, Jamie Benson, Dirk Rogers
*KILLING SQUIRREL CREEK (A Howard Sterling Mystery)*	ERIK HOWARD
*Kindred Spirits*	Suzanne Paschall, Bryan Howell
*Kitten*	David Bell
*L.A.'s Best*	John Wojturski
*Lady Player*	Jenna D'Angelo
*Lady Problems*	Harriet Weaver
*Last Stop*	Richard Doyle
*Late Date*	Denise Widman
*Lazarus*	Pamela H. Leahigh
*Lefty*	Gabriel A. Perez
*Leonard*	Darrell McGregor
*Lessons in Kissing Brazilian Boys*	Jenna St. John
*Level Up*	Daniel G. King
*Liaisons*	Callum Wratten
*Life with Nonna*	Lesley Fera
*Lindy Thompson Wants to be a Star*	Kayla Lanzalaco, Flynn Nicholls
*Little Deutschland*	Jordan Prescott, Matt Tribble
*Little Muse*	Bass Fall
*Living Your Best Wife*	teri elam
*Local Moguls Pilot: The Thickening*	Michael Winters
*Locals Only*	SAMUEL ANGELO
*Long Shot*	Carrie Herrera, Chris Cordola
*Loose Threads*	Erick Pausz, Christopher Semel
*Lost & Found*	Mickey Petrusaitis
*Lost Years*	Eloise McKenzie
*Love Fool*	Zina Kresin
*LOVE HANDLES*	Matt Mitchell, Ben Hirschhorn
*Lucy Campden*	Ali Calamari
*Lucy Lopez Sells Her House*	Kylie Murphy
*Lunar Surfers*	Jonathan Wax
*Lunatic*	Sally Pitts, Ryan Gaumont
*Maisy*	Meredith Strangfeld
*Making Friends*	Lochlann Dowd
*Mall Girl*	Mitchell Nance
*Man of a House*	Pablo Velez, Anthony Guilianti, Dave Bobb, Inés Del Castillo
*Manhunt: The Day That Changed Everything*	Amaka Orji
*Maria the Defiant: A Comic Adventure in Six Chapters*	Robert Carter
*Martina*	Baltimore P. Jenkins
*Marty's Muff Madness*	David Testerman, Glenys Simz Dube
*Match Masters*	Casey Dunn
*McBucket List*	Kirk Young
*MEAN SECRETARIES*	Susan Ferrara
*Medicated*	Sharon Kadosh
*MEME GIRLS*	Matthew Manson
*Men Are From Venus*	C. Pendergast
*Merry Christmas from Mud Mountain*	Michael Buonocore
*Mid-Aughts*	Rachel Gulotta
*Midterm Crunch*	Amy M Fiedel
*Monstrous We May Be*	Emmy Herzog
*Mr. & Mr. Tanaka*	Neil Tinkham
*Mr.Christmas*	Maddy Hillis & Corina Bizim
*Multiplex*	Jennifer Milne
*Murder on Ice*	Danielle Dallas Roosa
*Murder Wives*	Maya Florin
*Musicality*	Sophie Wentzel-Lewis
*My Dad's Harder Than Your Dad*	Nathan Cox
*MY DEAD DAD - TV Pilot Hour Long*	Allison Del Franco
*Nan's Guide to Retirement*	Teresa Bass
*Narayana Neurosis*	karan talwar
*Naughty Darlings*	Trey Burnette
*Netflix And Kill*	Kelly Fulton, Paul Fulton
*Never Let Go*	Raven Petretti
*Nip It in the Bud*	Elissa Hunter
*No Matter What*	James Love
*No Mirrors*	Brian Lustig
*No One Wants Us*	Yagmur Tok
*Nudie Mag*	Kevin Dembinsky
*Obviously, Aliens*	Jennie Goloboy
*OLD FARTS*	Erik Potempa
*OLD MONEY*	Nicholas Wenger
*On the Sidelines*	Mark Greene
*Once Upon a Proposal*	Marcus Ellsworth, James Creighton
*Once We Were Kings*	Chloe Borenstein-Lawee
*Once, In a Dry Season (or My Big Gay Divorce)*	Howard Schreiber
*One Good Man*	Elizabeth Musgrave
*One Lousy Mistake*	Dave Wade
*One Night At The Livingston*	Evelyn Anna Danciger
*One Night In Newark*	Olivia Mayberry
*Only Pedestrian in LA*	Kana Felix
*Otherworld, NJ*	Matthew McLachlan
*Our Huge Auspicious Indian-Chinese Wedding*	Rachel Hong
*Our Invincible Kindness*	brian wapole
*Our Lady of Hollywood and Vine-"The Wow Factor"*	Jacqi Bowe
*Our Savior, Traxor*	Roderick Kashani
*Out of Tune*	Caleb Moran
*Out of Water*	Madi Stine
*PA Nation*	Verena Puhm
*Parallel Piece*	Matthew Woods
*Party Bully*	Talisa Friedman
*Party Lines*	Sean Bloomstine
*Peasant Food*	Connor Savage
*Peckerwoods or The ~Somewhat~ Historically-Accurate Account of the Kentucky Outlaw known as Bud Thacker*	Chance Sparks
*Pet Vet & Crematory*	Justin Casselle
*Pi's*	Caleb Levine
*Pig & Bear*	Tommy Heleringer
*Pink Shirts*	Caleb York
*Play Date*	Jim Cushinery
*Please Be Offended*	David Heiman
*Poe & Co. Detective Agency*	Mindy Strouse
*POLES APART*	Alessandra Brook
*Poster Boy*	Justin Carter
*Power Couple*	Ari Donnelly
*Powerless*	Chris Laughton
*Premium Economy*	Michael Harris
*Pro-Tem*	Carol Ray Hartsell
*PUNK MOMS*	Kate Rappoport, Nicky Urban, Julia Bartlett
*Q42!*	Steph Farber
*QLC*	Marnie B., Clayton Fletcher
*RABBIT HOLE*	Laurie Hartung
*Raccoonigans*	Sheena Santamaria
*RAGEMAN!*	Joel Svendsen
*Re-Gifted*	Joel Michalak
*Rebound*	Hanna Safar
*REMIX*	Sean Boring
*RETIRED gODS*	Mark Labella
*Reverse Course*	Gregory Cohen
*Rock 'Til You Die*	Adam Allen
*Rock and Roll*	Scott Peterman, Cat Davis
*Rooted*	Hadley Houck
*RoTC*	Sejal Moosapeta
*RUDY'S CHRISTMAS REVENGE*	Joanne Bellew
*Rumford*	Nick Roth
*Rumspringa Break*	Jeremy Padow
*Run for the Hills*	Troy Deutsch
*Sadist*	Jennifer Anderson
*Salvaged*	Julie Sharbutt
*Sam and Kaya*	Shannon Brady
*Sanctuary*	Richard Bethea
*Saturn Return*	Mallory Sparks
*Scapegoat*	Olivia Lee
*Scatterbrained*	George Petersen
*SCOUTS*	Mackenzie Sammeth
*Scramp Valley*	Nat Swyer
*Sean and Jade*	Eric Vanders, Anthony Cusumano, Holly Souchack
*SECRET SANTA*	Ryan W. Smith
*SECRET SECOND FAMILY*	Jen Howell
*Seed Money*	Logan Stone
*Sellout*	Jabari Howard
*Senioritis*	Nate Dillon
*Serious Laughs*	Aaron Sutch
*She's The Man*	Callie Waligora
*SHIRLEY'S CAPITAL*	Gail Joy Stewart
*Sick & Tired*	Nelson Downend
*Sidekicks*	Jot Sahi
*Sierra Hotel*	Matthew Coffern
*SILICON SALLY*	Ellen Ancui
*Sincerely, Ida*	Sofia Dillenberger
*Single White Aussie*	adrian tripodina
*Six Assholes*	Kevin Barry
*Sludge*	Kevin Barry
*Smallwood*	DAVID PAGE
*Snake Oil*	David Salisbury
*Sofa So Good*	Jonathan Smith, Dora Tsepa
*Son of a Sheriff*	Travis Davidson
*Speak English*	Kieran Angelini
*SPECIAL AGENTS*	BRIAN PRACHT
*SPINSTERS*	Aurie Ceylon
*Springtime for Mashinsky*	Joshua Jashinski, Rob Stevens
*Spy Bros*	Jared Pettit, Jason Felix
*Squatters*	James Barnes
*Standby*	Patrick Tierney
*Star Elite*	Lisa Lutes
*Stay Up Late*	Jenna Lafferty
*Stick Straight*	Tara Mark Rosenblum
*Stone Age*	Pallavi Yetur
*STONE IN LOVE*	Jerrad Burford
*Stonewall*	Alex Reinach
*STOP & GO*	Gail Barrick
*STRAYA*	Rosaleen Cox
*Strike Three*	Spencer Cohen
*Study Abroad*	Nick Grimes
*Stuntwomen*	Emily E. Ellis
*Sugar Baby*	Russell Bailey
*Sydney*	Steven Tobiasz
*Take My Wife, Please*	Joe Amadon
*Take the Cake*	Julie Chernesky
*Talk Black*	Destiny Macon
*Talk Like Somebody's Listening*	Ryan Costello
*TEETH*	ben hartland
*Tell Me More Tomorrow*	David Sajadi
*TEST THIS!!*	Gregory Corrado, Rick Wernli
*The American Hoax*	Collin Gilbert
*The American Oligarchy*	Alison Greene
*The Arc of Joan*	Marla S Billings
*THE ART OF ENTERTAINMENT*	Montana South Dakota
*The Art of Mindlessness*	Derek Arnold
*THE ATHENIANS*	Zachary Levine
*THE BACKUP PLAN*	Jake Hulse
*THE BALLS*	BRADLEY JACOBS
*THE BINKSTER*	Lawrence Goldman
*The Boca Shuffle*	Tod Klinger
*The Bridal Party*	Ben Mansbridge
*The Building*	Adam Ganser
*The Burg*	Jack Cherry
*The Chancer*	Fiona Graham
*The Christmas*	Adam Ullberg
*The Comeback*	Adam Sutherland
*The Compatriots*	Spencer Cohen
*The Cursing Tree*	Nan Schmid
*The Death of John David Binetta*	Claire Guinan
*The Devil Went Down To Disco*	Red Davis
*The Envy of Ledd*	Gary Irons
*The Essential Male*	Mike O'Neill
*The Fake Fischmans*	Dan Amernick
*The Final Rose*	Jenna Lafferty
*The Flat Earth Lunch Club*	Benjamin Goodall, Andrew Sansom
*The Flipping of House Cannibal*	Phillip Rogers
*The Foundling*	Oliver Morgan
*The Garfield Guy*	Jeff Longsworth
*The Grad Assistant*	Candler Proffitt
*The Great Glorious Kingdom of Ückerburg*	Jorge Moratal
*The Handoff*	Ariel Palin
*The Heartbreak Club*	Riley Scott, Hilty Bowen
*The Hopeful Romantic*	Marissa Ziets
*The Idlers*	Daniel Van Nostrand
*The In-Between Times*	Megan Mazer
*The Khans*	Ben Caro
*THE LAST DAYS OF THE CHURCH OF THE STARSEED*	Andrew Matthews
*The Late Night Club*	Kirsten Koedding
*The Laugh List*	Myron John Tataryn
*The Legend Of Eleanor Clark*	Thomas Wood
*THE LIFT*	Rick Mallett
*The Long View*	Len Uhley
*The Montclairs*	Justin Thomas , Lucas Mills, Jonny Svarzbein
*The Muppets' Great Galactic Adventures*	Kimberly Turner, Tony Ferrendelli
*The Nethermead*	Evan Allgood
*The Night Shift*	Kristina Grosspietsch
*The People Team*	Jonathan Weisbrod, William Stribling, Russ Nickel
*The Perfect Match*	Leka Gopal
*The Pirate Delivery Service*	Nastassia Duval
*The Politician*	Khadija Diakite
*The Practice Marriage*	Stewart Fergus
*The Pyramid*	Frank Buttafarro
*The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High*	Laurie Ann Crompton
*The Return of Jesus*	Jim Rothman
*The Santa Claus Fairy Tale*	dominick tambasco
*The Seahorse*	Nick Logsdon
*The Sh!t Can*	frederic marsanne
*The Short Bus*	Matthew Saio
*The Showrunner*	Ben Carter Olcott
*The Silent Spy Speaks Out*	Lawrence Davidson
*The Skipper*	Telsyn Doucette
*The Substitutes*	Stephen Krespel
*The Sugar Baby*	Daniel Ehrlich
*The Tabby*	Emily McGregor
*The Thrower*	Graham Rich, Frankie Bourne
*The Understudy*	Dan Aho
*The Wrestling Show*	JULIE HARRISON-HARNEY
*There's No Christmas Like Show Christmas*	Taylor Coriell
*Thick Skin*	Natalie Zimmerman
*Things To Do Before We Die*	Tristan Rodriguez
*This End Up*	Mike Ackerman
*This Is A Nightmare - Pilot*	Maggie Smith
*This is Hillview*	Kushagra Kundra
*THIS IS NOT THE END*	Tomas Fleck
*Three Sheets to the Wind*	Thomas Schrack
*Three Unwishes*	Troy Graham
*Tiki Bar Funeral Home*	Amy DePaola
*Time Janitors*	Ryan Manns, Jocelyn Manns
*Tin Can Alley*	Thomas Schoch
*TITO*	DT Houston
*Ton-O-Fun*	Zachary Newbrough
*Tonight Tonight*	Danny Wascou
*TOO HORRIBLE TO MENTION*	Rob Gruen
*Topher & Nate & The Invaders From Mars*	Ryan Dooley
*Touchwood*	Amy Charlesworth
*Toxic*	Jackie Mahoney
*TOXIC.*	Colin Lawrence
*Trashy*	Chelsea Marshall
*TREASURE, INC.*	Ted Sperling
*Try Again*	Grant Hermanns
*Tubes*	Brandon Myhan
*Turf*	Jack Gorman, Shannon Walsh
*TV Land*	Jessica Kinsella
*Tweener*	Kristina Sproat
*TWO BLOCKS FROM POPULAR*	Hal Harris
*Uncle Wuzzy*	Isaac Smith
*Unexplainable*	Jack Anderson, Sam Butler
*UNEXPLAINABLE*	Jason Ginsburg
*Unfinished Business*	Matt Seiiji Ketai
*Unfortunate*	Matthew Solomon
*Us Against The World(s)*	Ross Buran
*Vengeance Airlines*	Hunt Holman
*Veruca*	Tony Binns
*Virgin Mojito*	Alice Melton
*Voice of God*	Edward Field, Emery Gare
*Wasted on Youth*	Brian LaPerche
*WE-MEN*	Calamity J
*We're in a Cult Drinking the Kool-Aid*	greg gleason
*WeHos*	Adrion Trujillo
*Welcome to Kickass*	Bonnie Orr
*Welcome to Splitsville*	Matt Sadowski
*WEN MOON*	HEATHER PROVOST
*What Else*	Joshua Yunis
*WHAT I KNOW NOW*	Kevin Regan
*What We Do in the Shadows - Guillermo's Mom's House*	Kimberly Turner, Tony Ferrendelli
*What's Your Damage*	Julie Drazen
*WhenWolf*	Jeremy Pick
*Whitley Social Club*	David Kane
*Wife Material*	Carley Smale
*Wing Man*	Laura Walters
*Witches*	Amy Maestri, Katie Wilbert
*Work Release*	Patrick Connelly
*Wormhole*	JULIE COHEN, TED KUPPER
*Wrecks*	Joseph Capp
*Written By Henrietta Bloom*	Robin Shushan
*Yanks*	Jennifer Bradford, Katherine Benjamin, Katharyn Stober
*YAVA!*	Tevin Houle
*Yeshiva*	Eytan Raphaely
*Yoga™*	Paton Ashbrook
*Youtopia*	Danny Galvin, Brad Pike

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2023 ScreenCraft Comedy Competition Quarterfinalists appeared first on ScreenCraft.

2023 ScreenCraft True Story & Public Domain Competition Semifinalists

ScreenCraft — Wed, 24 May 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Listed below are the Semifinalists of the 2023 ScreenCraft True Story & Public Domain Competition. These exceptional projects were selected from almost 900 submissions. Congratulations to the writers who have made it this far!

Stay tuned for the Finalist announcement on June 21st on our blog and on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages! And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

Here are the Semifinalists:

*"The Shotgun Killer"*	Ray Proya
*1962*	Dean Jaloudi
*A brand new day*	Lissette Mehl
*A Need to Kill*	Mark Pettit, AJ Jones
*American Babylon*	Yvan Iturriaga
*AMERICAN RED*	David Marlett
*Angel Eyes*	Richard Mauro
*Bardot*	David George
*BLACK CADILLAC*	Beth Brickell
*Box Canyon*	Mark Laing
*But Some of Us Are Brave*	Jainaba Seckan
*Camelot*	Kaleb Tuttle
*Chasing Demons*	Nicholas Deroo
*Color & Light*	Louis Reyes McWilliams
*Deep East Texas*	Rachel Liebling
*Desire*	Katherine Cronyn
*Fairy Tale in Red*	Ben Carter Olcott
*Fortune*	Lisa Kröger
*Heaven's Gate*	DJ Burr
*Hidden Death: True Crime*	Lady Khadi Madama
*Hole In The Woods*	Jennifer Dornbush
*HOPING*	Eric Yang
*Hunter's Law*	Marieke Randoy
*IN THE SHADOW OF A MONSTER*	Russell Boston
*John & Meryl (Pilot)*	Jimmy Prosser
*KEANU REEVES IS MY MUSE, MY SON IS A DRAGON*	Phoenix Black
*knockin' on Heavens Door*	Sallieann Brinton
*Lady Driver*	Stephanie Diaz, Rick Reilly
*Lake George*	Hamid Castro
*Lion & Lamb*	Jenny Kleiman
*Lobo*	Patrick Mahon
*MIKE AND MAUD*	Beth Brickell
*My Fight For Justice*	Robbi Bryant
*Once and Future*	Kylie Boersma
*One Mad Apple*	Tom Pratt
*Operation Babylift*	John Mccarney
*Philip Glass, Philip Glass*	Martin Barshai
*Polar Vortex*	Robert Kraska
*Prince of the Rich: Respect, Revenge, and Retaliation*	Grant Gruber
*Privileged Deceit*	Warren Hull, Annette Hull
*Quiet Bodies*	Sofia Drummond-Moore
*re.Form(ed)*	Johnny Gilligan
*Red, White, & Juan*	Ross Fischer
*She is Worthy*	Rene Gutteridge
*Sin of the Stormbird*	Mike Streng
*Skyjackers*	Josh Guffey
*Sutton Holler*	Tennessee Martin
*The Boy Scout*	Dan Williams
*The Cannibal Poet*	Michael Clifton
*The Children*	Lauren Boyd
*The Fairest of Them All*	Patrick Bradley-Moore
*The Forgotten 6 of I-295*	Tasha McLemore
*The James Bond Gang*	Christopher Surrey
*THE LAVENDER PANTHERS*	Heather Farlinger
*The Salamander Letter*	Liz Lachman, Cynthia Greening
*The Story of Saint-Domingue*	Shawn Boursiquot
*The Transformation of Forrest Asa Carter*	E.B. Boccuzzi
*Three Sheets to the Wind*	Thomas Schrack
*Tipping the Scales*	Laura Kirk
*Trahor Fatis*	Autumn Cavender
*Two Kgs of Marmalade*	Megan Mazer
*Unsettled*	Courtney Weaver
*Wrightsborough*	Mahonri Stewart
*You Should Never Tell*	Tian Boothe

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The post 2023 ScreenCraft True Story & Public Domain Competition Semifinalists appeared first on ScreenCraft.

2022 ScreenCraft Animation Competition Finalists

ScreenCraft — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 17:00:00 +0000

We're excited to announce the Finalists of the 2022 ScreenCraft Animation Competition. These exceptional scripts were selected from almost 1,400 submissions. Congratulations to the writers who have made it this far and thanks to all for submitting!

We're excited to share these projects with our incredible jury that includes: Justin Littman (Manager, Gotham Group), Sam Hoffman (Creative Executive, Fuzzy Door), Mitchell Bendersky (Manager, Gramercy Park Entertainment), Nadya Panfilov (Coordinator, Writ Large), Edward Mejia (Exec. Director of Current Series, Disney TV Animation), and screenwriters Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin (MULAN).

Stay tuned for the Winner announcement on November 30th on our blog and on our Twitter and Facebook pages! And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

Congrats to the Finalists:

*A SAFE SPACE*	Anthony Garcon
*Anomaly*	Daniel Parra
*Blob*	Summer Benowitz
*Chikamatsu Endgame*	Federico Sanna
*Coins*	Anthony Gaudioso, Erik Cardona
*DINAH*	Brandon Feldman, Ben Agron
*Genius High*	Nadia Osman
*Heirheads*	Kayla Baken
*Imagine/Nation*	Philip Krampf
*Johnny Thunder: LEGO Adventurer*	Bryan Firks
*Little Tommy's Dance*	Zachary Jones
*Mata Mapi*	Line Abrahamian
*Outlet*	Jared White
*The (Mostly) Marvelous Murray*	Christian Kaps
*The City Under Glass (Pilot)*	RA Peterson
*The Craftsman*	Harron Atkins
*The Last Human*	Maria Vainer
*The Mantle*	TK Kelly
*The Moth Effect*	Eric Landau
*The World, the Realm, and the Rift*	Angela M. Sanchez

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The post 2022 ScreenCraft Animation Competition Finalists appeared first on ScreenCraft.

2022 ScreenCraft Feature Competition Winners

ScreenCraft — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 17:00:00 +0000

ScreenCraft is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2022 ScreenCraft Feature Competition. These exceptional screenplays were selected from almost 1,900 submissions. We're also pleased to share that we expanded our Grand Prize to recognize 3 winners. A huge congratulations to all of our winners!

Grand Prize Winners

Selected by Diana Ossana

Big Sisters by Sander Gusinow. A young woman with autism travels to New York to save her rock star little sister from her downward spiral.

Vapor by RJ Collins, John Trefry. In a dystopian near-future where water is currency, a teenage girl seeks revenge for her brother's death, only to be drawn into a larger struggle by a mysterious cowboy.

Selected by Matthew Lieberman

Kiss of Darkness by Michael McClung. As the Cold War rages in the Congo, a biracial interpreter and an American journalist, who finds himself in the middle of a CIA assassination plot, fall into a tumultuous relationship.

Our Grand Prize winners will receive from their respective mentor: a personalized round of notes, virtual meeting, and project development insight. In addition to our incredible industry mentors we'd also like to thank our other jury members Parker Davis (Agent, Verve), Halle Mariner (Agent, APA), and Kate Sharp (Manager, Bellevue).

In addition to the three projects above we'd like to recognize the following writers and their projects which made up our Top 10.

In Darkness Dwell by Simon Littlejohn

Scrap Metal Hearts by Jane Eakin

The Art of Intention by Dena Acolatse

The Last Supper by Zachary Ashman

Plainclothes by Carmen Emmi

Reaching for the Bottom by Alan Eschbach

Slugger by J. Miller

Add-On Prize Winner

Operation Ajax by Jake Hulse

We're also excited to announce the winner of our add-on prize opportunity with Traction. The story is set in 1953, and follows Teddy Roosevelt’s black-sheep grandson who must orchestrate the overthrow of the Iranian Prime Minister in order to stop the spread of Communism, but ends up destabilizing the world as we know it. Based on a true story.

Congratulations again to these writers, and thank you to everyone who submitted projects. If you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2022 ScreenCraft Feature Competition Winners appeared first on ScreenCraft.

2022 ScreenCraft Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition Finalists

ScreenCraft — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 17:00:00 +0000

We are excited to announce the Finalists of the 2022 ScreenCraft Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition. These exceptional scripts were selected from almost 800 submissions. Congratulations to these writers!

We're delighted to share these incredible scripts with our esteemed jury that includes: Lorelle Lynch (Creative Executive, AGC), Eric Borja (Literary Manager, Alldayeveryday), Paris Herbert-Taylor (Creative Executive, Pride of Gypsies), Lowell Shapiro (Literary Manager, Black Box Management), Andrew Bergamo (Creative Executive, The Donners' Company), and Emma Puglia (Coordinator, Zero Gravity).

Stay tuned for the Winner announcement on October 26th on our blog and on our Twitter and Facebook pages! And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

Here are the Finalists:

*A FIRE INSIDE*	Richard Martin
*COPYCAT*	Cory Marciel
*Finding Alexandria*	Sy Huq
*Guns of Perdition*	Jim Spivey
*John of Sherwood*	Tom Richard Santos
*Land Of The Free*	Cody Beavers
*SKUN*	Donn Kennedy
*Sutton Holler*	Tennessee Martin
*The Astronaut's Daughter*	Michael Hahn, Elisabeth Meurer
*THE FIRST GENTLEMAN*	Mark Gunnion
*The Horse Killers*	Josh Flanagan, Ben Hurst
*Wheeler*	Marshall Seese, Jr., Van Jensen

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 2022 ScreenCraft Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition Finalists appeared first on ScreenCraft.

2022 ScreenCraft Feature Competition Finalists

ScreenCraft — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 17:00:00 +0000

We are thrilled to announce the Finalists of the 2022 ScreenCraft Feature Competition. These exceptional screenplays were selected from almost 1,900 submissions. Congratulations to these writers!

We are thrilled to share these scripts with our industry jury that includes: Matthew Lieberman (Screenwriter, FREE GUY), Parker Davis (Agent, Verve), Halle Mariner (Agent, APA), Oscar winning co-writer, Diana Ossana (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN), and Kate Sharp (Manager, Bellevue).

Stay tuned for the Winner announcement on October 12th on our blog and on our Twitter and Facebook pages! And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

Here are the Finalists:

*A Weekend In The Country*	Benedict Cohen
*Austen Time*	Julia Bergeron
*Big Sisters*	Sander Gusinow
*Cages*	Megan Raney Aarons, Colin K Gray, Izabel Acevedo
*Catch The Fly*	Michael Bezushko
*Founder Effect*	Rob Pilkington
*Holy Ghosts*	Michael Basha
*In Darkness Dwell*	Simon Littlejohn
*KISS OF DARKNESS*	MICHAEL MCCLUNG
*OPERATION AJAX*	Jake Hulse
*Plainclothes*	Carmen Emmi
*Reaching for the Bottom*	ALAN ESCHBACH
*ROSEBUD*	Kayla Hardy
*Salaam George Michael*	Irshad Ashraf
*Scrap Metal Hearts*	jane eakin
*Sharp Tongue Devil*	Adrian Munro, Ian Malone
*Slay House*	Devon Kerr
*SLUGGER*	J. Miller
*Take My Hand*	Sam Pavich
*The Art of Intention*	Dena Acolatse
*The Good Sister*	Hoku Uchiyama
*The Last Supper*	Zachary Ashman
*TRICE*	Matt Foss, Carlos Washington
*Vapor*	RJ Collins, John Trefry
*Wherever You Go*	Kate Hamilton

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2022 ScreenCraft Feature Competition Semifinalists

ScreenCraft — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 17:00:00 +0000

Listed below are the Semifinalists of the 2022 ScreenCraft Feature Competition. These exceptional screenplays were selected from almost 2,000 submissions. Congratulations to the writers who have made it this far!

Stay tuned for the Finalist announcement on September 14th on our blog and on our Twitter and Facebook pages! And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here.

Here are the Semifinalists:

*A Boy Like No Other*	Marion de Juniac
*A Brief History of Tim*	Timothy Edwards
*A Flightless Bird Upon Falling*	Chase Drummond
*A Weekend In The Country*	Benedict Cohen
*Armstrong in Hanoi*	Bryerly Long
*As You Wish*	Ana Mancholas
*Austen Time*	Julia Bergeron
*BAD GUY*	Charlotte Rosenberg
*Balloons Over Neptune*	Audrey Lane
*BattleGround*	teri elam
*Beast of Virginia*	Matthew Corley
*Big Sisters*	Sander Gusinow
*Blitzkrieg Follies*	Devin Toohey, Brian Whitaker
*Bonzo*	Sean Vaccaro
*Branding Season*	Rick Woodham
*Cages*	Megan Raney Aarons, Colin K Gray, Izabel Acevedo
*Can We Go Home Now?*	Jonathon Charatsis
*Catch The Fly*	Michael Bezushko
*Chó*	Jon Shaivitz
*Clams*	Sijia Cao
*Class Traitor*	Adam Rotstein
*Cuffing Season*	Jon Bershad
*Escape from Pet Heaven*	avery koenig
*Fiddlers*	Thomas Schrack
*Field Day*	Mackenzie Rohan
*Foluke's Keeper: A Descendant of Shango*	Khalylah Khaz
*Founder Effect*	Rob Pilkington
*Getaway Manor*	Elliot Connor
*GLORY DAYS*	Marc McCutcheon
*GREEN BLOODS*	Kevin Percival
*Heavy Metal Heat*	Sam Hergott
*Hillbilly Bath*	Lauren Kleeman
*Holy Ghosts*	Michael Basha
*Hospice Hitman*	Lindsay Ripley
*In Darkness Dwell*	Simon Littlejohn
*Jaegerfell*	A. D. Smith
*KISS OF DARKNESS*	MICHAEL MCCLUNG
*Leaving L.A.*	Jon Davis
*Life On The Run*	Andrew Fuhr
*Love Letter to Laos*	Isabel Drean
*Lovelorn*	Natalie Wiegner
*Martyrdom*	Alessandro Guarino
*Milwaukee*	Barry Ambrose, Christopher Stapleton
*Mockingbird Hill*	Smoke Monroe
*Neon Gauntlet*	Sean Armstrong
*NIGHT OF SLOW TEARS*	Aaron Lovett
*NOD*	John Palfery-smith
*Omni*	Alexandra Christensson
*One Thousand And One*	Samantha evoy
*OPERATION AJAX*	Jake Hulse
*Package for Jim Santiago*	Seth Colón
*Personal Statement*	Timothy Pruett
*Plainclothes*	Carmen Emmi
*PostScript*	Nelson Downend
*Pride and Prudence*	Fran Ervin
*Prince of Late Night*	Faraz Majid
*Raise Iron*	Stan Moroncini
*Reaching for the Bottom*	ALAN ESCHBACH
*Remember*	Po Lin
*Resplendent Lawns*	R.W. Perkins
*ROSEBUD*	Kayla Hardy
*Ruggers*	Ned O'Connor
*Salaam George Michael*	Irshad Ashraf
*Santa Anita*	David Liu
*Say Cheese*	Ryan Stanisz
*Scorched Lands*	Christian Moldes
*Scrap Metal Hearts*	jane eakin
*Sharp Tongue Devil*	Adrian Munro, Ian Malone
*Slay House*	Devon Kerr
*SLUGGER*	J. Miller
*Solo*	David Zeltser, Joseph Greco
*Take My Hand*	Sam Pavich
*The Art of Intention*	Dena Acolatse
*The Dead Guy*	Brian Birmingham
*The Diamond as Big as the Ritz*	Liam McIntyre
*The Fairies' Midwife*	Jerry Eckert
*The Golden City*	Michael Yuen
*The Good Sister*	Hoku Uchiyama
*The Last Supper*	Zachary Ashman
*The Method*	Aaron Michael Bailey, Troy Fresch
*The Oughthousers*	Ari Krause
*The Simple Invention of Him*	Kurtis Standley
*The Village Doctor*	Laura Kenner
*The Whites of Their Eyes*	David Loong
*The Whole Shebang*	Asher O'Briant
*The Widower*	Michael Buran
*Thirstygirl*	Alexandra Qin
*Timberwolf : Hubristic Howlings Of A Loser Lunatic (A Midwestern Fable Of Terror)*	Damien Marks
*TRICE*	Matt Foss, Carlos Washington
*UNION*	Marc Moody
*Up River*	David Bush
*Valium Times Day*	Mage Lanz, Susan Sassi
*Vapor*	RJ Collins, John Trefry
*Victoria*	Amanda Weinstock
*Wherever You Go*	Kate Hamilton

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The post 2022 ScreenCraft Feature Competition Semifinalists appeared first on ScreenCraft.

Paths to Becoming a Professional Screenwriter

Emily J — Wed, 18 May 2022 17:00:03 +0000

So, you’ve made the exhilarating decision to become a professional screenwriter. That’s exciting! But, as you might know, the entertainment industry is a difficult one to break into – now more than ever before.

Becoming a professional screenwriter is the dream, and though writing a great story or script is absolutely essential, the trick to breaking in is understanding the business so you can make that dream a reality. There are many books and sites that cover this topic bit by bit, but we’re here to be your one-stop shop for all things screenwriting.

Within this page, you’ll find tips, advice, and helpful resources to answer any question you might have about what it takes to be a working screenwriter today.

The Screenwriting Industry 101

The entertainment industry has changed a great deal in recent years. Film was considered the ultimate format that every writer wanted to work in, but television is in its latest Golden Age and writers are jumping at the chance to get in on the action.

The Film Industry

The industry is virtually unrecognizable from where it was just 5, 10, or 15 years ago. There was once a booming spec market where up-and-coming writers could expect big paydays. “Specs,” which are original feature film scripts (as opposed to TV scripts or scripts based on existing stories or properties), would be sent out to the spec market (producers and executives that buy original screenplays) by representatives, with buyers throwing out more and more money to get the rights to the script and make the film. IRON MAN 3 writer and director, Shane Black, was famous in the ‘90s for selling scripts for seven figures. The odds of that happening 25 years ago were low, but today it’s basically impossible.

The Spec Market

Today, the spec market is strong but not as overflowing as it once was and the paydays are similarly not as boisterous. The most scripts bought in the spec market in one decade is 175 in 1995. How many sold in 2021? 34. It’s not the lowest number ever, but it’s not what it used to be, and it speaks to the rising amount of material based on intellectual property, such as popular comics, novels, and podcasts.

And, just because a script is bought doesn’t mean that it gets made. This doesn’t mean that if you want to be a feature writer that there isn’t a market for you. However, it means that your script is as much a calling card to get jobs to adapt those intellectual property projects.

The Television Industry

In film, the director is king, even if they’re following someone else’s script. However, in television, the writer who created the show stays on the project while the director is often swapped out, and many creators also serve as showrunner, making decisions about every aspect of the show.

On the television side of the industry, what was once just a couple of broadcast networks, made up initially of CBS (1926), NBC (1927), and ABC (1943), before being joined by FOX (1986) and the WB and UPN (both in 1995 before merging into the CW in 2006). It wasn’t as hard to maintain an audience as long as you had shows on-air. So, this handful of networks would make series with large episode counts.

For example, the infamous I LOVE LUCY ran for six seasons and averaged 30 episodes in one season (35 in season one and, at its fewest, 26 in season five). By the ’90s, episode counts had lessened, with shows like ER and FRIENDS averaging 22-25 episodes per season.

The Broadcast Network Era

When broadcast networks ruled, so did the pilot season. Pilot season is the process by which these networks choose their next big hits. It starts in the fall, as writers and their producing partners pitch their original ideas for television shows (pilot scripts) to network executives. Heading into the holiday season, the network makes their selection from all of these different ideas, and makes choices based on what they “need,” which is based on their network “brand,” audience demographics, and what shows they already have.

During pilot season, networks would choose dozens of scripts to be filmed from January to March in the new year. Once everything is filmed, and remember it’s only the first episode, the networks then choose which shows deserve a full season. And because broadcast networks make their money from advertisers (commercials, sponsorships, and product placement, similar to how YouTube and influencers operate today), these network executives, and the creators and stars of the shows chosen for a full season, fly out to New York where many advertisers operate, and “sell them” on the new shows in the hopes that the advertisers will want to spend heavily on advertising. These events are called “upfronts” and they still happen today, with the broadcast networks and other networks and platforms.

Embed from Getty Images

Where is TV Now?

Today, there are more networks and platforms, including cable networks (which have commercials but you pay more to access them, like Bravo, AMC, FX, BBCAmerica, etc.), premium cable networks (these don’t have in-show commercials and you pay for a premium package to access them, like Starz, Showtime, HBO, etc.), and streaming platforms (you pay individually for each in a monthly subscription and need an internet-connect device to access them, including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, etc.).

With so many networks to choose from, there are more shows than ever, but the 25 episodes per season are rare and still happen primarily on broadcast networks. Most shows receive an episode order from their network or platform from 8 to 13 episodes, though some shows are allowed to write for the number of episodes they think the story needs, like FLEABAG, instead of having a set number before the writers’ room begins.

What Does This Mean for Writers?

What does this mean if you want to write television? It means there are more jobs than ever, which is great. However, it also means you’ll spend less time working on one show, in what’s called a writers’ room. Think of how long a show is on air. A 22-episode show airs from September to May, but a 13-episode broadcast network show will likely air either in the fall or in the spring, but not both usually. If a show airs for nine months, that’s essentially how long the writers’ room operates.

For streamers, it can depend. A 10-episode show could have a three to four-month writers’ room, but some contracts require a longer length. Lower episode counts and time in the writers’ room mean that a writer will be paid less. On top of that, the number of writers working on one show has also declined.

Embed from Getty Images

Similar to how the number of episodes determines the amount of time it takes to write a show, it also impacts how many writers they need to write on staff. For example, GREY’S ANATOMY had a short first season of 9 episodes, and approximately 8 writers (including writing teams), but the second season had 27 episodes and a writing staff of approximately 14 people (this assumes that the all writers in the room were given one episode to have their name on).

So, while there are a lot more shows to write for, and possibly more staff writing slots because of the number of shows, you won’t be working for most of the year on one show. This means writers could end up working on more than one show in one calendar year to ensure they make enough money and may need to network more to gain access to more opportunities.

As for upfronts and pilot season, that has also changed. Some streamers have commercial breaks (Hulu, Peacock), but the ones that don’t don't need to woo advertisers at upfronts. Cable, premium cable, and streamers also don’t feel the need to stick to a strict schedule that follows the school year by launching shows in the fall the way broadcast networks do. These other networks can debut shows whenever they desire.

As you're looking to launch yourself as a professional creator, understanding these changes will help you to understand the operation of the industry, and how to navigate it.

Build Your Portfolio

You can have all of the connections and access to financing in the world, but none of it matters if you don’t have the scripts. In today’s market, you can’t just have one script either. We all have grown up watching movies and hearing stories, which has trained us all to understand the structure at the core of all screenwriting, even if we don’t necessarily know the vocabulary used in the industry. This means that the bar has been raised for anyone wanting to be a screenwriter. To prove that you’re not a one-hit-wonder and help people understand what makes your writing voice unique, you’ll need multiple scripts to stand out from the pack and prove you have what it takes to build a career.

What Script Format Should You Focus On?

In the last few years, there has been an explosion of streaming platforms, each with its own mandate to fill, and looking for the most alluring library available to bring in new subscribers and maintain the current subscribers. This means, there have never been more opportunities available to up-and-coming screenwriters. But with so many networks and platforms available, where should you focus your time to get the best return? That depends on what your long-term career goals are.

Writing Features

As mentioned before, the spec market used to land writers of all skill levels big paydays. Today, the market still exists, but it doesn’t operate with the same number of scripts bought in a year and they typically start in the low six figures.

If you’re a writer with one script you want to sell, but not build a career, features are definitely the way to go. Just know that selling one script is a difficult option because you likely will struggle to get in the door of the industry on your own.

If you’re looking to work in features long-term, you’ll want a couple of feature scripts that show off your unique voice that are similar but different enough that they show some range. The benefit of working primarily in features is that your schedule is determined by deadlines to turn in drafts of any project you’re hired onto or set for yourself. Outside of that, you can basically set your own schedule. Just be sure to make time for networking and meetings your reps will want to send you on, as this helps you get ahead on different opportunities.

In addition to writing original scripts and selling them, feature writers are often hired onto projects, such as when a studio like Disney is in need of a writer to pen the latest Marvel installment. In these moments, the studio has a list of people they want to talk to (based on who they know or want to know, and their credits), and writers meet with the executive on the project to pitch their “take” or idea of how the movie should look.

Quentin Tarantino

What are OWAs?

Another option is OWAs, which stands for Open Writing Assignments. These are lists of projects at the major studios (Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, etc.) that track projects that need writers to rewrite projects they already have drafts of or a concept they want to develop in-house. There is some debate among writers as to whether this is a reliable way to build a career.

It takes a lot to work consistently in features, but if you can establish yourself with a solid spec script (even if you don’t sell it) and are a pleasure to work with, then you can build a career with a mix of originals and assignments.

What to Include in a Portfolio for Feature Films

To break into features, you’ll need at least one script to get noticed but ultimately you’ll need a couple if you’re looking for representation. This helps establish your voice and brand. Features need to have a really strong hook that you can see the trailer in. However, if you’re more interested in small, character-driven films, like Best Picture-winner CODA, it may be worthwhile to also learn how to produce a film and make your own. CODA was bought by Apple TV+ at the Sundance Film Festival, so creators looking to break into the industry could take the independent route and make a splash.

Writing TV Pilots

The beauty of working in television is potentially more consistent work, meaning a more consistent paycheck. And those jobs can last for years. This gives you a structure and the ability to dive deep into character work, where features have slightly more focus on the plot (though still character-driven).

On the other hand, seasons are shortening, so you’ll likely have to jump from show to show more often in order to make enough in a calendar year. Many fellowship organizers point out that it is often just as hard to get staffed on a second show, as it is to get staffed on your first one. This is why NBC included one-time staff writers in their fellowship relaunch in 2022.

It's been a wonderful 18 months of writing and now I have finished. pic.twitter.com/NineqijlbB

— Michaela Coel (@MichaelaCoel) August 18, 2019

What to Include in a Portfolio for TV

To get into television writing, you’ll need a portfolio that really shows your voice. You can write multiple pilot scripts based on your original ideas, a feature spec script, or even a television spec script. A television spec is your version of an episode of an existing show, preferably one that’s currently on air. You can also take a feature script you have and turn it into a pilot script if you think there’s a bigger story and want to dive deeper into the character.

Writing Shorts

Another option is to write short film scripts or sketch comedy. The structure of both are very similar, but the latter could be easier to build a full career on as there is a variety of shows and streaming platforms like YouTube available to you. Dramatic short films are great for launching a career, as they’ll show off your skills, but there’s not as much money in writing short films as there is for features and television writing.

That said, when submitting to representatives for consideration, shorts are a great addition to have in your portfolio. When writing, always write to the format that best serves the story you’re trying to tell. Don’t stretch a simple idea into a movie or television pilot if you can tell it better in a 20-minute short.

What Genre Should You Focus On?

You have to consider the genre that you want to work in if you’re going to be a screenwriter. Your genre helps to tell what kinds of jobs you’re available to write and helps create a brand for you along with your unique voice. This doesn’t mean that you can’t crossover in genres, but you want the way you enter the industry to be clear.

Should You Write What's Popular?

Yes. And no. Both.

Writing in a genre that you're comfortable with will most likely result in a better script. You know the conventions, you understand the pacing — you're in your comfort zone and you're probably writing something that you really love.

However, there are certain genres that make breaking in a little easier. If you look at the data, action and adventure movies have been the king of the box office for over a decade straight, offering an almost guaranteed return on investment and naturally making them highly sought-after material.

Following action and adventure, horror, comedy, and drama also have huge audiences, so if you're interested in showing your range and appealing to studio execs and TV showrunners, take a look at which film and TV genres top the list.

But if you're not incredibly concerned with keeping up with what's hot, let's dig into a handful of genres that you might want to sink your teeth into.

True Stories & Intellectual Property (IP)

Movies based off of true stories are pretty self-explanatory — and are also extremely popular right now — but Intellectual property, or “IP,” is any material that you can buy the exclusive right to adapt into another format. For example, HUNGER GAMES is a book series that the studio bought the rights to turn into a series of movies. Both movies and television are filled with IP, whether it’s true crime, a significant pivot in history, or a wildly popular comic book.

The main reason that IP has become so popular is that it brings a built-in audience, so you’re guaranteed some eyeballs regardless of what they think about the trailers or influence from reviews. For example, FIFTY SHADES OF GREY was critically panned but the first film still made a great deal of money with $569 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. Though, IP is not a guarantee of success as seen with the release of MORTAL ENGINES.

'The Hunger Games'

For writers looking to adapt their own IP, you have to be careful when choosing what you’d like to adapt since you don’t necessarily have access to the rights, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. There are a lot of stories that are in the public domain that you can use.

If you’re interested in a novel or article for an adaptation, look at the publisher’s website and look for their rights section. Here, you can either search the title you’re interested in to see its status and what rights are available, or you’ll find the contact information to the department you can reach out to for the information.

Animation

Animation is more than just Saturday morning cartoons. It includes features, television, and short formats for adult, kids, and four-quadrant (projects that appeal to men, women, and people of all ages) audiences. A four-quadrant animated film would often apply to Pixar films, particularly UP and WALL-E, even if we often assume Disney/Pixar films are meant for kids only. SHREK is also a very successful animated feature with wide appeal.

You’ll find a lot of adult-centric animated projects on television, including THE SIMPSONS, BIG MOUTH, and RICK & MORTY.

'Rick and Morty'

If you’re a comedy writer, you should absolutely consider writing an animated pilot, whether it’s kid-focused or an adult comedy. These formats are filled with ample amounts and are a great way to train yourself to churn out lots of jokes, no matter how fantastic, as there are no limits to what can be seen on screen.

However, it should be noted that not all animated projects are covered by the writers’ union, the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Instead, those productions are covered by The Animation Guild (TAG) and IASTE (which is the union representing crew members, or “below the line” crew in productions). This has led to tough negotiations to ensure that writers receive equal pay to WGA writers. Some animation writers’ rooms are covered under IATSE, which is the union that covers production crews.

Drama

Most film and television projects fall into one of two genres: drama or comedy. That doesn’t mean that you can’t have a light-hearted drama (also called a dramedy) or a dramatic comedy. In fact, many television shows merge the two, but you’ll notice there’s always one with a stronger emphasis.

Dramas focus on a more serious tone and can merge with many subgenres. For example, family drama, mystery drama, period drama, teen drama, etc. You’ll notice that the first word is the sub-genre that specifies what kind of drama it is.

In television, most dramas will be an hour long (with or without commercials), though there are half-hour dramas, like UNDONE.

'King Richard'

True stories are often seen in the drama space, particularly on the Black List, which is a list of the best unproduced screenplays being passed around the industry that year, as voted on by producers. In recent years, there have been a good amount of scripts on that list based on true stories, with some going on to get awards season attention, like KING RICHARD, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, and IMITATION GAME.

Comedy

Comedy film and television projects show off a more humorous tone, and may or may not have a comedic premise. For example, a film about a guy bringing home his girlfriend to meet his quirky family could be the drama JUNEBUG, but it could also be the comedy THE FAMILY STONE. However, an over-the-top comedy premise could be tougher to view through a dramatic lens, such as ANCHORMAN, whose premise is to parody 1970s news anchors.

In television, comedies are typically 30-minutes long, though there are hour-long comedies, like THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, CHUCK, and MONK.

'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

There are varying degrees to how intense sci-fi and fantasy projects appear on screen. Both are built around the idea of world creation with fantasy centering on magical or supernatural elements, whereas sci-fi centers on science and technology. When watching either, these projects might seem impossible, but with sci-fi, there should be an element of truth or social commentary behind the science or technology element. For example, THE EXPANSE is set in the distant future and depicts humans living in space stations and other planets, a conversation often held today among people.

Examples of science fiction in television shows are THE EXPANSE, STRANGER THINGS, and STAR TREK, and the films STAR WARS (which is arguable fantasy as well), SNOWPIERCER, and EX-MACHINA. Examples of fantasy on television include GAME OF THRONES, THE WITCHER, and OUTLANDER, and the films THE LORD OF THE RINGS, TOY STORY, and MALEFICENT.

These films and television shows don’t have to exist in worlds that we’ve never seen before. “High-fantasy” is the term for fantasy with entire magic systems, in fictional worlds that look and operate completely different than our own, much like LORD OF THE RINGS. But there are also fantasy and science fiction projects set in our own world in the “near future.” Modern or near-future fantasy would be the series THE MAGICIAN, while near-future sci-fi would be the film LOOPER.

'Stranger Things'

For beginning writers, you can write whatever you’re passionate about, however, it’s going to be easier to sell or produce on your own a script that is set in modern or near-future times. This is because they will not require expensive clothes and sets, allowing them to keep their budget low and easier to produce.

Horror

Genres each have a reaction they want to elicit from the audience. Dramas want to make you feel, sometimes even cry. Comedies want to make you laugh. The goal of a horror film or television show is to scare you, and there’s a wide range of ways to make that happen. Whether it’s a straight scream from murderous scares, like you would see in SCREAM, or more psychological thrills from a film like GET OUT, either style keeps the audience on their toes.

There are many kinds of horror films, like the meta-horror film CABIN IN THE WOODS, gothic horror CRIMSON PEAK, and comedy horror HAPPY DEATH DAY.

'Crimson Peak'

Action Adventure

The action-adventure genre is defined by the action-driven set pieces in the thrilling journey that the characters go on. The big set pieces are the element you want to highlight when writing these scripts. These films can be for adults, kids, families, or four-quadrant audiences, however, they tend to be for everyone.

Modern action-adventure films rule the box office with the intellectual property of popular comics and books behind them, like Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, the FAST AND THE FURIOUS franchise (inspired by a true story article), and the HUNGER GAMES films.

'Avengers: Endgame'

Family-Friendly

There are many movies that families can watch together without worrying about the kids seeing something the parents don’t want them to (GHOSTBUSTERS and SIXTEEN CANDLES were once considered PG and they both have explicit sexual references).

However, “family-friendly” typically refers to films that are targeted toward families with young kids, such as Disney and Pixar films and television shows, or Netflix’s THE ADAM PROJECT. They are often more comedic in tone but can vary from family-life, like YES DAY, to large-scale action-adventure family films, like JUMANJI and all its sequels.

'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'

Enter Competitions & Fellowships

Every year there are dozens of competitions and fellowships working to find “undiscovered” writers and help get them established within the entertainment industry. As the number of competitions and fellowships have grown, they have become a great way for writers to give themselves deadlines to stick to, however, it can be overwhelming to apply for them all. Which you apply to will depend on the career you desire, your budget, and the kind of writing you’re pursuing.

How Are They Different?

The primary difference between a competition and a fellowship is their mission. Both want to help launch writers in either film or television writing careers, but fellowships offer in-depth assistance and training over an extended period of time, helping shape your brand as a writer, and ensuring that you’re ready to debut to the industry and get to work. Competitions are looking for writers with strong voices, and focus more on selling and developing scripts that act as your calling card.

Both want to launch you, and both want to help develop your voice, but the mission of a fellowship is to develop writers, whereas competitions are looking to develop scripts.

Another difference — and this impacts what you have the bandwidth to apply for — is that competitions typically cost money to apply and fellowships do not. To make use of your investment, this means you want to ensure that any competition you submit to will provide you with the desired promotion and development services if you win or place highly.

While fellowships do not typically require an entry fee (though some do, like the Sundance Lab), their submission periods tend to overlap and are not as spread out across the year. In the past couple of years, they’ve spread out more, with the Fox Fellowship opening its submission window in late fall. However, the bulk are in the spring and typically have similar submission requirements but different essay questions that take time to assemble. Just like you don’t want to spend money on every single competition, you similarly do not want to burn yourself out attempting to apply to every fellowship opportunity gathering the necessary materials.

Why Are Competitions and Fellowships Important?

While many professional writers break into the industry and launch their careers without the assistance of competition and fellowships, these opportunities have proven to be an incredible option for anyone struggling to get their foot in the door, especially if they live outside of Los Angeles. Plenty of past participants can attest to that.

Even though so much of the industry is remote today, it can still be challenging to make connections with a rep or executive without face-to-face interaction or an introduction by someone you know in the industry. For example, Shiwani Srivastava, who lives in San Francisco, submitted her comedy script to Screencraft and found success through the introductions that came out of entering, even though she didn’t win the top honors.

“I am not based in Los Angeles. I am in San Francisco and I thought the only way to get out there is to start entering contests and see what happens. And because of ScreenCraft, an opportunity did knock. They put me in touch with a manager... he really understood what I was trying to do with my stories. ScreenCraft put me in touch with a major studio, who expressed interest in my script, which is beyond my wildest imagination.”

Fellowships and some competitions work with writers to develop their work, teaching writers how to work with executives and take notes later in their careers. ScreenCraft competition alum Maria Wilson regularly utilizes these opportunities, saying:

“[ScreenCraft has] this wonderfully hands-on approach that helps clarify how to take actual steps towards your goals. From strategizing on game plans to answering questions and concerns to connecting me with other finalists, I’ve just felt super supported throughout. They even got my script read by a number of reps, and facilitated a meeting with the manager that I’m now repped by.”

Many writers can write a fantastic script but don’t have the branding or networking skills to get their break. Others can “sell” themselves easily, but similarly don’t have access to get the needed facetime, and their strong scripts just aren’t getting the attention they desire. Executives and representatives are inundated with people selling them ideas, so they rely on people they trust to connect them with the people and scripts, and both competitions and fellowships do just that while also helping develop you and your portfolio into a clear package.

What Do Competitions and Fellowships Offer?

TV fellowships offer training on how to work in a writers’ room so that you can have a voice when you do get in the room. These fellowships include NBC Launch TV, Disney ABC Writing Program, Paramount Mentoring Program, WB Writers Workshop, and others. These fellowships train you by developing your writing, setting you up with meetings, and having weekly workshops and lectures with industry professionals over several months (some for up to a year).

There are some feature fellowships, but most are in television, and the goal is for the people selected to be staffed on one of their television shows at the end of the program. The Nicholls Fellowship, Universal Writers Program, and Sundance Screenwriting Lab are all focused on features (Sundance also has a TV Lab). Some programs cover both, like the ScreenCraft Fellowship. These are similar to both fellowships and competitions, in that, there is often a monetary prize, mentoring and networking opportunities, and development. But they vary between each.

Competitions are known for offering prize money to the top-performing scripts, however, it’s typically not enough to live on alone, which is why they also offer industry exposure, sharing your script in the hopes that a producer or representative will want to take your script to the next level. Some will also provide development notes and help workshop your script and any marketing materials before sending it to their connections.

Both fellowships and competitions need the people who come out on top of the submissions to succeed long after they’re selected. Your success isn’t just great for you, it’s also great advertising for them, which is why you’ll hear so many testimonials from contest winners and fellowship alumni that the people behind the scenes went above and beyond for them.

What to Do After You've Completed a Competition or Fellowship

The work never ends, even after you’ve applied or received high marks in a competition or a fellowship spot. To prove you’re here to stay as a working screenwriter, you need more scripts! You also need to keep growing your network, both by meeting others in the industry and by paying in forward and helping other up-and-coming writers.

If you won some prize money, it’s likely not enough to live on, but the money you make from the connections you’re introduced to is invaluable. At its core, your routine will be the same as it was before between writing and meetings, it only continues to grow.

Build Your Network

The entertainment industry isn’t about who you know, it’s built on who knows you. You can have the greatest screenplay of all time and it won’t matter if you can’t get it in front of people with industry access. A network takes time to build, but the impact lasts a lifetime if you know how to give as much as you receive.

Writers Groups

Writers groups are a great way to level up your writing while also networking with others. If even one writer finds their way into the industry, you’re one degree closer to that same access. The most crucial aspect of a writers group is consistency. Relationships take time, so if you’re able to meet consistently you’ll find that, along with the improvement of your writing, your relationships will also improve.

There are many ways to find or create a writers group, but it’s always best to start by reaching out to people in your writing network that you already know. They might have a group they can connect you with or vouch for you to join (depending on the level of expertise).

If you are still working on building your network, look online. There are great podcasts, like The Screenwriting Life, hosted by screenwriters Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna, and The Act Two Podcast, hosted by screenwriters Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman, and their listeners talk to one another online. The Screenwriting Life has an active Facebook group and people often reach out for assistance and to share scripts. Twitter is also a great way to follow hashtags and find writing communities.

One thing to keep in mind as you’re looking to connect with people is your skill level and genre. You do want a slight range of skill levels so there are people who are better in some areas and can challenge you, but it shouldn’t be so great a range that someone can’t keep up with the conversation. Some people like to work only with people who write a similar genre and focus on either film or television. Other groups have a mix of genres and formats, but you want at least one person who writes the same genre as you so that there’s someone who knows how to pitch ideas that make your script better, and you can do the same for them.

Follow Writers on Twitter

Following a new agreement with agencies and the WGA, as well as more writers’ rooms moving to remote work-from-home, writers have embraced social media to new heights. You can follow hashtags, filmmakers, and writers on social media (particularly on Twitter), where many put out calls to read up-and-coming writers and highlight writers for staffing gigs. (You can see our list of our top 20 writers to follow on Twitter here.)

It’s been ten years since I moved to Hollywood to carve out a career in film and TV

*thread*

— T$E CHUN (@thetzechun) April 3, 2022

List of Communities

If you’re looking to participate in more niche communities that aren’t as public, look into forums and message boards, which are populated with passionate writers like yourself. These platforms share resources, job opportunities, scripts, contact information, and so much more as long as you’re open to asking for it while being an active part of the community’s conversations.

A great place to connect with other writers and filmmakers all over the world is Stage 32, which is filled with “lounges” that members (for free) can post in and get to know one another. Another option is SimplyScripts, which isn’t just a great way to find writers, but it is also a great resource for finding scripts.

Find a Mentor

If there’s one thing that sets you apart from all of the other screenwriters vying for a career in screenwriting, it’s the guidance of a mentor who can share all that they’ve learned, introduce you to their network, help with your writing, and keep you from making rookie mistakes. But how do you find a mentor? Some come through connections through your network, however, if you’re still building your circle, then Mentorship programs, Workshops, and Fellowships are a great way to land one of these experts.

One of the best-known mentorship programs is the Paramount Mentoring Program, which falls under the list of TV writing fellowships. Run by Carole Kirschner, the program pairs new TV writers with working producers, executives, writers, and showrunners, with the goal of training them to enter the industry as professional TV writers. Other great options are the ScriptReader Pro Screenwriting Mentorship, Humanitas New Voices, and the Screenwriters Safari Retreat.

ScreenCraft Writers Summit

Trying to build your network? The ScreenCraft Writers Summit might be your answer. If you’re not used to networking online with other creators, the ScreenCraft Writers Summit is a fantastic weekend filled with inspiring, Oscar and Emmy-winning writers, showrunners, productions, competition directors, and more. In addition to all that you will learn, there is an ongoing chat room for all attendees to not only share what they’re learning and working on but also make connections that last beyond the exciting spring weekend. To ensure you get everything you need while participating in the Summit, you’ll want to take steps to prepare, including making a schedule for yourself so that you’re assured to have time to prioritize the speakers you want to hear and still have time to talk to your fellow writers.

Cold Queries

We should state upfront that, while query letters can work, it is also an uphill battle. Be sure to do your research on the companies that are open to receiving query letters and if there are specific rules when submitting. The internet is a fantastic resource for finding emails, social media avenues (such as LinkedIn), addresses, etc. so that you know where to reach out to.

How to Write Query Letters

Just like any other correspondence, there is an etiquette you can use as your guide. For instance, consider starting your letter with a thank you for taking time out of their day to look at your query, and making sure that you make your intention clear.

Always write a query letter that is specific to the company and person. They will know if you simply copy and paste their name into a query letter. To find the best people to submit to, research other writers you admire that have the career paths you view as similar to what you want. Use sites like IMDbPro and trade sites like Variety, Deadline, and The Tracking Board to find out who their reps are and get their contact information. Always try to find the right person and their individual email addresses, instead of physically mailing them. Anything mailed to a company’s address will likely be thrown out or returned, unfortunately, so don’t waste your money on the postage when emails are free. Many company websites also have a general email address, but you want to avoid using these. Instead, try to find the individual’s email address or the format the company uses (such as first.lastname@company.com or initial.lastname@company.com).

A great way to get the recipient’s attention is to make it personal. Reference a recent project of theirs, or how their mission statement aligns with your goals. You need them as much as they need great material, so quickly establishing a connection is a great way to have them wanting to see what you’ve written.

You have very little time to get the recipient to read your email and win them over. Therefore, keep your language casual so it’s more enjoyable and not so stilted and formal. At the same time, don’t waste any of the precious, limited time you have in your email by making jokes.

Remember, you’re selling your script, not yourself, even if you’re reaching out to representation. You want them to know your voice, and the best way to do that is with your logline. The logline should show the protagonist, their dilemma, their want/goal, obstacles, the tone, and any world elements that set it apart from the everyday world that we live in if needed. It’s a lot to get down into a couple of lines, so you should definitely read loglines and practice writing them to ensure that you put together the best one to sell your story and voice.

Get a Job in the Industry

For many aspiring writers, getting a job in the industry is a fantastic way to build your network and practice your craft. However, writers’ assistant jobs are notoriously challenging to get without knowing someone with access, and production jobs are great for meeting people but require long, physically demanding hours.

There are many writing jobs you can create for yourself or seek out while working on your scripts on the side, such as copywriting, podcast writing and production, article writing, etc. That said, there are a few consistently popular routes available to you, and many of them can be done remotely, even if you’re not yet in Los Angeles.

Become a Script Reader

If you want to write scripts, then you need to read scripts. It helps you find your voice and style, see how the pros do it, get inspired, and learn what’s trending in the spec and pilot market. With so many production companies, agencies, management companies, script competitions, and fellowships, the role of an industry script reader is in high demand. It’s also a flexible position that many can do on the side of their full-time job, while others use it as their main job as they move up the ranks in development. Most companies will require you to submit a sample of “script coverage,” which are one to five pages of formatted notes (depending on who’s reading them) that study the structure, character arcs, marketability, etc.

Write a Cinematic Book

If you’re not set on embedding yourself in the industry, writing a piece of IP that grabs the town’s attention for adaptation has proven a great option for writers who enjoy all forms of writing, not just screenwriting. The trick is to use screenwriting tools to shape your story, whether it’s a comic book, novel, or other. This means utilizing cinematic visuals in your prose, engrossing set pieces, and a strong three-act structure that makes a close adaptation easier to keep fans of the original material happier.

Become an Assistant

Becoming a television writers’ assistant is a tried-and-true method of building a screenwriting career. But these roles are not easy to find. You often need to have a connection to the room you work in, either by having a rep already, knowing people in the room, or working as an industry assistant that’s connected to the room (ie. you're a showrunner’s assistant or an assistant to the creator's agent).

If you don’t know anyone, then start looking for roles that are adjacent to a writers’ assistant. For example, the big agencies (UTA, CAA, WME, etc.) have “floater” positions. These are entry-level assistant positions that haven’t been moved yet to a permanent desk and, instead, move from desk to desk to help whoever as needed. Then, when a position on a desk opens up, you move into those spots permanently.

These are great to help you understand the industry, who the main players are, and meet other people in the industry to network. The goal here would be to work on literary desks, as these represent working screenwriters. Then, if a client gets their own show at a network or streamer, you can potentially move over to work as a showrunner’s assistant, writers’ PA, or writers’ assistant.

Another way to move into the industry without connections is to search for temp agencies in Los Angeles (ask them if they work with entertainment staffing when you interview) and use those temporary administrative positions to network and look for an entry-level job.

While challenging, it’s not impossible to find your way into these positions and they can lead to staffing roles if you make a good impression, have solid and creative input, and prove to be a strong collaborator. A writers’ assistant’s job is to keep track of everything said and worked on when the staff is together writing the show, keeping it organized, maintaining the show bible, staying on top of drafts, and anything else the room needs. If there isn’t a Writers’ PA (a job that can often lead to a writers’ assistant position), you’ll likely also be ordering lunches and snacks, going on errand runs, etc.

Create a Coverfly Profile

Your online presence is just as important as your resume. That doesn’t simply extend to Instagram and Twitter posts, but getting involved in niche platforms so that people who look into you can see that you’re dedicated to screenwriting.

Since Coverfly is used for dozens of competitions and fellowships, maintaining your profile on the site is a great way to show that you’re invested in your career while also taking advantage of some of the perks that come with the platform.

Free Stuff to Take Advantage Of

Having a Coverfly profile includes a host of free programs, including Pitch Week, the Red List, Live Reads, Coverflyx, and Fee Waiver.

Pitch Week

Pitch Week gives writers the chance to have virtual pitches with people in the industry, both producers and representatives. Coverfly connects people based on your profile and projects and what the professional’s mandates are so that no one is wasting their time with meetings that won’t lead anywhere.

The Red List

The Red List is a compilation of the top scripts in the industry, using the aggregate scores accumulated from the various submissions of your scripts.

Live Reads

For Live Reads, Coverfly has partnered with the Storytellers Conservatory to host robust virtual live reads of your scripts. This free program makes it possible to foster and maintain a sense of community between writers and performers even when we can’t always see each other in person.

CoverflyX

Since it can be challenging to find a strong network of peers to share scripts with one another and provide notes while building connections, Coverfly offers CoverflyX. CoverflyX, short for "Coverfly eXchange", is a free service that allows writers to get peer notes on their screenplays in return for Coverfly tokens. Coverfly tokens have no monetary value and cannot be sold or bought. Instead, writers can earn tokens by providing notes on the work of other Coverfly users, and in turn, they can exchange those tokens for feedback on their own projects.

Fee Waiver Program

Lastly, there’s the Fee Waiver program. The goal of the program is to help find great stories from talented writers who may not otherwise be able to afford some of these talent-discovery programs. We believe in opening doors for talented writers. This is a way to open the door a little wider. For writers with lower incomes, submission fees may prevent them from entering a script or accessing great educational content. So, in conjunction with these amazing partners, Coverfly has launched a fee waiver program that is based on merit and financial need, to give all writers access to the valuable programs on Coverfly.

Coverfly Rank

The Coverfly Rank is a metric that determines how well you’re doing in competitions and coverage scores in relation to other projects on Coverfly. It is based on the qualitative score and a heat bonus. The former looks at your scripts’ performance in any submissions to contests, fellowships, and writing programs through Coverfly’s aggregate system. The heat bonus applies to any current script that is working its way through different submissions. In addition to these two scores, you also receive badges, so even if you have a script you’re no longer submitting, people looking at your profile can see badges that highlight your past performance.

Why a Coverfly Profile is Beneficial

A Coverfly Profile makes it possible for you to showcase or present your work to industry users and the general public. Think of it as a portfolio that someone can view if they’re thinking about hiring you.

Coverfly has thousands of vetted industry pros scouring the database (agents, managers, producers, executives, etc.) to find potential clients or scripts to option, shop, or develop. Plus the Coverfly Writer Development Team acts as a liaison that helps those in the industry find scripts through Coverfly.

And because you never know what an industry member might be looking for, it’s best to keep your profile as up-to-date and as complete as possible, just like you might treat a personal website.

Learn How to Pitch

It may feel daunting to pitch an entire screenplay, whether for feature or television. After all, you likely wrote it in isolation over an extended period and, while you know every inch of the story, summarizing it down in a few minutes that’s enjoyable, feels like an impossible task. However, pitching is not simply an issue of “selling” your script. In fact, the executive has likely already read your script (or they’ve at least read their assistant’s notes on it), so why would you need to tell them what happens? The reason is that even though you’re talking about your script, you’re not so much pitching the script as you are pitching yourself.

Why is Pitching Important for Screenwriters?

You need to be ready to pitch your script in any kind of scenario and venue, whether a formal meeting or an elevator pitch. Why? Because you're actually trying to prove yourself ready to be a professional screenwriter. Producers and representatives alike are looking for writers that they can bring in on different projects, not just the ones you generate yourself, and they want to ensure that the person who wrote that script in isolation knows how to play well with others. They’ll do this by looking for passion in your voice, an understanding of emotional arcs and structure as you tell your story, how you interact in a more casual conversation, etc.

Tips and Tricks for Pitching Your Script

You do not have to be a born salesman in order to make a great pitch, though it doesn’t hurt. If you have a few tips and tricks up your sleeve, no one will ever have to see how nervous you are and will fall in love with you and your pitch.

The first thing to understand is the “halo effect,” which is essentially the idea that if your positive outlook on what you're talking about shines through, then others will view it positively as well. You love your script, you know your script. So tell people what you love so much about it that’s unique and exciting.

There’s a fine line between confidence and ego, and the halo effect helps with this as well. If happiness and passion are infectious, then you don’t need to inflate anything else or try to make yourself seem bigger. Also, remember that anyone you meet with has your resume or a list of credits. If you have a rep, they will have called ahead of time and given their own pitch of you as a writer, so you’re there to “make good” on that rep’s pitch. They won’t have misrepresented you, so there’s no need to be cocky. You want to make a genuine connection so that it lasts, and the best way you can do that is by being yourself.

According to producers, another great and helpful tool is using visuals. This can be a visual deck or casting cards with people types you imagine in certain roles. After the pitch is done, it’s always a smart idea to send your script (this is for instances where you have a general meeting, not a specifically pitch meeting), pitch deck, or any other materials. It helps keep the conversation going as your reps can follow up on the materials a couple of weeks later.

ScreenCraft Virtual Pitch event

Virtual/Online Screenplay Pitches

In the last few years, pitches have expanded beyond rep-set pitch meetings and general meetings, to now be slightly more informal with virtual pitch meetings and online pitch events. By not being in-person, there are some elements that writers need to be aware of and prepared for.

For starters, not being in-person can make it tougher to keep the energy of the “room” up as people are in their home environments, instead of a professional one, and there are more things around that can distract them. That means you will need to keep your energy up a little higher to hold their attention. Before the meeting even begins, however, you need to test out your tech setup. Have a clear space, and nothing distracting in the background, as well as ensure that your video and audio work without any issues. Tech delays can aggravate those you speak with, making a bad impression, and cutting into the limited time you have to make that connection.

The Elevator Pitch

Not all pitches happen in a formal meeting. You could be at an industry event or a party among friends and meet someone new with whom you want to share your story. In these moments, you need to have your “elevator pitch” ready to go, to grab anyone’s attention in just a few seconds. To do this, you’ll need to know your logline and what film and television projects are comparable (also called “comps”) so that you can prove that there’s an audience for your project. Whatever you do though, don’t give them your ending. You want to keep them hanging so that they’re interested in reading that script or seeing a pitch deck. Less is definitely more in this situation.

You want to practice your pitch so that there’s no hesitation when it’s time to jump into your elevator pitch on a whim. Test out your logline and ways to discuss it casually (even if it’s memorized and not actually so “casual”) with friends or online services so that you have the best pitch possible.

ScreenCraft Virtual Pitch

After formal meetings and informal pitches, there are also pitch events, like Screencraft’s Virtual Pitch. These allow you to practice your pitch, offering advice on how to improve it in the future, and also help you to make connections with other writers and professionals, making it a great networking opportunity.

ScreenCraft’s Virtual Pitch features professional screenwriters like Vanessa Taylor (SHAPE OF WATER, GAME OF THRONES), Ben Cory Jones (INSECURE, BOOMERANG), and Nicole Perlman (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, CAPTAIN MARVEL). They often share great insight and remind writers not to rush their pitch as the listeners want to hear and love their story and you. As nerve-wracking as it can be, everyone is rooting for you, and this safe space is a great reminder to give your best virtual pitch and get individual, face-to-face feedback.

Find a Rep

It might seem at this point that with all of your connections, you don’t truly need an agent or manager, but that’s definitely not the case. In addition to helping you meet people and mold your career, representatives also do a great deal of work so that you can focus on writing. They also know what’s happening and trending in the industry, helping to guide where you put your focus so that you can combine the stories you’re passionate to write with what the experts know will have the most significant impact.

However, just because you think you want an agent or manager, doesn’t mean that they’re ready for you. Though these roles technically work for the writers, their taste and ability to select great talent is what helps them establish their careers. Therefore, you’ll find that rep when you’re ready for one.

When’s a Good Time to Find a Rep?

So, when is a good time to sign with an agent or manager? As mentioned before, when it’s time they’ll find you. This means that all writers will all have to put their work out into the world before it’s actually ready, and you shouldn’t be upset if you initially get pushback. That early feedback is essential for knowing where you stand amongst your peers. You can test your scripts in your writers group, submit to a competition, or get professional script coverage.

When your script is ready for the next level, the people who have read it will let you know. When you have multiple scripts at this level, then you’re ready. You must have at least a few scripts that consistently show your unique voice and a clear brand.

Agents v. Managers

The line between agents and managers often appears blurred, but they are, in fact, two distinct roles. Most writers take on a manager first. There’s no formal contract, but the agreement gives the manager 10% of any money made while the writer is with the manager/management company. In return for that 10%, managers set their clients up with general meetings, help them develop scripts, assist in choosing opportunities that fit their brand, and more. Managers, technically, cannot solicit work for their clients. What defines “soliciting work” in this situation is where the lines become blurred.

Agents tend to sign writer clients, via a contract, after they’ve gotten a credit or two under their belt. Agents can look over contracts and solicit work for their clients. The big agents also practice packaging as they assemble all of their clients to push projects through. This was a major point of contention during the dispute between the WGA and agencies in 2019. Agents are not allowed to serve as producers on their clients’ projects, while managers can, and use packaging to use this as a workaround.

How to Get Repped as a Screenwriter

You have a strong network, you have multiple scripts, and everyone who reads those scripts believes you’re ready to be a professional screenwriter. Maybe you’ve even placed in a competition or nabbed a spot in a fellowship. Now, how do you get representation for your writing?

You’ve put so much work already into your career, and now it’s time to put all those tools and skills you’ve gained to use. Talk to your network to see if any of them would recommend you to a manager (or agent), submit to competitions where people who place highly have access to representation, and find ways to get your work out there so that people can see your brand, potentially through social media and other writing mediums.

Check out our guide to learn more about finding representation.

If you believe your script is ready and you're ready to launch yourself into the entertainment industry on your own terms, start by testing the waters through a virtual pitch, get script coverage from a professional, or submit your script to a competition or fellowship.

Whatever you do, just keep trying because this constantly-evolving industry has never been more interested in telling stories from wide-ranging and unique voices.

The post Paths to Becoming a Professional Screenwriter appeared first on ScreenCraft.

What Are Contest Judges Looking For in Your Script? Let's Ask One

V Renée — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 00:25:04 +0000

Entering a screenwriting competition can feel like taking a shot in the dark. Filmmaker Kaylon Hunt is here to shed some light.

Raise your hand if this is you: You spend months crafting a screenplay, staying up late, waking up early, whisking those fingers over your keyboard like a souped up writing machine, and once it's done, you decide to enter your work into a screenwriting contest. The problem is that you're not quite sure how it's going to be received by the judges. In fact, you really have no idea what they're looking for other than "a good screenplay," which, let's be real, is an entirely subjective standard and difficult to prepare for.

Now that everyone's hands are raised, let's all agree that, yeah, entering these contests can feel like a bit of a gamble, so we wanted to ask someone on the other side of the submit button about what screenwriters can expect.

We asked Kaylon Hunt, Vice President of Development and Production at Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions and True Story & Public Domain Competition judge, what he looks for in screenplays, common mistakes he sees beginners make, as well as what writers can do to increase their chances of winning.

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ScreenCraft: As a producer and creative, what do you look for in screenplays?

Kaylon Hunt: I look for authenticity, originality, and heart. I try to keep simplicity in mind when I read material too. Does the story track and are the character arcs clear? Yes it can be a big story, but if it’s too complicated and not anchored in character, you might lose me. Another thing I gauge is if the writer’s voice is shining through, in the sense that there’s a personal connection to the story and they’re not just trying to emulate something.

SC: As a judge for the True Story & Public Domain Competition, what excites you most about the “inspired by” or “based on a true story” stories?

KH: They’re a great opportunity to bring to light societal issues and how they affect real, everyday, often unheard people – either through character study, theme, or a combination of both. They also allow us to reflect more directly on our own parts within these systems, whether it relates to economic disparity, or social or domestic injustice. Other genres can do this too, of course, but real stories add another layer of empathy and insight into another’s experience that isn’t sensationalized.

Kaylon Hunt (Photo by Asim Bharwani)

SC: What are some of the most common beginner mistakes that keep a script from winning a competition?

KH: I think peer review is so important. Getting other eyes on your script before submitting can help you address any glaring issues that would hinder a reader from understanding the writer’s intent or vision on the page.

SC: With many Oscar nominations being true stories and adaptations, do you have any tips for writers who want to bring a story from the public domain to life on screen?

KH: I’d say find a way into the story that’s unique to you and your experiences. Have a point of view and don’t be afraid to make bold choices.

SC: There are plenty of mistakes a screenwriter can make that reduce their chances of winning a competition... but great scripts lose, too. What are some things that writers can’t control but should be aware of when competing?

KH: You can’t control how other people read your material or how they might filter their opinion through their own preferences and experiences. The outcome doesn’t always correlate to the quality of the writing or talent of the writer.

SC: How big of a role do trends play in the success of a script? Should screenwriters stay on top of them?

KH: Yes, trends can have a role in how scripts circulate or how often they might get read -- for instance, if a studio, producer, or actor is looking for a particular kind of project. My opinion is that “trends” can be hard to chase. So, if anything, I always recommend writers write what they are passionate about. If a trend intersects with your personal interests, then go for it. Like I said in a prior question, find a way into it that is personal to you.

SC: There are plenty of great screenwriters out there who enter contests and consistently place in the semifinals or even the finals but haven’t won yet. What advice would you give to help them make it over that final hurdle?

KH: Keep writing! Your craft will improve, your network and community will grow, and opportunities will increase. While it is a competition, there’s also value in the experience of entering and seeing how your material resonates, especially if it places in the finals and semifinals. Your name gets out there and more people become familiar with your work. Apply every year if you want. But don’t let not winning stop you.

Inspired to write a true story and enter it into a competition? The final deadline for the True Story & Public Domain Screenplay Competition is March 31st!

Contest opens in 6 days | Remind Me

The post What Are Contest Judges Looking For in Your Script? Let's Ask One appeared first on ScreenCraft.

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Entering Screenwriting Contests

Ken Miyamoto — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 23:23:36 +0000

What are the biggest mistakes screenwriters should avoid when submitting their scripts to screenwriting contests?

It's hard to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter. It takes a lot of writing, networking, and luck — being with the right person in the right place at the right time with the right script.

While the screenwriting boom of the 1990s gave birth to the secondary industry of screenwriting contests, competitions, and fellowships, in these contemporary times, many of these events have allowed screenwriters to make connections, build a network, and make a little bit of there own luck.

Industry insiders use particular screenwriting contests, competitions, and fellowships as filtration services to find promising scripts and talented writers.

With that in mind, we offer ten mistakes that screenwriters should avoid when submitting their screenplays. Hopefully, these ten points can help you maneuver through your screenwriting journey and turn future high contest placements and wins into potential screenwriting careers and dreams come true.

1. Don't Ignore the Contest Rules

Before you submit your script to a contest, be sure to read through all of the rules, regulations, and eligibility requirements. The last thing that you want the contest administrators and readers to see with your submission is a red flag.

If you and your script don't meet the specific requirements, it's an instant rejection. So make sure that your page counts, genre, and title page content are in line with the contest rules, regulations, and eligibility requirements.

2. Don't Try to Bend the Contest Rules

The adage that rules are meant to be broken, and the adapted philosophy of you can bend the rules do not apply to screenwriting contests, competitions, and fellowships.

The rules, regulations, and eligibility requirements exist for a reason — primarily to ensure that a smooth and fair review process.

Too many novice screenwriters think that the contests should make an exception for them. They'll submit their scripts to competitions despite the fact that they are over or under the listed page count requirements. They'll ask a fellowship to make an exception, even though the thousands of other applicants had to follow the very same directives.

Just follow the rules. Leave the breaking and the bending for later in your screenwriting career.

3. Don't Submit First Drafts

Yes, screenwriting contests offer excellent platforms to test the waters for your screenplays. However, it doesn't do you any good to submit incomplete work. And, yes, first drafts are unfinished works.

You want always to put your best foot forward. Remember that industry readers and industry insiders are reading and judging your screenplays.

Take the extra time to craft the best possible draft that you can before you submit to a contest.

4. Don't Use Contests to Write the Script for You

Feedback is excellent, and any competition that offers reader feedback is well worth the extra cost. But you shouldn't be using contests to write the script for you.

Don't hand in a first draft so that you can get feedback to write your second draft. In the end, the feedback you get is just an opinion. Putting too much weight on those opinions, to the point where you are using contest feedback to help you write a better script is counterproductive. You're not growing as a writer. Instead, you're looking for shortcuts.

Script coverage is there to offer you a perspective. That perspective may inform you of some unseen issues with the story or characters. That perspective may provide some answers to some pacing or structure problems present within your script. But you should treat the coverage and feedback not as a crutch, but as food for thought.

Learn the best way to structure your screenplay with this free guide.

5. Don't Forget to Perform Multiple Proofreads

If you miss the proper spelling of a word here and there, no problem. Even the pros make those mistakes in their drafts. But there's nothing worse for a reader than reading a script that seemingly proves that the writer didn't care enough about the material to do a few quality assurance readthroughs.

Multiple spelling errors are annoying. And that's the last impression you want to leave with the reader — annoyance.

Before you submit your script, take an extra few days to read it line-by-line a few times.

Forget about experiencing the story or characters. That's not what these readthroughs are for.

You can even give the script to trusted family members, friends, or peers to help you with this. It's always nice to have fresh eyes on the material. But be sure to let them know that you’re not looking for feedback on the story or characters — you’re simply looking for typos, grammar errors, and spelling mistakes.

Pay particular attention to homophone and homonym errors. Your and You’re. New and Knew. To and Too. There, Their, and They’re. Its and It’s. Then and Than. Effect and Affect. Cache and Cachet. Break and Brake. Principle and Principal. Breath and Breathe. Rain, reign, and rein. By, buy, and bye. Always be sure to know the differences.

Tip: The best thing you can do for that polish rewrite is to CTRL + F (search) those above words and make sure that when present, they have the proper usage.

6. Don't Bother with Local or Small Film Festival Contests

If you're looking for some kudos, fine. There's nothing wrong with that. But if you're looking to advance your screenwriting career, local and small film festival contests aren't going to do you any good.

Stating that your script is an award-winning screenplay or that you are an award-winning screenwriter doesn't really hold much weight, unless you're a winner of one of the big screenwriting contests, competitions, or fellowships — Nicholl Fellowship, Launch Pad, Big Break, Screencraft Fellowship or Genre Contests, Austin Film Festival, Sundance Screenwriters Lab, etc.

You want to use screenwriting contests, competitions, or fellowships as career advancers — as ways to break through those Hollywood walls and get industry insider eyes on your work.

7. Don't Submit Slow Burn Screenplays

This is more of an insider tip. Slow burn screenplays refer to scripts that take their time in introducing their characters, establishing their backgrounds, and getting to the core concept and proof of genre.

While we see plenty of excellent indie films that thrive as slow burn stories, when it comes to screenwriting contests, you need to engage the reader as quickly as possible.

Readers are tasked with reading dozens — sometimes a hundred or more — of screenplays throughout the duration of a contest run. There's no escaping the hard and unfair truth that if you don't capture their attention within the first ten pages or so, you've lost them.

If they don't know what the genre is, who the main protagonist is, and what the central concept or conflict is within the opening pages of your screenplay, they're disengaged instead of engaged.

But don't worry. If you have character-driven drama, you can still tweak your opening pages to offer something that can pull them in. Be creative and find ways to introduce those elements early, introduce characters quickly, and showcase the core concept or conflict effectively within the first 5-10 pages.

8. Don't Submit Scripts with Cliffhanger Endings

Believe it or not, this happens quite often.

Some screenwriters believe that leaving the reader wanting more is about building a climax that leads to a cliffhanger with unresolved story and character arcs.

It's perfectly fine — and sometimes advisable — to present a script with franchise potential. However, you don't want to write the script with the presumption that it is part of a current franchise that will surely have a followup.

Cliffhanger endings are not hooks that leave us wanting more. They are deterrents that leave us with unanswered questions.

9. Don't Write Adaptations to Intellectual Property You Don't Own

Even if you write the heck out of the script and present an outstanding adaptation, you're likely breaking the rules of 99.9% of the screenwriting contests, competitions, and fellowships out there.

And, at the very least, you're ruining your one shot of presenting quality writing by adapting material without permission of the original author or rights holder. There's nothing the industry insiders can do with that script. The publishing company likely has the cinematic rights. And if not, anyone interested in your script has to go through the motions of buying the rights to the IP.

Focus on original stories.

10. Don't Put All of Your Eggs in One Basket/Contest/Competition/Fellowship

When you submit your script, don't count down the days to the projected announcement date. Don't metaphorically "sit by the phone" waiting for the results. Heck, don't even think about the results at all.

Just go on with your life. Allow yourself to forget that you even entered it.

Instead, submit your script to multiple screenwriting contests, competitions, and fellowships. And then forget them as well.

After that, start work on your next script. Keep writing. The fates will decide the rest.

Read ScreenCraft's How to Turn a Screenwriting Competition Win Into a Career!

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies

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The post 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Entering Screenwriting Contests appeared first on ScreenCraft.