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Hi everyone. Opened my letter two days ago expecting to get the usual thanks for entering BUT letter, only to find out I made it to the second round. WOW! I'm not able to make Moondance where I'm a finalist, but am now considering going to Austin after reading great things about it here.

Just wondering: Do any of you think film festivals are better to enter? I entered the same screenplay in other contests that weren't connected with a festival, and didn't even make the first cut.

Julie

Congrats to you too Jean. Hope you won something at Moondance.

I'd be interested in hearing your impressions of the festival.

Julie

Jean

No, that's fine. It was your impression of what you did attend at the festival and I appreciate your taking the time. The awards ceremony is an important part of any festival and congrats again for being a finalist. Too bad they didn't announce a winner in your category. Must have been hard to sit there with such expectation and not have it fulfilled one way or the other. Did you at least sit with, or meet anyone who could become a good contact for you? Were the finalists seated at their own table? Did anything at all spotlight you and make the trip worthwhile? Sorry if I seem nosy. It's the journalist in me.

Julie

Hi Jean

That's a shame you couldn't make any contacts. That's what these things are supposed to be for.

I've been looking at the Austin panels for Friday and they look very impressive. Several panels with eight different producers and speakers for us second rounders. Am thinking about scraping together some money and maybe going down. Never been to a film festival before.

Julie

Good luck today to Jean Hunter and John Arends for a Page Award.

Julie

They're posted! Congrats to John Arends. Way to go! May many doors open for all of you who entered!

Julie

Congrats Laqueta Lewis and wow, John Arends (you again?) Man, you are busting down doors. :)

Julie

John:

You make me want to believe again. :)

Julie

Jean -

Wonderful news. The reader must have been impressed with your writing. Perhaps this door will open into a writting assignment for you. Wouldn't that be great!

Julie

Forgive the typo. I do know how to spell writing. :0

Julie

David

I'd do a montage. I think it makes for faster reading for an action scene.

I'm not trying to plug anyone's book, but Christopher Riley's "The Hollywood Standard" is great for helping one to decide the best course of action. I think it's better than David Trottier's book "The Screenwriter's Bible."

Ultimately it comes down to making it the clearest for the reader. The way Riley says to do a montage and series of shots is a little different that Trottier's by the way. So that just shows to go yuh. And of course, if you're writting this for yourself to film, then do it any way you want. :)

Julie

Darn it. I put an extra t in writing again. I've got to proof read better!

Congrats Lisa. Bask in the validation. Good luck in the finals.

Julie

I recently mentioned "The Hollywood Standard" by Christopher Riley and said I prefer it to Trottier's Bible. The discussion was about slug lines and how to handle an action scene.

Julie

I've been on the fence about going. If I could share the expense of a room, that would help.

Julie

Wasn't aware that was a possibility. (I believe a Duh! is appropriate here.)Will call and talk to them. Thanks Heather.

If I do come in (and I really want to), I would also come in Wednesday night. So, I'm up for meeting you guys any morning you suggest. As long as it's not too early. :)

Julie

Jean:

Glad "Serena's Thunder" came in first place for you. Must be quite a horse. :) Congratulations!

Julie

Okay. I committed. I'm coming in Thursday afternoon and leaving Saturday afternoon. So ... that's only two mornings for me. Hope to meet some moviebyters at Starbucks or anywhere else.

Julie

Heather:

Friday and Saturday starts at 9 A.M. for me. But, I always need a jolt of coffee to get me going,(I'm a night owl)so any time before that is fine. Or, what about lunch on Friday? Or, is that smooze with new contacts time?

Julie

Congtats Linda for your fortitude. Just reading your posts and the reactions to them, make me feel energized. Please continue to fight the good fight.

Julie

Okay, Heather. Sounds great.

I've got short dark hair and plan on carrying a small black purse.

I heard the latest thing is to hand out cd's of one's work. If this turns out to be wrong, I'll have hard copies in my room.

Looking forward to meeting everyone.

Julie

Linda:

Hope it's everything you want it to be. Enjoy.

Julie

John:

Haven't you heard of the European carry all?

You and Heather have a pleasant trip.

Julie

Hmm. We are going to have a lot to discuss in only twenty minutes or so, as I too am a cat fan. Hear he has a new book. Save the Cat Goes to the Movies.

Julie

Austin rocks and rolls,(6th Street was awesome, man) you guys rock and two other connections I made there rock. I'm primed to go write now. Think I'll have "a cup of coffee." :-)

Julie

Never Assume

If anything can be learned from the last two flare-ups on this board, I hope it is -- never assume --

Please, fellow posters, it's a tough world out there. Let's use this board as an OBJECTIVE means of receiving and disseminating information and sharing a few laughs.

Peace

Julie

I've a full library shelf myself. Right now, I'm halfway through "Writing Movies" put out by the Gotham Writer's Workshop and find it very in-depth. A course onto itself for a mere 16 bucks. Together with "The Hollywood Standard" one has it all. And just for fun, I'd throw in Max Adam's "The Screenwriter's Survival Guide." That's a LOL read.

Julie

Jim. Perhaps you should have your company go over your messages before you post them.

Congrats John. Your logline sounds interesting. Hope your skin didn't get all wrinkled in the tub. As for a title how about: "Pieces from God" Hope you win. Sounds like a great experience.

Julie

Connie: Don't go away. This is a great support group. You need us and we need you. I haven't said it as well as the others (I was moved to tears by the way), but no one wants you to leave. Julie

Congrats everyone. Especially you Jean. I'm a big fan of film noir and hope to see "Lady Jazz" advance to the big screen someday. Julie

Wow. Congrats everyone. Here's hoping for a Moviebytes sweep if that's possible. Julie

John: Now I don't feel so bad about the title I suggested for your Jack of Hearts :) Julie

Sun: I like Pride Without Prejudice too.

Aye. Not many people go out of their way to help others. I hope all the good vibes you send out come back to ring in success for you Jean. Julie

Janet: Mary beat me in suggesting you look into the university , but I would just like to add that film departments usually have bulletin boards on which you can post projects and people can call you or sign up. Students can usually sign out cameras, lights and sound equipment as well. I'm sure it would be easy for your son to post such messages for you. Julie

Thanks Joseph for this and your scrnwrit posting too. I'd be your friend, but I don't do Utube. Too old fashioned I guess. Julie

At Last. Can't we all hear that tune playing in our heads? Congrats Jean. And thanks for sponsoring the contest on Extreme Screenwriting. May the entrants be worthy of you. Julie

May I suggest:

The endless battle between a cat and dog ends as the lost pets find more than just their way home.

Joseph: I don't do needle point. Will embroidery do? And I assume we make checks out to Joseph Kenney? :) Wish I'd thought of that!

Julie

Oh, sorry. That's Kenny.

So ... A hitman finds himself caught between two families: his in-laws and the mafia.

I know -- you don't like colons.

Congrats to all. Hope the Blue Cat continues to purr for all of you. Julie

Congrats Janet. Who knows, maybe you made it in all three categories. Wouldn't that be a thrill! I made it with a supernatural thriller. Julie

Terry

I think she was just in love with her own alliteration and wanted to sound like she knew what she was talking about. From what you've described, your ending is fine. Go with your own gut feeling and ignore the artsy fartsy.

Did you try Barb Doyon yet? She's offering a deal on expedited reviews. xtremescreenwriting.com

I'm out too. Congrats and continued good luck to those who made it.

Eric, Were your Page and Nicholl semi finalists the same script in the same year? Just wondering.

Congrats times two for Terry and Stephen!

Irish?

I know a guy with an Oklahoma accent. He's got little down home sayings to go with it. Guess I should have put a :) after Irish to make it clear it was a joke. A very little joke. More a slight smile really. Very slight.

Any rate, I'm really excited that Ron Howard is to receive an award and be on some of the panels. Very much looking forward to it. And being on the podium with him. :) See I'm learning.

That's stage not podium.

Irin, I hope there will be a feeding frenzy for all your screenplays now. Congratulations.

I thought Terry's message was a great example of guys kidding/complimenting each other and a great example of subtext in dialogue. Very funny and well done. Now, let's try to sell a script for Irin. :-)

Well done as ever, Ron and Irin. Congrats.

Add to Kosberg -- Ken Rothcop. I liked Rothcop's advice to ask the person a question first, that gets their attention focused on you, pertains to the script or idea and leads you into your pitch.

Dana, check your trash folder. It may be sitting there, unless that is what you deleted.

No joy here, except for John Arends, and a pat on the back for some kid named T. J. Smith. Congrats guys.

Congratulations to Geoffrey Breuder, Cat Bistransin, Tom Bragg X 2, Patrick Daly and a pat on the back to some kid named Timothy J. Smith.

Apologies to anyone I missed.

Good luck guys!

Terry, you made it to second place for Hog Heaven. That's pretty darn good too. Congratulations!

And William Bienes for 3rd place for It's A Big Top World. Well done.

Way to go guys. Julie

Stephen Hoover, hope everything goes well for your deal. Always heartening to hear someone is getting a deal for all their hard work. Julie

Congratulations everyone. Woo-hoo.

Heather, may we read your blog? Julie

I, too, have read that it's better to have a variety of genre to demonstrate one's abilities. Has that become an old fashioned concept in this age of specialization?

Julie

Heather -- I look forward to reading it when you're finished. Selling is really hard. I remember sitting at the table having coffee with you and John and having a difficult time telling you both about the next screenplay I was thinking of writing. I can't imagine the difficulty of trying to pitch to a producer. And yes, I am going to Austin this October. I hope you are too, as it was fun talking with you.

Irin -- You mean you don't remember me? I'm deeply hurt.

Actually, I'm yanking your chain. I was a second rounder in 2007 and did not go last year. Perhaps we can meet this year if you're going. It would be great to have a bunch of Moviebyters there. Anyone else going?

Julie

John, are you buying again this year? or, maybe, we could get Ron Howard to pay. At any rate, it sounds like fun and Heather can school me as to what kind of coffee to order :) Hope you can make it Irin, everyone always says such nice things about you. Julie

I always thought I'd write so called chick flicks, but on a whim I tackled writing a supernatural thriller and found myself having a lot of fun. Maybe a genre has found me. Time and success, or lack thereof, will tell. Right now I'm trying a family friendly script for Kairos. What a change and definitly more difficult to write. Next, I've got a comedy in mind and I hear comedy is the hardest thing of all to write. My ideas seem to cross genres, so I guess that is what I will do, because, well, because I must.

What a shock. I don't know how you guys know this, but yeah, I'm speechless. So I went to Blake's first book and found this on page 86. If I may quote him:

"All Is Lost is the place where mentors go to die, presumably so their students can discover, 'they had it in them all along.' The mentor's death clears the way to prove that."

Enough said.

He will live on, a little bit, in all of our writing as all great mentors do.

I'm in with a supernatural thriller.

Wow. Another heart attack takes a fine film maker.

Thanks, John Hughes, for the laughs and tears.

Tom Bragg and his writing partner Jim Harkins are moving on up with "As Young As You Feel." Congratulations guys and good luck.

Janet -- Heck yeah. Take it to every little theatre group you can. It's great for them - they don't have to pay royalties (I think you're right about that Paula)- and it's great for you - you can hear the dialogue etc and work out any kinks.

The worst that could happen is they will say "no." And if they do, just shake the dust from your shoes and move on to another local group.

Janet, I'm sure you've got your work cut out for you. Good luck and keep plugging.

I can't help but think about old movies where they are trying to get a play or musical put on and how crazy the producer and director get.

BTW, whatever happened to filming at the Iowa state fair? Julie

Is that the script getting tweaky, tweaky, tighty, tighty or you?

Evie

No one can access your script from the WGA except you. Unless they have a court order, I believe. All people can do is ask if it is registered by giving them the number you have listed as belonging to this script. Check their web site if you have any questions. WGA.org I believe.

The WGA only tells production companies if you indeed have a script registered with them. Nothing more.

Julie

Evie, just save yourself the $20. Unless it's a page one rewrite. You're probably going to make still more changes and unless you wind-up going to court, it isn't going to matter. Or, am I wrong on this people? She's asking about a script she's already sent in to the WGA not registering it for the first time.

Congrats, John. Write on. How great to take some info no one else really knows about and turn it into someone we should all know. Julie

okay. I'm confused. It's now 12:21 A.M. September 2 and the front page news on Moviebytes lists the finalists. Congrats Irin and Stephen.

Realized my mistake after seeing finalist posting. But, my congrats aren't a mistake. Congrats again to Irin and Stephen.

Congrats Heather and Irin. No second round for me this year.

Me Three. And throw in the Creative World Awards too. Congrats, Irin!

Did anyone read way down in the comments where someone posted - it was either Ted Elliot's or Terry Rossio's -- blog? It's very long, but worth the read. I haven't been to their web site in a long time. Will have to check it out again.

Congrats guys.

Nice work Stephen. It must be a great script.

Looking forward to meeting everyone from the 23rd to the 25th.

Mike,

No worries, man. As a second rounder in '07, I too, was a little scared of what I was getting into, but the whole thing turned ought to be just a lot of fun, so much so that I'm going again, even though this script was not good enough to make the second round.

Irin,

Congratulations on your up and coming production. Are you going to name him Austin? ;)

Julie

If we met Friday morning, then we could recognize each other throughout the day a whole day earlier and exchange information, or just say hi. It's always nice to feel you know some other people there. Don't you think meeting a day earlier would help with that?

I don't know how a message could cause all this. A massage would be way more better. :0

Stephen -- double congratulations.

Michael Murphy -- congrats as well.

Good luck guys in the next round.

Stephen -- you're just racking 'em up! Congrats again.

Oh, believe me Evie, I think you're funny.

Newmarket didn't require one when they were the one who initiated the request of me. When I asked them about a release, I was told they didn't require it as they had a record of the request. Julie

Wow. That hit the contest on the deadline, Irin.

I've read many times that contests are a waste of money unless you place, or win, Nichol or Austin. Max Adams was talented enough to win both in the same year with two different scripts and became flavor of the month in Hollywood. "Excess Baggage" got made and I don't know what happened to her second script. Anyway -- this brings me to other advice I've heard from agents etc. -- and that is -- write a script that is so damn good that the reader would feel foolish to give it a pass. And -- good scripts bring people to your door.

So, I'm wondering if using script services that claim to have the ear of producers etc. , isn't a better way to go, in addition to, once having a damn good script, marketing it yourself in an all out effort. Spending the money you would have spent on entering contests on promoting your script. (Script Pimp, Ink Tip and that video pitching one that guaranties a responce from whoever it is you choose to send your script) Getting that damn good script in front of readers yourself. (Of course, if it isn't a damn good script, you've closed the door in your own face.) Remember, it has to be a script that someone wants to spend years out of their lives to make. So, how do you find that person? Contests? Self promotion. Both?

The contests were supposed to be this filter for weeding out poor scripts and leaving the good scripts out there for the picking, but if they're not picking, then one can't help but wonder -- why enter?

Just want to add that the only reads I've gotten have come from recommendations from script review services, not contests.

The recommends I've received have been from:

Richard Walter (ages ago) which garnered me two reads from agents when I mentioned his name. One never got back to me and the other told me she was too busy to hip pocket me, but would be willing to read anything else I sent. I never persued this, or other agents, as I figured I needed 4 or 5 scripts to get anywhere.

Scr(i)pt Services, back when they used the parentheticals, had me listed on their web site at the time. This got me three reads from small companies and one big one.

Academy Writers Clinic, now defunct I guess, that got me an e-mail from a manager who said she had lunch with someone from there who told her to ask me if I had any other scripts with -- more of a story line -- OUCH.

Barb Doyon who gave me a recommend under my pen name, for a script that subsequently has done nothing in the 4 contests that I have entered this year. To be fair to her, she pointed out a couple of things in this script that other readers would have problems with, but she was okay with for certain reasons -- reasons which told me she totally "got" the script. I guess the other contest readers didn't.

Each of these recommends have been for different scripts.

I haven't tried Script Pimp or Script Shark and to be truthful have not tried to market any of my scripts as I feel they all require rewrites and only two really have ideas that are in any way marketable. Mostly , I've been writing just to learn the craft.

So -- I haven't been out there trying to sell. I really think one needs four or five really good scripts and if one can -- one damn good script -- before one goes out there and asks people to spend a couple hours out of their lives.

At any rate, I just don't think I'm ready. And lately I've been wondering if I should just give it up or really knuckle down and concentrate on writing.

All this was probably way more then anyone wanted to know, but hey, this is as close as I'll ever come to blogging.

Julie

I recently read an article by Hal Croasmun of Scriptsfor sale.com that said if we want to be professionals we need to take meetings and do writing assignments. Any script that gets us a meeting with an agent, or producer, would seem then, to be a calling card script. (my interpretation) So, is that what we are all aiming for with contest wins, or are we entering contests thinking that we are going to sell that script and a movie will be made from it? His article has to do with what to say to get an agent.

scriptsforsale.com/articles/agent

Thank you, Joseph for putting such time into this discussion. And, of course, I agree that our job as writers is to create great dramatic stories. However, your next sentence states that once we have accomplished that, it matters little how development speak seeks to describe the work. Actually Joseph, I think it does matter, because these are the people to whom we want to sell our great dramatic story and in order to be on the same page as them, to make sure we are communicating the same idea, we have to be aware of what they think of when they hear certain terms. We have to take our writers hat off, put on a sellers hat and use the same language as our prospective buyer or employer. We have to use the language of their street. Someday may we all be on that street. :) Julie

Congrats guys!

Glad you won, Stephen. Thriller/Horror is a great category, so maybe your script will make it to the big screen. Congratulations. Julie

You guys rule.

Oh, good going Heather. Irin had forgotten Kairos!!!

That's okay Heather. My new script (which I thought, maybe, I would enter if I had it ready) isn't even finished, never mind evaluated. I just wanted to give Irin a hard time. It's hard to believe though, that they don't like him. And now Stephen. Tough competition. Julie

John - Top 30! Woo Hoo. Party all weekend, Dude.

Congrats guys! Julie

A sequence is a series of scenes dealing with a single idea and a definite beginning, middle and end. Think the wedding sequence in The Godfather. I don't think page count matters. Julie

That's Paul Gulino.

Irin - Nicely done. Thoughtful and classy. Hopefully Expo will take it to heart. And I think you're right about the exposure being far more important than the money.

I'm arriving Thursday just after noon. Will look for a staggering Razorback fan at the airport. ;-)

yep, I plan on being there for coffee. Maybe we can photoshop Irin into some of the panels, round tables and the luncheon. See ya all soon. Julie

Congratulations to you Irin and your wife. Hope everyone is well. So what's his name?

Do you have a film showing at the festival?

Perhaps he could take a handful of the dirt and put it in a pocket, bag or small container or locket?

Named after a historic island. How New York of you. :-) May he sleep through the night after two months. Oh, and congrats to the Yankees. Was that the day he was born? the day the Yankees won the series?

LOL What a great story to tell and embellish over the coming years.

"Nine" is a remake of the 1960 file "La Dolce Vita" by Federico Fellini about a director trying to get a movie made.

Good fortune to everyone! May we continue to smile upon one another even if fortune does not. Happy New Year everyone and a prosperous decade too.

Congrats Heather! You go girl -- all the way to the top I hope. Julie

Just saw on the Blue Cat sight that if you enter their contest before midnight today, you can get your analysis on January 29th. It's a special to honor Fellini.

BTW, Hoover, you do have the best title, no bribe necessary. Good luck. Julie

Congrats Cat and Irin. Julie

Heather, I hope you and your partner make it to the top three. Good luck and congratulations! Julie

Getting something made is even better. Can't wait to hear. Continued success to you both! Julie

Congrats and good luck.

Sorry, Mike, but I've submitted for February. ;) Julie

Serious: She's Not Human

For fun: Wolfen Scale

The Mermaid Who Howled is very good. But, I can't help thinking And You Thought Human Puberty Was Bad would be funny. But seriously, the Mermaid Who Howled sounds really good.

Or: Advanced Puberty on a Mythic Scale :)

Mike:

They're reading it on Saint Patrick's Day! Hope I'm sober enough to tune in. Congrats!! I'm kicking myself I didn't get your autograph on the card you gave me. Julie

Don't cringe, Mike. Hearing prof. actors reading your lines is gold. Hope you can cash in from this. Julie

Bobbette:

Glad you settled on that title. Perhaps Puberty on a Mythic Scale could be used for the poster? Just saying. :0 Good luck with Script Savvy. Julie

It's been asked if anyone had experience with Moondance. I was a finalist there a couple of years ago and never got any requests.

There is an interview on this site with someone who won it, if you want to check it out. She gave me this link:

http://www.moviebytes.com/ContestDetail.cfm?InterviewsTab=TRUE&InterviewID=373&ContestNumber=282

Check out the Moondance web site. Especially the poem at the end. That will give you a good idea of what they are looking for.

It's probably just easier to look up Moodance under contests. There are a lot of interviews with entrants. Her's is "The Court of Lions." Amy Quick Parrish.

I'm thinking of using consultants, until I've got 3 or 4 recommends, then using Virtual Pitchfest. I think the best thing about them is they have top companies and they have to respond to you. Anyone have experience with VPF?

James- you may want to look into scriptcoach.com he also runs virtual pitchfest. Haven't tried it myself, yet. Has anyone on the board?

Thank you John and Walter for taking the time to tell us the truth.

Irin, back on 04/07 of this thread, I asked if anyone had experience with VPF. Thanks Maree for your comment. And I think I remember your name from some contest or another. Sorry, I don't remember which. So go ahead -- mention your win or placement again. Perhaps we should start a VPF thread. :)

Sorry Mahree for leaving out the h. Short term memory problems. :-)

Congrats, Janet. Dance, dance, dance ...

Irin,

You copywrite your outline! Do you show it around?

I'm planning on entering Austin with an almost page one re-write of my second rounder from 2007. Gave it a new name too. Barb Doyon gave it a consider, so now I'm scrambling to incorporate her advice and ship it off.

Don't know if I'll attend this year, but if I do, will stay at the Stephen Austin. That's where the conference puts up its guests.

You really can ride the elevators with big names. Missed Ron Howard by five minutes, but rode with Curtis Burch and Jessica Julius (Disney Animation) and almost had Mitchell Hurwitz alone in an elevator, but he forgot his badge and had to go back to his room. Didn't hold the elevator for him. Too afraid I'd freak him out. They had joked about stalkers earlier in the day.

Julie

Excellent win Mike! Congratulations.

A joke usually diffuses a situation.

"Nervous? First time on a train?"

"The train will move without the foot-pump thing going on."

etc. I'm sure others can think of better remarks.

Congrats, Janet.

I have also recently heard that Caps on sound is now passe for spec scripts which is what we are writing. Shooting scripts, I would think, would still have caps for the sound editor. Books etc may not be up on this trend. Michael S. have you asked Script Savvy?

I agree.

The Max Adams? Okay - I know this is off topic, but OMG -- I bought your book and remember you from the Compuserve days. Thanks for checking in and adding to the discussion. Would love to know your POV on the subject. Will see if I can dig up the cache.

Greg Beal has also commented and I thank him for that.

Thanks for the encouraging post James. Good luck and continued success.

Yep. I use Movie Magic and love it. Have used it since it was Script Thing. If everything gets put into a PDF I don't see why it would matter if you use Final Draft or Movie Magic.

Congrats, Andrew.

Anyone else enter through Withoutabox and have a red dot in their submission status? It's only the second time I've used WAB and the red dot has me wondering if I did something wrong.

Congratulations Irin. Happy for you man. My second reaction was wow, glad I didn't enter in June! But, now that I think about it, it would have made for a good excuse. Hard to win against you and Hoover. Also read on Int Tip that you've signed with a manager and have an option you're considering. Hope the momentum continues for you. Continued success ...

Julie

Congrats TeeJay. I read your short, "Thicker Than Water", on Talenthouse and the ending really surprised me. Liked your writing style a lot. Continued success to you and "No Tell Motel".

Julie

What about the rest of us John? Sniff, sniff.

Heather! I'm soooo happy for you and your partner! Congratulations . Once things get going again, I hope you'll have time to keep us schooled. Have fun. You deserve it.

Julie

May we hear the log line?

And here. Post a PDF

Sure L.J. just look at the bottom of the topics list. To the far right of -- add new topics and search all messages -- you'll see -- Post PDF File for Feedback.

Heather -- I wonder if Twitter or Facebook might help?

Many of the guests are housed at the Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin so if you stay there, have your elevator pitch ready.

I'm not going this year darn it. And just when it seems so many MB'ers are.

Mike Murphy -- wasn't that the script you practiced pitching last year? Congrats on making the second round with it.

Irin -- hope your phone rings soon

And the same for everyone waiting and hoping.

Congrats to everyone who progressed. No joy for me this year.

Congrats to all in the semis. Heather, you're on a roll!

And Irin, you don't need no stinking phone call. Second rounder is great news.

An edgy romcom on a modest budget sounds like gold. Congrats Robert!! You're going to run up quite a bar tab with all the MBers there. Good luck!!

Glad to hear you optioned a script! Hope your other winning scripts find a home too. Austin networking should do the trick. Great time to be going there. Congrats Irin!!!

Congrats everyone.

Congrats Teejay for "Interface" You're having a great year. If you can at all swing it, go interface at Austin with your second rounder and Chicago win. There will be a lot of MB'ers there to support you.

Congrats Goldmans!

"How can you be a screenwriter and not love the Cubs?" One only need be a southsider. Although I must say, we can certainly understand waiting for next year. :)

The usual suspects are there: Irin, Donald and Hoover plus a new entry :)

There's 65 in each genre so for a complete list see Moviescriptcontest.com

Congrats and good luck to everyone! Next round October 20th, according to the website.

T. J. Some Brit thinks he's better than you. :)

You must have been too excited. :) Did you find my name:O

Congrats Mark.

Lol. Yeah, 65 in each genre is a lot to read.

The Champion site has a long list posted now too. I can't imagine reading stacks of scripts. I'd get stories all mixed up.

Long list. I'm in with two. Anyone else see their name? Congrats to all.

People are working instead of lurking. Hmm, guess that's what I should be doing. Keep writing people :)

If it's a snaffu at their end, I think they should find you a room. Hope something comes along for you.

Excellent! Have fun Heather. Wish I could be there to split a cinnamon roll with you. :)

Happened to be sitting at the computer when the e-mail came. What a fun way to learn you're a winner. In the hope that you've already been to the Page web site, (if not, don't read any further) may I offer my congrats to R. Scott Shields, The Grand Prize winner -- Marjory Kaptanoglu and James Bicknell. Way to go! May good things be coming your way.

Congrats TJ

We are all still in it!

Gary Talarino, Michael Scott, Irin Evers, Mike Donald with two, Stephen Hoover and Julia Kubik.

Congrats and may the reader gods continue to put our babies in good hands.

Thanks for the heads-up about Toy Story 3. I wouldn't have bought it before, but now I definitely will.

Glad to hear that others had voice problems too, as last year I lost mine early and even thought it was a cold, or reaction to a feather pillow on the bed (which I found on the last day) Is there such a thing as voice strengthening exercises? :) Will have to look into it for next year.

Glad you all had what sounds like an amazing conference. Thanks for sharing.

I hesitate to ask, but is there anyway those notes could be shared with those of us who didn't go? Perhaps, Stephen"s blog? Are you going to blog about it, Stephen?

Cool idea! Thanks Heather!! Looking forward to it.

Julie

I bought the four disc set and it's on there.

Watched it last night. In fact watched all the feature extras. The commentaries from the director and producer and the commentary from some of the artists. Really interesting and learned a lot. Now I've got to watch the movie. :)

Thanks for telling us about all this. I never would have known otherwise.

Yes, it's on the Blu Ray disc and no, unfortunately they won't play on standard def players.

Heather - The four disc set has:

a BluRay feature film,

a BluRay disc of the bonus stuff such as Beginings: setting a story in motion and wonderful commentaries,

a regular DVD of the film and some bonus stuff that does not include the Beginnings short (I don't know yet about the commentaries),

and a digital copy of the feature for play on portable devices.

Okay I've read the case back now, and it says the beginnings and commentaries (and a bunch of other goodies) are "Exclusive Blu-Ray bonus." Perhaps the 2-disc Blu-Ray has this "exclusive bonus" too???

Wow! Exciting times! Congratulations and enjoy.

Not surprised to hear "Dead in the Room" is still alive. Congrats, Marjory!

Congrats everyone.

A bunch of us still there. Irin, I'll save you the trouble of a search. You're there. Congrats everyone! Next round Nov.19th

Thanks everyone. Yeah, comedy is a tough category. I don't expect the "Bend in the Bridge" to make finalist. Wish they'd take my rewrite. :)

Thanks John! Wasn't it the Golden Brads that garnered you a first gig?

If I'm reading it right, other people can make changes, possibly get paid a portion of the money that would have gone to you and not only do you grant Amazon an 18 month option, but they can extend the option for another 18 months.

Okay, I see now that people other than the owner of the original property, who submit revisions, do not have any rights, so I guess they don't get a cut.

Congrats guys!! May each of you win in your category. Mike Donald will have to defeat himself in Thriller/Horror/Sci-Fi :)

Just read the news and gave a shout out. Congratulations, Irin!!! (seriously, now my throat hurts) And Mike, way to go!

Poetist, do you really want to put a second rate script out there as an example of your work?

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Canon EOS 7D. Some months ago I seem to remember the 5D and/or 7D being mentioned. Which is better for shooting a short? Thanks.

okay I found the thread. 7/28/10 Producing your short. A very interesting thread.

Continued success to you all.

Thanks everyone. And Phil, not to worry. The camera is for a film major who wants to make multiple movies, starting with shorts.

Congrats Robert

Well done. Congratulations Mike and Dana!

Congratulations everyone. Good luck in the next round.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Yes, Happy New Year to everyone. May it be prosperous as well. Unfortunately, I've started out the year in the hospital. I assumed I had the flu, but it turned out to be pneumonia. Yikes! Hope everyone else is healthy.

If that's settled -- what about the right hand margin? Half an inch or an inch?

Since scene headings have to do with camera placement -- what is being seen on the screen -- I'd say INTERCUT: HIGHWAY AND FARM and indicate the music plays throughout. If it's a montage, doesn't it sort of mean "put the music here" ?

I only want to say: It's hot!

Excellent, Irin!!!

You mean grammar good?

Congratulations Patricia. What a thrill to hear your words brought to life.

I read that email as just no feedback for April. Am I wrong?

Hi, Matt. Thanks for coming to this bulletin board.

I'm just wondering what the instructions are to your first round readers. How many pages must they read before passing on a script, or do you tell them to read entire scripts?

I also want to say a big thank you to Austin for being so great to writers.

Julie

Thanks for your reply Matt.

Just want to make sure I'm interpreting the rules correctly concerning entering a Dramedy. I can enter the same script in both Comedy and Drama categories. Is that correct?

Julie

Congrats and good luck in the next round.

If you read the full article under news Matt says:

"When is your notification date?" is perhaps the most asked question. We send letter notifications in the mail to all First and Second Rounders by the end of August. Semifinalists will be contacted by phone at this time as well. Finalists will be contacted by mid-September and the winners will be announced at the Awards Luncheon during the Conference on Saturday, October 22.

Congrats everyone. Isn't it amazing how fast this contest manages to read and process scripts. Wonder how many entries they had? Anyway, continued success to us!

Well done Robert. Donna is on leave of absence people. Send your remarks to Eric.

There's four of us in family. May the script gods shine on us all. Congrats everyone.

Philip, congrats on your two.

You can divide first and second as you please, but Grand Prize is reserved for me :) :)

Slamdance is coming up next Friday, so I did a little research on this board. People seem to think s.p. with an edgier side do better. I've got a family comedy, so should I just save my money?

Thanks for the congrats. And I'd like to congratulate Kevin, Philip, William and his writing partner, Charles. And isn't Nick Roberts a MBer?

Glad we only have to wait until Wednesday.

Congrats all.

What the heck. I entered. If it advances at all, we'll know they're not just on the edgy side. Thanks guys.

Thanks Marjory. It's going to need a lot of luck.

I still remember your short. Great flick.

Congratulations to Philip Sedgwick for first place in Action/Adventure/Thriller and to William Bienes and Charles Hebert for third place in Comedy. Way to go guys.

Yes! Be sure and keep us posted.

Irin - Did you ever get your prizes or at least hear from them?

WoW. Now, I'm hesitant to enter for 2011. Did you at least get any interest in your script?

Very happy for you, Irin. Congratulations. Being a neurotic boy has obviously paid off. :) Big, big smile for you my friend and my wishes for your continued success.

Julie

I think we're all just hoping this means you won't be entering any more contests. :-0 Just a joke cuz I know you have a great sense of humor.

Okay. How about:

In A New Vein Awake and Sucking It Howl at This Old Vampires Don't Howl A Vamp and A Kiss Vein and Loving It Back

Damn. That was supposed to be a list not a long sentence without punctuation.

Here: In A New Vein, Awake and Sucking It, Howl At This, Old Vampires Don't Howl, A Vamp and A Kiss, Vein and Loving It, Back.

Undead and Kicking It; Love In a Casket; Blood on the Moon; Moonlight Become Us; Something To Howl About; My Way or the Die Way

I know, I know. Just trying to get something started for you.

Clash of the Canines; Ruling the Night

Somebody stop me, please! (not a title)

Congratulations, Robert!

Hope there's a red carpet for you Marjory. Sounds like fun. Enjoy.

I'm in, at least until the 15th. Congrats and good luck to us all.

Congrats, June!

Dead Moon Rising

I'm out. Congrats to the some 12 MBers still in. Especially those with two in. Irin and Michael Raymond.

And T.J. Cimfel with two. Sorry if I missed anyone else. Congrats.

As usual Greg Beal has sent out a really nice letter via email telling me that I'm not a quarter finalist. At least this time he mentioned that I did get two positive reads, so believe it or not, I actually feel happy. One of 850 that had to be whittled down to 351! Wow, 6,730 entries in all.

So, who are in the lucky 351?

Double congrats, Marjory! Good news from Nicholl and Scriptapalooza. Was "Precipice" in the 10% at Nicholl?

Philip, congrats on Scripapalooza and continued good luck.

Congrats to everyone who's progressed in the Nicholl Fellowship.

Just received the July/August issue. In fact, they sent me two such issues. :-)

Anyone else? Perhaps I should have a drawing, or run a contest. Only $40 to enter. :-0

Valerie, where did you see the CWA finalists? Their website hasn't even listed the semi-finalists yet?

Okay. I see. In the Expo thread you say quarter-finalist. but, yeah, congrats to Matt.

How can one be a finalist if their entire screenplay was not read?

Okay, I see now that one was only to send in the first 20 pages. Then, I read some of the recent contest comments. Lots of complaints going back a few years about the sarcastic tone of the notes.

Congratulations everyone.

The Slamdance website had this info:

Sept. 9th: 100 quarter-finalists announced;

Sept.14: 32 semi-finalists;

Sept. 28: 12 finalists;

Oct. 5: WGA Party with finalists and semi-finalists where the winner will be announced

Good luck everyone!

Congrats, Irin. Only 32 next round! Ouch and ouch!

Yeah. I saw that too. Hope it's the beginning of a great career for you, T.J. Congrats!

Congrats everyone!

And congrats to you guys, too!

Thanks for sharing, Ron.

I use two lines between, with the slug line on the third line. No one has mentioned it. Even the reviewer who noticed two different size dashes! I didn't know that was possible on a computer and I have no idea how it happened.

Timothy - (note the size of the dash) I don't believe there is a firm answer.

I've read the first Pirates of the Caribbean and there is a great deal of description in the action lines, so I suppose, he would want only one line between so that they can get more lines on the page. I would be interested to find out if one of their pages actually times out to one minute. Also, I'd love a further explanation of that ratio thing mentioned in another thread.

As for me, I like lots of space so that it makes for an easier, faster read. And I don't care if I do get dinged for it. It's part of my style and Lord knows, we all need style :)

Sign up for Barb Doyon's Newsletter. Not only does she have discount offers on her feedback service in it, but she writes some darn good advice as well. She's offered me feedback that was always helpful and with her offers, very inexpensive. This month it's $50 for a standard review. xtremescreenwriting.com

He was probably seeing if you were someone he could work with for months or years out of his life. The fact that he wants to read what else you've got probably means he thinks he can. So that's good news and the meeting was definitely not a waste of your time. And no, I haven't been so fortunate.

Just curious - what was the contest?

What Ms. Doran did sounds like a great exercise for all of us. Break down the emotional components and isolate the elements of mood elevation in acclaimed movies. A great way to learn and start our own wheels churning about each of our scripts. Thanks for sharing with us (the ones you love :)?)

Great little flick. Sent the link to people I know. Hope it does well for you. Congrats, Marjory.

Yes! Very exciting. Congratulations. Couldn't happen to a nicer person. And many more options I hope, for the both of you. Julie

Also read the first article on writing log lines. Excellent advise. Thanks, Heather

I hear yuh. And I just renewed CSW a couple of months before it went under. No word on getting reimbursed.

Just checked twoadverbs.com Doesn't seem to have been updated since Dec. 2011

johnaugust.com is still going strong

I bought a cd on Ebay that has like 500 screenplays, so I've been trying to read one everyday. Definitely a good way to procrastinate. :)

oops. I take it back about twoadverbs.com If you click on his blog there are two new articles.

You mentioned Bill Martell. Have you been to scriptsecrets.net?

Congrats and good luck all.

Congrats, Marjory. I could use a new me. :)

A time machine. Can I keep what the years have taught me, or do I have to give that up to look younger and thinner? I know. I have to come see the performance to find out. Hmm. If someone could film your short, that would be great!

YES! I love science fiction. Good luck. Hope they pick you!

Too bad you can't incorporate Gordy's suggestions, get in your time machine, re-enter the contest and come out on top. :)

But, it sounds like you had a great experience and opportunity and made the most of both. Writing shorts just might be the way to go and something to seriously consider. Thanks, Marjory. And congratulations again on being selected for a reading. Invaluable experience. One I can only hope to have someday.

Page told me that their FINAL DEADLINE is truly the last chance to submit. I think they're shooting for May 15th. So you might have another two weeks. At least, I'm counting on that :) Good luck everyone!

I hear yuh! Just learned Story Pros extended. Doh! And Page always does. So have learned from Zoe (thanks to a suggestion from Irin that I ask, thanks Irin!) that the absolute deadline is when they say FINAL DEADLINE.

Does Story Pros always extend? Perhaps we could start a list.

wow! That was fast. We all must have been so good, it was an easy decision. LOL Congrats to everyone!

"Do nothing 'till you hear from me."

LOL

But, seriously - it depends on the caliber of this last consultant, what he's telling you as oppossed to your own gut feeling, and how many other consultants have not metioned it and their reputations.

Godd luck in StoryPros. At any rate - semifinalist is nothing to sneeze at.

Hmm. Godd luck. May you be so blessed. :)

Congratulations to Paul, Paula and Philip(hmm... three "P"s) and best of luck in the next round. A long week away.

Last year a weaker storyline version of this script made finals. So, yeah, yuh never know. Had hoped to go further this year, but Paul's brilliant script must have knocked me out of contention LOL. By the way Paul, I've never been anyone's Venus before, so thank you very much. It softened the blow. :)

Philip, you had three in there as semi-finalists. Very impressive. Congrats on that alone and it certainly speaks to your writing chops.

Again, congrats to all of you and anyone I didn't specifically name. Meet you all in another contest. :)

Julie

Congratulations, James.

And Scot, I've been meaning to tell you how much I like your title. So now's my chance. I like your title. A lot.

Irin. Even though you're exhausted you checked in. What a trooper. :)

Karl Iglesias has the best CD set: Writing for Emotional Impact. I highly recommend it. For what's that worth :) Creative Screenwriting used to sell it.

The Writer's Store just sent me an email about a Writing Dialogue for Emotional Impact course they're offering from him. I prefer the CDs as I need to play them over and over again. :)

LOL, Scott. I've been debating about entering BlueCat. Maybe, I will just so I can vote for your title. :) Good luck.

And good luck to everyone tonight. Why do they make people wait all day? :(

Congrats, Paul. You lost your religion after "The People vs God" ? Maybe Page will give it back to you. :)

T.J., are you sure you want our comments? Moviebytes isn't listed under "Great Forums & Discussion Boards" :) I do like your layout and illustrations.

Thanks for adding us, T.J. And so fast, too! BTW it's just been added to my toolbar.

So, another post talks about getting dinged for story points not coming at a certain page and even cheating with spacing between sentences (I use two BTW) just so you can save a page or two and conform to the norm. The analysts and contests? seem to expect us to follow formula writing.

So, here comes the discussion part. Read:

Coreymandell.net Corey's Blog Latest Entries Why Story Structure Formulas Don't Work

I'd like to think he's got a point. But, how do we convince the analysts?

Maybe, it's by having a story that is so damn good - they forget about the formula.

Paul. Did you read the blog? All three installments of it? (And if someone can lead me to his conclusion, I would be very grateful.) He cites Hollywood people who don't like plot points by page number coloring.

Marjory - I agree with you totally. Especially 10 pages and a whammo.

I think Corey Mandell is saying that each story has its own structure needs and should follow them. Regardless of page number.

To me this means: Somebody wants something and has trouble getting it,until they get it or change their mind about it. We have to care about the characters and what happens to them. Then, you've got a good story.

Script Dude, I understand and agree with you.

"if you don't have a compelling, universal, marketable concept then structure and format really doesn't matter.... except for a contest."

The problem is that contests are the way most of us on this board hope to achieve some legitimacy as screenwriters when we approach production companies or agencies.

I know, I know, you don't like contests.

So all we need is a compelling, universal, marketable script and to cold call production companies. And since the script sounds so compelling and marketable they will ask to read it and either option you or say it's not what they are looking for at this time.

Do you follow story structure formulas? Do you know other professionals who do?

YES!!! I love this discussion. And Script Dude, I do know you favor the top contests. Forgive my generalization. I do only enter those. Like Marjory, I feel these are the only ones that can help us.

And thank you for sharing your process. I try to do that myself, now, after years of floundering around, doing rewrite after rewrite, I make myself hand write out the story beats. Not easy for me as I'm such an impatient person and just want to sit at the keyboard and get started.

About using 3X5 cards so you can move scenes around. I've never understood that concept. If one writes: This happened so this happened which led to this happening then, this happened instead, so this happened; how can one move the scenes around?

And Script Dude, you mention it's kinda like Blake Synder's beat sheet. I assume that's without beats hitting at certain page numbers like he indicates. :)

Paul, your sp made me think of "Inherit the Wind" with Spencer Tracy and Fredric March, two wonderful actors who were able to pull off court room scenes.

Thanks for your input, Script Dude. And I appreciate your time. Will now attempt to write something the same, but different. :)

I enjoyed her movies. They brought many a laugh and a tear. She was queen of the emotion delivery business.

LOL Even Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins couldn't help it.

Just checked my email. Made it. Glad so many MB'ers made it too. Hopefully, we will all be able to party on Sunday as well.

I wonder if Page expects people to use the formatting they suggested and will ding people for not using it. I didn't.

Congratulations to everyone. Especially those in with two or more.

Thanks, Marjory. I haven't given up hope yet. It seems I can never get past the second round in Page and surprisingly enough, I don't feel bad. Hopefully, everyone here who didn't advance in Page will do well in Austin and Nicholl.

Marjory - awhile ago you suggested that we try writing shorts. I had an idea that I didn't see writing as a feature so I knocked off 5 pages with a beginning middle and end with a twist(?). It's like writing a long scene. It was fun and gave instant gratification. Now, I don't know what to do with it. Probably nothing. But, at least it was fun.

Paul - after repeated tries, I an unable to follow your link.

Paul - Got the link and watched it. You've got nothing to be embarrassed about. Although (isn't there always an although?) I would shorten the dialogue for everyone, not just the young woman as someone else mentioned. But, that's just me.

Marjory - Thanks for all the info but, I would never enter this, my first short, in an upcoming contest as I've no idea what I am doing. I've never read anything about writing shorts and have only watched a few on You Tube.

That being said - I will post it here as a PDF if Paul and anyone else cares to do the same. I'd appreciate feedback on it. What do ya say?

I remember it from the other time it was available. Very impressive! I still think about it and gladly will view it again. Can you legally post the sp here as a PDF? That is, if you want?

I nominate Paul to call his top ten contests and ask them what "type" of readers they use then, publish the responses on MB. :)

Careful Paul, or she'll have you with some Chianti and fava beans. :)

Thanks, Marjory. Will devour it tonight. :)

Maybe you've had too many 40s on that street corner.

DOCTOR LECTER

A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti ... fly back to school, little Starling.

Marjory, thanks again for sending me the PDF. Loved the way you kept increasing the tension and your dialogue is top notch. You deserved the win and I hope you have many more.

Congrats to ALL who made it. Glad to hear that Marjory and Irin are in there. I didn't enter Scriptapalooza this year. Saved myself that ding.:)

My P.S. said I got two favorable reads. Same as last year. Well, at least I didn't lose ground.

No one has posted of making it to the quarter finals. Marjory? Irin? Anyone? C'mon. We want to applaud someone.

You go girl!!!! Congratulations.

Glad to hear it, Marjory. Congratulations!

I'm in Family/Drama. Glad I'm not in Thriller :)

Congratulations to everyone who advanced. Hope we all make the next round.

Aw, Scott. And I was just about to read the newspaper article to someone. Oh, well. Congrats on being in!

(Curses. Never should have let the guy read my short)

Some people have mentioned feedback. When did you get it?

Thanks, Robert. I didn't pay for the notes I guess.

Congrat to everyone. Good luck to us all next Monday.

Big Congrats to : Heather Hughes and Kate; Michael Raymond; Linda Haltmaier; June Escalante; and Timothy Jay Smith and of course anyone I missed.

Congrats semi-finalists.

Thanks, Philip. I just did it the old fashioned way and typed in readwatchwrite.com Click on Master List on the top though, as the link in the body of his blog doesn't work.

Congratulations. Hope you all win.

I knew someone who was a judge/entrant a couple of years ago. She was not allowed to judge her genre. I don't have a problem with this unless one assumes they are trying to influence judges in their genre.

Perhaps I'm just too trusting, but any relationships she may have had did not lead to her advancement that year. I asked her if she was a reader this year. No reply from her. So either she was keeping the fact that she was a judge confidential so as not to invite prejudice or she didn't want to bother with me :)

When a major contest gets over 6,000 entries and they are read twice, that means a lot of readers are needed. Besides not being able to enter ones genre, one would hope there are other safe guards in place as well. And yes, appearances are important.

From my AFF letter which I definetly will not have framed:

"... each work was evaluated at least twice by different readers."

They had over 6,500 submissions.

And congratulations Bruce and George. Hope you can attend as it's a lot of fun and very informative. They actually make writers feel important.

Even auto mechanics can have a passion and knowledge of film and be screenwriters. We all have to put bread on the table.

All readers are subjective. All people listening to pitches have their own agendas and levels of expertise.

Contests are just one of the ways to garner attention. A win or placement in well regarded contests like Nicholl, Austin and Page tells a production company, agent etc. that you are not just another kook who has written a piece of crap. Hollywood craves a filtering system.

That being said, I'm thinking of just touting recommendations from script services and not entering contests unless it's the top ones. And yes, Austin is one of them.

Happy to see you listed for Dark Hero for Austin and a finalist for Page, Michael. Good luck in both contests and have fun in Austin. Heather always offers the best advice, but just let me add - try not to go hoarse. Enjoy!

This starving screenwriter would appreciate being sent this updated list in lieu of a refund of the subscription renewal I made prior to Creative Screenwriting becoming defunct.

Heather, that's great!! Congratulations and what fun. Now I wish I was going to AFF. I'll be there in spirit for ya though. Way to go girl!

How long is it? Can you show it on U Tube or something else at some other time?

That's okay, Irin. I thought there might be a reason she can't show it online yet. As much as I'd like to see it, I hope it has a long run in the film festival circuit. Good luck with it, Heather and I'll keep the popcorn ready to pop.

Yeah. What Marjory said. And bring your own business card to hand out. I put a logline on the back of mine. Have fun and good luck.

Congratulations, Michael Raymond for "The Domain's" silver award. Way to go! Now, on to Austin. Knock 'em dead.

Congratulations, Michael for making the Dark Hero your domain. :)

A Match Made in Hell was #1 on Halloween, now, that's hot! :) Congrats, Marjory.

Paul - Go to FORMAT, select ELEMENT STYLES, then SCENE HEADINGS, then LINE SPACING, then LINES BEFORE, then set LINES BEFORE at 2.

Not everyone thinks like that person though. Just saying.

I played with it once. The voices were robotic. It was horrible. Everything else I really, really like.

I hear tell it's available on DVD through Redbox and Netflix. I'm excited for ya T.J. Congrats. You're a shining example for all of us.

Congrats, Paul and good luck in the next stage of the contest and your teleconference Thursday.

Glad to hear you're not giving up screenwriting, Marjory. Sad to hear that Lifetime wants true stories. Barb Doyon told me to market The Bend in the Bridge to TV networks like Lifetime and OWN. Just curious if you contacted that producer through Inktip or some other means? At any rate, sounds like I won't be submitting it to the Black List, as it wouldn't appeal to adolescent boys, although there is a 16 year old boy in it.

Thanks, Marjory. Guess I should give Ink Tip a whirl. It's hard for my brain to change focus from writing to selling.

Good luck with your book. May you get a movie out of it :)

Yeah, we do go through this every year. Wait until Page says it's the FINAL DEADLINE if you don't want to email them.

Moviebytes lists April 1st as the Final deadline, but not Page.

With one hand, Kat Lady (50) clutches an 8 X 10 frame to her gravity challenged bosom. Her free hand pulls her white hair. Her worn face cries out to the heavens.

Hope second entries are allowed, as I don't want to disqualify myself.

Kat Lady (ninth persona) pees in its litter box of rejection letters. Licks itself. Paws at a computer keyboard. Coughs up hairballs of posts on Moviebytes in a vain attempt at being petted.

Congrats J.J. I must admit I like the shrink-wrapped in a leopard print leotard image.