Message Board

Hello all--I'm a newbie to this bulletin board and a newbie to screenwriting. I'm interested in hearing people's opinions on the various screenwriting software out there. I bought Hollywood Screenwriter, and although it's easy to use, I haven't figured out how to do non-standard things with it yet. Has anyone used Dr. Format or any other similar program? Any recommendations?

Thanks for the input.

In Spanish, el gato (Ricardo?) en el sombrero . . .

My hunch is yes, so let's do it! We could each own a fraction--like the NetJets of movies.

Ben,

In answer to your question: All of them! (Because there won't be anymore books 30 years in the future.)

Soylent green is people!

I'd appreciate everyone's two cents on an issue that has been perplexing me. I am working on a screenplay based on an actual event that occurred in 1920. There was a book written on the event that was published in 1969. At first, I thought better to be safe than sorry, so I explored optioning the rights to the book. Unfortunately, the book was published by a small publishing house that is apparently long since out of business. The author of the book was middle-aged at the time of the book's publication, so he is no doubt dead by now. Because that went nowhere, I started researching the issue of copyright and historical facts and found that one cannot hold a copyright in historical facts (but that, of course, one can copyright the expression of those facts). I then found the case of Steven Speilberg and the movie Amistad. If you're not familiar with that litigation, Barbara Chase-Riboud wrote a book named "Echo of Lions" which chronicled a real-life uprising on a slave ship in 1839. Speilberg met with Chase-Riboud regarding optioning the book, but the two were unable to come to terms. Speilberg then concluded that because one cannot copyright historical facts, he could make the movie anyway (without Chase-Riboud's consent). Chase-Riboud then sued Speilberg and Dreamworks but ultimately lost, as the judge ruled that she could not copyright the historical event, and that Speilberg had sufficiently changed the characters so as to not constitute copyright infringement. In my particular situation, I do not want the fact that I have not optioned the book to work against me, so I am curious as to everyone's opinion as to whether optioning the book is a must.

Thanks for the response. One fact I left out though: the publishing house was in another country (and the book was published in another country) and I do not believe the book was ever distributed in the U.S. (Therefore it was never registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.)

Heh. Yes, I'm an attorney and I'm asking all of you. One thing any (decent) attorney knows is that there is no substitute for experience and I have no experience with copyright law. I was therefore hoping that someone here might have experience with a similar issue. I think I'm going to err on the side of caution and see if I can try to track down the copyright holder of the book.

I don't know anything, but I'll read it.

Clerks. That was shot on super-vhs and it's amazing how they digitally cleaned it up.

Connie,

We haven't conversed yet, as I'm a newbie here, but I used to write poetry and I'd love it if an award-winning poet would be willing to read my stuff!

So who here is going to Santa Fe? I think I've decided to go.

What was the most common reason for the "no"?

In Kathie Fong Yoneda's "Script-Selling Game" book, she devotes a chapter to the eight most common reasons a script can be rejected, one of which is the "mid-story sag". I recently "finished" (are they ever really "finished"?) a screenplay, and upon re-reading it, I'm afraid that is suffers from the "mid-story sag". My story is a supernatural thriller that has an extremely vague similarity to The Da Vinci Code. My question, although perhaps elementary, is this:

In The Da Vinci Code, what exactly is it that you feel drives the story of the journey of Dr. Robert Langdon and Agent Sophie Neveu? Why do we care about the gobbledy-gook between the murder in the museum at the beginning and the reunion scene at the church at the end? Although I didn't think The Da Vinci Code was a particularly great movie, I was entertained enough to sit through the whole thing without losing interest. Incidentally, I have never read the book (The Da Vinci Code book, that is).

Do you mean the conflict with the Ian McKellen character? (Peter O'Toole wasn't in The Da Vinci Code.)

I second that. Walter, that was very helpful. Thanks!

My screenplay needs some help. If anyone is willing to read it and offer constructive criticsim/advice, I'd greatly appreciate. I don't want to post it on here yet because it is far from being done. If you're willing to give it a gander, just shoot me an email and I'll email it to you. Thanks!

My meaningless contribution (with credit to Meredith Wilson--this is a joke Michele):

Oh, there's nothing halfway About the Iowa way to treat you, When we treat you Which we may not do at all. There's an Iowa kind of special Chip-on-the-shoulder attitude. We've never been without. That we recall. We can be cold As our falling thermometers in December If you ask about our weather in July. And we're so by God stubborn We could stand touchin' noses For a week at a time And never see eye-to-eye. But what the heck, you're welcome, Join us at the picnic. You can eat your fill Of all the food you bring yourself. You really ought to give Iowa a try. Provided you are contrary, We can be cold As our falling thermometer in December If you ask about our weather in July. And we're so by God stubborn We can stand touchin' noses For a week at a time And never see eye-to-eye. But we'll give you our shirt And a back to go with it If your crops should happen to die.

Farmer: So, what the heck, you're welcome, Glad to have you with us.

Farmer and Wife: Even though we may not ever mention it again.

Townspeople: You really ought to give Iowa Hawkeye Iowa Dubuque, Des Moines, Davenport, Marshalltown, Mason City, Keokuk, Ames, Clear Lake Ought to give Iowa a try!

You mean you don't have ghosts of dead baseball players in your corn fields?

Ben,

Although I am completely new to screenwriting, I think a past experience of mine may be relevant by analogy. From my teens until I was about 20, I was in a band with a dream of becoming a rock star. We played many different clubs in my area with the hope of one day signing that big record contract. Looking back, I think it never happened for two reasons: 1) Failing to fully appreciate the value of networking; and 2) Failing to understand the economics of the business. Let me elaborate a little bit:

Regarding the first point, I cannot really speak to your friend's situation, but it seems to me that having a manager and an agent is not a panacea. Rather, I personally believe that just putting yourself in situations where you can meet--and hopefully get to know--people that are industry players is probably one of the best ways to make the screenwriting dream happpen. A screenwriter's most recent script may not have garnered enough buzz for a sale, but if the players know the screenwriter and respect his/her writing, the players may consider that screenwriter for a writing assignment. In my personal career, I have gotten the last several jobs that I have had (including my current one) merely because of people I knew; i.e. the jobs were never advertised, etc.

Regarding the second point, anyone who is a fan of movies knows that lots of bad ones get made. That leads to the conclusion that many good scripts never get made. In other words, it is not how good of a writer you are or how great your script is. The question is whether it is commerically viable. I would think that one problem that your friend is running into is that a historical period-piece thriller is going to cost a fortune to make. Studio executives probably find it difficult to justify buying a period-piece from a writer who does not have some previous commerical success. I actually started writing a period piece as my first script but abandoned that idea (for now) for that very reason.

I hope at least some of this was relevant.

My two cents on the topic is that it all comes back to networking. I've just entered about a half dozen contests myself (AFF included), but I don't think there's any substitute to getting out there and actually trying to meet people. Now I just need to practice what I preach . . . .

Todd,

"Haywood California" isn't bad, but I think he should use Haywood Jblowme, Gene Creamer, Harry Peters, etc., etc.

As for the substance of this thread, I'm curious as to everyone's opinions on the value of full-fledged coverage. I recently used Barb Doyon's extremely cheap review service, and I thought her comments were fantastic. Do you really get that much more out of the way more expensive coverage?

Shell,

You're friggin' hilarious.

The latest version of Word has a downloadable "save as .pdf" plug-in.

Gene,

I noticed the fine print before entering those contests but decided to enter anyway because of the clause, "due to the ongoing promotional efforts". If I have the good fortune to sell a script due to my own efforts, I don't see how they'd be entitled to the 7% in that case.

Gene,

I do not believe that the mere mentioning of a placement in the contest constitutes indirect promotion. I would take the position that the indirect promotion language is meant to apply to a situation such as if the contest sends my script to a production company which passes, but that prod. co. sends it to agent who signs me up and sells the script. That would be an indirect benefit to the contest having sent out the script in the first place. The key language is: "In the event of any sale or option of your screenplay or teleplay that is due to the ongoing promotional efforts, direct or indirect, by FilmMakers.com and/or FilmMakers Magazine" with the emphasis being on "FilmMakers.com and/or FilmMakers Magazine." I believe the burden would be on the contest to show that any deal I received was the result of its "ongoing promotional efforts". If I am marketing the script and mention that it placed (if I am so lucky), that is not a promotional effort undertaken by "FilmMakers.com and/or FilmMakers Magazine." To the contrary, it's my own promotional effort.

Gene,

One more thing about this and then I'll shut up:

Even if the contest took the position that you state, I still think the contest would have to show that the sale was the result of its accolades. In other words, if I go to XYZ Prod. Co. and happen to mention that ABC Contest liked the script, the prod. co. requests the script and buys it, isn't it entirely possible that the prod. co. just liked my pitch in my query letter regarding the story (and that the placing in the contest had no bearing on its decision to accept the script from me)? The sale, in that case, would not be "due to" the indirect promotional efforts of the contest. Again, I think the contest would have the burden of proving that it was entitled to the 7%. If I did not think that the contest were entitled to the 7%, I would make it sue me for the 7% in which case it most certainly would have the burden of proving its case.

As a practical matter, I am not very optimistic about my chances in either contest, so the discussion is probably moot.

I can claim I'm God, but my claim doesn't make it so.

Gene,

I went to Santa Fe and attended Rima Greer's workshop entitled, "The Art of the 5 Minute Pitch". Rima was entertaining, informative, and I enjoyed her workshop very much. The main thing that I took from her workshop is that a five-minute pitch should be two minutes long (so that there's time to converse with the pitchee regarding the idea). The attendees were also asking her a lot of questions not related to pitching, so she also gave a lot of insight into the movie biz in general.

Alex,

I certainly hope you're right about the millions of $, because I just received a "recommend" from a consultant. I probably shouldn't go pick out my sports car yet though.

Gene,

Barb Doyon.

Does anyone have any experience with the HollyNorth Project that advertises on this site? I went to their site and it is unclear to me what exactly it is that they're offering.

It absolutely drives me crazy everytime I see "lose" misspelled "loose".

Regarding "impact", not only do I not like it as a verb, I don't like it as a noun either. People say "impact" when they mean "effect" (don't even get me started on the affect/effect conundrum). I'm with you on the preposition at the end of the sentence business. I think the latter of the following sounds more natural: "I'm not sure to whom she was talking" as opposed to, "I'm not sure who she was talking to". As I finished typing that sentence, I realized there's yet another one of these little things that perplexes me: When I was in college, I had a professor who was adamant that punctuation should always be inside quotes. Now, however, it seems like convention has changed somewhat and it seems to be acceptable to place punctuation outside of the quotes in certain circumstances. Don't ask me what those circumstances are, however, because I have no idea.

Just read an article about this on The Hollywood Reporter's website, and this is not a done deal.

I second Ben's sentiment. I met Rima at the Screenwriters' Conference in Santa Fe. She's great, the book's great, 'nuff said.

After spending a small fortune recently entering a bunch of contests, I just finished reading Blake Snyder's book Save the Cat. On page 173, he says, "I think screenwriting contests are a colossal waste of time . . . It means just about zero to any agent or producer with anything real going on." My obvious question, then, is: Does anyone here have any evidence to the contrary? Has anyone here actually gotten an agent or sold anything as a result of a contest?

Her last name is spelled DOYON and her web site is here:

http://www.xtremescreenwriting.com/

Thanks Jean & Heather.

You won't be disappointed. When I completed a first draft of the script that she ultimately gave a "recommend", I knew it had problems, but I couldn't pinpoint them and certainly couldn't figure out how to fix them. I decided that I needed the help of a script consultant, so I sent her the draft. She gave me honest, insightful feedback. I was able to take what she said and identify areas that were not making sense to a reader, and I also was able to identify a hero problem that I hadn't seen previously. Her review service is a bargain.

I have sent a script to several different script consultants and have received completely contradictory advice regarding certain aspects of the script. This has me questioning the value of the reviews in the first place. This is more of a rhetorical question, but how does one reconcile conflicting advice? Here's an example: There's an interview somewhere on this site regarding things that stop a reader in his/her tracks one of which is "voice over hell". However, the screenwriting books all point to "The Shawshank Redemption" as an example of an excellent script which, incidentally, is absolutely chock full of voice overs. So, which is it? Another example: I had a title for my script which Consultant A did not like and suggested Alternate Title. I adopted Alternate Title and Consultant B said that the title was not effective. Truly maddening.

To continue the nail on the head metaphor: Paula, you hit the nail on the head exactly. I've received more than one comment (from different people) that I should make certain parts of my script more like [insert name of appropriate movie here]. My gut reaction to that statement is, "then it's not my story--it's somebody else's story". (That's already been written, by the way.) Regarding your statement about being shocked by differing opinions, certainly I understand different opinions regarding the overall story. What has me perplexed is conflicting information regarding "the rules". In other words, there were very specific things (down to where a comma should go) for which I received conflicting information.

When you're in the "Writer's Wanted" section of the site, scroll down to where it says "Need More Listings?", then click on Pearson/Kessler Prods., then click on "Company Profile" on the right. That should give you the information you're looking for. Of course, that prior sentence should have been, "the information for which you are looking" but whatever. :)

Hey David, I'm in Maryland too. If you go to www.trackingb.com you'll see some ads for jobs at production companies. You need a subscription to view some of the emails geared towards script tracking, but I believe that most of the jobs aren't password protected.

Looks like I'm with Lou and Mary on this one. Oh well . . .

I'm sure that to many of you, this post will be stating the obvious, but I thought this information might be useful for those who may not of thought of this type of avenue: I attended the Screenwriters' Conference in Santa Fe this past spring primarily for the purpose of pitching one particular script. At the conclusion of my pitch, more than one producer asked me what I'm working on now. My answer was that I am currently working on a true story of an Irish soldier serving in the British Army in 1920. Needless to say, I was met with the predictable "too esoteric" and "too expensive" responses. However, I met a fellow writer, Mr. Rod Spence (he wrote "The Good Witch" which starred Catherine Bell and aired on the Hallmark Channel), whom I credit for giving me an idea that I'd like to share with all of you. I'm sure all of you have seen the numerous calls for scripts in Inktip for settings in foreign countries due to incentive funding from those countries' governments. I decided to see what sort of incentives Ireland has for Irish stories and I found that the Irish Film Board actually provides development funding in addition to production funding. I just sent a proposal off to the Irish Film Board a few days ago for my idea. Even if nothing comes of this angle for me, I thought I'd pass along the general approach, as I'm sure individual states, groups, other countries, etc. may provide similar programs. Worth looking into anyway . . .

I've been lurking on this thread for awhile, and I've been meaning to add my two cents. Anyway, here it is: I met a guy in Santa Fe (can't remember his name though) who was pitching an idea to the agents and managers there for a musical cooking (tv) show.

I love zombie movies, and I actually think zombie werewolves is a pretty good idea. Hell, yes, I'm serious.

I've had several people say about my script, "Why don't you make it more like 'The Da Vinci Code'?" It seems to me that the obvious answer is that then it's not my story--then it's someone else's story.

Get Dave Trottier's book, "The Screenwriter's Bible", because he has several samples of query letters in there. I think you'll find that the style/format is not what you're used to in writing a letter. I would not presume to state that a recent query letter I wrote is a good example. That being said, you can, however, at least see the style/format that I picked up from Trottier's book. So, here it is:

"Dear [Whomever]:

What would you do if you found the keys to Heaven and Hell?

In the present day, Johann Bouknight, a stodgy museum curator, stumbles upon a series of seven marble boxes that unleash the events of the seven seals from the Book of Revelation. In the not-too-distant future, John, a loner, happens upon the same seven boxes that trigger the events of Revelation's seven trumpets.

THE BOTTOMLESS PUZZLE is a supernatural thriller in which both Bouknight and John each battle a demon, both personal and literal, along a journey that leads from box to box. In a final showdown, each man faces a choice between self-preservation and self-sacrifice to ensure the redemption of mankind. Request the script for THE BOTTOMLESS PUZZLE by . . ."

One thing I forgot to mention: At first, I was paranoid about the fact that you can't copyright an idea. So I was afraid that if I started pitching ideas for development funding without having written anything, I would have no protection against someone else using the idea. The solution? I wrote a treatment for the idea and registered the treatment with the WGA . . .

Aye! She is supportive both on and off the board!

1. Log onto Moviebytes. 2. Ignore posts by "Ben Lanyc". 3. Repeat as necessary.

;)

Sorry Ben, I couldn't resist.

I'm probably late to the party on this one (I usually am), but some seller on ebay has many copies of the most recent edition of the Hollywood Creative Directory for $36.83 with free shipping. Thought I'd pass that along . . .

The latter for the simple reason that they'll already have a financial stake in it.

True, but that's $250.00 a year.

I'd wonder if you could elaborate a little bit--what did you try to do while in LA to get your foot in the door? I live in Maryland, so I'm curious to hear why you feel that being in LA didn't help.

Clerks was shot on Super VHS. Even the digital cameras that they shot 28 Days Later on are relatively inexpensive. (They're a few thousand dollars--but like everyone else said--perhaps the university has one.)

Back to Martin's post:

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT

JAKE, a solemn backpacking loner, belatedly pitches his tent for the evening along a lonely portion of the Appalachian trail

Shadowy figures emerge from the darkness, their shapes barely discernible. A strange GROANING emanates from their beings as beams of moonlight pierce the forest canopy reflecting off of many pairs of yearning eyes.

In an instant, they are upon him, tearing at his flesh, THE ZOMBIE WEREWOLVES FROM HELL!!!



Right now I'm actually working on a tender coming-of-age drama, so feel free to take the above and run with it.

I just can't seem to let go of the zombie werewolves idea: What about a bunch of scary looking dudes who are in a death metal band until the full moon--then they become zombie werewolves singing their own death metal songs. A zombie werewolf musical!

Regarding success, things like the quote below about a first sale (for a script titled, "Alone") can be pretty discouraging: "First-timer Kevin Taft has been trying to sell a script for more than a decade, working in the SAG benefits office and as a bartender."

Colin,

Probably not. You probably just need to hope for a more favorable breeze for next year's rooftop toss.

Geoff, Gene, and Paul. I did not mean in any way to diminish your accomplishments. Congratulations are in order, so Congratulations! I would have entered Scriptapalooza this time around, but I just couldn't get the script I wanted to enter done in time. Scriptapalooza seems like one of the better ones to enter. Incidentally, I was looking through the list of upcoming contests on this site, and I didn't see the Screenwriting Expo contest. The Screenwriting Expo contest looks like a decent one to enter due to the prizes.

John,

I entered Movie Script a few weeks ago and have my fingers crossed.

Congratulations Jean! I read the script and loved it! Just as good as Chinatown! (Of course, Chinatown was bad for the glass, but that's another story.)

I liked L.A. Confidential too. I'm also a Brian DePalma fan, so you'd think James Ellroy + Brian DePalma would be a good movie. You know how sometimes good-looking people have ugly kids? I think The Black Dahlia was Ellroy and DePalma's ugly kid.

And Jean Hunter does it yet again! This time with Serena's Thunder!

I was perusing my HCD and there's a Patrick Daly that works for Jean Doumanian Productions (who is not me). There's also some Patrick Dalys on imdb that aren't me. My point is simply that I'm wondering how many times we search contest winners in IMDB and they're not the same person as the results.

Good one.

Thanks, Ben. I read the interview, and this isn't the first time I've seen comments about lengthy descriptions. As someone who likes to write descriptions, this struck a chord with me. I suppose there are always anecdotes and exceptions to the rule, but I just have to mention at least one of them: At the beginning of "There Will Be Blood", no one says a word for about the first fifteen minutes.

Santa,

I checked out that script link, and keep in mind that's a shooting draft (so it contains some formatting things and camera directions that a spec script should not have).

Bobette,

Did you read the reviews of the contest on this board? There are many negative reviews.

Bernice,

What was the turn-around time on the coverage?

I've never used him for script reviews for the simple reason that there are lots of cheaper options out there. I'm curious as to whether anyone's used his script writing software. Anyone?

Are you Kevin Smith?

I think we should all pool our money together and make movies as opposed to entering the contests. But that's just me.

Joseph, you entered that one too?

Just go to her website:

www.xtremescreenwriting.com

Bobette,

Good luck in CA! Looked at your profile and saw you're in VA. I'm in MD, so good luck to a fellow east-coaster! You're probably far enough away from the DC 'burbs for the LA real estate prices to cause heart palpitations.

If a sceenplay contest charges $50.00 to enter and gets 2,000 entries, that's $100,000.00. After giving the "winners" say, $10,000.00 in prize money, there's a nice little sum of $90,000.00 left. I think I should abandon trying to sell a script and should start my own contest.

This year, Page had over 3,800 entries. Page's entry fee ranged from 39 to 69 dollars depending upon when you entered. If you figure an average entry fee of $54.00, $54.00 x 3,800 entries is a gross of $205,200.00.

Randy,

Many of the contests only have a P.O. box. Thus, there is no office space.

Bobbette,

Assuming anyone ever actually read any of the scripts . . .

Randy,

My only point was that it's POSSIBLE that a contest doesn't have office space and therefore doesn't have to pay rent. Is this true for every contest? Obviously, no.

Let me third the sentiment! Congrats to all the MB'ers!

Can anyone recommend a good book, article, website, etc. dedicated solely to the issue of writing good dialogue?

Thanks everyone.

Jean,

That's interesting that you've found that letters are a waste of paper. Ashley Scott Meyers (on his website) said that he always found that letters garnered the most requests. I guess it's all how good the query is.

Hey, congratulations!

Bobbette,

I second Terry's comment and agree that you should describe it in an action just as Terry did it (nice job, by the way, Terry). Mentioning specific music causes four issues: copyright in the underlying work, copyright in the sound recording, performance royalties in the underlying work, and performance royalties for the sound recording. In other words, you never want to mention any specific piece of music, as there may be too many legal issues associated with being able to use that particular piece of music. So, just do what Terry did.

Actually, I have a formatting question for everyone, too. I have a character give another character a CD-ROM that contains a PowerPoint Slideshow. The one character puts the CD into her computer, and then I want to show a series of pictures that appear on her computer screen. I was thinking of just doing something like:

ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN

-- Flowery description of pic 1

-- Flowery description of pic 2, etc.

BACK TO SCENE

Does this work? Any other ideas?

Star Wars people.

At least I'm not alone on the splat! Got mine yesterday.

Great news Paula! Could I possibly read your script?

It looks like I'm going to have a different view on this, but I think it's absolutely imperative that the reader know what is dream and what is reality. If you were writing a novel, then you'd be correct to let the reader figure it out. For a screenplay, however, it is up to the director to blur the lines between dream and reality for the viewer. If the director doesn't know which is which, how is s/he supposed to do that?

Jage,

I think you should pitch it to Thadd Turner @ Talmarc Productions whose website is here:

www.talmarcproductions.com

Robert and Thomas:

I think both of you missed my point. A person sitting in a movie theater isn't reading the script. The script needs to be clear for the people who are making the movie. The director has to "get it" in order to know which lines to blur effectively.

Robert, Brazil is my favortie movie of all time.

Bobbette,

I always use "insert" for text on a letter. Do you have another way of doing this?

Congratulations Paula!

Jage,

Yes.

Thomas,

Your original question was how to format dream states. If you're looking for something to work on multiple levels, then I agree you should just use the regular INT./EXT. slug lines.

A lot of the money comes from Wall Street investment banking firms. Keep in mind, also, that some of the studios are owned by foreign corporations that made their fortunes in something other than movies--Sony, Vivendi (Seagram's), etc.

Congrats, John! And it looks like Bernice made it, too! Congrats, Bernice!

Thank you, Ben, whoever you are!

Thanks Gene and Jean! Gene--No, I didn't use their query service.

Just found out I advanced in Slamdance. It turns out they were having issues with their notification emails, so for any of you who entered Slamdance, you can go to the website below to see if your script is listed.

http://www.slamdance.com/writing/feature.html

Gene,

I had two reasons actually: 1) I've been having a tough time figuring out what genre the script I entered in this contest fits. I'm not sure it's really "horror", and you had to purchase a "horror" package in order to get the free entry into the contest. I didn't want to send the query to a bunch of people who I wasn't even sure would be receptive to the subject matter of the story. 2) I've used another query service in the past, and I didn't find it to be particularly productive.

Haven't read Irin's script, but I've read several MB'ers scripts, and I've found the quality of all of them to be extremely high. It's somewhat disheartening, actually, knowing that there's so many unsold great scripts out there.

Jean,

Barb just went along with what I said, which was "Supernatural Thriller".

I decided to give this software a try, but I can't figure out how to get it to print correctly. Everytime I try to go into page setup and adjust the margins, it doesn't seem to do anything (and prints the page numbers right at the very top of the page). Anyone know how to fix this?

Yes, good luck Greg!

Don't actually remember, but I'll give that a whirl. Thanks!

An agent once told me: "No answer is an answer and the answer is no." That hasn't stopped me from following-up every few weeks until they finally tell me to go away.

Sarah,

I noticed that too. I don't know if they're affiliated. A lot of the language on the page says things like "this year" and "past winners" when this year is the first year. I guess they just did a cut-and-paste. I would really like to go to Shriekfest, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll advance.

Don't forget Dorothy Parker's famous quote: "The only ism Hollywood believes in is plagiarism."

From the people who have been given kudos on this thread, it looks like Rick Tobin is the only one who advanced--the finalists have been posted.

Were you thinking thriller in the vein of Silence of the Lambs or were you thinking black comedy a la 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag?

Then I love it! Start writing!

Martin,

Have you downloaded the Blake Snyder beat sheet? Go to www.blakesnyder.com and click on "Tools" to download it if you haven't. It gives you the exact page numbers where certain things need to happen. You can also download a summary where Blake applies his beat sheet to The Wedding Crashers. I would also download the Heather Holmes "Thesis - Antithesis - Synthesis" document which is right below The Wedding Crashers summary because it gives a good visual of the Blake Snyder beat sheet. All of the downloads are free.

David,

Welcome to the board. I've personally researched this issue because I want to write about an event that happened in 1920. Unfortunately, there's no easy answer, as it's all a matter of degree. In other words, if the authors of the books you're reading think you've taken too much of their ideas (as opposed to simple historical facts), then they may have a case. The John Adams series that was recently on HBO was based upon a book by David McCullough. The produers secured the rights to McCullough's book because they were making a series not simply based upon historical facts, but upon McCullough's interpretation of who John Adams was (i.e., his character). Check out this link and read through the questions--some of them deal with the issue:

http://www.marklitwak.com/faq/copyright.html

...and almost impossible to sell on spec.

Really don't know, David (sorry). I'm still in a quandary regarding whether to write my 1920 script. Not only for the copyright issues, but because of the period piece reasons in another thread.

Congratulations to Michael Murphy whose script, "The Knuckleballer" just advanced in Writers on the Storm. That script keeps tearin' 'em up in the contests. Good luck in the next round! Sorry if I missed any other MB'ers.

Well, crap. That must mean that I'm an American psycho ruminating over the virtues of the Huey Lewis and the News "Sports" album.

I personally have found that the percentage of people who respond to email queries is extremely low. I really think that you (not you in particular) need to get out there and meet people at different events (film festivals, pitch fests, conferences, etc.). Which actually leads me to a question: Has anyone here ever gone to Dave Trottier's Screenwriting Retreat at Sundance? This looks like it would be fun if nothing else.

I just joined linkedin. If you guys could send me some invites, I sure would appreciate it.

I sent them a script several weeks ago, but haven't heard anything.

Michael Murphy,

Could you just give me a list of the contests you're entering so I know which ones not to enter? I can't compete! ;)

Michael,

Do you live on Prince Edward Island? I'm just wondering since that link you posted was to the Prince Edward Island Film Festival (my sister lives on Prince Edward Island).

Yes, good goin' Geoff!

I'll give you the answer to that and keep you updated on any developments for a $29.95 quarterly fee.

Congrats to both of you!

Martin,

If you look at their website, the contest for the short screenplay says, "Winner to be announced in June, 2008". But if you look at the "news" section, the winners of the shorts were announced in August. I think we've got awhile to wait...

Delaney Henderson,

You were saying?

Congrats to all the MovieByters!

Jage,

I think everything's been done--the trick is finding a unique twist. Your story sounds like it has that unique twist.

As far as how aspects of it have been done:

The Three Faces of Eve (split personalities)

Murder by Numbers (Sandra Bullock as the rape victim who becomes a detective)

The Entity (woman raped by a powerful demon type--which they're supposedly remaking)

Your story, however, is none of those. Have at it.

Jean RULES!! Congratulations!

I was trying to finish a screenplay for the Expo deadline, but I'm so lost in my own non-linear screenplay, I can't find my way out. I feel like Jeff Bridges in Tron--I'm trapped in my own creation. Sorry for the meaningless post--I just needed to come up for air for a moment . . . .

I think it's great that you guys got the owner of the board to call you maniacs. That's pretty funny. Frederick, if you're still reading this thread, I do think it would be good to be able to post a pdf to a thread. Maybe we could have one dedicated thread to which we could post pdfs?

Thanks, guys. Ron, I'll definitely check those two things out. Unfortunately for me, I did outline and it still doesn't make sense. I've got the basic story down on paper, but I got to that point at page 74. This is a recurring problem of mine; i.e. not putting enough down on paper. I'm always a little too eager to get to FADE OUT with the result being that what's on paper only makes sense to me.

I must say, I'm disappointed in the quality of the feedback I received from Writers on the Storm. Half of it was a generic cut-and-paste regarding subtext in general, and the other half referred to the New Testament as "mythology". If I were a bit more devout, I just might have been offended.

Everyone,

I emailed Jim Cirile and he is a class act. I would be remiss if I did not let you all know that he timely responded to my concerns. I would definitely enter WOTS again.

www.goodinaroom.com

Buy the book--it's worthwhile.

Don't know anything about Coverage Packs, but Bollywood's as big as Hollywood, so what's wrong with India?

Eric,

You've got to do the endless querying. I would also read the part of Dave Trottier's Screenwriter's Bible about "Hollywood's Back Door".

Patrick

P.S. The ironic thing is that any agent looking for new writers probably isn't an agent worth having. The good agents are so busy with their existing clients, they couldn't possibly take on a new client.

Bernice,

You think that Bollywood is somehow inferior to the town that brought us "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"? Besides, India doesn't need movies to be the opium of the masses because they've already got lots of opium.

Congrats Anita! That's a great accomplishment.

Shameless self-promotion, but I made the semis in this contest (so Geoff's not going it alone--for now anyway, I'm sure I'll be out soon!).

No biggie!

David,

I'm not sure about your formatting questions, but you may find this web page interesting:

http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/birthday.asp

Matt,

I agree with everyone else, but if you're absolutely determined to go to agents, you need to get a copy of the Hollywood Representation Directory (go to http://www.hcdonline.com) and just start looking through the agents for the ones that look like they might be appropriate.

Lisa,

At this point in time, I only have one script that I'd actually allow to see the light of day. After reading every other one I wrote (and there are several), my reaction is that they're the worst things ever written. Writing is hard work. Writing screenplays is extraordinarily difficult.

I've got a coming-of-age drama that I'm going to add elements of a thriller to, so I agree with the last post--mix it up!

Ron,

The Screenwriting Expo charges per pitch as well.

Ron,

The Screenwriting Expo charges $25.00 per 5 minute pitch. If you buy five or more pitches at once, they give you a 20% discount. I've paid for pitches in the past (not at the Expo though), and I don't think I'd do it again (not unless I had some big meeting set up and I just felt I needed practice pitching).

Chinatown

Glengarry Glen Ross

The Shawshank Redemption

Michael Clayton

Poetist,

Colin O'REILLY and Colin COSTELLO.

Judge Roy Bean:

"[A]dore your dangling langlais in their puny shriveled sack."

Nice. I think I agree with Eric.

I am really on the fence about going to this, and I only have until tomorrow to register, so I'd be really interested in hearing from people who have attended in the past about whether it's worth going.

I hate using clichéd phrases, so this is only a starting point:

"A brutal murder in the 1980s connects the lives of three people, but when they cross paths, their lives are changed in ways they never could have imagined.''

Thanks for the information Roy (Ben, Poetist). I don't understand why someone with that many credits would bother entering a contest.

Janet,

Last May, I completed a script about the apocalypse. On June 10th, Seth Rogen sold a script called "Jay and Seth Battle the Apocalypse". A few weeks ago, I finished a script about the theft of a thoroughbred race horse. I just read on "Who's Buying What" that a script just sold on November 17th (yesterday) about an ex-con knocking over a horse track.

Janet,

I forgot one: I wrote a treatment for a script called, "Ireland's Son" about two brothers in 1920 Ireland on different sides of the Irish Civil War. I posted about this before because I mentioned that I was applying to the Irish Film Board for development funding. The Irish Film Board referred me to a movie that it had financed called, "The Wind That Shakes The Barley". I honestly had never heard of that movie when I came up with my idea (my idea is based on actual brothers--William and James Daly). Go to IMDB and look and the synopsis for "The Wind That Shakes The Barley."

My point in those two previous posts is that it happens--there's no rhyme or reason to it. Call it Jungian collective unconscious or something. I don't think anyone stole my ideas--it's just one of those things.

Sorry, Janet, I'm with Eric on this one--not even close. I was at the Screenwriter's Conference in Santa Fe last Spring, and Rima Greer, a Hollywood agent, said that, after being an agent for 20+ years, "Whatever idea you have, I've heard it before. I've heard your idea, and I've heard it more than once." That statement really stuck with me because, along the same lines, all of the screenwriting books say, "give me the same thing, only different." The trick is finding a unique voice, a unique twist, etc., etc., and living with the fact that all the ideas are just being recycled at this point.

...read this article:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/finance/news/e3ic9c6a9c4030ca00a8272cfffe9a532c6?pn=1

Ben,

My hunch is that the script had less to do with the sale than the fact that both Leonardo DiCaprio and Ridley Scott were both attached to the project.

And I just read that SAG is going to seek a strike authorization from its members.

Peter Bart, Variety's Editor-In-Chief, says it all in the second half of his post here (cut and paste):

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993784.html?categoryid=1&ref=ra&cs=1

My two cents regarding looking for an agent is don't. Almost any agent who's willing to take you on as a result of a query isn't an agent worth having. That leaves the following two options: 1) query production companies, and 2) query managers. If either a production company or a manager is interested in your work, ask for a referral to an agent. That's the way to land an agent--through a referral.

No, I'm not fortunate enough to have this problem, but what would you do if you received an offer for your script from a B-movie production company that has a history of making bad movies? Would you sell your script just to get the writing credit knowing that the end product was going to be terrible?

Mike,

I don't know the chronology of whether he got an agent first or got the production company interested first, but here's what happened: Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio have a production company together. Scott and DiCaprio became interested in the script and signed on to direct and star in it, respectively. The William Morris Agency sent it out to the studios with both Scott and DiCaprio attached to the project (and my hunch is the strength of those attachments certainly helped the sale). I met a WMA agent in Santa Fe last spring who told this story at the Screenwriters' Conference there.

Mike,

I suspect he probably got the agent first, and he probably knew the agent from AFI (before the agent was an agent). The WMA agent I met was very young--early 20s probably. You can be fresh out of college and get a job in WMA's mailroom as part of their agent trainee program--the details are on WMA's website:

http://www.wma.com/career/agent_train.aspx

I finally got around to perusing the worksheet, and I think don't think it differentiates between internal/external goals very well. What the protagonist is going after externally should be impeded by what the character needs internally. The very first question is wrong; i.e. the protagonist doesn't seek the thing he/she needs internally (not conciously, anyway).

Lots of people on donedealpro have it. I go on there and ask away.

Let me add my congratulations, so CONGRATS, JEAN! It's a wonderful script.

Interview with Jean posted on Winning Scripts today! Check it out!

I am increasingly relating to Delaney's original post, so I wanted to move this topic back up to the top.

Janet,

It's the endless solicitations that are annoying me. For every one thing I shell out money for, I get several solicitations for other ways to spend my money from all of the leeches looking to sink their teeth into the desperate.

Yeah, I'm a hopeless cynic. Regarding publishing books, I decided to give up writing the great American novel when I found out that you can sell 3,000 books and be on the New York Times bestseller list. No money there...

Oh, and BTW, it's not just emails. I get lots of junk snail mailed to me, too.

Walter,

You related what I was trying to say far more clearly and eloquently that I was able to do. I do think, however, that pitchfests can be worthwhile if you're only looking to practice pitching. The problem with many of the pitchfests is that they charge per pitch (and you are correct that the pitchees are often nobodies). If there's a pitchfest out there that lets the participants pitch as many times as they want for only one fee, I would probably be interested in doing that (expecting nothing more than a glorified practice session).

I'm just writing to express my frustration with something to which I'm sure you can all relate. This has happened to me probably about a half a dozen times over the last two months. I comb the internet looking for leads, and although my hypothetical below is an exaggeration, I think you get the point:

Production Co.: We're looking for a story about a group of teens who go mining for a rare earth metal on the surface of Mars.

Me: I have a script about a teenager named Joe, who with a group of friends, goes mining for a rare earth metal on the surface of Mars.

Production Co.: I'm sorry, that's not really what we were looking for.

I forgot to mention that I eventually started pandering just to see what would happen. In other words, even though I didn't have a script applicable to a given request for scripts, I'd write a logline for a (non-existant) script using the same words from their original request. I did this just recently on a "call for scripts" that came through Inktip. The response? "Sorry, that's not quite what we're looking for."

Here's a couple of examples:

Production Company: "We are a looking for a completed, feature-length dramatic script to serve as a star vehicle for a young male actor, one which will appeal to a teen/young adult audience. Script must be written for a male lead between the ages of 19 and 22, with a love interest of a similar age. A romantic theme with strong back story is preferred. Submissions should be for material that will garner a PG or PG-13 rating, so please do not submit anything with hard violence, hard profanity, or gratuitous sexual scenes."

My response: "STEPHAN CUNNINGHAM, a college student, loses both parents in a plane crash just as the spring semester is about to end. When he discovers that his aunt inherits everything, he invites his friends to spend the summer at his parents' house until the estate is settled. After his friends oblige, fireworks ensue in this coming-of-age story about life and love. Think "The Real World" meets "Ordinary People"."

Prod Co's Response: "Dear Patrick: Thank you for your submission, but it does not fit the parameters we are seeking. Much success in your work."

ProdCo: "We are looking for completed feature-length Christian scripts that deal with the End Times and/or the Rapture. We prefer stories that are character driven, i.e. something in the vein of "Left Behind" or "The Moment After" series."

My response: Dear [ProdCo]:

What would you do if you found the keys to Heaven and Hell?

In the present day, Johann Bouknight, a stodgy museum curator, stumbles upon a series of seven marble boxes that unleash death, terror, and famine. In the not-too-distant future, John, a loner, happens upon the same seven boxes that trigger similar Biblical plagues.

SEVEN BOXES TWO MEN ONE DESTINY THE BOTTOMLESS PUZZLE is a supernatural thriller in which both Bouknight and John each battle a demon, both personal and literal, along a journey that leads from box to box. In a final showdown, each man faces a choice between self-preservation and self-sacrifice to ensure the redemption of mankind.

The script has placed in the following competitions:

. Semi-finalist, Shriekfest Horror Film Festival . Semi-finalist, Straight Twisted Contest . Quarter-finalist, The Silver Screenwriting Competition . First Round Qualifier, FilmMakers International Screenwriting Awards (ongoing) . Advanced to Second Round, Slamdance

Logline: A stodgy museum curator and a loner embark on parallel treasure hunts involving a series of seven boxes that contain the keys to Heaven and Hell.

ProdCo's Response: "Dear Patrick: thank you for your submission. however, we are going to pass."

I thought I'd at least get a read out of one of these two, but I got the ol' pass before ever being able to even send them the script. Oh well...

Just for the record, I didn't mean to single out inktip. I've responded to postings on the done deal job board, and I've also responded to postings on the done deal RSS feed (most of those are from mandy.com or craigslist BTW).

I hope we all sell something in '09!

Ron,

My second story is based upon The Book of Revelation, so maybe the problem is with my logline/pitch.

I just watched Michael Clayton for like the sixth time, and I felt compelled to post: THAT SCRIPT ROCKS!

I think I finally get what Barb's been trying to pound into my dense head.

Chinatown Schminatown. Don't give me none of yer "she's my sister, she's my daughter" nonsense. The tie-in between Henry Clayton's "Realm & Conquest" book with Arthur Edens' personality crisis makes me all weepy with inadequacy--I can only long to write like that.

I took the subtext course, but some personal crapola unfortunately came up during the course and I wasn't able to devote much time to it. I have all of the lessons printed out, and I plan on revisiting them, because they definitely got me thinking about subtext in ways that no screenwriting book ever had.

Harvey,

Both "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men" are based on books, and the movies end just as the books did.

Somewhere on this board awhile ago I suggested that we all pool our money together to make our own movies. Check out this site:

http://www.indieshares.com/

Bobbette,

My two cents, in no particular order:

If you want to stay in the litigation legal field, look for a job at a firm that specializes in intellectual property litigation. There's plenty of licensing disputes, copyright infringement, etc. in litigation.

Become a script reader. Go to Julie Gray's website (www.thescriptdepartment.com) and take her course on how to become a reader.

Become an agent trainee at William Morris. You'll meet all the right people. Check out the details here: http://www.wma.com/career/agent_train.aspx

Take Paula's advice and become a Barista.

Actually, for the short term, Paula's advice is probably the best way to go for now while you're trying to line something else up.

Janet,

IMHO, there are plenty of great scripts that became terrible movies, and there are plenty of great movies that were great in spite of their terrible scripts. A good movie is a miraculously harmonious metamorphosis between everyone who is involved in its making. When all the players are vibrating to the same wavelength, the end result is a good movie. Most of the time this doesn't happen.

One of my favorite movies of all time is Bladerunner, despite the fact that the story has terrible problems. If you get the 20th Anniversary version of the DVD, there's a "Making of Bladerunner" documentary on the DVD. Even if you're not a fan of the movie, and even if you're not a fan of sci-fi in general, I recommend that you watch the documentary because it is incredibly insightfuly. In the documentary, Ridley Scott, the director, says that he knew there was a problem with the story, and he fired the original writer and brought in a new one. Also, the entire crew of the movie was pissed at Ridley due to a comment he made to the press which the crew interpreted as a sleight to American crews (Scott is British). To make matters worse, Harrison Ford said that the cast was miserable because Ridley insisted on shooting at night (so they were up all night) in a constant artifical rain. Hence, after the initial edit, Ridley watched the movie, then said to his assistant, "I think it's wonderful, but what the #%*@ does it mean?" He had created a visually stunning work of art, but all of the other factors led to the movie's failure. My point is simply that good movies are almost an accident--all of the pieces have to fall into place. Sometimes that just doesn't happen (just ask Terry Gilliam--watch "Lost in La Mancha" if you haven't seen it).

If all of the foregoing wasn't enough of a tangent, here are two movies where I think the sequel was actually better than the original: "The Thing" and "The Manchurian Candidate".

After two cantankerous old ladies rebel against their families, trouble ensues when the ladies embark on a raucous road trip through America's southwest.

Once you've made the "right" contacts, just don't forget all of your adoring MovieByters who would LOVE to talk to the "right" people as well. ;)

My thanks to Dov Simens for his "complications arise when" which I modified to "trouble ensues when".

Oh, and I'd love to read the script--sounds great!

Great! jamypac@yahoo.com Thanks!

Lisa,

I did the dual narrative thing with my script "The Bottomless Puzzle", and no matter what I've tried to do to make it clear, I get some reader telling me it's "hard to follow" because of the dual timelines. I'm telling you that so that you'll take my suggestion with a grain of salt. Anyway, my personal opinion is that as long as you made it clear what time period we're in when you originally introduced the characters, you don't need to keep restating the time period.

Congratulations to everyone! I meant to enter this one, but forgot to. How could I forget to enter a free contest? Happy New Year to all!

Has anyone used their services and/or can anyone tell me anything about them?

I agree with Randy that the superimpose is a great idea. I think I may actually implement that in my own script.

Congratulations to all the MovieByters who got a nod in Barb's latest newsletter!

FYI, I found the following thread:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90860&highlight=thinkhollywood

Thanks, guys! Congratulations to everyone else who made it, including Connie for "The Nutcracker". I hope she comes back here eventually.

I might as well bow out now, 'cause I'm up against Murph's "The Knuckballer" yet again! Aaaargh! ;) Murph, you've gotta let me read that thing. I love true sports stories.

I can't listen to anything that has lyrics because I find the words distracting.

Heh. Weird. I started this thread in October, and I'm still lost in that same screenplay.

Ron,

Thank you so much for posting this. Lorelei's website is excellent.

I've now read Lorelei's entire website, and I'm more convinced than ever that salesmanship and, as Stephanie Palmer would say, being "good in a room", is more important than actual screenwriting ability.

One more thing: The most important thing (IMHO) on Lorelei's website is actually a link to another website. I think everyone should read this:

http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp34.Throw.in.the.Towel.html

No answer is an answer, and the answer is no (sorry).

Tom,

I, too, find the unresponsiveness frustrating. I used to be in a band, and when I managed to get someone at a major label to listen to our music, I always received a response. Unfortunately, the responses I received were never more than, "not for us, good luck", but at least I received a response. Why, then, in the film industry can't we get a simple "no thanks"? I seriously doubt that there are more people trying to become screenwriters than there are people trying to become rock stars, so the "but we get so many scripts" argument doesn't really fly with me (especially when the prodco requested the material).

If you read the fine print on the ebay listings, most of the software there is for "educational" purposes. This means that the software maker sold it for less thinking that it was going to be used at universities, etc. My hunch is that a regular retail end-user would have a hard time trying to register and get upgrades for software that has an eductional license (and I'm sure that the license number that comes in the box is red-flagged at the software company as being an educational license).

But the product serial number will be designated as educational...

Here's the fine print from one of the Final Draft listings on ebay:

"This is the Academic Edition of Final Draft 7.1.3 Mac/WIN9x.

You must be a student, faculty or staff member at an accredited educational institution to order this product from us. We will require you to fax or email us documentation of your educational status before we can ship this product to you."

Well, several of us are still alive in the semis. Congrats to everyone who advanced! Maybe a MovieBytes sweep is in order.

Thanks for the post Orlanda! I didn't realize I had advanced until I saw your post. Congratulations to Irin and Geoff!

I guess now's probably the wrong time for my lily-whiteness to mention that a blaxploitation film titled "Black Dynamite" sold at Sundance.

Congratulations to the Brothers Langlais (and to any other MovieByters that I may have missed) for advancing to the quarterfinals in the American Screenwriting Contest!

Thanks, guys! Murph let me read his script, "The Knuckleballer", which is fantastic, and extremely uplifting. Good luck to all the MBer's!

IMHO, Nicholl is the only one that really matters.

Thomas,

I think I figured out my problem: my story sucks.

Way to go, Irin! Gotta like your odds with two in there!

And then something comes along that defies the "rules"....

I just saw "The Wrestler" yesterday, and someone please explain to me how the protagonist arcs. That's rhetorical, because he doesn't.

Remember what William Goldman said: "No one knows anything."

Sounds more like Greek tragedy than character arc. Anyway, it's probably all just semantics: "The story's the thing."

Ok Janet, this one's on me: Since we already had a Moulin Rouge, my immediate reaction to the posting below was "Khmer Rouge - The Musical" or maybe "Pol Pot Side Story". Anyway, have at it, and here's the posting from craigslist:

los angeles craigslist > westside-southbay > writing gigs Controversial Scripts Wanted (LA)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reply to: gigs-1043582197@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?] Date: 2009-02-20, 5:04PM PST



Production company is looking for scripts written on controversial figures. No story line too racy for us.

If you have written a script that nobody else wants to touch, contact us asap!!



Location: LA it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests Compensation: Neg PostingID: 1043582197

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you really save that much money shooting on 16mm as opposed to 35mm?

Heh. "Stiffest" competition. Insert Beavis and Butthead chuckles.

Way to go, Irin!

Way to go, Jean! I'm so happy for you!!!!!

I entered two scripts in BlueCat this year and have only received my feedback on one of them so far. It was clear to me that the person who read my one screenplay really read it. The comments, however, delved so far into the minutae of the logic of the story's world, that I felt that any story would have logic problems if you ripped it apart to that degree. Ah, well. David, with you on the board, now there are at least three lawyers on here that I know of: you, me, and Murphy.

I love when Tim Robbins is hearing pitches at the beginning of "The Player" and one story is pitched as Ghost meets The Manchurian Candidate.

I entered two scripts in BlueCat this year, and I just got my feedback for the second one over the weekend. The feedback on both scripts, in my opinion, unnecessarily micro-analyzes the logic within the stories. It would be as if I had entered "The Wizard of Oz" and received the following feedback:

Why is the yellow brick road yellow? Why is it brick? This is never explained. What was Dorothy's neighbor's problem with Toto? Are we just supposed to believe her animosity with no set-up? If the Tin Man is looking for heart, and the Scarecrow is looking for a brain, are we to believe that the Tin Man has a brain and the Scarecrow has a heart? This was totally unbelievable. Why does The Wizard of Oz engage in his charade? This fails with no foundation. Flying monkeys?

You get the idea.

Last year's Scrip P.I.M.P. finalists had imdb credits, as documented on these very pages. Look for the thread that began on 7/10/08 with the title: "SCRIPT PIMP - I LIKE YOUR PROFESSIONAL attitude AND already STARLIKE WINNERS" courtesy of Ben Lanyc.

Yes, thanks!

Way to go Mike!

The disconnect is between money and my wallet.

Thanks for the sentiment, but my money's on Jean Hunter.

"And that's the Ethiopian Shim-Sham." (For those of you who remember Gregory Hines in History of the World.)

Is anyone going to Screenwriters' Conference in Santa Fe? I went last year, and I'm thinking about going again.

The hills are alive with the Sound of Music the high school musical?

I think someone should pitch, "Night of the Living Dead Side Story". The dead are gonna have their day tonight . . . the dead are gonna have their way tonight . . .

Janet,

Sorry, I don't watch Idol.

Paul,

When you're undead, you're undead all the way, from your first taste of flesh 'til they blow you away...

Janet,

No, no, no, no, no. It has to be parody for copyright reasons. That's how Keenan Ivory Wayans (the Scary Movie series) and Weird Al Yankovic can do their things. Weird Al takes a song and changes the lyrics, right?

Cat,

You are right on so many levels. I love you, mang. Congratulations on the Script Savvy win!

Janet should write Swine Flu, The Musical.

This is the dawning of the age of the pig virus, age of the pig virus...

And the winner is: Timothy Landrum for the longest post in MovieBytes history. ;)

Andrew,

I queried them awhile back and didn't get a response. I also met Eric Williams of Zero Gravity last spring at the conference in Santa Fe who ultimately was interested in the script I was pitching, so I'm 0 for 2 and you're 1 for 1!

I'm late to the party, but yes, Congrats Irin!!!

Springtime for Hitler?

Yes, Congrats to both of you!