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The Final Weekend of CHAT

Last full weekend. Celebration is not in the air as we roll up to the Falcon's Home location at midnight to discover a small miscommunication. Despite emails to and from our producers, the "location" apartment unit's owners thought the filming of CHAT was done two weeks before -- at least inside their place. Confused? The owners were preparing for a little Jimmy Fallon, maybe an early crash out ahead of tomorrow's workday. And here comes a ring at their doorbell and a movie crew of 30. We remind them of the final scene which needs to be shot out on the porch, how our follow up was actually discussed and ok'd by them, etc. Bottom line, they didn't quite get it concerning our continued needs for their apartment. Soooooooo, what now?

Austin Fest Announces AMC as New Sponsor for One Hour Pilot Award

Austin Film Festival (AFF)has announced that AMC is the official sponsor and judge for the One-Hour Pilot Award of the 2013 Teleplay Competition.

TSA Announces Contest Winners

Seeing Red by Sundae Jahant Osborn has been named the winner of the Tennesee Screenwriters Association Screenwriting Competition.

Chat - Weekends 4, 5 & 6

Here's the latest in the continuing series from the DIY landscape of CHAT. Hopefully those of you about to make your own micro-budgets or eventually want to make one, will glean something from these real-time posts.

CineStory Announces Quarterfinalists

Quarterfinalists have been announced for the 2013 CineStory Screenwriting Competition.

FilmMakers Announces Contest Finalists

FilmMakers has announced the finalists (top 50 scripts) of the Filmmakers International Screenwriting Contest.

Writers on the Storm Announces Top 10 Finalists

Writers on the Storm has announced their 2013 Top 10 Finalists in both their Film and TV categories.

MoviePoet Announces March Short Script Winners

Pete Barry's Speaking Terms has been named the winner of the March, 2013 MoviePoet Short Script Competition.

The-GreenLight.com Announces April Contest Winner

Daniel Findlay has been named the winner of the April, 2013 The-Greenlight.com screenwriting Competition for his script ONE WAY OUT.

Making of a Micro Budget: Chat - Weekends 2 & 3

Good Friday weekend. Short day today. Down at our Board of Trade offices shooting a bunch of Mayfair Cams scenes. Today's work is primarily in the Mary Rose (Caitlin Collins) arc-starting with Mary Rose's entrance in the Chat model business, following her as Little Orphan Annie (Marielle de Serra Rocca) teaches her the ropes. The sequence culminates with the two women sending a thousand video clients on a ecstatic thrill ride while, off camera, just working on a crossword puzzle. Trust me, they pull it off!

Scriptapalooza TV Winner Wins Emmy, Writes book

Scott Gray, a former Scriptapalooza TV winner, has written a book about his experience going from a courier to an Emmy-winner in just three months.

FilmMakers.com Announces Semifinalists

FilmMakers.com has announced the semifinalists for the Filmmakers International Screenwriting Awards Screenplay Contest.

Canada International Film Festival Announces Screenplay Winners

Resilience,by Lena Slachmuijlder, has been named the winner of the 2012 Canada International Film Festival.

BlueCat Announces 2013 Contest Winner

Demain, Je Me Tue, by Pierre Chance, has been named the $10,000 winner of the 2013 BlueCat Screenwriting Competition.

BlueCat Announces Joplin Award Winner

Hand Lit Match by Rachael BernSousa & Mary Lusted of Perth, Australia, has been named the winner of the 2013 Joplin Award for the Best Screenplay received by BlueCat from outside the USA, Canada and the UK.

BlueCat Announces Cordelia Award Winner

Christopher Brown's Knock-Out has been given the 2013 Cordelia Award as the Best Screenplay received from the UK.

Horror Hotel Announces Script Winners

Horror Hotel has announced their award-winning scripts for 2013.

Chat - The First Weekend

Who says we don't have a sense of humor? First shot of the day: A cemetery! Lead character Falcon (Rush Pearson) lays a wreath, rises to be observed-confronted by a Lynchian groundskeeper (Rich Cotovsky). 20 degree late-March temps with wind chills make it feel like zero. Perhaps it's basic superstition but this former craps dealer is not starting out in a graveyard. Sit this one out. Skeleton crew grabs the shot.

MoviePoet.com Announces February Short Script Winners

Lee Carlisle's Taking the Plunge has been named the First Place Winner of the MoviePoet.com February Short Script Competition.

BlueCat Announces Contest Finalists

Five finalists have been announced for the 2013 BlueCat Screenplay Competition.

The-GreenLight.com Announces March Contest Winner

Myke Friscia's Radio Haiti has been named the winner of the March, 2013 The-GreenLight.com Monthly Screenplay Contest.

Nicholl Screenwriting Competition Underway

Several past Nicholl fellows have recently added to their achievements. Destin Cretton directed "Short Term 12" from his fellowship-winning screenplay; the film will premiere in competition at South by Southwest® next month. Creighton Rothenberger co-wrote "Olympus Has Fallen," which opened recently with Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett.

2012 ScreamFest Results

Jeremy D. Christensen's The Gaslamp Horror has been named the "Best Screenplay" Winner of the 2012 ScreamFest Screenplay Competition.

Fresh Voices Announces Grand Prize Winner

Stephen M. Hunt has taken home the Grand Prize of the 2012 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition for his compelling World War II drama, Precious Vengeance.

Hunt, an accomplished British playwright now living in France, was chosen as the grand prize winner from over 1,000 screenplay entries by competition chairman Joel Mendoza.

"Precious Vengeance is one of those rare scripts that conjure up such deep emotion, it is impossible not to be moved" said Mendoza. "It's a story that lives with you and haunts you long after the end."

Austin Fest Presents Launching Your Film Career Panel Discussion

Three of the most prestigious organizations centered around championing the screenwriter have partnered to present Launching Your Writing Career, a special panel sponsored in part and hosted by the Los Angeles Film School on Saturday, March 30th from 1:00pm to 2:30pm.

The Making of CHAT: Part 5

It's freakin' 8 degrees outside. That's straight up Chi-town temperature. Wind chills will approach -20 tonight. Snowy dust blows into thin air. Why did I have to say something pithy about global warming a week ago? About how it's so warm Chicago may never go back to the bad old days of sub-zero winter wind chills. Almost to the day we've been in the teens with, yeah, sub-zero wind chills. No idea what this has to do with screenwriting, Good Readers. Those of you who have lived here understand the whole weather-mania thing. You basically accept dressing up like the kids in Christmas Story, or beat it out of town.

The Making of CHAT: Part 4

KICKSTARTER. Launched. 30 days, to expire on November 21, day before Thanksgiving. Boris cuts together the two video scenes I wrote with HD footage he grabs walking around his neighborhood, rough treating it to make it appear like Falcon's POV, cut in some stills from the test scene we shot (and couldn't use/SAG issues) to make a 2 minute 30 second video centerpiece. I write in the prizes and accompanying text and up it goes ...

Contest of Contest Winners Announces Results

Tony Scott's Love In Time has been named the winner of the Contest of Contest Winners.

Storyboard TV Announces Contest Winner

Storyboard TV has announced Path by Michael A. Wright as the winner of their latest competition for best new television pilot script.

Fresh Voices Announces Category and Spotlight Winners

The Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition has announced their Category and Spotlight winners for 2012. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced on March 25th.

Slamdance and Juntobox Films Partner for the Grandest Slamdance Screenplay Competition Prize

Slamdance and JuntoBox Films, a collaborative film studio for filmmakers and fans, today announced a partnership for the 2013 Screenplay Competition to discover and support emerging writing talent. This year's Grand Prize by JuntoBox Films is the largest offered by Slamdance to the winning writer in the nineteen years of the competition's history. In addition to the $10,000 cash, JuntoBox Films is committing a minimum of $50,000 towards production financing with the option to fully fund the Grand Prize winner.

ScriptVamp Announces February Dream Quest Attention Grabber Results

Next to Nuclear by Carter Davis has been named the Grand Prize Winner of ScriptVamp's February 2013 Dream Quest: Attention Grabber Contest.

The Making of CHAT: Part 3

The movie, ultimately, is about disassociation. Modern-day isolation. How some people are left behind, are lost, forgotten or ignored, disconnected in a world of 24/7 connectivity. Recall Death Of A Salesman: "Attention must be paid." That is what CHAT is about. That needs to be in every scene. That is the motor, the direction, the tone, the essence...

First Look Project: 2012 Announcement

Script Pipeline's First Look Project has announced their 2012 Contest Winners.

TWP Announces Contest Winners

Mandel E. Holland's A Gentleman's Game has been named the winner of the The Writers Place (TWP) May - October 2012 screenplay contest.

Shoreline Adds New Judge

Producer Kevin Loader has come onboard as a new judge for the 2013 Shoreline Scripts Screenwriting Competition.

Writers on the Storm Announces Quarterfinalists

Writers on the Storm announced their quarterfinalists for 2013, representing approximately the top 10% of all submissions.

Filmmakers International Announces Quarterfinalists

Filmmakers International has announced the quarterfinalists of the 11th Annual Filmmakers International Screenwriting Awards.

American Gem Announces Quarterfinalists

Quarterfinalists have been announced for the American Gem Short Screenplay Competition.

MoviePoet.com Announces Feature Contest Semifinalists

MoviePoet.com has announced the top 30 semifinalist for their feature length screenplay contest.

BlueCat Announces Semifinalists

BlueCat has announced their 2013 Screenplay Contest Semifinalists.

Screenplay Search Announces Contest Winnner

Brendan Quinn's The Wiseacre's Purgatory has been named the winner of the Screenplay Search Screenwriting Competition.

The Making of CHAT: Part 2

I'm an outliner -- it's my Linus Blanket. I just feel more at ease knowing where I'm going ahead of time. The difference between my approach and, say, Syd Field, is that I recognize there are all sorts of processes. While it might be right for me to want to know every scene in a movie, it doesn't mean that's the right approach for you.

PAGE Award Winner's Original Comedy Series "Spy" Coming to ABC Primetime

The hit U.K. comedy series SPY, created and written by 2008 PAGE Award winner Simeon Goulden, is now headed for ABC primetime. Having just finished its second successful season on Sky 1 HD in the U.K., Deadline.com announced that ABC has ordered an adaptation of the show for the States.

The Making of CHAT: Part I

We're going to try something new.

I want to give you a real-time look at how a micro-budget movie is made. This will be chronology; it will be insight from the inside, the life and making of the movie CHAT.

Self-serving? Sure. I am happy to cop to selfishness. I hope to get you, Good Reader, interested in my project. To build an audience, to work social media magic in advanced promotion, to generate buzz and do all the things movie-makers have to do in today's DIY world.

Acclaim Announces Fall/Winter 2012 TV Winners

HELLO, BEAUTIFUL, by Nicholas Johnson & Elena Zaretsky, has been named the winner of the Acclaim Fall/Winter 2012 TV Writing Competition, Pilot/MOW Category. Ali Gusberg's 30 ROCK spec "A Hairy Situation" was Spec Category Winner.

Acclaim Announces Fall/Winter 2012 Screenplay Winners

Arctic Circle, by Daniel Rugussis, has been named the winner of the Fall/Winter 2012 Acclaim Film Screenwriting Contest.

FreshVoices Announces Semifinalists

The Fresh Voices Screenwriting Competition has announced their 2012 semifinalists. (PDF format)

theOffice Announces Workspace Fellowship

If you're looking for the perfect place in LA to leave the distractions of life behind and finish that screenplay/novel/short story/what-have-you, enter now to win a FREE 6 month Premium Membership to theOffice.

ScriptapaloozaTV Releases Producer and Agency Requests

The following producers and agencies have requested the most recent ScriptapaloozaTV Contest Winners.

ScriptVamp Announces DreamQuest Attention Grabber January Contest Results

Which One Do I Whack by Dennis Grace has been named the winner of the ScriptVamp DreamQuest Screenwriting Competition.

Comedy Screenplay Finalists Announced

Five finalists have been announced for the 2012/2013 Comedy Screenplay Contest.

MoviePoet.com Announces December Short Script Competition Winners

Les Garcons by JeanPierre Chapoteau has been named the winner of the December, 2012, MoviePoet.com Short Script Competition.

BlueCat Announces Quarterfinalists

BlueCat has announced 341 quarterfinalists from among a record 3391 submissions to their 2012 screenwriting competition.

Screen Description: The Devil Is In The Detail

Screen Description. There's the good kind, and the bad kind. How do you know the difference?

When you jam your script up with bad detail you kill the reader's eye. Attention wanders. The reader avoids the description, looking at the center column for the dialogue. They start thinking about grocery lists. Not good.

PAGE Award Winners Now Writing Hit TV Series

2006 PAGE Silver Prize winner Sang Kyu Kim has been hired as a writer/producer on the hit AMC series THE WALKING DEAD. Sang previously worked as a staff writer on the Starz series CRASH and the TNT series HAWTHORNE.

Screenwriting Contests and Social Media: Keeping the Troops Informed

When was the last time you checked your Facebook or Twitter account? Let's be honest, chances are it was within the last hour or so.

Oscar-Nominated Producer Stephen Woolley Joins Shoreline Judges

Oscar-Nominated Producer Stephen Woolley has joined the judges panel of the Shoreline Scripts Screenwriting Competition.

FreshVoices Announces Quarterfinalists

The Fresh Voices Screenwriting Competition has announced their 2012 quarterfinalists. (PDF format)

Kairos Announces Semifinalists

Fifty-five semifinalists have been announced for the 8th Annual Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays.

Scriptapalooza Contestant Publishes Novel, Sets up Film

Scriptapalooza contestant Vasilios Bouzas has adapted his script as a novel entitled THE CURSE, and has set up the project up as a film with Australian production company Momofilms.

ScriptVamp Announces December Dream Quest: Attention Grabber Results

Max Wyman's Benedict has been named the Grand Prize Winner of the ScriptVamp December 2012 Dream Quest: Attention Grabber Competition.

Writer's Place Announces Finalists

The Writers Place (TWP) has announced the finalists for their May - October, 2012 screenplay competition.

Neveda Film Offices Names Contest Winner

Buddy Baron's BACKSTAGE PASSENGERS has been named the winner of the 2012 Neveda Film Office Screenwriting Competition.

California Film Awards Announces Contest Results

Pearl, written by Lyvia A. Martinez, has been named the winner of the California Film Awards Screenplay Competition.

Scriptapalooza Runner-up Setup at FilmEngine

Allan Durand's Willie Francis Must Die Again has been setup at FilmEngine. The script was a runner-up in the 2008 Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition.

The-Greenlight.com Announces December Contest Results

London Fog by Tasha Hardy has been named the winner of the December, 2012 The-Greenlight.com Screenwritint Contest.

Did You Ever Wonder

Did you ever wonder if it was such a great idea to see every movie ever made? To study every genre, learn the tricks of every director? Could it be that a piece of your - for want of a better word - innocence is lost with every movie you watch? With each writer you emulate? It's pretty commonly assumed that you GROW as an artist with more exposure to other people's stuff. What if the truth was the reverse?

Holiday Screenplay Contest Announces Winners

Michael Coady's The Christmas Heart has been named the winner of the 2012 Holiday Screenplay Contest.

Yet More Scriptapalooza Producer Requests ...

Scriptapalooza has announced additional producer requests for their recent contest-winning screenplays.

PAGE Award Winner Writes New Movies for Robert Downey, Jr.

Since winning his PAGE Award in 2008, Bill Dubuque has been working non-stop. His spec THE ACCOUNTANT was picked up and is being produced by Silverwood Films (BLUE VALENTINE, HALF NELSON). He was hired to adapt THE BROTHERHOODS for Warner Bros. and Lin Pictures (SHERLOCK HOLMES, JUSTICE LEAGUE). He was then hired by Team Downey to script the new feature THE JUDGE for Robert Downey Jr. And he has now closed a huge two-picture blind deal with Team Downey and Warner Bros. to write two new movies for Robert Downey Jr. Bill is represented by PAGE Judge Eric Williams at Zero Gravity Management and Trevor Astbury at Paradigm.

StoryPros International Announces Grand Prize Winner

Janyce Lapore's 10 Minutes From Paradise has been named the winner of the StoryPros International Screenplay Competition.

The-Greenlight.com Announces Annual Contest Winners

Haber by Daniel Ragussis has been named the 1st Place Winner of The-Greenlight.com Annual Screenplay Competition.

Screenplay Festival Announces Semifinalists

Screenplay Festival has announced their semifinalists for 2012.

More Scriptapalooza Producer Requests

Scriptapalooza has announced additional producer requests for their recent contest-winning screenplays.

ScriptVamp Announces Attention Grabber Results

Neil Riley's Dating History has been named the winner of the November, 2012 Dream Quest: Attention Grabber Screenwriting Competition.

StoryPros International Announces Finalists

StoryPros has announced the finalists of their 2012 International Screenplay Competition.

Nevada Film Fest Announce Contest Winners

Twin Graves by Paul Ellington has been named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2012 Nevada Film Festival Screenplay Competition.

Gimme Credit Announces Cycle 2012 Winners

Gimme Credit has announced their Super Short, Short, and Feature Screenplay Contest Winners.

Scriptapalooza Announces Producer Requests

Scriptapalooza has announced the following producer requests for their recent contest-winning screenplays.

StoryPros International Announces Semifinalists

StoryPros has announced the semifinalists for their 6th Annaul International Screenwriting Competition.

MoviePoet Announces October Contest Winners

Rick Hansberry's By The Power Vested In Me has been named the winner of the MoviePoet.com October Short Script Competition.

The-Greenlight.com Announces October Contest Winner

Valley of the Dragon by DT Siddhartha Fraser has been named the winner of the October, 2012 The-Greenlight.com Monthly Screenwriting Contest.

The-Greenlight.com Announces Annual Contest Finalists

The-Greenlight.com has announced the finalists for their 4th Annual Screenwriting Cometition.

StoryPros International Announces Quarterfinalists

StoryPros has announced the quarterfinalists for their 6th Annaul International Screenwriting Competition.

Shoreline Scripts Announces New Judges

Shoreline Scripts has announced that five new producers, and one BAFTA nominated director, have joined their roster of judges for their 2013 screenwriting competition.

Zed Fest Announces 2012 Contest Winners

Hell's Belles by Christian Ackerman & Chuck Foster has been named the winner of the 2012 Zed Fest Screenwriting Competition.

One in Ten Announces 2012 Screenplay Contest Winners

H. Dawn Johnston's The Fine Art of Leaving Footprints has been named the winner of the 2012 One in Ten Screenplay Contest.

New Jersey writer wins prestigious ENDAS International Screenplay Competition

New Jersey writer Bob Messinger’s screenplay, The C.O., about the early days of the war in Iraq, has taken Best Script honors in the ENDAS International Screenplay Competition.

ScriptVamp Announces October 2012 Dream Quest: Attention Grabber Results

The Stavros Agenda by Amy Dyal Bailey has been named the Grand Prize Winner of the October 2012 Dream Quest: Attention Grabber Competition.

One in Ten Announces Contest Finalists

Finalsts have been announced for the One in Ten Screenplay Contest.

How To Get A 3 Million Dollar Movie Made, Maybe ...

Want to get your script made? Become a student of how other movies get made.

While I work at the micro-budget level these days, my bother is working in the rarefied air of Indy budget movie-making. Hope he doesn't mind my detailing his experience on BLACK WINGS HAS MY ANGEL. It's an eye-opener for anyone thinking of doing this for a living.

MovieBytes Introduces Contest Queue

The MovieBytes Contest Queue allows users to easily track the contests they've entered or will be entering the in future.

Shoreline Scripts Contest Winner Optioned

Shoreline Scripts has announced that E.B. Rhee, the 2012 Winner of the Shoreline Scripts Screenwriting Competition, has had his script The Oriental optioned by Christopher Figg and his production company, Magna Films.

Talentville Announces October Contest Winners

Talentville has announced the top 3 scripts from their October, 2012 scriptwriting competition.

MoviePoet Announces Short Script Competition Winners

Daniel Botha's He was the Enemy has been named the 1st Place Winner of the September, 2012 MoviePoet Short Screenplay Competition.

The-Greenlight.com Announces Annual Contest Semifinalists

Semifinalists have been announced for The-Greenlight.com Annual Screenwriting Competition.

The-GreenLight.com Announces September Contest Winner

Jay Stamatis and Steven Stamatis have been named the winners of the September, 2012 The-GreenLight.com Screenwriting Competition for their screenplay Scroll Back.

Hollywood Screenplay Competition Announces Winners

The Family Haywood, by Jon Durham, has been named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2012 Hollywood Screenplay Competition.

RIIFF Announces Contest Results

Alfred Thomas Catalfo from Dover, NH, was the Grand Prize Winner from among 367 submissions to this year's 2012 FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) Screenplay Competition.