Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

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  • #46
    Re: latest writer's store/insider 15 page contest

    Originally posted by MacGuffin View Post
    I may do this after all, since I now have about two more weeks. Do any think that it might be a strike against a resulting script, if you base it on this log line, and then are not one of the finalists, but complete the script anyway?

    I suppose there could be five hundred scripts suddenly looking for producers based on the same log line, after the contest is over.
    My writing partner and I won the Randall Wallace Round. The key to the contest is to make the idea your own. Our completed script now has a different logline than the one provided. The original logline is eventually treated more as a tone for the screenplay. You can see how radically different all the ideas are here:

    http://www.writersstore.com/system/0...list-Pages.pdf

    There is a new round out now with Edward Saxon (producer of Philadelphia and Silence of the Lambs). I encourage anyone to enter. The mentor program is worth it alone and made us better writers. Now we are getting reads and exposure.

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    • #47
      Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

      Congrats Dave, keep us posted on your journey from here, after The Disciple Program would be good to hear of someone else moving to the next level through things like this.

      I do get the impression with this competition that they are looking for compelling ideas as opposed to people slavishly following the logline.

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      • #48
        Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

        Thanks Bairn, it has been a great experience. We actually head down to LA in a few weeks for our meetings, for which we are equal parts nervous and excited. It is a bit surreal because my writing partner and I are actually best friends from college and we bonded over our love of Braveheart, so it still doesn't seem real that we're having lunch with Randall Wallace.

        And you are right about the contest in that they are looking for fresh takes. When we first read the Randall Wallace logline our first instinct was that 85% of the entries would be about Iraq or Afghanistan. Of those, a great amount could probably be counted on to be about a guy (or gal) who actually died in battle and is now in purgatory until he (or she) can set something right. So we discarded that and actually decided to go with a fantasy world that we had on the shelf and put the story into that.

        Once you are in the mentor program you are free to explore the story however you want. Ours still fits the original premise, but it is not THE premise (one of the characters is a special soldier who can never go home again due to the position he accepted and is still attached to his trainer, so he is in limbo). We totally buried the lead and then head faked to make it look like the other character is the lead. So, really, let your mind run wild.

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        • #49
          Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

          Originally posted by dave22 View Post
          Thanks Bairn, it has been a great experience. We actually head down to LA in a few weeks for our meetings, for which we are equal parts nervous and excited. It is a bit surreal because my writing partner and I are actually best friends from college and we bonded over our love of Braveheart, so it still doesn't seem real that we're having lunch with Randall Wallace.

          And you are right about the contest in that they are looking for fresh takes. When we first read the Randall Wallace logline our first instinct was that 85% of the entries would be about Iraq or Afghanistan. Of those, a great amount could probably be counted on to be about a guy (or gal) who actually died in battle and is now in purgatory until he (or she) can set something right. So we discarded that and actually decided to go with a fantasy world that we had on the shelf and put the story into that.

          Once you are in the mentor program you are free to explore the story however you want. Ours still fits the original premise, but it is not THE premise (one of the characters is a special soldier who can never go home again due to the position he accepted and is still attached to his trainer, so he is in limbo). We totally buried the lead and then head faked to make it look like the other character is the lead. So, really, let your mind run wild.
          this is exciting stuff, happy for you and congrats. we need more positive,uplifting stories and vibe around here, less negativity, snide remarks and comments, and bullies (we all know who they are)

          this is awesome..GO GET EM AND MY ADVICE TO YOU...

          don't overthink it..just go in there and as the old adage goes...just "be yourself", that's partly the reason you are there in the first place.....
          • Go and do likewise gents..

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          • #50
            Re: latest writer's store/insider 15 page contest

            Originally posted by dave22 View Post
            My writing partner and I won the Randall Wallace Round. The key to the contest is to make the idea your own. Our completed script now has a different logline than the one provided. The original logline is eventually treated more as a tone for the screenplay. You can see how radically different all the ideas are here:

            http://www.writersstore.com/system/0...list-Pages.pdf

            There is a new round out now with Edward Saxon (producer of Philadelphia and Silence of the Lambs). I encourage anyone to enter. The mentor program is worth it alone and made us better writers. Now we are getting reads and exposure.
            The new logline has a lot of potential. Keep us posted both of you on your expeience. Anagram, I'm expecially interested in the process for you as it happens.

            Good luck to all of you,
            FA4
            "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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            • #51
              Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

              I'm inspired by the new logline, came up with a story I'm happy with so I might enter this time.
              Vancouver Screenwriters Meetup Group

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              • #52
                Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

                Hey, Anagram! I'm one of the finalists, too. Haven't posted much about it yet because I've been on the road through the holidays, etc. But, I can second (and third) everyone's experience with the contest. It's been really well run and I've enjoyed working with my mentor a lot!

                I think if the logline sparks an idea for you at all you should go for it.

                Best of luck, Anagram!

                Dave, I hope you'll post more about your experiences with the meetings. I'm excited to see how it goes for you. Good luck to you too!

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                • #53
                  Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

                  Thanks FA4, anything that happens which I think is helpful I'll post here. Best of luck Cincinatti, good news is all the finalists get a read.

                  And Dave let us know how it goes. I'm especially curious who from benderspink is going to meet with you.

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                  • #54
                    Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

                    Anagram, we are set to meet with Daniel Vang.

                    Good luck to you and Cincinnati. Who are your story specialists?

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                    • #55
                      Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

                      Anagram, agreed! I felt like just getting in the Top 10 was like winning because we were going to get that read.

                      Dave, my story specialist is Kay. She's been fantastic to work with. Great notes, really helpful. That's who you had too, right?

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                      • #56
                        Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

                        I got Mario. Very interesting and fun so far.

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                        • #57
                          Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

                          Cincinatti, Kay was our specialist, she's awesome and knows what she's talking about. She had a tall task helping keep us in line with the size of world we created but she kept us on the straight and narrow the whole way through. Tell her I said that you have to listen to her notes. I met Mario a couple of times as well, and he's very nice. He has also steered a couple champions, so you guys are in good hands.

                          I will also chime in that making the finals is a reward in itself. It was a guarantee right there that we were going to get read by Randall Wallace and Benderspink. Win. Although, when I got the call saying we made the finals and they were excited to see how our story would turn out, I remember thinking "That makes two of us".

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                          • #58
                            Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

                            Congrats to all the finalist and good luck!

                            It's also nice to hear good things about this contest.

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                            • #59
                              Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

                              Originally posted by dave22 View Post
                              Cincinatti, Kay was our specialist, she's awesome and knows what she's talking about. She had a tall task helping keep us in line with the size of world we created but she kept us on the straight and narrow the whole way through. Tell her I said that you have to listen to her notes. I met Mario a couple of times as well, and he's very nice. He has also steered a couple champions, so you guys are in good hands.

                              I will also chime in that making the finals is a reward in itself. It was a guarantee right there that we were going to get read by Randall Wallace and Benderspink. Win. Although, when I got the call saying we made the finals and they were excited to see how our story would turn out, I remember thinking "That makes two of us".
                              I will definitely tell her!

                              Originally posted by decarbe View Post
                              Congrats to all the finalist and good luck!

                              It's also nice to hear good things about this contest.
                              Thanks, Decarbe!

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                              • #60
                                Re: Latest Writer's Store/Insider 15 page Contest

                                Just wanted to take a second to catch people up on how the contest win has been going for those who were interested. my writing partner and I met with Benderspink at the end of January. The meeting went well and Daniel Vang had a lot of good information and career advice for us. The most enlightening part was when we talked about building our brand as screenwriters.

                                We left the meeting with him asking to read another one of our screenplays and wants to see our next produced short film to judge our potential as directors as well. We heard back this week on the screenplay and said that although the specific story was not his he thought it showed an impressive amount of skill and wants to see our next screenplay when we finish it (so guess what I am doing right now).

                                The contest has been well worth it. The meeting with Benderspink was in no way a courtesy and we still have talks ongoing for our career. I still have to take some time to let that sentence sink in. We still have our lunch with Randall Wallace coming up (that's another statement that takes a moment to sink in). We have also had our script read by other companies and I have even had Brian Spink call my cell phone on a Tuesday to tell me his thoughts on the script.

                                I hear a lot of people say a lot of negative things about contests. I have heard about how people who enter them are suckers. That we might as well flush our money down the drain or light a cigar with it. I am going to politely disagree at this point. I have also heard complaints that this contest seems like a lot of work, or it seems like a lot of hoops to jump through. You know what? It was a lot of work. I was up until 2-4am almost every night over the summer. We rewrote the script 4 times while still adding 15 new pages a week in the span of 2 months. This was the second time we have entered it, the first time not even making the finals. This is the 10th contest we entered and the sixth script we have written. Yes, it is a lot of work. If you're looking for the quick fix, this is the wrong industry to try that.

                                So, in closing, good luck to all who are in the contest. Good luck to all who enter future rounds. And most of all, keep writing.

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