Contest Readers...

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  • Contest Readers...

    Title Pages are generally removed to keep the writer anonymous, so if you want the title known, type it on page one. - Scriptslut
    Is this true?

    If so, would you advise writers to type the title on the top of page 1?
    I wanna tell you about the time I almost died....


  • #2
    Re: Contest Readers...

    I'd never place a title on page one unless a contest specifically asked to do that.

    Also, I'd never do that 'cause I don't want to give any reader the impression that I don't know what I'm doing, especially from jump. I'd only do it if I were specifically asked to do it.

    My 2 sense,

    Corona
    I love you, Reyna . . .

    Brown-Balled by the Hollywood Clika

    Latino Heart Project's MEXICAN HEART...ATTACK!
    I ain't no punk b1tch...

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Contest Readers...

      the competition I read for tore off the title page, yes - after the script had already been logged in, so that the reader did not have the personal information of the writer. you are given the title but that's it. so just send in your script exactly as they request that you do and don't worry about the rest.

      but funny story - funniest script faux pas I saw: I'm reading this script and it's not terrific but whatever, when I turn the page to see:

      FOLLOWING SCENE DELETED PENDING REWRITE.

      and then it goes on to the next scene but there was obviously a whole scene missing. that was pretty funny. lol

      Julie Gray



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      • #4
        Re: Contest Readers...

        How would labelling your script with a title offer you an edge over your competition?

        I don't get the point of the original Q.

        EJ

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        • #5
          Re: Contest Readers...

          Here's a few paragraphs fron an article called 'Confessions of a Contest Reader' that's posted at www.twoadverbs.com





          Most people wonder how it all works. Do I soak in a hot bath and eat chocolates while I gaze in wonderment at the script cradled in my hands? Do I pour over every word, paying attention to the meticulous detail hand crafted into each page? Do I re-read the script to make sure that I understood every nuance, every arc, and every setback?

          Nope. See, you've got fifteen pages to grab me, before your work gets heaved into the dumpster.

          Oh, I can hear the curses and moans now. "I paid a fifty dollar entrance fee, you're being paid to read the entire screenplay.-

          Wrong again. I am being paid to find the top three scripts out of (let's say) the eighty I have to sort through. This is a contest, not coverage. Very big difference. You are competing, not seeking feedback. There are no writers' names or addresses. Sometimes there isn't even a title. Just a script. Nothing to skew my judgment. Just a cold, logical appraisal of your work.

          So, here's how it works. I do pick up each script, and read the first ten pages. Here's what I'm looking for: What is the story about? Who is the main character? What is the genre?

          Think of it as a used car lot. One car looks good from a distance, but, close up, there are dings in the hood, another car has a flat tire, and several of them have smashed windshields. Right from the beginning, I'm not even going to give them another look, because there are so many more intact vehicles for me to choose from.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Contest Readers...

            Originally posted by EJ Pennypacker
            How would labelling your script with a title offer you an edge over your competition?

            I don't get the point of the original Q.

            EJ
            I read somewhere that when they rip the cover off a screenplay and give it to the contest reader they don't have a title to go with. They went on to say it might be useful to put the title of the script at the top of page 1. It struck me as strange, but a title can be important to a script, so I just wanted to clarify this point.
            I wanna tell you about the time I almost died....

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Contest Readers...

              I've read for a few contests over the years, and I've seen it both ways. Title page on, title page off. MOST of the time it is simply marked with a log-in #, which you use in your reviews/critiques. I'd say 90% the title page is ripped off.

              However, I would not suggest putting the title on page one. It really won't help, and could leave some readers (who already have a chip on their shoulders) with a reason to hate it from the get go.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Contest Readers...

                So you're saying you have read scripts not knowing their title?
                I wanna tell you about the time I almost died....

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Contest Readers...

                  Yep. 90% of the time it's just a number, no titles.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Contest Readers...

                    Thanks, nice to know, I've been angsting over this very thing for days. Any excuse to angst.

                    -Derek
                    My Web Page - naked women, bestial sex, and whopping big lies.
                    Stop reading this and get some writing done instead.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Contest Readers...

                      How can you read something you don't know the name of?

                      That is rubbish.

                      I'm not sure this happens for all contests but I'm seriously thinking about putting the title on the top of page 1 as well as the title page.
                      I wanna tell you about the time I almost died....

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Contest Readers...

                        TATAM78,

                        Why do you find it so hard to believe?

                        Most contest prefer to have material 'covered' without names and titles. This is to keep things fair and unbiased most of the time.

                        It's their rules.

                        If you are thinking of submitting to a contest that clearly states you only provide a script, and no title page nor name, then that's their rules.

                        Of course, if it isn't their rules, then do what you want.

                        But if it is, and they see your title on page #1, I would think you would get thrown out of a contest - end of story. No refund. A waste of money and your time.

                        I would re-direct your worries and concern with making/re-writing your script the best script it can be - and forget about trying to 'add' a title or 'name' someplace deep in your script.

                        Scripts with great stories WIN contests, scripts with NAMES and TITLES won't give your script an edge over a GREAT story, no matter how funky or cool your title is.

                        EJ

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Contest Readers...

                          If you follow the rules of any particular contest, you should be fine.

                          In the Nicholl rules, we ask that scripts include a title page with the title only and without any other identifying information (name, address, etc.).

                          The only time we remove a title page is when the entrant has not followed the instructions and has left identifying information on the page.

                          Typically, we hand out score sheets on which the title is printed. So even in the case of a removed title page, the reader will still know the title.

                          As to CE's remark, just what is reality? Especially Hollywood reality?

                          Sorry for all of the problems with our website. I guess my recommendation is to plan on filling in a hard copy application and submitting as in previous years. Perhaps it will be up soon, but the computer folks encountered a problem yesterday that they have not been able to solve thus far.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Contest Readers...

                            Rocks is correct - it's a number. And - we don't care. We aren't reading this for our own pleasure or to look for material to produce. We are reading stacks and stacks and quickly trying to sort out the best. Title is not important in that kind of decision.

                            And Bill - LOL - no, that wasn't it. But, I really, seriously suggest NOT doing that.

                            Julie Gray



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                            • #15
                              Re: Contest Readers...

                              Originally posted by creativexec
                              SNAKES ON A PLANE.
                              Sounds interesting. What's it about?
                              ==========

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