Nicholl finalists

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  • #16
    Re: Nicholl finalists

    I'm curious to know if, after Nicholl was opened up to all writers (I believe it started as a contest for California writers only, though I'm unsure when it made the jump) of the five finalists, more than two were NOT from Southern California.

    I don't have the past ten years or so of winners handy, (so perhaps I am wrong) but it seems every year 3-4 winners are from Southern Cali or the LA area and 1-2 are from elsewhere.

    Is it possible that one year all five winners will be from outside of CA?

    I'm sure the bulk of the entries are from CA, but if the contest is completely blind to the locale of the writers it stands to reason that this could happen eventually.
    Quato Lives!

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    • #17
      Re: Nicholl finalists

      Originally posted by EddieCoyle View Post
      I don't have the past ten years or so of winners handy, (so perhaps I am wrong) but it seems every year 3-4 winners are from Southern Cali or the LA area and 1-2 are from elsewhere.

      Is it possible that one year all five winners will be from outside of CA?
      Since 1989, when the competition was first open to entrants across the US, on average two-to-three Nicholl Fellows have been from outside of Southern California and two-to-three have been from Southern California. (This counts collaborators as one rather than two.)

      In 1991 and 2000, four of the five Nicholl Fellows lived outside of Southern California.

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      • #18
        Re: Nicholl finalists

        And in defense of the writers, I'm assuming the "loglines" were put in the box on describing the script. I think it was fifty words or less (I think),
        Bingo! I remembering being very frustrated when I tried to type my logline into that box on the Nicholl application. I could only fit half of what I considered to be a tightly-written logline (which by the way, fulfilled all the requirements of a logline). So I had to cut out the "goal" half and turn the logline basically into a tagline, and a crappy one at that.

        Greg, I'd be curious if you let the finalists submit new loglines before posting them on the website. I know that the PAGE allows finalists to submit new loglines.

        Late Night Writer

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        • #19
          Re: Nicholl finalists

          For 1991 and 2000 were the four outside of southern CA or CA altogether?

          so never all five?
          Quato Lives!

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          • #20
            Re: Nicholl finalists

            Originally posted by Harbinger View Post
            Actually, I'm not sure about them. I've no doubt the scripts are great (this is the Nicholl after all) but the Loglines are pretty poor.
            As others have mentioned, the space limitation may be one issue.

            Also, not everyone who can write a great script can write a great logline -- and not every great script (or movie) lends itself to a great logline.

            Would the following make you want to read these scripts or see these movies?

            "A World War II veteran is reluctant to go into the family business." (The Godfather)

            "A farm boy raised by his aunt and uncle wants to leave home to meet a girl he's only seen in pictures." (Star Wars)

            "An Ivy League nerd starts a software company because he's jealous of his best friend." (The Social Network)

            "A Southern woman tries to save her family farm." (Gone with the Wind)
            "People who work in Hollywood are the ones who didn't quit." -- Lawrence Kasdan

            Please visit my website and blog: www.lauridonahue.com.

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            • #21
              Re: Nicholl finalists

              I don't think your examples are comparable. I mean, they could be; I haven't read the finalist scripts, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that almost none of the finalists' scripts are going to be considered the classics that you've got listed there.

              Besides, you've deliberately taken the most boring tack with those loglines, leaving out key information that even a novice writer would ham-handedly place in there.

              The loglines of the finalists could very well be spot on, but almost none of them sound like movies I want to see. They could be great scripts, but I'm not forking over the money to see them unless there's a compelling reason, i.e. David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin decide to make a Tourette's syndrome movie.

              And I say that with the knowledge that one of my scripts made the top 10%, but when I posted the logline awhile back on 2A, it was met with resounding yawns. Yet my logline was exactly how the screenplay read. But I completely understand why no one would want to see my movie without a compelling reason, i.e. David Fincher directs Harold Hecuba. (well, that would be compelling to me.)

              HH

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              • #22
                Re: Nicholl finalists

                They've posted the loglines for the finalists, and I must say I'm shocked. One of them is based on a novel. Another is based on a short film. And another is based on the lives of actual historical figures. I thought adaptations and stuff of the sort weren't allowed? I mean did Mr. Heuvel get permission to write a script about Tolkien's life? Somehow I doubt it. So why was it allowed in this competition? Why were any of these allowed, let alone pushed through to the finals? I thought Nicholl was about finding writers of original material....

                Anyway, I find all but maybe two of the finalist loglines to be a bit bland....it's a list of mostly predictable dramas written by a bunch of California residents, most of whom are all 35-50 year old white males. How shocking. /sarcasm

                Still though, congrats to them all!

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                • #23
                  Re: Nicholl finalists

                  A Good Hunter sounds intriguing...and Drunk Dialing, though the script may be good, sounds pretty formulaic and boring.

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                  • #24
                    Re: Nicholl finalists

                    Originally posted by scripto80 View Post
                    They've posted the loglines for the finalists, and I must say I'm shocked. One of them is based on a novel. Another is based on a short film. And another is based on the lives of actual historical figures. I thought adaptations and stuff of the sort weren't allowed? I mean did Mr. Heuvel get permission to write a script about Tolkien's life? Somehow I doubt it. So why was it allowed in this competition? Why were any of these allowed, let alone pushed through to the finals? I thought Nicholl was about finding writers of original material....
                    You're allowed to adapt your own material. Those two adaptations were of work done by the same writer.

                    And I think Tolkein's life is as open as Abraham Lincoln's at this point. If he can be a vampire hunter, Tolkein can wander freely about doing stuff.
                    Chicks Who Script podcast

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                    • #25
                      Re: Nicholl finalists

                      Hmmm then...."Tolkien vs the World" has a nice ring to it....

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                      • #26
                        Re: Nicholl finalists

                        Originally posted by scripto80 View Post
                        They've posted the loglines for the finalists, and I must say I'm shocked. One of them is based on a novel. Another is based on a short film. And another is based on the lives of actual historical figures. I thought adaptations and stuff of the sort weren't allowed? I mean did Mr. Heuvel get permission to write a script about Tolkien's life? Somehow I doubt it. So why was it allowed in this competition? Why were any of these allowed, let alone pushed through to the finals? I thought Nicholl was about finding writers of original material....

                        Anyway, I find all but maybe two of the finalist loglines to be a bit bland....it's a list of mostly predictable dramas written by a bunch of California residents, most of whom are all 35-50 year old white males. How shocking. /sarcasm

                        Still though, congrats to them all!
                        Can you post a link or copy/paste the loglines?

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                        • #27
                          Re: Nicholl finalists

                          Originally posted by jboffer View Post
                          Can you post a link or copy/paste the loglines?
                          Dude, they're on the first page of the thread.
                          Last edited by Furious Anjel; 10-11-2010, 02:20 PM. Reason: almost had egg on my face
                          "I was dreamin' when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray." - Prince

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                          • #28
                            Re: Nicholl finalists

                            Originally posted by Furious Anjel View Post
                            Dude, they're on the first page of the thread.
                            That is a great point.

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                            • #29
                              Re: Nicholl finalists

                              Originally posted by emily blake View Post
                              You're allowed to adapt your own material. Those two adaptations were of work done by the same writer.

                              And I think Tolkein's life is as open as Abraham Lincoln's at this point. If he can be a vampire hunter, Tolkein can wander freely about doing stuff.
                              True on both points. If I write an original book and then turn it into a script, it is allowed by Nicholl. If I write a fictional story about Michelangelo or Walt Disney or any other famous dead person, that's also allowed.

                              By the way, I got the chance to read Inner Earth. It's awesome. Would love to see it get made. Still hoping to read "A Good Hunter" at some point.

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                              • #30
                                Re: Nicholl finalists

                                If anyone can send me any of the winning scripts, I'd love to see any of them.

                                Thanks!

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