The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

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  • #16
    Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

    In with a scifi script.

    Congratulations to everyone who made it, and shout out to everyone else who entered. You still did the work, and that's worth something.

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    • #17
      Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

      I'm out, but I'm also okay with it. I've done well with them before, but this script was a real departure from my usual style. I hit the target I aimed at and I'm glad I worked on the muscles it required, but it's pretty far from my wheelhouse. I'm just glad I got this far with it. Onwards and upwards!

      Congrats to everyone that advanced! Well-done!
      "The intrepid Spaceman Spiff is stranded on a distant planet! Our hero ruefully acknowledges this happens fairly frequently." Calvin & Hobbs

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      • #18
        Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

        In the semi-finals with my half-hour comedy pilot!

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        • #19
          Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

          Congratz to all who advanced, but be warned, unless you win a medal, your placement means basically nothing. I got zero read requests beating out 583 sci-fi scripts last year to make the Finals and another zero more after querying myself 200 times with "Page Finalist" in the headline.
          I'm never wrong. Reality is just stubborn.

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          • #20
            Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

            Originally posted by FoxHound View Post
            Congratz to all who advanced, but be warned, unless you win a medal, your placement means basically nothing. I got zero read requests beating out 583 sci-fi scripts last year to make the Finals and another zero more after querying myself 200 times with "Page Finalist" in the headline.
            Sh1t the bed!
            @hairingtons

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            • #21
              Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

              Originally posted by FoxHound View Post
              Congratz to all who advanced, but be warned, unless you win a medal, your placement means basically nothing. I got zero read requests beating out 583 sci-fi scripts last year to make the Finals and another zero more after querying myself 200 times with "Page Finalist" in the headline.
              That sounds pretty rough, sorry it didn't gain any traction. Has the script garnered any attention without the Page mention?

              Also would you be keen to share the logline? And what was the budget range?

              This whole game is highly subjective, so while the script was obviously well-written, the concept may just not have been one people were willing to take a gamble on.

              Appreciate any insight!

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

                Here's the reality about contests: with the possible exception of the Nicholl where making QFs, SFs or finals carries some weight, you have to WIN the contest in order to get genuine attention. The difference between winning and placing is substantial.

                I remember attending a pitch fest some years ago. I told a producer there that I'd made the finals of a contest and she said, "Why did you just tell me that your script lost?" Even if they (film industry pros) don't say it, that's what they're thinking. There's a lot of contests out there, and they want to read the winners.

                Placing is great for validation and possibly may get you some reads on queries. But your script has to be so good that it blows away the rest of the field.

                Late Night Writer

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                • #23
                  Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

                  Originally posted by WriterNZ View Post
                  That sounds pretty rough, sorry it didn't gain any traction. Has the script garnered any attention without the Page mention?

                  Also would you be keen to share the logline? And what was the budget range?

                  This whole game is highly subjective, so while the script was obviously well-written, the concept may just not have been one people were willing to take a gamble on.

                  Appreciate any insight!
                  LOL. I actually got 2 requests before the script made the finals. It's as if mentioning it annoyed them into a pass. The budget isn't high from the logline. I just get the feeling they think I'm a noob.
                  I'm never wrong. Reality is just stubborn.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

                    Originally posted by FoxHound View Post
                    LOL. I actually got 2 requests before the script made the finals. It's as if mentioning it annoyed them into a pass. The budget isn't high from the logline. I just get the feeling they think I'm a noob.
                    Maybe you want to share the logline? I'm guessing only the title and logline of your script is read by potential suitors, so one or the other (probably the logline) must be the issue your script had zero reads.

                    I seem to recall in another thread you lamented that most contest winning scripts are unfilmable/boring. So I'm confused whether you think that if your script wins, it has to be labelled that kind of film (Personally, I believe autobiographical, historical, and/or western scripts fare better on average)

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                    • #25
                      Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

                      Originally posted by Goliath View Post
                      Maybe you want to share the logline? I'm guessing only the title and logline of your script is read by potential suitors, so one or the other (probably the logline) must be the issue your script had zero reads.

                      I seem to recall in another thread you lamented that most contest winning scripts are unfilmable/boring. So I'm confused whether you think that if your script wins, it has to be labelled that kind of film (Personally, I believe autobiographical, historical, and/or western scripts fare better on average)
                      The logline was workshopped here on DD Pro last year. It got me reads before. But it just seems like mentioning the finals placement is hurting its chances.

                      Well it didn't win so it confirms my point
                      I'm never wrong. Reality is just stubborn.

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                      • #26
                        Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

                        Writerz, you are not alone in this frustration. You know it's funny reading testimonials on some of these contests from semi-finalists or finalists that praise the contest and claim it opens doors. I'd love to speak with them 2 months later after the dust settles and the reality that getting 6th place got them nowhere.

                        A contest is like the Olympics. If you don't take a medal you don't get endorsements. yeah, there are a few cases of people being contacted/approached when not making the top 3 in a contest but I think it's very rare.

                        Here is my experience with contests... over the last 16 or so years I've entered quite a few. There would be gaps of years in between entering as my philosophy of entering contests versus querying production companies changed yearly. In the beginning, I always made at least the quarterfinals which was weird because I wasn't writing very well. Now I'm so much better and more streamlined and have a hard time cracking the quarters. Is it because people are writing better or this sudden money-maker called feedback? Probably a combo... but back to the experience...
                        1) I won 1 medium sized genre contest( no longer around) and got some money, software but the first day was exciting. I was contacted by about 6 or 7 industry people. Some were assistants but a few were the real deal. 1 was even a television star. Then the next day it tapered down to 1 industry person contacting me for a read after that nothing. But even still it was exciting. I sent the script out to them and even though nothing happened it was fun to be for a moment "in the game." I made contacts, but over time those contacts slip away - no one ever tells anyone that. Unless you live in LA, those great contacts lose interest in you more with each pitch you send them. ** I also queried like hell being a winner and drummed up some interest.
                        2) Got to the finals of 2 contests... Most recent was Breakthrough With A Scream. Nothing happened. No one asked for a read. I then queried tons of people with my achievement of getting into the finals and I got 1 request from Zero Gravity too which I never heard back one way or another. Just to note Zero Gravity was associated with the contest so I thought I had a good chance.
                        3) Got a few quarterfinals and 1 semi finals but they never netted anything and not worth querying (it wasn't Nichol). In the one I got to the semis with, an entertainment lawyer who was a reader called me and asked if I had representation because he liked the script (this was prior to me getting the semi announcement) and that he'd like to champion the script. Never heard back from him. Probably because the script didn't advance.
                        4) Of late a few misses... meaning not advancing one way or another.

                        My mentality is if you do not win or get second and if people do not contact you for the script then you wasted your money. Just my opinion. I know people praise themselves for getting into the semis or even top ten and it feels good but truthfully if no one is calling you then it means nothing.

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                        • #27
                          Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

                          Originally posted by purplenurple View Post
                          Writerz, you are not alone in this frustration. You know it's funny reading testimonials on some of these contests from semi-finalists or finalists that praise the contest and claim it opens doors. I'd love to speak with them 2 months later after the dust settles and the reality that getting 6th place got them nowhere.

                          A contest is like the Olympics. If you don't take a medal you don't get endorsements. yeah, there are a few cases of people being contacted/approached when not making the top 3 in a contest but I think it's very rare.

                          Here is my experience with contests... over the last 16 or so years I've entered quite a few. There would be gaps of years in between entering as my philosophy of entering contests versus querying production companies changed yearly. In the beginning, I always made at least the quarterfinals which was weird because I wasn't writing very well. Now I'm so much better and more streamlined and have a hard time cracking the quarters. Is it because people are writing better or this sudden money-maker called feedback? Probably a combo... but back to the experience...
                          1) I won 1 medium sized genre contest( no longer around) and got some money, software but the first day was exciting. I was contacted by about 6 or 7 industry people. Some were assistants but a few were the real deal. 1 was even a television star. Then the next day it tapered down to 1 industry person contacting me for a read after that nothing. But even still it was exciting. I sent the script out to them and even though nothing happened it was fun to be for a moment "in the game." I made contacts, but over time those contacts slip away - no one ever tells anyone that. Unless you live in LA, those great contacts lose interest in you more with each pitch you send them. ** I also queried like hell being a winner and drummed up some interest.
                          2) Got to the finals of 2 contests... Most recent was Breakthrough With A Scream. Nothing happened. No one asked for a read. I then queried tons of people with my achievement of getting into the finals and I got 1 request from Zero Gravity too which I never heard back one way or another. Just to note Zero Gravity was associated with the contest so I thought I had a good chance.
                          3) Got a few quarterfinals and 1 semi finals but they never netted anything and not worth querying (it wasn't Nichol). In the one I got to the semis with, an entertainment lawyer who was a reader called me and asked if I had representation because he liked the script (this was prior to me getting the semi announcement) and that he'd like to champion the script. Never heard back from him. Probably because the script didn't advance.
                          4) Of late a few misses... meaning not advancing one way or another.

                          My mentality is if you do not win or get second and if people do not contact you for the script then you wasted your money. Just my opinion. I know people praise themselves for getting into the semis or even top ten and it feels good but truthfully if no one is calling you then it means nothing.
                          Okay, PurplePurple, you've parachuted into a number of different threads now to express your frustration over contests. You hijacked one thread to renew your original post regarding "contest paranoia" and what exactly are you saying here that nobody already knows?

                          Newsflash: There's no guarantee to a screenwriter who doesn't do well in a highly regarded contest and the contests themselves use writers' sucessess to help market their own enterprise. I would, too. Mind you, I never heard of Breakthrough with a Scream, but that's just me... plus, I usually try to be fairly discerning with the contest game.

                          What next? A complaint that once a writer gets a rep, it doesn't guarantee that a writer is going to get meetings with interested A-list producers?

                          I enter anywhere from 5-10 contests per year (just can't help myself sometimes), depending on the nature of a script or my relative output over the course of that year (hopefully I've written 1-2 scripts so budget sometimes dictates). So what are my expectations? Perhaps a combination of validation (recognizing that this one is a psychological and subjective wildcard) and some form of exposure. I recognize the subjectivity of the industry so more power to you if you know with such certainty when you were writing poorly versus executing on a compelling premise, which doesn't seem to be getting recognized to your satisfaction.

                          Anyway, I swear I'm not trying to be overly cheeky or snarky here, but you seem hellbent on turning every thread into a crowd-sourcing referendum that confirms your own morose cynicism. So I've had some significant "successes" with a few high-profile contests, so you'll probably point to me and say, "See? I told ya so. This guy is still a relative nobody." Yup. True. Guilty as charged.

                          However, I've never had any misguided illusions about this industry so anything that didn't get parlayed into something larger is partly my own doing and certainly just the nature of the beast. The odds are always going to be rather long, so you either accept it as endemic to the industry when you get into this business or you don't. I think that going on a harangue about the contests feels a little misguided... cause the alternative is really pretty simple.

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                          • #28
                            Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

                            The parachuting into another thread was funny (maybe cheeky). Yeah, I guess I'm pushing something that I see in the industry. Other people do not have to see it or believe it or agree. it is somewhat telling that most competitions offer "extras" now. Initially when I started I don't remember nearly everyone offering that. I don't think I'm wrong in suggesting people do not read the way they used to... just look at our educational system and the explosion of twitter. But I won't parachute into another thead it doesn't do anyone any good.

                            BUT one thing I will say about you is that if you spend money on several contests a year then you would be lying if you did not hope/dream/ an ounce of belief that you will strike gold at some point. The objective for entering is not to make the quarterfinals or break out the finest wine over a semi final placement. if so then again I'm a lone in thinking like a sporting competition. The objective is to be discovered first and perhaps something to hang your hat on. if you spend a few hundred dollars a year and shrug and say the industry "is-what-it-is" and though it would have been nice to get an agent or a phone call from a producer but hey such is life then we have different opinions. On another site there is a guy who is quite pleased he got to the quarterfinals of one of the screencraft contests. He is not wrong pointing out he beat a thousand or so others to the quarterfinals. In my mind if he doesn't close the deal with a first or second place win then no one will care but maybe his family. You write a script and rewrite a script because you believe you can do what pro writers are doing in movies and TV. If you wrote a script or two or even a dozen and the end game is not to be in the industry then that's you. if you plunk down 50 to 100 dollars on a contest and you do not care if it could jump start your possible career and it's all a crap shoot then what can I say. You came on here to put me in my place. I get it. Understood but all you did after that was lay claim you throw money away because it's the nature of the business and have no expectations. That certainly confuses me. You're like those testimonials in contests that claim "being a semi-finalist exceeded my most wildest expectations." Yeah, where are they now? You have to win and even then there's no guarantees.

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                            • #29
                              Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

                              You could win and they could make your movie and it could still come out a piece of sh*t and you'd feel bad all over again. There's no winning anything. Either you do something and get some joy out of it or you don't. If you're not getting joy out of it, then f*ck it. Move on.

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                              • #30
                                Re: The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2016

                                Okay, as far as doing something and getting joy out of it goes... yes, if you are talking about the act of writing. If writing a script or novel or whatever brings you joy then that is awesome. Same goes for anything. But the topic is about contests and winning a contest and not winning a contest. In the context of what is being discussed your argument is you get joy from simply entering a screenwriting contest with your money. The act of being in a screenplay contest fills you with joy even if you do not place in the contest. Yeah, well I'll be first to say it does not bring me joy to pay money to enter a contest and not be in a position to either win and/or make an industry contact. That is why one enters a contest and that is why there is a prize. Joy can be found in the art of writing, not in the possibility of not making the quarterfinals of *insert* contest.

                                Anyone saw the old movie "Breaking Away?" Great movie. Well, in that movie four lower class local guys compete in a big time bike race that usually is won by the upper-class. During the race, the local group's strongest biker is purposely injured by another team - the very team they dislike. This causes the other members of the group to step up and keep the race going but none of them have the stamina or ability of the injured biker. They simply show some heart but they drop farther back in the standings until one of them is able to rally the team back into 4th place where they won't be able to hold that position long. One of the group smiles and says "we showed them." The injured biker says "we didn't show them anything." He then waves in the floundering biker who was at the point of giving up back to the sidelines where they physically tape the injured biker to the pedals and long story short he pulls out the win thus showing up all the other teams including the cheating ones who nod with respect.

                                Some people fall into the "we showed them" category having great joy with several attempts of script writing and contest entering that netted them 4th place (insert semi or finals) once. While others know "we didn't show them anything" if they are not in a position that people want to read the script.

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