Imagine-Impact boot camp

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  • #91
    Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

    Originally posted by Friday View Post
    I wonder if there were a lot of writers who placed highly in the major contests (or even won those contests) who were not selected for Imagine Impact. Imagine's slate is quite varied, so it's hard to predict what they would actually respond to. Just reading the comments on social media, it does seem like many aspiring writers feel like they have a shot at getting a slot. But from the level of the competition indicated, a writer would have to be pretty close to top level--where experience in the industry would give you a leg up...for the simple fact that experience will help you write a more sophisticated script and be able to pitch it better than just some novice off the street.
    i finished Ron Howard's MasterClass recently an am going back over the courses now. i bought the ALL ACCESS pass for a year at half price and i will tell you that knowing how and why Ron Howard responds to material was very informative and is helpful, imo, with respect to what kind of stories he becomes invested in.

    he has a checklist that he goes through when deciding on a script. i have also watched Jodi Foster's MasterClass which was good as well. working through Shona Rhimes now and went through Aaron Sorkins last year.

    i am learning valuable lessons on filmmaking that will help me a lot in the decisions i make as a writer.

    the AS MasterClass so far was the least enlightening, but i love his work, so i plan to go through all the writing MasterClasses and also Ramsey Gordon's when i'm done. the all access pass is well worth the $.

    Shonda Rhimes is really good for pilots and showrunning. her lessons have really helped me understanding the "color coding" process for the different storylines.

    i think the writer and story have to be firing a lot of pistons to be considered by the Impact team, that's just my opinion, which means they want to feel that it is 1) commercial and 2) will have a good chance of appealing to the marketplace.

    i think anyone who has an amazing story, can write fast under pressure and has strong writing skills/talent has a chance.
    "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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    • #92
      Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

      Originally posted by Friday View Post
      I wonder if there were a lot of writers who placed highly in the major contests (or even won those contests) who were not selected for Imagine Impact.
      I know a few major contest winners (Austin, Nicholl) who haven't made it to interview stage yet.

      Comment


      • #93
        Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

        Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
        i finished Ron Howard's MasterClass recently an am going back over the courses now. i bought the ALL ACCESS pass for a year at half price and i will tell you that knowing how and why Ron Howard responds to material was very informative and is helpful, imo, with respect to what kind of stories he becomes invested in.

        he has a checklist that he goes through when deciding on a script. i have also watched Jodi Foster's MasterClass which was good as well. working through Shona Rhimes now and went through Aaron Sorkins last year.

        i am learning valuable lessons on filmmaking that will help me a lot in the decisions i make as a writer.

        the AS MasterClass so far was the least enlightening, but i love his work, so i plan to go through all the writing MasterClasses and also Ramsey Gordon's when i'm done. the all access pass is well worth the $.

        Shonda Rhimes is really good for pilots and showrunning. her lessons have really helped me understanding the "color coding" process for the different storylines.

        i think the writer and story have to be firing a lot of pistons to be considered by the Impact team, that's just my opinion, which means they want to feel that it is 1) commercial and 2) will have a good chance of appealing to the marketplace.

        i think anyone who has an amazing story, can write fast under pressure and has strong writing skills/talent has a chance.

        That's surprising. The trailer for Aaron Sorkin's master class was so good I was tempted. I guess for the Impact team they have to feel like you are able to deliver in 8 weeks, which would be quite fast even for the elite professionals. I think I have a better gauge of what it takes for the major competitions, but not for Impact. Impact is still pretty mysterious to me.

        Comment


        • #94
          Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

          Originally posted by Bfin View Post
          I know a few major contest winners (Austin, Nicholl) who haven't made it to interview stage yet.

          wow. To win those contests, you have to beat out like 7,000 plus? 8,000 plus? Sure, many are amateurs. But at the upper echelons of those, you see the most dedicated hardcore who study screenwriting day and night...go after contest after contest. When you place in one of those contests, you keep seeing the same names enter scripts that did well in other contests. It would be nice if Impact shows the ranking of contestants in upper 20 % like those major contests to at least show them how close they got.

          Comment


          • #95
            Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

            Originally posted by Friday View Post
            wow. To win those contests, you have to beat out like 7,000 plus? 8,000 plus? Sure, many are amateurs. But at the upper echelons of those, you see the most dedicated hardcore who study screenwriting day and night...go after contest after contest. When you place in one of those contests, you keep seeing the same names enter scripts that did well in other contests. It would be nice if Impact shows the ranking of contestants in upper 20 % like those major contests to at least show them how close they got.
            imo, i don't think Impact wants to be known as a "contest," as that is NOT their mandate. what they are doing is sourcing strong material and changing the way it is developed and brought to market at the professional level.

            again, imo, they aren't concerned with anything other than the 20 or so creatives that they select. it's not about saying these are the top 20% best writers and showcasing their skills.

            it's about giving an opportunity to the 1% who can churn out a produceable feature or pilot in 8 weeks.

            the Nicholl is about giving opportunity to aspiring, pre-pro level writing. imo, they are apples and oranges.

            i think it's important for writers who submit to Impact to have an understanding of what they're really trying to do, because it's a good thing, but writers who submit need to manage their expectations.

            i've seen people complaining that it's unfair to writers that don't have representation, or that their concerned that the readers are too young to be able to judge anything other than high concept or that people with connections have an advantage-- and these are just "why not me" excuses.

            if you've come to the competitive landscape with the idea it is, or should be fair, you're in for a shock.

            this is about hard work. rejection sucks for everyone. not a person on the planet enjoys it. but you're not alone, there are 3,950 other writers that receive d the same rejection letter.

            and 8 weeks is basically the industry standard. i know people think that it's 12 weeks but it's really not (at least from what i've learned), because you might have to deliver a draft early in order to received notes from your team (manager, agent) then rewrite it, then send it in to get notes from producers, then rewrite to those notes, then turn it into the studio or network-- that process can take 4 weeks out of your 12 weeks, which means you could be writing to an 8 week schedule.

            the really good thing is you know where you stand with Impact in a matter of 6 weeks, whereas contests, because of their nature, can take months and months.

            anyway, food for thought. and to clarify-- these are my opinions
            Last edited by finalact4; 03-01-2019, 10:56 AM.
            "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

            Comment


            • #96
              Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

              Originally posted by Friday View Post
              That's surprising. The trailer for Aaron Sorkin's master class was so good I was tempted. I guess for the Impact team they have to feel like you are able to deliver in 8 weeks, which would be quite fast even for the elite professionals. I think I have a better gauge of what it takes for the major competitions, but not for Impact. Impact is still pretty mysterious to me.

              remember, i'm making a statement on MY experience. AAron Sorkin is a good MasterClass, but he didn't teach ME anything really new, whereas these other three have taught me a lot of which i did not know.

              and i didn't say it wasn't a good MasterClass either. it all depends on the writer.

              consideration for storyboarding, camera placements, working on a budget, coverage, editing, production, the difference between practical locations and sets that have to be built... just a whole slew of great information.

              as a writer you should as some point learn what elements in your script drive up your budget. you can either chose to write it the way you want it to be produced or you can write it the way it gets sold.

              anyway, very good classes so far.
              "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

              Comment


              • #97
                Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
                i don't think Impact wants to be known as a "contest," as that is NOT their mandate. what they are doing is sourcing strong material and changing the way it is developed and brought to market at the professional level.

                they aren't concerned with anything other than the 20 or so creatives that they select. it's not about saying these are the top 20% best writers and showcasing their skills.

                it's about giving an opportunity to the 1% who can churn out a produceable feature or pilot in 8 weeks.

                the Nicholl is about giving opportunity to aspiring, pre-pro level writing. imo, they are apples and oranges.

                i think it's important for writers who submit to Impact to have an understanding of what they're really trying to do, because it's a good thing, but writers who submit need to manage their expectations.

                i've seen people complaining that it's unfair to writers that don't have representation, or that their concerned that the readers are too young to be able to judge anything other than high concept or that people with connections have an advantage-- and these are just "why not me" excuses.

                if you've come to the competitive landscape with the idea it is, or should be fair, you're in for a shock.

                this is about hard work. rejection sucks for everyone. not a person on the planet enjoys it. but you're not alone, there are 3,950 other writers that receive d the same rejection letter.

                and 8 weeks is basically the industry standard. i know people think that it's 12 weeks but it's really not (at least from what i've learned), because you might have to deliver a draft early in order to received notes from your team (manager, agent) then rewrite it, then send it in to get notes from producers, then rewrite to those notes, then turn it into the studio or network-- that process can take 4 weeks out of your 12 weeks, which means you could be writing to an 8 week schedule.

                the really good thing is you know where you stand with Impact in a matter of 6 weeks, whereas contests, because of their nature, can take months and months.

                anyway, food for thought.

                Yeah, I've read on social media that many aspiring Impact applicants see it as a way out of their bad jobs...and feel like if their logline is interesting they will get that shot. There's usually a ton of tweets that flatter the Impact, then it dies down after the news comes out. I did see a few people who were angry, accusing Impact of this and that, but their comments disappeared.

                Comment


                • #98
                  Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                  Originally posted by finalact4 View Post
                  remember, i'm making a statement on MY experience. AAron Sorkin is a good MasterClass, but he didn't teach ME anything really new, whereas these other three have taught me a lot of which i did not know.

                  and i didn't say it wasn't a good MasterClass either. it all depends on the writer.

                  consideration for storyboarding, camera placements, working on a budget, coverage, editing, production, the difference between practical locations and sets that have to be built... just a whole slew of great information.

                  as a writer you should as some point learn what elements in your script drive up your budget. you can either chose to write it the way you want it to be produced or you can write it the way it gets sold.

                  anyway, very good classes so far.

                  Do any of these master classes cover persevering and handling disappointments and setbacks? Writers often achieve some milestones, but they also face crushing disappointments or setbacks along the way...or not getting what they were sure they were going to get.

                  Comment


                  • #99
                    Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                    Originally posted by Friday View Post
                    Do any of these master classes cover persevering and handling disappointments and setbacks? Writers often achieve some milestones, but they also face crushing disappointments or setbacks along the way...or not getting what they were sure they were going to get.
                    That would be interesting to hear about. On the one hand, I feel marginally better about being rejected learning the level of competition for Impact. I can see the weaknesses of my application. But at the same time...even though the project I submitted has active interest from a producer, I can't help but feel it's ultimately not gonna make it if it didn't pass muster with the Impact team. Not necessarily rational, but man, it really took the wind out of my sails.

                    Comment


                    • Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                      Originally posted by Believer View Post
                      That would be interesting to hear about. On the one hand, I feel marginally better about being rejected learning the level of competition for Impact. I can see the weaknesses of my application. But at the same time...even though the project I submitted has active interest from a producer, I can't help but feel it's ultimately not gonna make it if it didn't pass muster with the Impact team. Not necessarily rational, but man, it really took the wind out of my sails.

                      You never know. Star Wars, Back to the Future and Fight Club were all rejected before finding a home. My Girl didn't even make it to the quarter finals in the Nichol and sold for a lot of money a few months later. George Lucas and Tarantino got really rude rejections. The one thing I haven't figured out yet is how to deal with disappointment. I guess my expectations are higher now than when I first started. If I do really well in one contest and expect to repeat that in a following contest but get knocked out in the middle rounds, it really sends me into a funk. I am a little scared to enter my hat in the ring for this Impact thing knowing that it's even harder than the major contests.

                      Comment


                      • Masterclass

                        Originally posted by Friday View Post
                        You never know. Star Wars, Back to the Future and Fight Club were all rejected before finding a home. My Girl didn't even make it to the quarter finals in the Nichol and sold for a lot of money a few months later. George Lucas and Tarantino got really rude rejections. The one thing I haven't figured out yet is how to deal with disappointment. I guess my expectations are higher now than when I first started. If I do really well in one contest and expect to repeat that in a following contest but get knocked out in the middle rounds, it really sends me into a funk. I am a little scared to enter my hat in the ring for this Impact thing knowing that it's even harder than the major contests.
                        the Masterclass contributors cover a variety of topics within their Masterclass. it's fascinating. Shonda's TV Writing/Showrunning talks about breaking in and how to behave in a writer's room as well as breaking down pilots and writing them. as i work my way through the Masterclass list, every one is a different POV. and the styles and aesthetic is so different between different writers, directors, and producers.

                        Jodi shows you how she works with a writer on a script and how she sets up her shot list with a complicated action sequence using storyboarding.

                        Ron goes into detail about how he works through getting all the coverage he needs in a specific scene. he goes through the process from selecting the script, developing it, and going into production. he talks about rejection and when things don't go the way you planned. the thing you have to remember is it's hard for everyone and everyone gets rejected.

                        and much, much more. so far i've seen: AAron Sorkin, Shona Rhimes, Ron Howard, Jodi Foster.

                        Masterclasses having to do with writing and filmmaking: James Patterson, Werne Herzog, Hans Zimmer (really looking forward to this), Steve Martin, David Mamet**, Martin Scorsese, Judy Blume, Samuel L Jackson, Helen Mirren, Malcom Gladwell, Judd Apatow, Spike Lee, Margaret Atwood, Ken Burns, Dan Brown, Mira Nair, Neil Gaian, Natale Portman (2019) and David Lynch (2019).

                        it's like having a personal meeting directly with them. they are all inspiring.

                        and in between the writing there's a ton of cooking classes-->Gordon Ramsey here i come.

                        the one thing that every writer who has ever broken in has common with every other writer that has ever broken in is that they never give up.
                        "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

                        Comment


                        • Re: Imagine-Impact boot camp

                          If you're looking for stories of disappointments or setbacks, go on Twitter and search "#shareyourrejections" along with the word(s) "script", "Warner Brothers", "ABC", or "fellowships." There are TONS of successful screen and television writers that shared their stories of rejection, including many who entered but never won competitions or fellowships, but got staffed or sold projects.

                          We're talking folks like Felicia Day, Liz Hannah, Brian Koppelman, Beck/Woods, Warren Hsu Leonard, LaToya Morgan, Lauren Morelli, etc.

                          FWIW, contest wins don't necessarily equate to sales or careers. You always hear guys like Craig Maizin and John August saying that they don't know any professional writers who can attribute their careers to a contest.

                          Personally, I've read for several contests, and I don't think it's a surprise that many contest winners don't far well with Imagine Impact. Scripts that win contests aren't always commercial (often they aren't), and Imagine is looking for commercially viable projects from fresh voices. It's all about the project--not the writer's credentials (Imagine doesn't even ask about applicants' credentials on the app or in the interview, btw).

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