May 11, 2009: Week 9
Congrats once again to Tim Dragga and Jacob Michael. They are the week 8 winners and Cowrite's first two-time winners. Their pages were a ton of fun and set us up for an intriguing last 30 pages. As you know there are only two more scriptwriting entries remaining (*see below for some details on week 11). It's been a long journey (who ever heard of a 6 month screenwriting contest anyway?) and we're almost at the finish line. Congrats and thanks to all who have participated thus far. Whether you have won, been a finalist, submitted, posted on the forum, or have merely been following the script you have all been a part of this team effort. I think the first draft is coming along very nicely and am excited to see where you guys take it from here. I think given the press we've garnered, the global audience we've created and the fact that we already have a reputable management/production company involved, we have a great shot at success. And that's something you can all feel a part of. Now, on to the pages...
Aside from their entry being very funny and lively, Tim and Jacob did a great job of incorporating various elements from the first 75 pages and also left us some interesting threads to utilize in the remaining pages. (Be sure to read their pages carefully and use whatever you think has potential to create interesting conflict.) Their pages concluded with the three teenagers needing to get to Truth Camp to stop Cable from making the deal with the C.H.Y.N.E.E.S...whoever they are. Maybe Jonas is right about that and maybe not. Whatever his plan, Cable seems fairly confident right about now. We left him decked out in a tuxedo with the obsidian, the data prism and with Julian. The meeting/deal (as we learned from Rich's pages) is quickly approaching.
Jonas, Freddie and Nora are ripe to suffer a major setback early in your next entry. Maybe they get stopped on the way to Truth Camp by the police or have to sacrifice Freddie in order for Jonas and Nora to press on. Or perhaps they get to Truth Camp too late and Cable has already made the deal. Either way, their plan should not go as intended, the stakes should be raised and achieving their goal(s) should seem out of reach.
Also, what event is going on at Truth Camp? Why is Cable in a tux and what is the plan to deliver Conquest and for what? Whatever it is...our hero Jonas needs to ultimately stop it or the world will suffer the consequences. We're set up for an exciting third act so as you craft your next 10-15 pages you should definitely think about how this movie will ultimately wrap up and how you can make it a fun, cinematic conclusion tying in all the elements.
Good luck to all!
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Week 11 revealed
Let me first announce that the week 10 Pro (after Eric Friedman) will be author and NYU screenwriting professor, Marilyn Horowitz. We are excited to have Marilyn because from the start we had wanted to have a screenwriting professor from an esteemed university serve as a pro. In addition to authoring a few screenwriting books, Marilyn is both a graduate of and professor at NYU's Tisch School. We hope we have provided a nice cross section of pros for everyone. We have had two hugely successful Hollywood feature screenwriters in Andrea Berloff and Jesse Wigutow, two TV writers, producers and former successful Hollywood execs in Shintaro Shimosawa and Josh Schaer, two of the more popular screenplay consultants in Script Xpert and Michael Hague, an Emmy nominated and prolific comedy writer in Eric Friedman, an independent producer and director in Lorena David, a screenwriter and author of one of the most revered books on screenwriting ever written in David Trottier and now an award winning professor from an outstanding film school. A pretty varied and reputable group, we think. Joining them as the final pro will be...one of you!
Week 11 will consist of submitting script notes on the first draft of the Cowrite screenplay. We came up with this idea in large part based on your suggestions so we thank you and hope you are excited about it. Script notes are an essential part of the screenwriting process. Whenever one finishes the first draft of a script the next step is to send it to friends, family or other screenwriters for their thoughts and suggestions on how to improve it. Obviously everyone wants to nail it the first time out but realistically this is almost never the case in screenwriting. Insightful script notes are invaluable to the writing process and can help turn a first draft from a collection of interesting ideas to a fully formed, well structured and polished screenplay. So, once the first draft is finished after week 10 your assignment for week 11 will be to submit comments and thoughtful, constructive criticism on the story with the aim of helping to turn it into the best script possible.
We have received multiple emails from writers throughout the world who have regretted that they couldn't participate because of the entry fee and we recognize that to be a truly global and inclusive project everyone should have the ability to contribute. With that in mind, we are making the Week 11 script note portion of the contest free to enter. The winner will still get to pitch to Benderspink, be eligible for the rewrite, share in any script sale, and win over $1000 in prizes, but because the entry fees won't support it, will not win cash. We think this is still a great opportunity for aspiring writers to play an integral role in the community-sourced screenplay and that the prizes based on a free entry are fantastic. Again, hope you like our own version of a twist to the contest. More details on the type and structure of the notes to follow...
In the meantime, good luck on your next 10-15 pages. You still have two entries to win over $2000 in quick cash! We're excited to see where you take the story.
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