Over on the Scripts Studios are posting for award consideration page are, thanks Dean for the heads up on these, Private Lives, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and 22 July (written as “Norway”) – These from Netflix.

– Don

Selvage (9 pages in pdf format) by James Williams (jwent6688)

Filmed as A PSA For Teenage Girls On Halloween

Sometimes, even a simple game of truth or dare can end up deadly.

This was a February 2011 One Week Challenge script which you can talk about on the Discussion Board

A PSA For Teenage Girls On Halloween

The Original Scripts page has thirteen (!) original short scripts written for the One Week Challenge wherein participants wrote a 4 to 7 page script on the theme of Creature Feature in the hopes that one of them can be turned into a three page comic by HyperEpics.

And, last week’s Original Scripts didn’t get a lot of air time. Please, check them out.

– Don

Taking a quick break for the outlining sequence for a moment, as Rick Hansberry, my writing partner for “According to Plan”, “The Journeyers” and now “Lake Regret” provides some thoughts around whether you should consider a writing partner for one of your projects.  Listen up, guys, Rick is a sage when it comes to this stuff!

His thoughts on maybe why you DON’T co-write with someone:

“Generally, use these as guidelines, if you’re considering co-writing with someone. Everyone’s situation is different and these are by no means universal but intended to help those that have never co-written a screenplay with someone and are trying to evaluate if it will suit them. In reverse order of consideration:

5. Do not co-write to ‘learn.’ Before attempting to write a screenplay, be sure to read hundreds of them. Literally. They’re on-line and in books. There’s no excuse to not have read countless screenplays to understand, format, structure and the nuances of the craft. Your experience level may vary but never co-write your first screenplay. Learn the craft, then apply it.

4. Do not co-write to ‘coast.’ Sure, having a writing partner makes it easier to advance pages and attack revisions but there should always be a balance. A co-writer is a co-creator and there should always be a back-and-forth, give-and-take. If you tend to be lazy about writing, do not co-write to have someone to procrastinate with, rather treat him or her like an exercise or dieting partner — Push them through tough stretches – Hold them accountable and expect the same back. You’ll both win in the end.

3. Do not co-write for the ‘credit.’ If you’re looking to hitch your wagon to someone so you can finally say you’ve had something ‘produced’ or ‘optioned’ you’re doing it for the wrong reasons and it’ll show. Just about any produced writer (yes, I can say that my work has been ‘optioned,’ ‘bought,’ and ‘produced’ but I won’t say I speak for all) will tell you that there’s a certain amount of luck and having the right script at the right time in this business. They’ll also most likely share that there’s countless dozens of scripts by writers that haven’t sold anything or had anything produced that have more than one script that totally blows them away. Know in your heart of hearts that a good script doesn’t always get bought or produced and own it for what it is.

2. Do not co-write if you’re the type of person that doesn’t argue well or holds grudges. Just like every screenplay needs conflict, so do writers. Having a strength like structure or dialogue is fine but ultimately you have to bring your complete game to every script and so does your co-writer and inevitably there will be times when you disagree about a character, a joke in dialogue, a scene, or an ending. If you can’t argue for it and lose and be okay with it, then don’t waste the other person’s time. Creativity inherently wounds egos because no one loves everything. Accept going in that you’ll lose some battles and win some and the script will be better for it but if you hold a grudge — it’ll show in future exchanges and the script will suffer for it.

1. Do not co-write if you can’t accept a subordinate role sometimes. This is a rule to follow for relationships and marriages and careers in general. Let others take credit. Have enough self-esteem to know that your contribution to a project is valuable and it’s not all about you. One of my many hats is to work as a paralegal in a law firm. In many instances, I do the lawyers work for them (at a cheaper billable rate) and they simply review it and often present it to the client as their own — and that has to be okay with you. You have to accept that we all have different roles and times to shine. If you know you’re not the type of person that needs to be recognized or given credit or put on a pedestal, do not co-write but also — unless you’re producing and directing your own films, do not pursue screenwriting. In the film industry, even after the script is optioned or purchased and everyone loves it — it’ll be changed by countless others involved in the production. Have the internal fortitude to know that you’re not the chain, just a link.”

Next time, Rick will chime in with the 5 rules in favor of co-writing.  Stay tuned — and if you’re enjoying this blog, follow and share with your friends!

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The further adventures of the screenwriting and marketing process of Lake Regret wherein Gary Howell documents his and Rick Hansberry’s screenwriting adventures from concept, to the writing, to how they handle disagreements, to marketing the script. Reproduced with permission

Thanks to Kelly for the heads up on BlackkKlansman from ScriptSlug.

Check out more scripts on the Movie Script page.

Check out two new scripts up for award consideration – Sorry to Bother You (pdf) from Annapurna and A Quiet Place (pdf) from Paramount.

Find them all on the Screenplays Studios are Posting for Award Consideration page.

And

Over on the Original Scripts page are 28 original, unproduced scripts for your reading pleasure.

and lastly, tick, tock.

Get your One Week Challenge script in tonight. Hit the link for the deets.

– Don

In the previous post we talked about our method of outlining, which is to fall somewhere between the full-blown, no stone left unturned outline, and “we know the beginning and the end, let’s just write and see what happens” outline.  We have a generally good idea of where we wanted to go with it, and so we needed to do a broad brush painting of each act.

Pretty much 95% of the screenplays out there are in three acts.  You’ll see all these guidelines and screenwriting books that you must have three acts — it’s the way everyone does it.  The first act needs to be about 30 pages, they say, the second act about 40, and the final act around 25, give or take.  But if that doesn’t work for you, fine.  Write what works for you.  My only thing is that your story works, and you write it well.

If you are working in the three act structure, then the first act is for world-building.  We learn about the characters, what relationships they have, and the world in which they exist.  You also will typically will have what is known as the “inciting incident”, which pushes the protagonist into his or her story for the rest of the film.

With “Lake Regret” we will probably be following the three act structure, and so we need to do a little world building in the first draft of our outline.

We know we have our script set at a lake house, and we know a high school graduation party is going on throughout the film, so we have to start with getting our protagonist to the party, and introducing the main players (both the heroes and the villains) that will be driving the story.

We came up with five main characters and a couple of supporting characters to revolve the story around:

— Jimmy “Jinx” McCarthy,  our main protagonist.  Jinx is the kid that everyone used to like at his school, but ever since an accident caused the death of another student, he feels like he’s been shunned at the school, which may or may or not be imagined by Jinx.  He’s created a world in which he feels like everyone’s against him, and is determined to leave this small town he’s grown up in forever now that he’s graduated.

— Ellie Burton, Jinx’s friend and someone that Jinx has had a crush on for years.  She’s tried to build him up during his difficult time, but he’s still in a dark place.  Despite the crush Jinx has on her, she may have eyes for someone else.

— Tate Oliver, the person who knows Jinx better than anyone.  When he learns Jinx is trying to leave forever, he tries to be the voice of reason, and caution. But does Tate have an ulterior motive in keeping Jinx around?

— Hunter Callahan, who was a friend and football teammate of the student who died, and who is seeking revenge on Jinx.  The question is how far he will take that revenge.

— Cassie Wilbanks, an attractive student that flirts with Jinx throughout the party and may sabotage any chance of a relationship between Jinx and Ellie.

Now that we’ve outlined our main characters, we need them to start interacting.  Stay tuned to see where we take them…

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The further adventures of the screenwriting and marketing process of Lake Regret wherein Gary Howell documents his and Rick Hansberry’s screenwriting adventures from concept, to the writing, to how they handle disagreements, to marketing the script. Reproduced with permission

Write a 4 to 7 page (not including the title page) properly formatted short script.

Theme: “Creature Feature”
Genre: horror, thriller, suspense, noir, or keeping with the season
Rating: PG (no cursing or excessive violence)
Challenge: Create a three page comic. Each scene would be one panel of a comic. And there could be one to 7 panels per page. Visit HyperEpics.com to help you visualize your action slugs.

Submit your script anonymously to SimplyScripts.com/OWC

Notes to the writer: Be descriptive with the visual cues, but leave the artist some room for creative interpretation. Also, be mindful of space constraints. Avoid extended sequence of dialogue/narration so that you don’t overwhelm the images. You only have three pages at your disposal in the comic, so use page one as establishing the story, page two is where the action takes place, and the third page offers the conclusion. Surprise or twist endings will work well in this format.

Lastly – be bold. Don’t be constrained by budget as anything you imagine can be drawn into a comic format!

One script will be selected by HyperEpics.com from the pool of top Writer’s Choices to be translated into a comic.

Note: If your script is selected to be translated into a comic you agree to allow Hyper Epic and SimplyScripts to publish the visual representation of your script to their respective sites. The writer will still retain all rights to the submitted screenplay. Writer will be credited with “Story by”.

There will be a review page emailed to you for you to score the scripts you read. Please only give scores to scripts that you have read. Please do not rate scripts in your review.

Schedule:
Friday 10/12 – Theme and Genre release
Friday 10/19 – Scripts due 11:59 pm edt
Wednesday 10/24 – Writers Choice votes due
November 10 – Writers Choice and Hyper Epic’s choice revealed (

This isn’t a contest – it’s a challenge. There are no official prizes…

You may submit more than one script but it’s better to write one GREAT script than two or three mediocre ones. You may also have a writing partner.
You can revise your script as many times as you wish up until the deadline. Do not put your real name on your script – this is an anonymous challenge. However, please use your real name when submitting your script. After the challenge closes you can either have your script removed or resubmit your script with your name on it.

Participants are strongly encouraged to read and comment/review the other scripts submitted.

Please put © on your title page.

Best of luck and I hope everyone enjoys this challenge.

Talk about it on the Discussion Board

A Face To Die For (6 pages in pdf format) by Jean-Pierre Chapoteau

A man with the ability to make people laugh with a funny face finds his gift his worst nightmare when his loved ones suffer the consequences…

In A Face To Die For, Jeff has a secret weapon. A unique skill: His face is funny. Not just funny “ha ha”. Seriously funny – you could literally die laughing when Jeff pulls ‘his special face’ on you.

Which may sound dire… but it’s a skill that gets Jeff out of any scrape:

• Can’t pay the rent? Pull the face.
• Is a cop approaching your vehicle – speeding ticket in his hand? No problem. Pull the face.
• Didn’t finish your work? Performance evaluations are due. And the dreaded Boss is on your case? Easy peasy. Pull the face.

You get the idea. Jeff gets what he wants, when he wants. All due to that simple, secret gift.

But what does Jeff want most? To make his girlfriend Yhanna and her young daughter Betty happy all the time. So Jeff pulls ‘the face’ every day, in order to keep them amused… until one terrible day when tragedy strikes. Leaving Jeff to realize: power is no laughing matter. Not when lives are at stake.

Which leaves Jeff to make hard decisions in his life. What should he do to protect himself? And the ones he loves most of all?

Written by Jean-Pierre Chapoteau, A Face to Die For has an awesome hook. Wow, is this a doozy! If you know – or consider yourself – a young Jim Carrey, imagine the possibilities! A talented actor could bring brilliance to this performance – and the script itself is razor sharp. So don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. Get to reading A Face to Die For. Now!

Production: Minimal. 4 main speaking parts (and extras for the montage).

About the Writer: Jean-Pierre Chapoteau started writing feature-length scripts in 2005, then focused on shorts in 2009. Since then he’s had three scripts produced and two more optioned. He has won several awards for his shorts and has become a moderator at the site MoviePoet, who specialize in the craft of the short scripts. Jean-Pierre was a finalist in the RAW TALENT Competition for his faith-based feature-length script: ‘Far From Perfect.’ And was also a semi-finalist in the SLAMDANCE teleplay competition and a finalist in the OBSWRITER teleplay contest for his adapted teleplay, Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Guardian. You can contact Jean-Pierre Chapoteau at: jeanpierre425 (a) gmail.com

Read A Face To Die For (6 pages in pdf format)

This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.

Find more scripts available for production

About the Reviewer: Elaine Clayton is a London-based screenwriter, who has written several well-received shorts and is currently working on her first feature length scripts. Comfortable in a broad range of genres, Elaine has an innate sense of structure and arc development. Contact her at Elaine_clayton (AT) Hotmail(.)co(.)uk