by Phil Parker

Most will tell you that there are only half a dozen or so that are worth the price of admission- The Nicholl Fellowships, the Austin Screenwriter’s Festival, Scriptpipeline, the Page Awards, Zoetrope, Big Break, etc. Winning or placing highly in any of these top tier competitions can be an express pass to the front of the ‘career in screenwriting’ queue. It’s no wonder they get six to seven thousand entries each year! Everybody wants that golden ticket!

What about all the other contests though? A quick look at FilmFreeway or Withoutabox, two services that help you submit to festivals and competitions, and you’ll see HUNDREDS of them! Are they a waste of time and money?

No, I don’t think so. Let me use myself as an example.

Everybody wants that golden ticket!

My WWII script, ‘The Third Bomb’ is currently on the competition circuit and doing quite well, however it has not placed in any of the top tier contests that I have entered so far. That’s a bummer for sure, but it has been a finalist multiple times and won a couple of awards in others, which is great. Unfortunately, nothing has eventuated yet as a direct result of that, which is also a bummer, but…

…it is because of the unforeseen consequences of these results that I am excited.

When ‘The Third Bom’ started doing well in this contest or that, I would send a modest email to some friends at work, wanting to share my relief and joy. The word started to get around and soon my boss found out. Suddenly his attitude towards me changed. My stock had just gone up a few points! I was on his radar again and he started to give me more opportunities at work.

My stock had just gone up a few points!

Where, before, I saw only disappointment in missing out on certain contests, I now saw a reason to celebrate the success that I did have. I was seeing real world results for my efforts. I then posted the good news about my script on social media sites as well and eventually got an offer from someone I knew to do paid freelance work as a marketing blogger!

My journey with this, my first script, is not over yet, but so far it has given me cred in ways I never expected. My work colleges, friends and family all look at me a little bit differently now. It has reinvigorated me to keep going, to write another script, but also to keep an eye out for broader opportunities. Success can come in many different forms.

Was entering the ‘best of the rest’ as far as competitions are concerned worth it?

I’d say, yes. 

-Phillip Parker

Phil Parker

Screenwriter Phil Parker has written screenplays for directors and producers around the world. His highly awarded spec script ‘The Third Bomb’ is currently under option with BAFTA-winning producer Sias Wilson. Phil also has many years of experience writing scripts for original content and promos at the BBC, where he won a coveted Global Excellence Promax BDA Award for ‘Frontline War’.

www.storiesbyphil.com

by Danny Manus

This is the wrong way to enter contests.

I’ve been a judge for the Page Awards for three years and I’ve had numerous clients win or be finalists in major contests including Page Awards, Austin Film Fest, Scriptapalooza, the Disney/ABC Fellowship, LA Scriptfest, and (the now defunct) CS Expo. So, can I help? Sure. But can we totally fix your script 3 days before the deadline? No.

Especially with contests as big as Nicholls, Page and Big Break, where there are thousands of submissions, you need to take it seriously! And there are certain things you need to think about when entering any contests:

1. Prestige
2. Payoff
3. Readiness/Preparedness
4. Genre

Prestige means – enter those contests that actually mean something. Enter ones that have a great reputation, that get great media exposure, whose winners get into the trades, whose winners get HIRED and REP’D, whose finalists get optioned, ones that are nationally recognized and get more than 500 submissions. Do you know what it means to be a semifinalist in a contest that only has 500 submissions? NOTHING.

And enter ones that mean something in a query letter if you win. Enter ones where the judge of all the winners isn’t the ONE guy holding the contest. I’ve said it plenty of times, there are only about 10-15 contests that mean anything to Hollywood, including the ones mentioned above. Do your due diligence before shelling out $30, 40, 50, 60 bucks year after year.

Payoff means the prize is worth it. Now, this may be subjective. Maybe you really need that iPad, or really want that steak dinner and $500 bucks. If so, great. But if I was paying to enter a contest, the payoff better be ACCESS. Yes, a cash prize is awesome and makes you feel like you actually earned money doing what you love – and that’s a great feeling. But the key to a great contest is one that is either going to help you vastly improve your writing or get you access to people and players or meetings that can actually help your career and get you exposure.

There are thousands of submissions, you need to take it seriously!

Entering a contest just to get feedback from anonymous “readers” who are paid $20 bucks to write a paragraph about your script is just a stupid idea. You enter contests to WIN them. If you want feedback and notes, pay a consultant that you can have a 1-on-1 (and not anonymous) relationship with who can walk you through where your script needs improving. I’m not saying there aren’t contests that give great notes and that it’s not a nice bonus, but it shouldn’t be the reason you enter one.

The third step is Readiness and Preparedness. And this one has nothing to do with the contests – it’s all about YOU! I want to give you just a little glimpse into Nicholls. Last year there were 7,197 screenplays submitted (a new record). There were 368 quarterfinalists (about 5% of all submissions), then 129 semi-finalists (almost all of which got script requests), and then 10 finalists and 5 winners. So, just to get any notice by Hollywood, your script and writing has to be in the top 368 scripts out of over 7,000.

Do you REALLY think your first or second draft is going to be good enough to do that? Do you really think that a script that you RUSHED to rewrite in a week is going to fare well? Let me tell you – it won’t.

If your script isn’t truly ready to compete against THOUSANDS of others, then don’t submit it just because there’s a deadline. Wait until next year, or the next contest. Some contests do allow you to submit a new draft after the first round, but you still have to make it past that first round!
Rewriting is a process that, when done right, should take more than a week for most. Are there exceptions and writers who can totally rewrite a script in a week? Sure. But most of them are trained, professional writers who know the tricks to rewriting or at least have been doing this a while. If you’re a new writer, your rewrite period will probably last months. Most non-professional writers aren’t actually rewriting- they are doing what I call polite polishes. Some consultant told you the characters weren’t developed enough, so you stick 2 lines of backstory on page 21 and suddenly you think you’ve rewritten your script. You haven’t.

Rewriting is a process by which you re-examine everything and often eliminate or rework core parts of your script. Polishing is a process by which you just make the writing and characters and action shine a bit more. Polishing can be done in a week. Rewriting usually cannot be. And if you’re asking for notes from a consultant with 2 or 3 weeks to go before the deadline, that will only leave you a few DAYS to rewrite your script. This is what’s called – a bad strategy. You want to give yourself a solid month to get feedback, rewrite and review your script if you can.

Do you REALLY think your first or second draft is going to be good enough to do that?

Writing to a deadline is great – it’s usually the only motivation that will get me to write. However, while contests may be a great way to break in as a first timer, they are not for beginners. There’s a big difference between beginners and first timers. If this is your first draft of your first script, do NOT bother entering it into contests. You’re wasting your money. That’s not what these contests are for! Just keep working on it, rewriting it, polishing it, learning from it. Then 10 drafts from now, maybe it will be ready for a contest.

And finally, you need to think about Genre. The TYPE of script you’re writing and the type of contest in which it will succeed. Not every script is a Nicholls script! If you’ve got a raunchy teen sex comedy or a run-of-the-mill woman in jeopardy thriller or torture porn or slasher horror or an epic sci-fi action movie – Nicholls probably isn’t what you should be spending time on. Nicholls is looking for more PRESTIGE projects, stories where character and voice stand out. Over 50 percent of applicants last year entered drama scripts, which interesting enough made for only about 15% of all spec sales.

You should be looking at contests that are either broken up by genre (like Page Awards), or contests that are specific to your genre. There are some great genre contests out there specifically for horror, sci-fi, fantasy, etc. Look at the past winners of the big contests and see what types of projects did well and judge accordingly.

I’m not here to tell you which contests to enter, or which ones I love the most. I’m here to impress upon you that just because there is a contest, it doesn’t mean you need to enter it. And if you’re going to enter it, make sure your script is in its best shape possible to stand out and WIN.

– Danny Manus

Danny Manus is one of the most in-demand script consultants as CEO of No BullScript Consulting and author of “No B.S. for Screenwriters: Advice from the Executive Perspective.”

Danny is also a producer, a columnist for ScriptMag, a judge four years running for the PAGE Awards, and teaches seminars and workshops across the country. You can follow him on Twitter @DannyManus.

by Hayley McKenzie

While it might incentivize a new writer to finally finish the script that might otherwise languish incomplete for years, it is also in danger of encouraging them to send off a script before it is ready.

My advice is to see writing competitions as just a part of your overall strategy to further your writing career. Some competitions may be better suited to you than others. Moviebytes have a great system of rating US competitions and while we don’t have anything quite like that in the UK, you can ask around (Twitter, Facebook, etc) and find out what experiences others have had who may have submitted to the competition in previous years.

Some competitions may be better suited to you than others.

The other great way to judge a competition is by its judges. This element, far more than any cash prize, is where the real value lies in submitting to some writing competitions. You may be desperate to get your script into the hands of a particular executive at a particular production company or studio because you are sure your script is right up their street BUT they don’t take unsolicited submissions BUT said executive is on the judging panel of an open writing competition.

The other great way to judge a competition is by its judges.

If your script is good enough, it will end up being read by them and you’ve brought yourself to the attention of someone who might genuinely be able to progress your career.

As with every other element of breaking into screenwriting (approaching production companies, getting an agent) make sure you DO YOUR HOMEWORK! The rest is down to the brilliance of your writing and your determination.

– Hayley McKenzie

Photo Credits: Stock XChng, Hayley McKenzie

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au