Silver Screenwriting

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Ladies and gentlemen, here are the top ten finalists for the 2010 Silver Screenwriting Competition. Kudos to everyone on this list and even to those who didn’t make it up from the semi-finals. There are some great scripts here and it was really tough to narrow the list down. Congratulations to everyone!

Bank Robbing for Dummies by Robert Keith Watson
Blue Lady by Ron Cecchini
The Doll by Rich Figel
Paraplizzle by R. Ian Simpson
Stowaways by Daniel Wasserman
Terra Incognita by Tess Ortbals and JR Burningham
The Cows by Scott Donnelly and Joe Douglass
The Fix by Ryan Jackson
The Jack Johnson Story by Joseph Puterbaugh
The Jupiter Syndrome by Christine Downs

The big day has arrived and after hours of reading and discussing and being amazed by our top choices, we have decided upon the grand prize, 2nd place and 3rd place winners.

Beneath each title, I’ve written my brief thoughts on why the script wound up where it did. Mind you, this material is owned by the individual writers, so no, I cannot publish or distribute the scripts. If you are a producer, director, agent or manager, please contact me and I’ll put you in touch with the writers directly. Everybody else – comments here are welcomed!

Grand Prize
Paraplizzle by R. Ian Simpson, of Cincinnati, Ohio (with short term plans to relocate to LA!)
When brilliant high school wallflower Vanessa is involved in a devastating car accident, she is left permanently paralyzed below the waist. In a cruel twist-of-fate, her best and only friend walks away with only scratches. Setting out on a perilous, sensual coming-of-age journey, Vanessa becomes a reckless rebel, obsessed with the notion of what now seems unobtainable–having an orgasm. Yet in order to rekindle the relationship with her body that she has always taken for granted, the 16-year old must be willing to brave more than the troubled waters of her contemporary suburbia…she must also be willing to court forgiveness of her best friend–and herself–in a story that redefines what it truly means to ‘feel’…

Paraplizzle is an astounding read. Ian’s ability to write the main character in all her confusion and glory is absolutely spectacular. Character work, dialogue, structure and depth of meaning… this script has it all and more. It’s a magical read that leaves you changed.

2nd Place
Bank Robbing for Dummies by Robert Keith Watson, of Los Angeles, California
J.D.’s first attempt at a bank robbery doesn’t go so well. Just as he and his buddies, Boomer and Dumbshit, draw their weapons, another gang (led by the incredibly hot Brenda), comes in and robs it first. J.D. goes after her to get the money back, but finds himself falling in love with her. They join forces for another robbery, but Brenda dumps J.D. when he gets cold feet and wants out of a life of crime. When J.D. finds out the law is closing in on Brenda, he hatches a risky scheme to hijack the bank job they planned together, and escape with her to Mexico.

Bank Robbing for Dummies is hysterical. A Bonnie and Clyde for the millennials, this simple story with complex characters has a great narrative build and endearing characters you’ll never forget. The dialogue ROCKS, the love story is perfect and the script makes you laugh – and feel – at the same time.

3rd Place
The Blue Lady by Ron Cecchini, of West Roxbury, Massachusetts
After a faithless homicide detective tracks his wife’s shadowy killer to the mean streets of Miami, he finds himself caught in the middle of a supernatural battle, and struggles to overcome his unbelief and find the homeless girl who holds key information and protect her from the dark forces who want her dead.

The Blue Lady is a gripping thriller set in the humid, hot world of Miami and South Beach. The main character suffers a poignant heartbreak and his search for the reasons why are compelling; we root for him every step of the way. A supernatural mystery with a great payoff, The Blue Lady is written with heart, heart, heart. And lots of exciting action.

The writers will be receiving their prizes asap, and Ian is queued up to come out to LA, meet Shane Black and hang out for a week taking meetings with people in the position to get him read and maybe even repped. Thank everybody for participating this year and to the winners I want to say thank you. Thank you for your beautiful writing. You totally effing entertained not only me but all the judges on the way up. You reminded me, in a timely way, why I love my job.

Hello, everyone. For any of you who may be following the online controversy, aspersion has been cast upon the first round judging criteria and methodology of The Silver Screenwriting Competition. Some of the rumors have been wild and some wildly inaccurate but the bottom line is with a competition that has grown as quickly as ours has, we do need to take a look at methods to depersonalize and mechanize the first round judging. We’ve gone from a very mom and pop business to one much, much larger and comprehensive. With that growth comes more responsibility and constant re-evaluation of how we get our judging done.

It doesn’t matter how these rumors got started, by whom or for what reason, what matters is that I am the boss and I take responsibility for what is said – good and bad. I stand by my competition, my script coverage business, each and every reader and judge that I employ. I only work with the best and the long history and reputation we have at The Script Department attests to that.

But one thing is crystal clear: The Silver Screenwriting Competition has grown exponentially and it’s time for us to address first round judging in a new way. Anyone who has spent two minutes or less with me personally knows that I am a professional and one of the kindest, most honest people you will ever meet in your life. Unfair and untrue accusations hurt more for that reason. But I do see that mistakes were made and I do not shy away from my responsibility to every writer who submitted.

If you have concerns about the competition, you are welcome to call my private office number 323-300-6051 between the hours of 10am and 4pm Mon-Fri and have a dialogue with me. If any entrant would like a full refund, you will receive it promptly. If you would like to send me your script and discuss it over the phone or Skype, I am at your service.

Please email me personally (I will be out of town from September 2nd through the 6th for the Labor Day weekend, however).

We are announcing the top ten scripts tomorrow, on schedule, and each and every one of us here, but primarily me, Julie Gray wants to let you know that we run this competition with heart and integrity and if a reader was publicly bitter about the process, if some of you have been misled to think that your entry fee is a coverage fee rather than an administrative fee, it is my responsibility to make that right. It is more important to me to run both my personal and business affairs with integrity than it is to wonder who is saying what and what their agenda is. I have one agenda. To do right by every writer who entered. I do not give credence to malicious rumor, only to the essence hidden within them – something needs to change.

Again, please call or email me for a full refund or with any questions or concerns you may have.

Hello, everybody. Just to let you know, we will be announcing the top ten finalists in the Silver Screenwriting Competition on September 1st. We have some incredible scripts here and we want to take the extra time to make some tough decisions.

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By Jen Grisanti

To help you understand how to write log lines for your life, let’s dissect a log line from the movie, Pretty Woman: “A cutthroat businessman who wants to remain detached needs a date for some social engagements, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets… only to fall in love.”

This log line sets up the dilemma while making us feel empathy for the central character with the words, “A cutthroat businessman who wants to remain detached needs a date for some social engagements….” Then, it gives us the action that he takes, “and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets….” The irony is the goal: “fall in love” is completely the opposite of what he set out to do.

One log line for my life is, “When a work obsessed corporate executive experiences a perceived fall from grace when she is told that her contract is not being renewed, she is forced to turn her plan B into her plan A and discovers that her plan B was her plan A all along.” The set up of the central character is, “When a work obsessed corporate executive….” The dilemma is, “experiences a perceived fall from grace when she is told that her contract is not being renewed….” This is becoming a life experience for millions. The dilemma is prevalent. What do we do when our “moment,” which we’ve worked for all of our life, ends? The action is represented with “She is forced to turn her plan B into her plan A.” Many of us can connect with the idea that life takes a turn and we are forced to design a new plan. After this happens, many of us discover that the universe nudged us because it was our time. The goal is “and discovers that her plan B was her plan A all along.” This is utilizing irony as well. This is very universal. We can go back to our core and figure out what made us happy about doing our jobs in the first place. Then, we can design a new plan.

By writing theses types of log lines, you can find your truth. By finding your truth, you can write story from an authentic place. This will help you to identify your voice.

Next, I believe that writing a strong log line for your script, creating a powerful dilemma and having it stem into a clear goal will make your story work in the best way possible.

“How can a writer write a memorable spec script that helps get them staffed? Why is it so hard to write a TV pilot script that could not only help to get you noticed, but could sell? Teaching the writer to write a standout TV spec script and pilot script is my goal.

It is harder now than ever to get your scripts to land at the top of the pile. I have always believed that strong writing will rise. I have helped launch countless writing careers. While doing so, I have noticed some commonalities in the writers who make it. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is belief in self and a burning desire to make it happen.

If the writer starts their career with purpose, puts the work into writing the strongest scripts possible, learns the craft of storytelling and envisions success, it will happen. Learning the craft is the part that takes time and dedication. A large part of what I teach is getting the writer to draw from their truth and fictionalize it into their writing. I wrote a book, Story Line: Finding The Gold In Your Life Story that heavily explores this philosophy. It comes out in March of 2011. Guiding writers to understand this concept and a breakthrough method for constructing strong story that I’ve discovered has garnered big results.”

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We’ll be bringing you Jen’s guide in daily chunks over the next couple of weeks. For those entering the Golden Age of Television competition, this will be invaluable, practical help.