by John | Jul 20, 2018 | Deutsch (Neuigkeiten), Our Winners, Results, WMC, WriteMovies News
We are delighted to announce the Quarter-Finalists for our Spring 2018 Screenwriting Contest! And even more importantly, our next two winners…
There have been a lot of great scripts for us to read for this contest, especially with our extended late entry running into June! The competition has been especially fierce, and we’ve enjoyed judging all the scripts we were sent.
So congratulations to our Spring 2018 Quarter-Finalists! Each script here deservedly advances in the contest. We’ll be giving every last one of them a fresh read as we consider which ones will make the Semi-Finals…
With so much competition this time around, a number of promising writers have unfortunately missed out – so don’t feel down if you’re one of them. A lot of the scripts that didn’t make it were strong contenders with a lot of positive features.
If you’d like to know why your script placed where it did, and how to take it to the next level, commission a Script Report from us to get a professional analyst’s opinion on what’s currently working and what’s holding it back. We provide large numbers of studio-quality Script Reports for writers and producers every year – and as an added bonus, you’ll get free entry into our next main contest!
Alternatively, check out our Elite Mentoring service: invaluable one-to-one advice from actual Hollywood producers and studio execs!
See the full list of Quarter-Finalists below… but first, here are the winners of Best Book and Best Stageplay!
BEST BOOK: BLUT WIRD FLIEßEN, by Urs Aebersold
BEST STAGEPLAY: THE CRACK IN PEGGY SUE’S FLOOR, by John Woodard
Hearty congratulations to them and everyone else who is still in the running for our other prizes! We’ll be in touch with them soon about their winnings…
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Quarter-Finalists |
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| BLUT WIRD FLIEßEN, Urs Aebersold |
REMOTELY WORKING, William Baber |
NICKERBACHER, Terry Barto |
| THE DAWN OF EVE, James Bingham |
HOPE IS NOT A BLACK AND WHITE RAINBOW, Harold L. Brown |
ROLL WITH IT, Rosie Byrnes |
| PARDON MY GENDER: SUCH A FARCE!, Bob Canning |
LOVERS IN PARIS, Andy Conway |
UNE CHANCE POUR GUÉRIR, Christine de Chauvelin |
| LES NIOCKS, Edith Devillet |
THE GOOD CITIZEN, Joel Doty |
RELENTLESS, Jay Fisher |
| OPERATION BORTHER SAM, Gustavo Freitas |
THE LAST KING OF AMERICA, Richard Guimond |
BIG BALLS aka FUTUREBALL, Richard Guimond |
| ON THE SPARROW, RW Hahn |
SHOOTING ANGELS, RW Hahn |
RACE, Justin Jackson |
| THE HAPPY PLACE, Justin Jackson |
THE BROKEN CYPHER, Justin Jackson |
SOUL OF AN EMPIRE, Ryan Jaroncyk |
| VIVA – A COLDPLAY MUSICAL, Ines Jimenez |
HOLLYWOOD’S MOST WANTED: I’M READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP, ESE, Manny Jimenez Sr. |
CHILDREN OF EDEN, Raymond A. Just |
| THE SAX, Pascal Kulcsar |
CHARMER, David Kurtz |
THE HEART OF A TIGER, SreyRam Kuy (book and screenplay) |
| MANHATTAN MARILYN, Philippe Laguerre (book and screenplay) |
THE UNDERTAKER’S CHILDREN, Natasha Le Petit |
INSPIRED, David Lawrence Lynch |
| HOBBY AND FITZ, James Milton |
WHEN I WAS A CHILD, T. L. Needham |
WINDSPIRIT, Paul Penley |
| THE SHADOW OF DHARMA, Mark Perlick |
THE ARIZONA BALLOON BUSTER, Mark Perlick and Steven Pripps |
THE MYTHICAL GOLDEN TROUT, Craig Peters |
| MAUDITE ÉQUATION, Joel Prost |
WHATEVER IT TAKES, Robin Regensburg |
THE LAST JOURNEY OF NOAH, Mark Rigoglioso |
| PERISH, Mike Rogers |
IMMORTALIZING RAYMOND, James Rosenfield |
FIRE ON THE ISLAND, Timothy Smith |
| DESERT RUN, Christopher Thomas |
THE LOST OPERA, Rachel, Thomas-Medwid |
THE ELECTRIC WAR, Arthur Tiersky |
| THE CRACK IN PEGGY SUE’S FLOOR, John Woodard |
KLONDIKE MIKE, Thomas Zmiarovich |
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by John | Jul 16, 2018 | Our Winners, Updates
We recently announced the winning script in this brand new category: BIG BALLS aka FUTUREBALL by Richard Guimond!
A big congratulations to Richard for being the very first winner of Best Video Game Script – he now receives a copy of our Confidential Studio Manual and exclusive previews of our Virtual Film School.
Read on to find out about the winning script: BIG BALLS aka FUTUREBALL!
Here’s Richard’s summary of his script…
“A Whole New Ballgame: A 21st Century sport, utilizing an incredible history-making vehicle. A classic underdog, Rocky-themed script that levels the playing field for men, women, and teenagers. Will the Reynolds family bring this revolutionary new sport to fruition? With big business stealing their Futureball concept away from them, this script charts their battle with this business entity, as well as their family adventures and comical mis-adventures in launching this new sport of man and machine.”
And a short biography of Richard too…
“I am a former deep sea fisherman, and award winning screenwriter and novelist. I have won over thirty-five awards including but not limited to from Grand Prize, Gold, Silver, and Finalist for many of my screenplay works in adult fiction. Over the last few years, I have won seven Finalist Awards and a Special Jury Award from The West Field Screenplay Competition for METACOMET. I also won First Place in The Kids First Media Competition at the Santa Fe Film Festival for my Family PG Screenplay titled: FUTUREBALL aka BIG BALLS, which now has won WriteMovies competition in their Video Game category.
I began my fishing and writing career at an early age. I started with a small skiff which eventually grew into a fleet of one hundred foot vessels, engaged in the trapping of offshore lobsters on the virgin Continental Shelf. At the time, I was the youngest fisherman in New England to venture out into this no-man’s land of risky, profitable opportunity. On the high seas, I did battle with competitive fishing fleets, stormy weather, winter nor’easters and cranky crews. Some of my novels and screenplays have captured some of those incredible adventures. I have written Fifteen Screenplays, Six Novels, and a Stage Play.”
If you’ve got a great idea for a video game script, check out our Elite Mentoring service. Mark Brendan, our Video Games and Board Games Elite Mentor, can give you valuable advice that will help you develop your script to its maximum potential.
Take a look at Mark’s profile here!
by WriteMovies | Jul 7, 2018 | Our Winners, Updates
We’re really pleased to announce the first winner from our Spring 2018 Contest – and the first winner for our newest category, the Best Video Game Script! Video games are a huge and growing market, and often cost as much as the biggest movies to make. Their scope and scriptwriting are often as intricate as the best movie scripts, and on a much bigger scale. We wanted to offer a new prize for video game scripts to reward writers who can see the potential of that market for writers and who can stake a claim to it. (more…)
by John | Apr 27, 2018 | Highlights, Our Winners, Updates
After praising Second and Third Placed David Kurtz and Simon Bowler, we finally get to our Winter 2018 Writing Contest Grand Prize Winner. And again, it’s a writer who’s come back to us, improved, and won!
It’s been two years since Tyler True won the monthly contest for his script LOVE IS SOMEWHERE ELSE. He’s been improving as a writer all that time and has finally reached the pinnacle of his career – winning the Grand Prize in WriteMovies’ Winter 2018 contest! (We’re joking, of course, but still a great achievement.)
It’s been great to see Tyler’s progress over the past couple of years and we’re delighted that he, David, and Simon have all improved upon previous placements. So proud…
Here’s Tyler’s reaction to his big win…
“I am so incredibly grateful to all of you for this prize! I think I was even sleeping with a smile on my face, which hasn’t left since I woke up. It’s just so fulfilling to realize that somebody else sees the same potential in this script that I do. I can’t wait to sharpen this up and take it to the industry!”
Here’s a little bio on Tyler…
“I’ve had various jobs on the ocean, such as a tug boat driver and commercial scuba diver, led me to the other end of the spectrum and into the skies. After serving 5 years as a pilot in the Canadian Air Force, and completing a degree in Psychology, I decided to quit the military and follow my passion to be a writer. Four years of full time writing, while working sparingly as a diver, has resulted in numerous screenplays and an autobiographical book about my debaucherous and adventure filled life.”
And here’s the logline to Tyler’s winning script, SLAVE SHIP:
A devout African man chooses to work on a slave ship in order to ensure the safe passage of other Africans sold into slavery.
There’s only one way for you to see if you’ll be our next Grand Prize winner. Take a chance with our Spring contest now!
by John | Apr 23, 2018 | Our Winners, Updates
We continue our celebration of our Winter 2018 Writing Contest top three winners – who all improved on previous placements.
Last time we commended Simon Bowler, who broke into the top three for the first time after winning two special TV awards. (Check out that article here.)
Today, it’s all about David Kurtz – our Summer 2017 Contest Third Placed winner who re-entered the Winter 2018 Contest to finish in Second Place!
We’re sure our previous Development Notes prizes have helped David out (we’ll let him tell you all about that, though!) but this is a great example of how every draft and version of your script will improve – so never give up!
Here’s what David said about his Second Placed finish…
“Doing well at the WriteMovies Screenwriting Competition brings great rewards – and you don’t have to win! 2nd and 3rd place receive the highest quality script Development Notes (+ INKTIP freebies!) – notes that have the ring of screenwriting experience and authenticity. Their readers really work at understanding what your script is all about – to you!
They not only make detailed proofreading corrections – but they offer suggestions that make you feel like you have a co-writer. For me, the most important help I’ve gotten is to give me the courage to edit – to remove scenes and dialogue I loved but knew deep down didn’t serve to move the story forward. (I save all the edited cuts to possibly be used in another story – this makes letting go easier.)
I assume that most writers (like me) are on a tight budget, but I would suggest saving money on lesser competitions to use on these amazing Development Notes. If you move up toward the top they will be free!”
Here’s a little background on David:
“I retired to Northern California from Massachusetts several years ago and took up writing screenplays – not golf. I’m a “gen Boomer” devotee of 1930s to 1950s movies that feature dialogue, romance, and humor. I naturally tend to write contemporary takes in those genres that might appeal to younger audiences as well as all age groups.
My writing education has been limited to basic composition at college, a creative writing class with a Tufts University professor and a beginner’s screenwriting course at Santa Rosa Junior College. CHARMER is my first “completed” script.”
And here’s the logline to David’s winning script, CHARMER:
A burned-out middle-aged accountant and a young daredevil woman put their polar opposite lifestyles aside when they team up on dangerous hostage-rescue mission.
Check out our script mentoring services for yourself. You could improve your script AND gain free entry into our Spring 2018 Writing Contest. View our services here…
by John | Apr 20, 2018 | Highlights, Our Winners
The Winter 2018 Writing Contest was a special one for us as we saw 3 previous winners all improve on past results! We had a previous Monthly Contest winner win the Grand Prize, a former third placed winner came in second, and an Honorable Mention and TV award winner broke into the top three.
Today, you get to meet the Third placed winner of our Winter 2018 Writing Contest Simon Bowler. Simon won the first ever “Best Teleplay and pilot award for Summer 2017. Then he won it again for the Winter Contest AND came Third overall!
A testament to Simon, and how well he used our past Development Notes prizes to improve on his previous draft.
Here’s what Simon said about his Third Placed finish…
“With WriteMovies development notes I was able to climb up from semi-finalist to finalist, to a being a winner three times in a row, which has been an extraordinary validation of my writing and has been hugely encouraging. I now look forward to working with WriteMovies to the hone the script, a pilot for a mini-series, into the best iteration possible, and to start focussing on how to market the project. The writing process, as any writer knows, is a lonely one, so to have the recognition of a triple win with WriteMovies and their continued support will make that journey all the more bearable, and hopefully, successful.”
Here’s some background on Simon:
“Originally from London, where he produced documentary films for the BBC and Channel 4, Simon has spent over twenty years in Los Angeles producing, writing and directing television docs and reality shows. Simon recently switched to drama and besides the multiple award-winning “Insurrection” mini-series (of which he’s written three episodes), he has written two award-winning plays (both at this year’s Austin Film Fest), a feature film, and is developing a classic horror anthology TV series.”
And here’s the logline to Simon’s winning script, INSURRECTION:
INSURRECTION tells the interwoven stories of three men – a farmer, a slave and a senator – whose dangerous battles against slavery led to the American Civil War. Farmer John Brown, slave Frederick Douglass, and Senator Stephen A. Douglas.
With two television awards up for grabs in our Spring 2018 Writing Contest, the chances of your pilot script winning has never been higher… enter here.
by John | Mar 16, 2018 | Highlights, Our Winners, Results, Updates, WMC, WriteMovies News
The results are in… Winter 2018 Screenwriting Contest winners are revealed below!
Another contest complete, another group of winners revealed. We’ve seen the growth and improvement in many writers who have submitted – something that is reflected by the results! Thank you to all of you who entered for making our jobs of judging the scripts enjoyable.
We strongly encourage you to take advantage of our script consultancies to find out why your script placed where it did. Our top 3 now get those for free for the next year!
Here’s what our Top 3 win…
- Cash prize of $2000 for our Grand Prize Winner
- The 3 winners will receive one year free of script development and mentoring.
- We’ll also pitch and promote the scripts to the top of the film industry. Remind yourself what makes for winning writing HERE.
- Plus, exclusive prizes from InkTip – an InkTip Script Listing and the winning scripts’ loglines will be featured in InkTip’s Magazine, read by thousands of writers and producers.
CONGRATULATIONS to SLAVE SHIP by Tyler True for winning the Winter 2018 Screenwriting Competition!
A great win for Tyler for this excellent script about harrowing history and inspirational change. Tyler now takes home those wonderful prizes listed above. But we must also congratulate…
Second Placed Winner, CHARMER by David Kurtz – David has improved on his Third Placed finish in our Summer contest and was so close to taking home the main prize! Good job, David!
Third Placed Winner, INSURRECTION by Simon Bowler. Another win for Simon following on from his “Best Teleplay” win – another script that has continued to improve over multiple submissions!
And, of course, a special congrats to our Honorable Mentions: NEW REALITY by Carolyn Kras, MAGIC MAN by Norma Hickox, THE CRAWL-UP by Gabriell DeBear Paye, VALENTYNE by Dashiell Finley, THE DAWN OF EVE by James Bingham, A Shadow in Space by Bryan Reilly, and THE FOURTH COURIER by TIMOTHY JAY SMITH.
A very well done to everyone named here and the many other impressive scripts we read this time round. It’s been a tough field to choose from!
We’ll be telling you all about our winners in the coming weeks, and getting their script development phase underway.
Head to our Facebook page and our Twitter feed to congratulate our top three winners and Honorable Mentions yourself!
