by John | May 11, 2018 | Competition Offers, Highlights, Updates, WMC, WriteMovies News
We’re looking for a script for a two-time Academy nominee and two-time BAFTA award-winning director – and submitting your VFX-driven script to our Spring contest can make it yours! Habib Zargarpour has worked with Spielberg, Lucas, Cameron and Villeneuve, on movies that countless millions of people have seen – and soon your script could join them. We’re looking for a great commercial script for him to work with, and if you submit to our Spring 2018 contest, you will be in the running for that opportunity.
As we’ll tell you very soon, Habib and our founder Alex have been getting a lot of success in recent meetings with senior Hollywood execs about their next crossover project, and yours could be next! We’ve introduced many new categories to the Spring 2018 – long and short form TV pilots, indie and studio scripts, and video game scripts. Inspired by this opportunity, we will be giving a special recognition to the Best VFX Driven Script that we receive. There’s no special prize – just kudos – but if Habib loves it then we CAN make this happen.
Award-winning VFX expert Habib Zargarpour
What we want is the script where VFX can help drive the plot, the characters, and the script as a whole. We don’t want style over substance, we want style to give substance! We’re looking for a VFX-driven script with crossover potential to make an awesome video game. The director of this project, Habib Zargarpour (find out more about him in THESE past interviews, and in more articles we’ll publish soon!) has been VFX consultant on lots of major movies and major video games including 007 and NEED FOR SPEED titles – so we have the potential to take this to both markets, which is exactly what Habib and Alex have been doing for another project in Hollywood in the last few days – as we’ll be telling you next week!
So polish up that movie script you thought would be too expensive for anyone to make, and get it to us NOW!
Enter HERE!
by John | May 11, 2018 | Updates, WriteMovies News
After spending just over two years with us, we give our thanks to Jamie White as he pursues pastures new…
It’s been a great couple of years with WriteMovies. I came across their 8-week virtual internship by chance, and that was the portal to so many opportunities, some I wouldn’t have even thought about!
I’ve had the chance to work on script consultancies, pitching materials, meet producers, work on a couple of film projects, write reviews, Insights articles, and, of course, converse with a load of you writers!
Before I sign off, I thought I’d share a few of my highlights from the past couple of years – not all my work, but some real great stuff.
INSIGHTS: Genre and what it really tells us. This is one of the first articles Ian Kennedy wrote while I was training as a script analyst. I love a good chat on genre, what makes a genre, semantics, syntactics. But this article really helped me to understand the pragmatics of genre (bloody Altman…) and it’s such a good guide for how you should be writing your genre script.Check it out here!- GAME OF THRONES Season 7 Review. After a little while, and quite a few script consultancies, I got more chances to write reviews and critical pieces for the site. My GAME OF THRONES season 7 review was one of my earlier reviews, but I think still one of my faves. I got to review one of my favorite shows (though probably its worst season) AND revealed one of my very own conspiracy theories – that Sony were releasing trash like THE EMOJI MOVIE to deter hackers – tell me that doesn’t make sense!Check out my GoT ramblings here.
Writing for Video Games Articles. From one of my first, to one of my last… My Writing for Video Games articles. I may enjoy the medium of video games more than film and television, so it was a joy to get the chance to write about this topic and give you guys some advice at the same time. I hope you game writers take some inspiration from these articles.Read the first article here.- Attending Pitch Meetings. I’ve had the rare and exciting opportunities to attend several meetings with film producers to talk about the prospects of several of our winning scripts coming to life. Sure, I was the sidekick to our Director of World Wide Development, Ian Kennedy, but attending these sorts of meetings have been vital to my development. I got to see first hand how you should be pitching, what sort of language and tactics to employ. A great opportunity and a great experience. Loved it!
- Reading your scripts… From my start with the internship, to the very end, the one constant has been the chance to read, analyze and judge the scripts you guys have sent in for contests and consultancies. Seriously, some of these scripts I could really visualize, some to an extent I could imagine the cinematography to their inevitable film. Some really were THAT good. I wish the writers that we’re developing now get to realize their dreams – if just one of these scripts gets made, that would truly make my time with WriteMovies a success (not that it hasn’t been anyway!)
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 | Mar 30, 2018 | Updates, WriteMovies News
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by John | Mar 30, 2018 | Highlights, Marketing, Updates, WriteMovies News
A year in the life of an innovative Script Agency… Facts and figures to mark two years since our successful relaunch in 2016.
It’s that time of year again where we look back on the previous 12 months and say “you know, we’ve had a pretty good year…” And we have!
Our Year…
Since our successful relaunch 2 years ago, we’ve been constantly growing and evolving our online presence – which you can see from these infographics!
As well as updating and reshaping our website organically over the last two years, we’ve also been highly active on social media, screenwriting forums, and providing insightful newsletters, of course! So, here’s a couple of snippets celebrating WriteMovies online in the past year.
We’ll bring you more tomorrow it’s all about “Why We Matter…” And then… the full graphic in all its glory!
by John | Mar 23, 2018 | Updates
THE VENERABLE WRITEMOVIES CONTEST, HELPING WRITERS SUCCEED SINCE 2000.
This time we’ve opened the doors for many new categories including VIDEO GAMES, STAGEPLAYS (ETC), and if you beat the rush now it’s an introductory price of just $19 to enter!
Grand Prizes: Up to $1 million in option monies from the producers & studios we work with.
If an established studio/production company makes an offer on your project, we will fly you to Los Angeles and cover your flight & hotel costs for three days.
Through our exclusive arrangement with TALENTSCOUT INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT (TSIM) we can guarantee the contest winner representation.
Furthermore, the top ten projects will be considered for representation. Through its wide reaching agency contacts, TSIM can also help find you a literary agent. TSIM is a boutique management company which concentrates on representing international clients – whose work sells in the US and EU.
Over the last 18 years HUNDREDS of writers have found representation and writing assignments through us, gotten THOUSANDS of pitch meetings, had their projects optioned, sold and produced just because they excelled in the WriteMovies Contest. Let us open doors for you.
We succeed, when you succeed!
Here’s the full list of categories:
- Screenplays
- Shorts
- Stageplays (theatre)
- Teleplays (long and short form pilots)
- Spec scripts
- Books, including comic books and graphic novels
- Video game scripts
Check out the PRIZES, RESULTS DATES, and JUDGES INFO below.
Entry fees, deadline dates for each medium:
| Entry Windows |
Feature & stageplay prices |
Book & Video Game Prices |
Teleplay Prices |
| Early Bird Entry
(March 23rd – April 5th) |
$19 |
$29 |
$19 |
| Standard Entry
(April 6th – April 26th) |
$29 |
$39 |
$25 |
| Late Entry
(April 27th – May 17th) |
$39 |
$49 |
$35 |
| Extended Late Entry
(May 18th – June 7th) |
$49 |
$59 |
$45 |
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ENTER HERE |
ENTER HERE |
ENTER HERE |
Prizes and awards up for grabs in each category… Click on the prizes to learn more about them!
For more info on how we pitch our winners click here and about our relationship with Talent Scout International Management here. Find out who our judges are below the submission form.
Get a taste of some of these prizes EARLY – our Script Development Notes services start from just $119!
Results Dates
| Overall Winner |
Best Studio Script |
Best Indie Script |
Best Short Script |
Best Long Form Pilot |
Best Short Form Pilot |
Best Book |
Best Stageplay |
Best Video Game Script |
| 10th August |
3rd August |
3rd August |
3rd August |
27th July |
27th July |
20th July |
13th July |
6th July |
Enter your screenplay or stageplay here…
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Entry terms and prizes:
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| Why not enter for free by buying one of our other services:
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- We no longer accept checks due to issues with fraud. Please use the PayPal options when participating. Please ensure you can send AND receive payments via PayPal.
- There are no physical items deliverable under our services – all reports will be provided by email in standard document formats.
- Once a project has been processed, there is no refund.
- Cancellations must be requested within 48 hours before any public announcement of winning entries and/or before receipt of any completed.
- Entries MUST have a cover sheet/titlepage with contact info in order to be considered.
- Grand Prize: $2,000 cash prize and guaranteed representation. 1 Full year of script mentoring for the top three winners, including development notes on all re-writes of the top 3 winning scripts. Worth $3,200
- Up to $1 million in option monies from the A-List producers we work with. If an established studio/production company makes an offer on your script, we will fly you to Los Angeles and cover your flight & hotel costs for three days. We will pitch the top three projects to relevant production companies. You keep ALL the option/sales money (unless you commission an agent, manager or attorney to represent you). The Grand Prize winner is also pitched to several literary agencies and management companies as well as non-US companies to increase the chances of a sale. The names of the top three winners and their projects are mentioned in press releases and on the web.
 InkTip: Where producers go for scripts and writers.
Winners will receive an InkTip Script Listing and have their logline featured in InkTip Magazine so they can promote themselves and their scripts to InkTip’s entire network of producers, managers, and agents. InkTip Magazine is sent to over 15,000 producers and representatives.
Companies who are InkTip members include: ABC, Anonymous Content, APA, CBS Films, HBO Films, ICM, Paradigm, Paramount Pictures, Hallmark Channel, FX, Universal, WME, Echo Lake, Zero Gravity, Bad Robot, 20th Century Fox, and many more.
Producers have made more than 315 films from scripts and writers found through InkTip sent to over 15,000 producers and representatives.
Our Judges
We have a high calibre team of agents, managers, producers and studio executives who act as our judges. Due to the work commitments of these people it is hard to release a list of names at an early stage because they have a tendency of vanishing on location etc. at short notice. We will however release a list of judges as we get closer to the contest ending.
Alex Ross
 Our founder, CEO, BAFTA member and film producer. He is presently producing BAFTA winner and twice Academy nominated, director Habib Zagarpour’s first feature: SQUADRON and will produce Carolyn Krass’ award-winning screenplay: MAGNETIC, with Diane Nabatoff and Jon Amiel directing.
He has had the privilege of working with and discovering several Academy Award nominees, to include: Andrew Niccol (TRUMAN SHOW), Iris Yamashita (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA), Pat Duncan (MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS), Habib Zargarpour (THE PERFECT STORM) etc. Learn more about Alex here.
Ian Kennedy
 Our Director of World Wide Development, and a former BBC writer with nearly 150 broadcast credits. Ian has been a Hollywood Script Analyst for WriteMovies since 2013 and has helped hundreds of writers to improve their scripts and pitches in that time.
Jamie White
 Our youngest analyst adds the perspective of the most profitable audience group out there. Jamie has also spent two years working as an analyst and assistant for WriteMovies, and before that earned a degree in Film Studies.
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