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Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest – Semi-Finalists!

Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest – Semi-Finalists!

It’s time for more Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest results! There were a lot of great scripts in our Quarter-Finals and it was tough to make this next round of decisions, but after careful consideration our judges have decided on our Semi-Finalists!

There’s often a fine line when it comes to the different rounds of our screenwriting contest. Some scripts only just miss out, and it can be difficult to know why. A lot of the time, it comes down to the execution of basic elements – structure, characters, and dialogue.

Take a look also at this article that our Director, Ian Kennedy, wrote when we announced Quarter-Finalists: What your writing submissions are telling us, 2017-2019. If you’re making any of these mistakes, they could be holding you back!

But what else have we found with these latest Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest results? Well, a few things that have often helped our Semi-Finalists stand out from the rest:

  • Unique Concepts. If there’s something in a script we haven’t seen before, it immediately makes us want to read on. See what Ian wrote in his article about the number of scripts with a vehicle smash at about page 10 – when we’ve read the same thing so many times, it quickly starts to become dull. On the other hand, when we encounter something new – that’s really exciting!
  • Specific in genre and the story they wanted to tell. With a number of scripts, we found it difficult to tell what genre the writer was aiming at and it was a while before the story began to take shape. These unfocused openings usually fail to hold our attention. Be specific about your story, and be clear with its genre!
  • Engaging characters. Ian wrote it in his article but it’s worth repeating again here: “Make us care and get fascinated with your main characters and their world”. When we care about the characters, the script takes on a whole new life. Don’t rely on clichés or stereotypes, but create rounded characters we can engage with as if they were real people. And not just the protagonist either, but the supporting characters and villains as well!

And with that, it’s time for the moment you’ve been waiting for. Here are our next Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest results: the Semi-Finalists!

Semi-Finalists  
BAD LUCK VS KARMA, Aaron Davis TÖDLICHE ERINNERUNG, Urs Aebersold SPACE RACERS, Jason Azcar
THE DAWN OF EVE, James Bingham LE SECRET DU KATANA NOIR, Christian Bourgeois LA VENGEANCE DU COBRA, Christian Bourgeois
THE WALL, Anthony Buono UNE CHANCE POUR GUERIR, Christine de Chauvelin PSYCHOANALYTIC TALES, Christine de Chauvelin
STRUCK, Elaine F Chekich THE HUNTED, Mark Flood WITHOUT BORDERS, Chris Gebhardt & Jenn Russi
LAST CHRISTMAS, Owen Gower BAD LISTING, Brent Hartinger KOBOS, Adam Hersh
HOLLYWOOD’S MOST WANTED, Manny Jimenez Sr. THE SAX, Pascal Kulcsar AGENT 355, Laura Lambert
IN THE ABSENCE OF JUSTICE, Stephen F Maynard PROMISE OF TOMORROW, Andrew Pennington THIS IS NOT REVENGE, David Pierotti
BOY MOST WANTED, Tuck Tucker ESTHER’S DEN, Persephone Vandegrift THE CRACK IN PEGGY SUE’S FLOOR, John Woodard

Keep an eye out for more Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest results from us, as we move on now to judge our Finalists and winners – and decide who takes away the Grand Prize!

Spring 2018 Contest – Introducing the Winner of our Best Stageplay Award!

Spring 2018 Contest – Introducing the Winner of our Best Stageplay Award!

The winner of our Best Stageplay Award in our Spring 2018 Contest also made it all the way to the final, receiving an Honorable Mention: THE CRACK IN PEGGY SUE’S FLOOR, by John Woodard!

Our congratulations to John for this achievement; stageplays are judged on their screen potential but equally the quality of the writing. “Viability” is the deciding factor here! John now receives a copy of our Confidential Studio Manual and exclusive previews of our Virtual Film School as his prizes.

Read on to find out about the stageplay which took the prize in this category: THE CRACK IN PEGGY SUE’S FLOOR!

Here’s John’s summary of his script…

“In 1944 racist Georgia, a black drifter saves a white recluse by killing her lecherous neighbor — setting in motion a chain of deadly events while uncovering secrets better left hidden.”

And a short biography of John, too…

“John Woodard is a multiple award winning screen, teleplay, and stageplay play writer living in Los Angeles, Ca..  Winner of The 2016 Beverly Hills Theatre Guild Youth Theatre Award for his play “The Princess Parodies.”  John has written screen and teleplays in a variety of genres that have all gone on to win various contests, including The Scriptapalooza Grand Jury Prize, Several Nicholl Fellowship finalists, Rhode Island International Grand Jury Prize, 2nd Place Story Pros Screenplay Contest, Page and Page International and many others.

John looks forward to seeing the first production of “The Crack in Peggy Sue’s Floor” on stage as well as his screenplays on the big screen!

If you’ve got a stageplay that would adapt well to the screen, why not commission our help to get it there?

With our Summer Offers running until 31st August 2018, you can get all the professional feedback you need at great prices – take a look at our Script Report services!

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