Deadlines Screenplay

"The screenplay competition process explained. Discusses how to enter screenplay competitions, how to select the most suitable screenwriting contests for the screenwriter and his/her script, strategies for dealing with written critiques, and ways writers can benefit from the competition process even if they don't win"--

- Breaks Down the Business of Screenwriting - Explains What the Buyer Looks For - Shows You What to Do to Get in the Door - Tackles the Pitching Process - Provides Personal Insights from Famous Screenwriters Everybody has a story to tell. Everybody wants to write the great American screenplay. But what do you do after it’s written? How do you sell it? Studio honchos. Development Executives. Independent Producers. What do they want? Do you need an agent or manager to get it into production? Selling a screenplay can mean earning $250,000 or more, so competition is fierce. Syd Field gives you an insider’s look at the movie and TV industry, packed with essential tips from the pros. Selling a Screenplay is a must-have guide for every screenwriter, filled with frank real-life advice from Hollywood’s most powerful deal makers and most celebrated screenwriters. They all started somewhere.

"We need good screenwriters who understand character." Everywhere Andrew Horton traveled in researching this book—from Hollywood to Hungary—he heard the same refrain. Yet most of the standard how-to books on screenwriting follow the film industry's earlier lead in focusing almost exclusively on plot and formulaic structures. With this book, Horton, a film scholar and successful screenwriter, provides the definitive work on the character-based screenplay. Exceptionally wide-ranging—covering American, international, mainstream, and "off-Hollywood" films, as well as television—the book offers creative strategies and essential practical information. Horton begins by placing screenwriting in the context of the storytelling tradition, arguing through literary and cultural analysis that all great stories revolve around a strong central character. He then suggests specific techniques and concepts to help any writer—whether new or experienced—build more vivid characters and screenplays. Centering his discussion around four film examples—including Thelma & Louise and The Silence of the Lambs—and the television series, Northern Exposure, he takes the reader step-by-step through the screenwriting process, starting with the development of multi-dimensional characters and continuing through to rewrite. Finally, he includes a wealth of information about contests, fellowships, and film festivals. Espousing a new, character-based approach to screenwriting, this engaging, insightful work will prove an essential guide to all of those involved in the writing and development of film scripts.

Written for both new and experienced writers, this comprehensive marketing guide offers advice and tips needed by writers to succeed in the film and television industries. Focusing on the business of writing, it gives writers the unabashed truth about the film industry, and advice on how to get scripts to the gatekeepers of the studios and read by agents. Comprehensive listings of contests, fellowships, grants, and development opportunities from an industry expert provide specific information on securing a healthy writing career. This extensive resource also includes guidelines regarding copyrights, sources for emergency funds, a listing of online resources, information on writers' colonies and retreats, and more.

Writing and Selling Thriller Screenplays has the lowdown not only on getting your thriller feature script on the page, but getting it in front of producers and investors. From premise to resolution, Lucy V. Hay guides you through the craft of thriller writing, citing classic thrillers such as Psycho, The Shining, The Sixth Sense and Fatal Attraction and lesser-known gems like Red Eye, Desperate Measures, Impostor and Deviation. The book also considers how the screenplay might be sold to investors, looking at high concept ideas, pitching, packaging and the realities of film finance. Lucy V. Hay asks: what is flight vs. fight? What is the difference between horror and thriller? What are the different sub genres of thriller? What part do actors play in film finance? How can limited locations create new opportunities in storytelling and financing? Why is the lone protagonist so in demand? Why are female characters so popular in thriller? And much, much more... 'Really hones in on the specific genre of thrillers with expertise' - Write So Fluid 'A must-read for any writer, producer or director looking to create (or in the process of creating) a thriller production. It could also be immensely useful for those generally curious about the genre or looking to learn more' - Film Doctor 'This book should form part of the armoury for any screenplay writers bookshelf' - Stephen Hall Check out Lucy V. Hay's other screenwriting books: Writing & Selling Drama Screenplays and Writing Diverse Characters for Fiction, Film and TV

Imagine this! You sell a “spec” screenplay to a major Hollywood studio. Maybe this is a new idea that just occurred to you, or perhaps it’s some¬thing you’ve thought about for some time. Of course you realize that hundreds of thousands of books are published every year but fewer mov¬ies are produced and a self-produced movie is rare. But fortunately for aspiring screenwriters there are many newer entities buying and making original motion pictures today, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and the History Channel. If you want to compete with established screenwriters you’ll have to STUDY, WORK HARD, and NEVER GIVE UP. You’ll need HONEST CRITICS and possibly a WRITING PARTNER. But once you begin the process, you will love it! You’ll feel energized and who knows, you might even become obsessed with writing. Perhaps you want to share what you’ve learned about life and your beliefs or perhaps you want to design your own characters and create a story to place them in. Either way, when you’ve finished you will be so proud of what you’ve accomplished. So grab this book and your diary or journal, your laptop, a tablet or a few blank sheets of paper. Find a quiet place to work, pour yourself a liquid refreshment, and start to fill in the blanks. You can start over as many times as you want. Just keep writing and get ready to share your screenplay with the world!

Jack Rowan thought his life was a living Hell. Then he tried dying. Now he'll do anything to get back into the world. Anything. DEAD LINES: THE SCREENPLAY, the adaptation of the bestselling and harrowing book by John Skipp & Craig Spector, is now brought to chilling screen life by Craig Spector & Philip Nutman. With forewords by Spector and Nutman, an afterword by Skipp, and an essay by Spector on converting an idea from small screen to big and print to screen (through two collaborations!) DEAD LINES: THE SCREENPLAY is a must read for anyone who loves movies, books, and the magic of the written word. So turn the lights off and let the screen glow. This is digital reading for the movie in your mind. Meet young struggling writer, Jack Rowan. His career never took off. His life is in the toilet. His girlfriend dumped him. He's crashing on the couch of his successful photographer friend. Jack finishes his book — a collection of short stories titled NIGHTMARE NYC. Boxes it up and hides it in a crawlspace. Then climbs a ladder in the living room, puts the rope around his neck, takes one long last swig off a bottle of vodka. Looks at a photo in his hand: of himself, and his ex. Says: look what you made me do. Jack steps off the ladder. And into oblivion. Months later. Two girls -- Meryl, Boston Back Bay bred and trying to escape her overbearing father; and Katie, a waitress from Nowhere, Texas -- become unlikely roommates. Then start to become friends. One night Meryl finds the box containing Jack’s lost manuscript. She becomes intrigued with her ‘mystery writer' and his dark, brooding, moody vision of the city. As Meryl reads and slowly falls in love, stange things begin happening in the apartment, and her dreams. Jack's back, but he's dead. He needs a body. He decides, Meryl's will do. If she will let him in....

When the first edition was released, there were only 40 screenplay contests to enter. Today there are over 150 legitimate screenwriting competitions across the US. Entering screenplay contests is the best and most affordable way to get a screenplay noticed, optioned, sold, and ultimately produced. Guaranteed prizes, beatable odds -- minimal investment for maximum return! Learn the odds of winning. This book contains comprehensive listings of screenplay contests to enter as well as provides insider information, testimonials and seasoned advice for writers ready to make their first pitch.