S C R I P T A P A L O O Z A Inc.

S C R I P T A P A L O O Z A Inc.
www.scriptapalooza.com

We are accepting screenplays for the 8th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition

Supported by the WGA west Registry

First prize is $10,000 and screenwriting software for the top 30 winners from Write Brothers.
Regular deadline is March 3 and FINAL deadline is April 14

Over 70 production companies are reading all the entered scripts!
All thirteen winners will be considered by Scriptapalooza's outstanding participants;
A Band Apart, Samuel Goldwyn Films, HBO, Material, Disney and many more.

http://www.scriptapalooza.com
323.654.5809 office

Syd's Back

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting Revised Edition

A real gem on the craft of screenwriting, this third edition of Syd Field's preeminent book on screenwriting provides easily understood guidelines for writing a screenplay, from concept to finished product. Field makes the art of film writing accessible to novices and helps practiced writers improve their scripts, as he pinpoints stylistic and structural elements such as characterization and plot (and why the first ten pages are crucial).

This masterful book provides tips and techniques on screenplay format; collaborations; adaptations; what to do after your screenplay is written and more. The highly-regarded scripts of Chinatown and Silver Streak are used to illustrate concepts.

"Syd Field is the preeminent analyzer in the study of American screenplays." -- James L. Brooks, Academy Award-winning writer, director, producer.

A few Screenwriting Resources

Hollywood Creative Directory -Producers #56

The Hollywood Creative Directory, known as “the bible of the film and television industry,” has been the authoritative source of information for and about entertainment industry professionals for fifteen years. The comprehensive listings include addresses, phone and fax numbers, emails and Web sites, staff names and titles, and select television and film credits.
The Hollywood Creative Directories, including the flagship publication, PRODUCERS, can be found on the desk of every studio executive, director, producer, writer, and actor in the entertainment industry, as well as in college and university libraries.



Spec Screenplay Sales Directory - 2004 Deluxe Edition Vol. 7

The Spec Screenplay Sales Directory 2004 Deluxe Edition contains more than six years of sales. This one-of-a-kind book, written up in the L.A. Times in August 1997, contains an A-Z listing of screenplays that includes: title, 2-3 sentence logline (storyline), genre, agent, producer, date-of-sale, purchase price, buyer, lawyer and more. Information is cross-referenced six ways for easy access. Discover what Hollywood is buying, which agents and agencies are handling sales (many from first-time writers), contacts at the studios and production companies, how much money to expect from your sale, which lawyers are negotiating deals and lots more.




The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters

Author Karl Iglesias, Hollywood story analyst and development executive, personally interviewed these top contemporary scribes to learn their hints, tips, and advice for making it as a screenwriter. In The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters, you’ll learn how to make the greatest impact with a screenplay, using pacing, dialogue, and character development. You’ll also follow each writer through a typical “day in the life,” sharing eye-opening experiences that will amaze, amuse, and ultimately, inspire you.

Early Batman Poster?

Hopefully a Joker like Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke"?

Well, it's a fan poster. But cool though.

Hostel Captures Box Office

To the the tune of $19.5 million. Not to surprised. Had a huge amount of buzz going for it. And maybe a tad of originality (for Hollywood anyway), a new hook after all the tired horror cliches. I did see one report where the public thought Quentin Tarantino directed it and his name probably helped the buzz a bit. Anyway, congrats Eli.

Hostel

Eli Roth's Evil Excursions talks about the influences on the movie.

Return of the Camaro

Looks sweet. About frickin time.

Titles

I'm running a little experiment. I have a poll off to the side to see which one of my screenplays sounds like a movie, you, the movie audience would be interested in seeing just based on the title.

Thanks for playing along.

Mark

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping all the screenwriting bloggers out there much luck in the new year. The best thing about the new year is getting another start on that project you shelved mid year or starting a completely new story.

It would be nice to keep a running count on the progress we make out here on the net. Again Happy New year and much like to the the screenwriting bloggers out there in the scribe.

Speaking of progress, Eli Roth has his own weblog about the movie "Hostel," one of the most anticipated horror movies in a long time. And with a little help from Quentin Tarantino, it should a big box office draw. The website is something to see in its own right.

Screenwriters Showcase + Discount

We would like to offer your readers a discount admission price of $125 (reg $149) good until Jan 31st for admission to our Scriptwriters Showcase.

For more info on the event, featuring only working screenwriters as panelists, please visit:
http://www.scriptwritersshowcase.com


Scriptwriters Showcase: Learn From Those Who Write

April 7 - 9, 2005

Universal Studios Sheraton

Final Draft and scr(i)pt magazine present a one-of-a-kind scriptwriting and creative development industry conference, marketplace and job fair. Panels featuring A-list screenwriters, agents, managers, producers and development executives will examine the craft and business of scriptwriting for film, television and interactive media. Don’t miss this unprecedented opportunity to learn from the professionals who drive the entertainment industry.

Join us at Universal Studios in the heart of the entertainment community for this gathering of professionals dedicated to promoting the art and business of scriptwriting.

Space is limited! To register: http://www.scriptwritersshowcase.com
Use Discount Code MABL06 to receive your discount.

Crazy John's "King Kong" Review

My friend Crazy John gives his take on KONG.

King Kong (2005)

Review by John Dodd (jrd_73@yahoo.com)

Dir: Peter Jackson

(with notes on two other versions)

Kong and I go way back. When I was a child in the late 1970s/early 80s, I had a King Kong raincoat, part of the 1976 promotion that had been discounted over the years until my parents took advantage of some closeout sale. Being way too young to go to the film when it was released (or even to know it existed), King Kong 76 was not caught until it played network television some years later. I remember grooving to the snake and subway scenes but finding the film too slow and made even slower by the commercial interruptions. A viewer had to wait more than a whole hour to see the ape. What horror!!!!

The 1933 King Kong took longer to view. As a pre-teen, I remember reading film monster books and looking at the photos of Kong fighting the bat, but the film was not available at the local video store. Sad to say, once I got to be a teenager, I would watch an old film only if that was all there was to watch. I had other, gorier fish to fillet besides a fifty-five year-old monster movie. Finally, in the late 90s, I watched the original King Kong.

By comparison, this year’s King Kong was watched on opening day. I took off work just to be able to watch the first showing. Sure I had a few misgivings. The film was three hours, an indulgent running time for a monkey movie. It seemed odd for director Peter Jackson to want to remake his favorite film (I wouldn’t want to remake Dr. Strangelove or Ikiru or The Wild Bunch). Still, if any director could give King Kong 1933 a rival it would be Peter Jackson.

What I watched was a thrilling, well done, if overlong, adventure film. Kong 2005 is a film that wants to please. Instead of Kong fighting one t-rex, he fights three at once. Instead, of the would-be rescuers swimming from a herd of brontosaurs, they are caught in a wild brontosaurus stampede! The boat landing scene has giant waves, a rock wall, and many close calls. Jackson even gives the viewer a variation on the legendary, lost spider sequence from the original King Kong. Jackson is a showman worthy of Carl Denham himself.

Having said that, King Kong 2005 is not a great movie. By having a running time over three hours long, the star does not get his first close-up until well over an hour. Certain scenes (like the romance between Ann Darow and Jack Discoll - Watts/Brody) drag on. Hey, this is a film about a giant ape. The audience does not need relationships between crew members. We are all paying for the big monkey, bring him on.

Running time aside, there was at least one wink wink allusion to the first King Kong which produced a groan ("Faye is shooting a picture at RKO with Cooper"). Also, and there is no getting around this, computer FX cannot rival stop motion for this viewer. Kong moves perfectly, but many of the dinosaur scenes, as good as they are, look like twelve year-old left overs from Jurassic Park.

What Jackson does do brilliantly is the end. The New York of this King Kong is an amazing creation. The Empire State Building sequence provides an amazing view of a recreated 1930s city, a world that seems as real and as tangible as our own. The aerial footage squeezes the viewer’s emotion. We are in the planes circling Kong and feel the rush and the horror of the action. This sequence is amazing. It ends King Kong 2005 on a high note. Yet, this Kong is not the *real* Kong.

Time has not been kind to the 1976 King Kong directed by John Guillermin. I had remembered from my youth liking this Dino De Laurentiis production. Due largely to Jackson’s remake, it is now out on DVD. While I do not think the film is as bad as everyone but Dino says, it certainly can not be called good. Jessica Lange gives either an awful performance or has a very thankless role. The snake now looks like a contender for film history’s fakest looking reptile (and there is quite a competition in that category). Yet, the biggest fault was the decision to use a man-in-a-suit after over a dozen Godzilla movies. This Kong is not even a good man-in-a-suit, not much better than the one in Mighty Peking Man, the cheap-O, Hong Kong ripoff of King Kong 76. The film even highlights its fault with the very unwise line, "Who the hell do you think went through there, some guy in an ape suit?"

The King Kong of 1933 (made by explorers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack) remains the best version of this story because it creates one of the most memorable characters in film. Kong lives, breathes, and dies before our eyes. He dies with a gesture of confusion as if to say how did I get here. We feel the pain of a stranger in a strangeland, the last of a dying breed killed by the modern age (and love). This is not a man-in-a-suit, but a character more real than the ones played by Robert Armstrong and Faye Wray. To his credit Jackson in 2005's King Kong does strive to make a character, but this Kong does not have the life, the style of the Kong of 33. When Kong 33 played with the carcass of the tyrannosaurus, there was genuine curiosity on his face. When Jackson’s Kong does it, the end result feels more like homage. I have met more than one who claims the 1933 King Kong as the best film he/she has ever seen. My grandfather was one of these. If he was still living, I would take him to Jackson’s King Kong. He probably would have liked it, but I’m also sure he would have said, "That’s not King Kong."

Jackson’s greatest achievement for the true King Kong is to help with the release of the DVD. This two-disk set, which among other extras recreates the lost spider scene, is a must buy for all Kong fans. Many will spend $5-10 to watch Jackson’s Kong. It is money well spent, but an even better buy is the $20-25 DVD of the 1933 King Kong.

Happy Birthday to Me

33 years ago today in a galaxy far far away, actually Illinois, but close enough.

Few Contest reminders.

Two Additional Weeks

The AAA Contest deadline has been extended to December 15th.
That's just two weeks away!

To submit your screenplay right now, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/step1.php

Call for Entries!

Breaking into the world of screenwriting is no easy task. Creative Screenwriting magazine is proud to sponsor the AAA Screenplay Contest, a chance for a few talented writers to take the next step in their writing career.

http://horrorscreenplaycompetition.com

Only 7 days left until the Ferryman crosses the river Styx and your
chance of becoming the next big thing in horror dies forever. Don't miss
the boat.

You could miss the chance to win the only screenplay competition solely
dedicated to the horror genre... your genre.

By now, you're probably hard at work tweaking the screams and scares of
your script.

Please remember, all entries must be postmarked by December 9, 2005 to
be eligible.

--
Horror Screenplay Competition
1028 12th Street #8
Santa Monica, CA 90403
http://horrorscreenplaycompetition.com

OPEN DOOR CONTEST

BENDERSPINK SPONSORS OPEN DOOR CONTEST

New Online Entry Now Available!
https://www.scriptmagstore.com/opendoor-order.php

Open Door Contest Deadline: December 1, 2005
scr(i)pt magazine's Open Door Contest sponsored by BENDERSPINK.

The first-place winner of this contest receives $3,000 CASH,
consideration for
literary representation by BENDERSPINK, screenwriting software provided
by
Final Draft, a $200 gift certificate from The Writers Store, a free
class from
ActionCut Seminars, promotions from Inktip.com and
SoYouWannaSellAScript.com,
plus much more!

Entry Fee: $45

For more information and to enter online visit:
http://www.scriptmag.com/contests/index.php

About the Sponsor: BENDERSPINK is a diversified management/production
company
specializing in initiating and managing the careers of screenwriters,
directors
and actors as well as producing quality film and television projects
which
communicate unique takes on universal themes.

With a first-look deal at New Line Cinema since July 1999, the company
has
produced 14 feature films including A History of Violence, Red Eye,
Monster-in-Law, The Ring, The Ring Two, American Pie 1 & 2, American
Wedding,
The Butterfly Effect and Final Destination.

As managers, Benderspink has an unparalleled reputation for
discovering,
nurturing and kick-starting the careers of talented filmmakers and
actors. The
eclectic array of projects its clients have been involved with include
Bad
Santa, In Her Shoes, 8 Mile, Adaptation, Can t Hardly Wait, Requiem for
a
Dream, Backdraft, American Psycho, Phantom of the Opera, Point Break,
Confidence, Goodfellas, The Clearing and Threshold.

The company also recently renewed its first-look deal with 20th Century
Fox
Television s Fox 21 studio.

************************************************

GUY WALKS INTO A BAR FIRST-ROUND FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The first-round finalists for the Thrills & Chills Contest sponsored by
Guy
Walks Into a Bar are in. scr(i)pt magazine and Guy Walks Into a Bar
would like
to thank all who entered and congratulate the second-round finalists
below:

The second-round Finalists are:
(In No Particular Order)
Jeff Wolverton for Sherlock & Jack, a thriller
Deborah Oversen, for Another Side of Evil, a suspense/thriller
Robert Bridge for Sacrificed, a thriller
Patrick Bates for Ichabod, a horror
Michael Hultquist for Victim, a psychological horror
Tyler Jensen for The Wolves of Brighton, a horror/sci-fi
Rachelle Reinhart for Point of Entry, a suspense/thriller
Carolyn Haywood for Tears for The Innocent, a gothic thriller
Stephen Smith for Sleepwalkers, a supernatural/thriller
Eugene James for Lion's Share, a crime/thriller


The top-three finalists will be announced in early December 2005.

For more information visit:
http://www.scriptmag.com/contests/current_contest.php

Writing is hard . . .

Writing is hard and procrastination is easy. If you think about it, I'm sure some of you or may even have friends who talk about writing more than actually doing it. When I'm working on a screenplay, I try and write at least three pages a day. So, after a month, you're roughly around ninety pages. But any writing is better than no writing at all. And most of all writing is fun and do it for yourself.

Have a Great Thanksgiving.

Jarhead

Great Book. Looking forward to seeing the movie.

The AAA Contest

Contest Reminder


The AAA Contest ends December 1st. That's just 13 days away!

Call for Entries!
Breaking into the world of screenwriting is no easy task. Creative Screenwriting Magazine is proud to sponsor the AAA Screenplay Contest, a chance for a few talented writers to take the next step in their writing career.

Access
The winning script and synopses for the top ten screenplays have been requested by 292 production companies and agencies including:


Acclaim
The winner of the AAA contest will be profiled in Creative Screenwriting magazine and the names of the top ten finalists will be published in CS Weekly. Finalists and their screenplays will also be publicized in press releases and ads placed in industry publications.

Achievement
Prizes include $5,000 cash for the Grand Prize winner, plus the winning script mailed to over 290 agents, managers, and development executives who have requested it, screenwriting software, a subscription to Creative Screenwriting, and free admission to Screenwriting Expo 5.

Second and third places receive $500 cash, free software, subscription, and admission. Plus the top ten have synopses for their scripts submitted to over 100 agents, managers, and producers who have requested them.

Submit your best work in any genre. Only $40 to enter.

Deadline: December 1, 2005.

For complete details, http://www.creativescreenwriting.com/aaa/

To submit your screenplay right now, https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/step1.php

Good luck everyone.

Horror Screenplays Wanted

Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute is now affiliated with DVD
companies needing quality, low-budget scripts, currently
featuring the horror genre. Brief synopsis required.

Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute
1605 Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood, , CA 90028
Phone: 323-461-8333
Email: hwdscreen@aol.com
Web: http://Moviewriting.com

THE ONLY SCREENPLAY COMPETITION DEDICATED UNIQUELY TO THE HORROR GENRE.

http://horrorscreenplaycompetition.com

Horror Screenplay Competition
1028 12th Street #8
Santa Monica, CA 90403
http://horrorscreenplaycompetition.com

8th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition

8th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition

http://www.scriptapalooza.com

With Write Brothers, Robert McKee and The Writers Guild
of America,west Registry all supporting Scriptapalooza, this is the
competition to enter.

First place prize is $10,000

2004 entrant Patrick Andrew O'Connor hired by DisneyToon to rewrite feature
All the judging is done by 60 production companies
Entertainment Weekly Magazine calls us 'One of the Best'
We promote the top 13 winners for a full year
5 scripts in the 2005 Competition have been OPTIONED
Finalists, Semifinalists and quarterfinalists get requested consistently

Early bird deadline January 5, 2006

Visit http://www.scriptapalooza.com or call 323-654-5809 or email
us at info@scriptapalooza.com

Lunar Park

Great book.

Write On?

Haven't posted in a while. I've been dealing with some personal issues that have pretty much shut down my whole life. Starting to see a little light again. Question. How does one find the inspiration to write again after a personal loss when it's hard to do the normal mundane daily life stuff? Seeking inspiration. Thanks.

OF PLANES, E-MAILS & WEB SITES

The early 90's gold rush of screenwriters heading for California may be over. But I read a lot of advice telling screenwriters they must live in Los Angeles to sell a script. Sure, you will be mere miles away from the power brokers and power lunches, but what do you do if you live smack dab in the middle of the country? I'm not sure I want to be huddled with all the other aspiring screenwriters living in cardboard boxes along Santa Monica blvd. Ten years ago maybe? Maybe not.

Personally, I think it's possible to make contacts without having to uproot your family for your pipe dream. I've been to Los Angeles and I've been to Las Vegas. Nice places to visit. Wouldn't want to live there. Had a little too much fun there. I'm from the Midwest and I like it here. Not much happens. You can get a lot of writing done. And more importantly I think you can have a unique voice here and not chase the latest hollywood trend.

I've received several emails asking how to contact producers. It's not a secret handshake anymore. If you have a great story, they will read it whether they say they won't read unsolicited scripts or not. This is the CYA policy. Most will take a standard release form and many times they have their own with their letterhead on it. It just means you won't sue them if your story sounds too much like one they make down the road. But that's another topic.

A few years ago, Christopher Wehner wrote a book called Screenwriting on the Internet: Researching, Writing, and Selling Your Script on the Web. Great book if you're not ready to load up the car for LA. I was interviewed for the section entitled "OF PLANES, E-MAILS & WEB SITES". I also did an interview about screenwriting on the internet for Absolute Write. You can read it here: Mark's Big Interview. Take note I was little greener than I am now.

I am happy to say that some of my best contacts have come through the internet. I've had a few options, a couple work for hires, and made a little green in the process. Remember with the internet anyone is just an email away.

Unique voice. Unique story. Fresh air.