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Short Screenplay, who is in?

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redhart View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote redhart Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Oct 2019 at 4:47pm
Originally posted by katniss2107 katniss2107 wrote:

Have any of you ever participated in the screenplay challenge before? I did the short story one earlier this year. Didn't make it past the first round but was still super proud of what I achieved.

Any tips for us newbies?

My first time too! The only advice I have is to get some screenwriting software, like Scrivener. Good luck!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote stephenmatlock Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Oct 2019 at 4:57pm
Originally posted by katniss2107 katniss2107 wrote:

Have any of you ever participated in the screenplay challenge before? I did the short story one earlier this year. Didn't make it past the first round but was still super proud of what I achieved.

Any tips for us newbies?


Focus on action. TAMMY jumps from the plane, pulls the ripcord--and the pack flies off. She SCREAMS and flails . TESSA jumps behind her, straight like a bullet, and grabs TAMMY. They join their belts, then TESSA pulls her own ripcord. Success! The chute opens. But a BULLET rips through the chute.

Shorter is better. Don't meander. JOE enters the room, grunts. JOE: "So he's dead, then." ELSIE: "You shot him four times." JOE: "Five times."

Cut all dialog that isn't part of the action. No "greetings" and "how are you doing?" Although that might be real life, you have five pages, so cut all that.

Don't explain too much in your action, such as why.  Do the thing, show the reaction and the following action. DAVID shoots the gun at MIKEY, but misses. MIKEY swears, picks up a kettleball, and tosses it at DAVID, who knocks it away with a baseball bat.

A screenplay is VISUAL. SHOW everything. And don't have the character TELL us the action. NOT SAM: "I can tell by the way you're stomping around the room you're angry." BUT GARY pounds on the table, kicks the chair over, and leaves.

LESS IS MORE. Honest! Stay away from scene tricks unless you really must do things like CAMERA ON Katy's HAND holding an umbrella. Make your script straight and true.

Don't forget to follow the formatting rules. It's really important for scripts that your screenplay looks like a screenplay. Courier font. Certain indentions and line spacing. Check out a few of the winning scripts to see what that means. You can get some good software to help you format a screenplay automatically. Perhaps your own software does this for you already (Scrivener, Word, etc.).


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mariaclarabruno Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Oct 2019 at 7:30pm
Ok guys, I'm in (like I posted before), but I have A LOT of questions. It's my first time here, so I'm a tad bit confused. Can anyone for the love of God explain to me how we will interact with out designated group, and where/how to upload our shorts? 

Thankssss 
Maria Clara Bruno
mariaclara@riotgalsmedia.com
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote stephenmatlock Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Oct 2019 at 8:44pm
Originally posted by mariaclarabruno mariaclarabruno wrote:

Ok guys, I'm in (like I posted before), but I have A LOT of questions. It's my first time here, so I'm a tad bit confused. Can anyone for the love of God explain to me how we will interact with out designated group, and where/how to upload our shorts? 

Thankssss 

No one can really explain it; we depend upon the gods of NYCM to descend with inscrutable rules and then leave, letting us stew in our confusion...

It's not that bad.

When you write, you can do it all by yourself. As a service to all of us, some heroes will set up a beta swap spreadsheet so you can get beta comments from people. It's something the regulars started about five years ago, I think (Nixie!), and it's kinda become something we all lean on for help. You can *also* find people in Facebook groups--if they tell you of them or invite you. (I run a small one, and I can invite you if you're interested. We generally are low key and become active only around contest time.) You do NOT have to do any of this if you're not comfortable with this--you can happily do your craft and never show anyone, not even beta readers.

When you get your assignment, you'll be a name listed on a big monster list. One thing a lot of people don't see is that at the TOP of that page is a button labeled SUBMIT HERE (or something similar). THAT is the button you'll use. (TIP: right-click this button and copy the link, then save it to a Notepad file. It will save you the craziness of trying to find the page when you're frantic. TRUST ME ON THIS.)

You can (usually) submit as many times as you want, up to the deadline, which means DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. Submit early, and then, as you work on your drafts to turn it into a sparkling jewel, you can keep submitting revisions. They only look at the last one you submit. In some cases I've submitted 20+ times as I found little things I didn't like, such as the plot... ;)

More tips:
That Notepad file?
Stick in there the link to the submission form, your synopsis, your group assignment, your story's name, and your page count. You'll need this info when you submit your work, so if it's all in one place, it's easier to remember.

Mine:
TITLE: Just Kill Me
SYNOPSIS: Federal agents follow a truck in a moonless night, expecting to uncover a smuggler’s ring, but their encounter holds several unpleasant surprises.

FEEDBACK/BACKUP:
 TO: feedback@nycmidnight.com
 SUBJECT: ShSC2019 Challenge #1 Screenplay ((you'll get this when you submit your story--you are given a chance to email a back up copy, and they'll tell you what subject line to use))

TWITTER: #ShortScreenplayChallenge2019 ((Again, you'll get this during submission at the bottom of the page))

GOOGLE DOCS LINK: ((your doc link or your PDF, if you want to share this on the forums))
BIT.LY LINK: http://bit.ly/AbCdEfG ((using a short link will help you when you post a link. Trust me on this. Use whatever URL Link shortener you want))
FORUM LINK: https://forums.nycmidnight.com/topic99999_post99999.html#99999 ((the link to your forum post where you tell us that your story is posted for us to review AFTER you get confirmation from NYCM))
BIT.LY LINK: http://bit.ly/HiJkLmN ((short link to your forum post))

SIGNATURE ((You can add this to your signature in the Member Control Panel))
 SSP2019 C2 G99 | <URL=http://bit.ly/HiJkLmN]Just Kill Me</URL]
 SSP2019 C1 G99 | <URL=http://bit.ly/ZyXwQrB]Fallen Angel</URL]

(use the square bracket [ not the angle bracket <)



Edited by stephenmatlock - 02 Oct 2019 at 8:45pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote redhart Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Oct 2019 at 3:19am
Originally posted by mariaclarabruno mariaclarabruno wrote:

Ok guys, I'm in (like I posted before), but I have A LOT of questions. It's my first time here, so I'm a tad bit confused. Can anyone for the love of God explain to me how we will interact with out designated group, and where/how to upload our shorts? 

Thankssss 

Just keep following the forum. You might find people from your group on here, you might not. Not everyone who enters participates in the forum.
As for uploading your screenplay, there will be an Upload Here link in the email they send you with your prompts. Make sure you keep the email.
Any other questions, just ask. There’s always someone willing to help.
Good luck!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tcFlash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2019 at 1:03pm
Originally posted by mariaclarabruno mariaclarabruno wrote:

Ok guys, I'm in (like I posted before), but I have A LOT of questions. It's my first time here, so I'm a tad bit confused. Can anyone for the love of God explain to me how we will interact with out designated group, and where/how to upload our shorts? 

Thankssss 
If I have to upload my shorts, then forget it. 

Actually, I would [edit...wouldn't] know a screenplay from a screen saver. 


Edited by tcFlash - 06 Oct 2019 at 1:04pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Random Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2019 at 1:09pm
Originally posted by tcFlash tcFlash wrote:

Originally posted by mariaclarabruno mariaclarabruno wrote:

Ok guys, I'm in (like I posted before), but I have A LOT of questions. It's my first time here, so I'm a tad bit confused. Can anyone for the love of God explain to me how we will interact with out designated group, and where/how to upload our shorts? 

Thankssss 
If I have to upload my shorts, then forget it. 

Actually, I would [edit...wouldn't] know a screenplay from a screen saver. 


A shocking number of people who successfully write screenplays wouldn't know a story from a floor in a building, so don't feel bad.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote fioOxf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2019 at 1:22pm
Me. I think it's the one I enjoy the most, though I was terrified of it, this time last year.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tcFlash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2019 at 1:52pm
Originally posted by Random Random wrote:

Originally posted by tcFlash tcFlash wrote:

Originally posted by mariaclarabruno mariaclarabruno wrote:

Ok guys, I'm in (like I posted before), but I have A LOT of questions. It's my first time here, so I'm a tad bit confused. Can anyone for the love of God explain to me how we will interact with out designated group, and where/how to upload our shorts? 

Thankssss 
If I have to upload my shorts, then forget it. 

Actually, I would [edit...wouldn't] know a screenplay from a screen saver. 


A shocking number of people who successfully write screenplays wouldn't know a story from a floor in a building, so don't feel bad.
I played with a screen once. By the time I got it out of the window, the girl's father had come in to the room holding a shotgun. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lucie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Oct 2019 at 9:30pm
Just signed up and have no idea how this works, so thanks for the tips.  Very helpful.
What fun! (I say naively)
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