Summre's Summer Blog; Upcoming Writing Competition Announcements

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here.  We now have definitive dates for the announcement of finalists and winners for the 2010 Slamdance Screenwriting Competition.  Here is how it will go: 

Monday, September 6th, 2010 - Top 200 Finalists are announced.  This will be the top 40 scripts in each category.

Monday, September 20th, 2010 - Winners Announced.  This will be the top 5 scripts in each category, and we’ll also announce at this time who amongst them is taking home the Grand Prize of $5,000.

As a reminder, we close submissions on June 30th, this is our final, really final, for real final deadline.  We will not accept any scripts past this date, no exceptions.  So, get those entries in now if you want to throw your hat in the ring for this years competition!

As always, if you have any questions please email: submissions@slamdance.com 

Thanks!

Screenwriting Competition, our Coverage Service, and Film Submissions Now Open!

From The Desk Of A Submissions Manager . . .

Screenwriting Competition, our Coverage Service, and Film Submissions Now Open!

Hello Slamdancers!

It’s been busy times around here lately with our recent deadline for the Screenwriting Competition and Film Submissions opening last week.  We still have one more deadline for Screenwriting, July 30th is the Final Deadline date.  And, we’ll of course be accepting films until the end of October.  Tomorrow, film submissions will have been open for about a week, and so far we already have about 200 entries.  Last year, we received a little over 5,000 submissions, so we’re gearing up around here for a busy summer/early fall and processing thousands of films.

For the Screenwriting Competition, we’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about title pages.  I’ve been hearing that it’s not uncommon for competitions to disqualify entrants for including a title page, or not including one, or including one with improper information according to their guidelines.  To clarify here, we do not have any such restrictions.  Our preference is for a title page that includes your title, name, registry number, and contact info, but this is not required.  We also accepts scripts with no cover page at all.  Put as much or as little information here as you wish, it’s literally completely up to you.  So, that makes that pretty easy.  

Another question I’ve been hearing a lot of lately is regarding our coverage service.  Every entrant to Slamdance receives a few lines of feedback within about 60 days of the submission date.  Sometimes, writers are so intrigued by this feedback, that I’ll receive an email asking if full coverage can be purchased at that time.  The answer to that is YES.  We will simply ask that you pay the coverage fee, but you don’t have to pay another submission fee. The coverage fee is $75 to get it back in 60 days.  This can be paid by check after your script has been entered for competition through withoutabox.com.  Email me at my address below for more information on this.  

Speaking of coverage, I received a very nice email this week about how much it helped out a writer and I thought I’d share that here with everyone.  For the sake of competition, I’ll keep the identity anonymous. 

“Hello, Slamdance. I received the coverage for my screenplay recently, and I appreciate the speed and thoroughness with which it was delivered. As a solitary writer in Georgia, I found the criticisms extremely helpful.”

This was so great for me to receive, it pretty much made my whole week better.  When you’re in the business of offering harsh yet constructive criticism to writers, as we are, you can receive a lot of emails expressing hurt feelings and frustration.  Perhaps not surprisingly, I suspect people are often much quicker to provide feedback when hurt or angry than when they’re happy.  It is so good to get emails such as this though and know that the service we offer does in fact help writers to hone their craft.  That is truly what it’s all about around here.  That and watching thousands of films to find the best new emerging filmmaking talent, of course.

Until next time, signing off...

Summre Gaston

submissions@slamdance.com

Screenplay Competition Prize Increase & Concise WGA Low Budget Agreement Information

Hello Slamdance Screenwriters!

Although we updated our website a few weeks ago with this information, we've been getting a lot of questions so I just wanted to highlight again that we have updated our prizes for this years Screenwriting Competition.  The Grand Prize Winner stands to win up to $7,000 and there are an assortment of other prizes as well.  One extra nice prize is that the top five screenwriters in each category will receive a paid membership to the WGA.  This is a great bonus for our finalists, and I suspect that few people are aware of it.  Here is the complete breakdown of the prizes we have to offer this year:

• Slamdance Grand Prize: $5,000
• The winner of the Feature, Horror/Thriller, and Teleplay categories will receive $2,000 each.
• Short scripts will have an option to get produced and premiere at Slamdance 2011
• Script Accessible Award sponsored by Lonely Seal Releasing for best screenplay involving characters with disabilities and/or written by a person with disabilities - Winner will receive $1,000
• The top five screenwriters in each category will receive prize packages that include Festival Passes good for all screenings and parties at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah (January 2011)
• The top five screenwriters in each category are eligible for membership in the Writers Guild of America's Independent Writers Caucus
• The top five screenwriters in each category will receive merchandise from the Slamdance Shop such as t-shirts and dvd's.
• Production companies, studios, agencies and managers request to read our top scripts.              

 Good Luck!  And now for a very useful article forwarded from our friends at the WGA written by member Marilyn Mallory...

How the WGA Helps Aspiring Screenwriters

by

Marilyn Mallory

My own experience:

Once upon a time a small producer-writer asked me to rewrite a script of hers.  She said another writer had already tried to rewrite it but she didn’t like his work at all and so now she was coming to me.  I asked, had the first writer been paid or just kicked off the project?  Would any part of his rewrite still be used?   No clear answer.  A red flag went up and I thought, if they could do that to him, they could do that to me too.   She said that she, as the producer, would determine the final credits.  I didn’t quite like the sound of that either because she had all the power.  The film would have a micro budget under $1,200,000.  She asked, would I do it for deferred payment?  I asked, was anyone else on the project expected to take deferred payment and if not, why expect the rewriter to forfeit being paid up front?  Maybe I was asking too many questions --  she never got back to me.  I don’t consider it a loss.

It was then that I looked into the Writers Guild of America and their Low Budget Agreement for productions with a mini- or micro-budget ($1.2 million or below) and their low budget rates ($5 million or below).   From then on, I wanted to be able to negotiate with the strength of the WGA contract and lawyers backing me up. 

THE LOW BUDGET AGREEMENT

The Low Budget Agreement for theatrical screenplay “spec” sales allows for a partial or complete deferment of the purchase price and, if there is one, a rewrite..  When a writer writes for deferred payment, the contract enforces the minimum payments and other Guild provisions.  No deferred payments are allowed for second rewrites, as in my case scenario.  In fact she should have paid me $19,859 (non-deferred), although she could have done it in installments.

·      When you file for a Low Budget Agreement, you need to submit your writing contracts, so the Guild staff can review it and see if you’re getting what you’re entitled to.

·      The WGA determines the credits, not the arbitrary whim of some producer.

·      If the requirements are met, you already start accumulating credits toward full WGA membership and, if employment is attached, the (WGA signatory) producer starts contributing to your WGA health and pension plans.

THE INDEPENDENT WRITERS CAUCUS (IWC)

This led me to delve further and apply to join the Independent Writers Caucus.  To apply, I had to pass at least one of the four eligibility criteria within the past five years. (see for details http://www.wga.org, search ‘IWC’):

1. have had a feature film produced under the WGA’s Low Budget Agreement or
2. had it shown at certain domestic film festivals or
3. have completed an accredited screenwriting program (such as a recognized MFA in Screenwriting program or certain screenwriting labs) or
4. have been nominated or won a highly regarded screenwriting award, with screenwriting contests subject to review

I qualified under #4:  I placed highly in the 2006 Scriptapalooza screenplay contest out of 3600 contestants and this was taken into consideration.  I submitted my application, paid my fee of $75 (now it’s $100), and was admitted as an IWC member.  The Guild’s Independent Writers Steering Committee weighs an applicant’s combination of qualifications and determines eligibility on a case-by-case basis.

BENEFITS

The IWC lets you become something like a “junior member” of the WGAW by receiving equivalent to associate member benefits for the yearly dues of $100.   You are not yet be a full-fledged WGA member, but you at least you have a foot in the door.  In Hollywood it’s not what you know but who you know; and the IWC helps you get to know budding writers, successful writers, and seasoned old pros. 

·      They put you on their invitation lists.  Granted this would mainly appeal to those who live in the Los Angeles area but it’s almost a reason to move to L.A.   They send you emails, inviting you to WGAW parties, panels and workshops given by famous writers like Judd Apatow.  They even let you ask him questions and get his off-the-cuff answers. 

·      You get invited to screenings of box office hits (e.g. “Avatar”), followed by a talk by its writer-director (e.g. James Cameron).  And you can ask him questions, too.

·      Eight times a year you may attend an evening at the WGA offices’ gathering room to meet other new WGA members (pizza is usually served).  Each new member tells his/her story about how their script either won a contest or was discovered and optioned/ bought, produced, etc.  You can trade helpful hints about managers/agents/lawyers.  Sometimes there are talks by WGA members about what they’ve learned about the screenwriting business over the course of their careers in Hollywood.  I found one presentation by WGA lawyers on the gains won in the 2008 strike very helpful.

Even if you don’t live within the L.A. area --

There are other benefits to joining the IWC as well. If you live within the jurisdiction of the WGAW  (west of the Mississippi) and join the IWC:

·      You may become eligible for the WGA self-pay health insurance plan.  Call 323-782-4713 to see if you might qualify.

·      You can also become a member of the Musicians’ Interguild Credit Union (even if you’re not a musician).  Unlike some banks that have become stingy in lending cash, this credit union says it has ample cash to lend.  When you join the IWC you get a folder telling about this credit union. 

·      You get the Guild’s magazine Written By, which contains interviews with successful screenwriters and highly relevant articles, written by insiders and old pros.

·      You get special discounts offered to WGAW members, like a reduced script registry fee.

*  *  *  *  *

So this past year another writer asked me to rewrite his script.  We hope a producer will come onboard soon.  If he does, I’m ready for him now.

Screenplay Competition 2010: From The Desk Of A Submissions Manager . . .

Hey Slamdancers!  This is your Submissions Manager writing about what's new around Slamdance and specifically our Screenwriting Competition,  nearly in it's second month and now in full swing.  We were thinking it would be good to start a blog for the website: a way to keep everyone updated on what's new and changing in the world of Slamdance.  In years past, there has been several competitions spanning almost the entire year.  This year, we've combined all of these into one big competition, taking place from March to July.  This allows our Spring/Summer seasons to be focused on writing and the Fall/Winter, on, you guessed it, films.  So, keep an eye out here, I'll update as often as I can, while still attempting to keep things relevant and informative, of course!

Recently, we were asked by long time friend of the festival, Heidi Van Lier, to participate in a bit of Q&A for her Film Independent e-newsletter.  Looking it over, we figured it may also be useful information to those not receiving Heidi's newsletter, people just wandering over to our website and interested in our Screenwriting Competition.  So here you go, I hope you enjoy!

Summre Gaston
submissions@slamdance.com

Hey, for those who might not know, can you explain exactly what the screenwriting competition is?

The Slamdance Screenwriting Competition offers writers a chance to put their work in the proverbial ring against scripts of all genres, on any topic, from all over the world, to compete. The best piece of writing will come out victorious and claim the grand prize of $5,000. There are smaller prizes as well for finalists in each category, but isn't everyone really after the $5,000 grand prize? Every script submitted will also receive brief feedback from our readers who are all writers in the industry. So in this way, everyone is a winner anyway, really. Full coverage, a three to five page breakdown of the script with advice for what to do next, is also available for an additional fee from the same readers.

And what are the most notable scripts that broke out as a result of winning awards in this competition?

Nicole Kassell, the writer/director of The Woodsman, Nancy Kissam of Drool, and Joshua Marston of Maria Full of Grace are just a few of the names that have won our competition in previous years.

Are there any common mistakes that writers make that you'd like to bring to light so screenwriters stop and think before sitting down with their blank Final Draft screen pages?

Often the screenplay is not ready to go out. One of the advantages of this competition is you can receive constructive feedback from an independent reader offering tips on how they can further improve their work. In our experience, neither directors nor writers usually seek enough feedback from their work before it is released. We know this because in hindsight both groups consistently say they wish they had done this! We know it's tough, but let go of your ego and angst and test it out... Chris Nolan still does.

What is the funniest thing you've ever read in a script for the competition? Without naming names, to protect the guilty...

There have been a few submissions accompanied with music and pages of instructions within the script on when to play certain songs...why these songs were chosen, and how best to imbibe in the "complete experience."

Example - "At this point play track two. DO NOT CONTINUE READING. Turn off the lights, spark a candle, and just listen. When track 2 has finished, turn on the lights and this time listen while you read the next scene." That's not an exact quote, but very close.

Anything else you want to tell screenwriters before they submit, little reminders, a nudge in the right direction...info on how to bribe you properly?

The coverage service we offer is a really great service for new writers, or writers who are stuck with their script and don't know what to do next. Or, you know something is horribly wrong, you're just not sure what because you've been working on it for so long and you're in need of a fresh pair of eyes. If you want someone to say your script is awesome, send it to your friends and family. If you want brutally honest feedback and a detailed breakdown of what's working and what's not, send your script to Slamdance and register for the coverage service. You won't regret it. Oh, and proofread. It's frustrating when we get a script chalk full of typos, or with pages missing and out of order. It sends the message that the writer doesn't really care. As for bribes, we're always keen on cases of beer.

Hmm, not sure if you are speaking directly to me about not getting enough feedback...but I'm really good at one thing about my work, denial, so I'll just pretend like you meant everyone else.

Slamdance Alum Daniel Harris Seeks Asylum from Sundance's New Sidebar

Just read about Sundance's lame low budget Sidebar. It demands a riposte from Slamdance and a list of true great underground no budget films down the decade that shows you as the true pioneers in the genre since NY Underground and Chicago vanished over a decade ago.  To sidebar low budget films for their lack of finance makes them look like Special Olympics kids competing in the big show.  Some of the best films over the last 15 years, Hybrid, Surendar Dorothy, Following, etc. are great despite their budgets.  I really think this needs a challenge to Sundance; filmmakers must boycott enlisting in that event!  I think program a separate Slamdance sidebar called Asylum for those films that make that Sundance Sidebar to defect to as a political statement.

Daniel Harris won the Slamdance Grand Jury prize at Slamdance in 1998 with his debut feature The Bible and Gun Club. Current projects include his photography exhibit at Resphoto www.sturmfilmfoto.wordpress.com and running Slamdance's Two Day Guerrilla Low Budget Film School at www.slamdanceafricafilmschool.wordpress.com in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Final Stage of Indie Filmmaking

2009 Spirit of Slamdance winner Aaron Marshall guest blogs about indie filmmaking:

The Final Stage of Indie Filmmaking

2009 marked my induction into the Slamdance family with the documentary, ZOMBIE GIRL: THE MOVIE. It’s about a 12-year-old girl who directs a feature-length zombie movie, and it includes an interview with a film teacher who says, “you’re not a filmmaker until you’ve finished your film.” However, the last few months have proven that simply “finishing the film” is only half the battle in the indie film world.

Now, don’t get me wrong -- finishing the film was huge. But once we had the master tape in hand, the question became, “now what?”

Thankfully...Slamdance called! But what if no one during the festival came to see our movie? After all, there would be lots to choose from that week. So, we started talking to producer’s reps and publicists until finding a good match with each. We got to know the incredible festival staff and made sure they had all the press materials they needed.  We also arrived in Utah early with tons of posters and a quick logline ready when someone asked, “What brings you to Park City?” The work paid off with two sold out screenings and the realization that we had clearly entered the final stage of indie filmmaking:

POST-post-production.

Which is all those things you do after you retire your director’s cap such as festival submissions, sales agent and distributor research, press kit assembly, promotional outreach, press follow-ups, etc. The “getting down to business” stage.

ZOMBIE GIRL: THE MOVIE may be in the can, but it’s far from done. It’s in post-post-production right now. Which, despite the boring name, is actually a great place to be. We’re talking with distributors. We’re fielding press queries. We’re working to get it into a “theater or video store near you.” Because for indie filmmakers, that’s when the job is finally done. So, until then, I better stop writing this and get back to work!

Aaron Marshall is a filmmaker living in Los Angeles and the co-director of the feature documentary, “Zombie Girl: The Movie,” along with Justin Johnson and Erik Mauck. His next project, a comedy, is currently in development.  For more on ZOMBIE GIRL: THE MOVIE visit www.zombiegirlthemovie.com

Why I Can't Quit You, Slamdance

1999 Grand Jury Award winner, programmer, filmmaker, and SlamdanceTV creator Heidi Van Lier guest blogs on why she can't quit Slamdance:

“WHY I CAN’T QUIT YOU, SLAMDANCE”
by Heidi Van Lier

People all over the planet email me and ask me about Slamdance. How to get in, how to volunteer, and mostly, how crazy is Park City during those two weeks? I could not have the career (albeit minimal) I’ve had without Slamdance, and I wouldn’t have 90% of my friends either. Over the years Slamdance has become more than just a bunch of frightened filmmakers and crazed staff trying to get jobs, sell stuff, and throw a good party. Slamdance has become my very own brand new lovable dysfunctional family.

I have been involved with Slamdance in some capacity every year for the last 10 years. Yes. TEN YEARS. Every year I’ve said it would be my last, thinking I’d just be so very busy the following year that I wouldn’t have the time, or the energy, to be involved. Somehow, I still find myself signing out films to view every September. It has become less of a habit at this point and more like a lifestyle. And I wouldn’t even know where to go to quit a lifestyle. There isn’t a support group, or a self-help book, or a chat room. There isn’t a 12-step program or weaning-off solution, or even some kind of replacement therapy. I’m just a Slamdance girl at this point, and always will be.

A Brief History of My Life with Slamdance…

If I were to tell my Slamdance story, it would have to be told by the people who made up the family each year, starting with Peter Baxter. I met Peter at a DGA screening in LA in February of 1998. He asked me to submit my film and I wasn’t about to say no to someone ASKING for my film. Scott Storm programmed that year and came over to tell me I’d gotten in. Skizz Cyzyk was on the jury, along with Sam Grogg, and I thanked Drea Clark for her help with my screenings during my acceptance speech. I went back to my condo where Joe and I just sat on the sofa and pondered what it all meant. The next morning I had 45 calls on my cell phone (1999 flip phone) and they were all congratulations from producers, press people, and agents.

The next year I was a programmer under the hysterical reign of Dan Mirvish. Brent Clackson was running the show then. Kristy Byrd took over the year after that, followed by Nubia Flores, and finally, Drea Clark, the same girl from the screenings that I’d thanked in my winning speech. I served on the Slamdance jury with Debra Eisenstadt and Gabe Wardell (who now runs the Atlanta Film Festival), and Skizz Cyzyk, who runs the Maryland Film Festival and still projects for Slamdance every year. Kent Osborne and I went head-to-head the next couple years during programming, and wound up friends and working on a film together. And finally two years ago I went back to make Slamdance TV, a job I’d been asked to do years earlier, before Final Cut Pro was even commonly used. I spend each festival with Carly Flynn and Howie Goldklang and Joy Saez, mostly laughing and interviewing new filmmakers. And this year I had an actual assistant named Marta Palley, who saved my life and my mind, and we hung out with The Merch Girls, Laura and Kelly, while digitizing. Joy, Peter, and Alex Schwab are holding down the fort in the off-season.

But let’s be real, it’s not all just a good time. Here’s a list of reasons why I both love you and wish I could leave you at the exact same time, Slamdance:

1. You have given me both the Grand Jury Prize for a film and then on my next film a big fat rejection letter. (Okay, the year after that you accepted it, fine.)
2. You make me program, fight with my friends over films, and then repay me by not accepting all the films I wish I could every year.
3. My husband made me promise in therapy once that I would NEVER program again. He gave that up when you finally accepted my second film. (Ok, I kinda told him you made me.)
4. You introduce me to amazing filmmakers year after year, who then go on to have much better careers than I’ll ever have.
5. You repeatedly ask me to do you “favors” and I forget to say no.
6. You both sell my book and put me on panels, making me feel all important and stuff, and then ask me to unload a truck as soon as I get off the plane.
7. You make me stand outside in the freezing cold to get into parties, but I get to buy new coats every year that I would never have anywhere to wear otherwise.
8. You give me the greatest stories to tell filmmakers about embarrassing things festies from prior years have done, and then I get to watch new filmmakers do them all over again (And still go on to have better careers than I’ll ever have).
9. You make me hike up a huge hill 3 or 4 times a day, but I lose at least 10 pounds every festival.
10. You make me miss my family terribly, but put them in films so I can bring them with me the following year.


I heart you Slamdance, and yep, I’ll be back again this year. And next year. And probably the year after that too.

Heidi Van Lier is an indie filmmaker living in Los Angeles. She has made three feature films: “Chi Girl” which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival, “Monday”, which screened as a special screening at the Slamdance Film Festival, and “American Decaf”, which will make the festival rounds in 2009. Heidi now programs for the Slamdance Film Festival, produces and directs Slamdance TV during the festival, and continues to counsel 10-15 filmmakers about festival strategy every year. Her new book The Indie Film Rule Book is available at lulu.com and is a strategic guide for indie filmmakers. Go buy one now!

Heidi also has a weekly blog on www.filmindependent.org.

Slamdance News and Upcoming Events - February 2009