Quoted from DustinBowcot I don't think it's unfair, Rick. If a writer wishes to price themselves out of production then who does that hurt in the long run? I didn't write this story to win a mug or a thong. I mainly wrote it for fun, but I also hope that one day it may be produced. This whole thing is just an excuse to write something different, something I wouldn't ordinarily have thought of if Don didn't come up with some stipulations. Mine is super low budget, by the way. I'm not arguing the case because I broke the rule. I just find budget a bit of a grey area. Expensive to one person is cheap to another. I even read the ones that went over page count and the ones that neglected to use a classic monster. I also read the comedies. I was a little harsh to the last two I read this morning, I think, but over all, I've tried to be kind. Unfortunately that has led to some scripts getting higher marks than other scripts that are probably better. Sorry about that. Don't take anything I've said to heart, I'm just one guy with an oft ignorant opinion.

Fair enough. And like Pia says...we'll all just argue over the other stipulations anyway!

It just upsets my sense of fair play when the genre is low budget extreme body horror and everyone votes for an expensive romantic comedy.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films Or encourages you to use it and not rely on spectacle. That last line proves why it's such an important stipulation...it's harder to create something sticking to low budget. It LIMITS you to certain things. It's unfair if some writers are limited, by sticking to the rules, and others aren't. You've said it yourself. So if the stipulation is not going to be used to evaluate...let's remove it altogether in the future and have a more even playing field.

Yes, but IMO, spectacle is what makes great films.  It's the visuals that set film apart from everything else.

It may be unfair, but that's only because certain writers limited themselves by going "extreme" low budget, while others realized low budget is impossible to put an actual price tag on.

For instance, Matt Damon could shoot a no to low budget film just using what he already owns, and himself as an actor.

I'm all for removing budgetary from all OWC's, and in fact, the one I ran, I'm pretty sure I said go as big as you want to.

I like the budget restraints and personally I feel it focus' the writer more on story.

Yes, we can debate what they mean, but sometimes it's pretty obvious if it doesn't comply. My first OWC was with Falling Angels - in that I had a war raging - d day - and an church blown up. No chance of being filmed.

movie Poet used to have a lot of these by default. Eg had to be set around a table, or filmed in one shot, had to filmed in a car etc

This lead to many being filmed. I have four from MP under production, which probably means one at tops gets filmed, but they wouldn't be going ahead if not tight on costs, locations, actors, effects. One of my best, IMO is two men around a table and an imaginary ghost. It lead me to come up with a lot of back story, conflict and subtle twists.

Every OWC  the criteria get pushed and on average we go with it.

Quoted from Dreamscale I'm all for removing budgetary from all OWC's, and in fact, the one I ran, I'm pretty sure I said go as big as you want to.

Would probably result in fewer scripts being picked up from OWCs by budding filmmakers though, wouldn't it? By and large the people looking here for scripts to option/film are students and people still honing/learning their craft (or that used to be the case, anyway).

Comes back to a more fundamental question I guess: why do you (plural) write shorts?

a) to practice skills and develop craft, before graduating to features
b) out of an artistic love of the form
c) you just love writing, and they're quicker than features
d) in the hope they'll be shot by someone else, either for personal satisfaction or to advance your career as a writer (credits, getting on IMDB, festival plays, awards)
e) to shoot yourself, either to practice skills as a filmmaker or/and for the reasons listed above

I think shorts are always the most popular category on SS, reads-wise, presumably as they're less of a time commitment (totally fair enough, we're all busy!), so maybe there's another reason:

f) most likely to get reads and feedback on SS

If a, b, c or f, then obviously you don't have to worry about budget. If d or e... I'd genuinely be interested to hear what people think!

I think there can be honest disagreement on what represents a blown budget. A lot of people said Home Security blew the budget because it has a mansion and a mechanical bookcase covering a secret chamber. But if you really like the story and wanted to do it, it’s not hard to turn “a mansion” into just the nicest house you can find. Instead of a mechanical bookshelf lowering into the floor, just have an actual bookshelf placed in front of a door and have the characters say, “Hey look, there’s a door behind this shelf” and push it out of the way. So while some might mark it down for blowing the budget, I think it’s only two easy tweaks away from being among the cheapest I’ve read.

In my mind, all of these end up being due at least one rewrite, and I’ll always prefer an actual story whose rewrite needs to focus on making it cheaper versus a cheap script whose rewrite needs to focus on giving it an actual story. If you’re a filmmaker and you have a script you really like, you’ll be thinking, “How can I make this filmable? What can I change to achieve this?” But if you’re reading a script and all you see is easy to access locations and budget pinching, you’ll think, “What do I need this script for? I’d do just as well to start from scratch.”

I like the low budget stipulation. I think it helps keep things closer to low budget than they otherwise would be. But even an opening shot of invading spaceships entering Earth’s atmosphere can be changed to a radio reporter talking about that same event. And if you like the rest of the story, the script hasn't blown the budget because the only thing it costs is an hour of your time to rewrite the scene.

For me:

For fun.

To shoot myself, or to find an idea that I might develop into a feature later.

I've been thinking of writing some I've written as short stories as I feel I have to gravitate towards features at this stage of my career. I actually thought about mentioning that on here...perhaps we should convert some of our shorts into stories and do an anthology. Sell it an Amazon.


In some ways, a lot in fact, I prefer short films to features. I prefer short stories to novels as well, generally. The best writers can fit so much into a short time, whereas there's almost always long periods of boredom in feature films.

Unfortunately there is no market for shorts. Especially now the DVD market has died. Pity.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films I've been thinking of writing some I've written as short stories as I feel I have to gravitate towards features at this stage of my career. I actually thought about mentioning that on here...perhaps we should convert some of our shorts into stories and do an anthology. Sell it an Amazon.

Not a bad idea at all. This blog at Scriptshadow makes an argument for that approach for features, too - http://scriptshadow.net/guest-article-cant-sell-your-screenplay-why-not-turn-it-into-a-novel/. Thinking is if people only really want to buy adaptations of pre-existing IP, self-publish and generate the audience in prose format, thereby proving the concept, before adapting it back.

I've said the same for a while about features. Good idea...especially for the Epic ones.

All this talk about the OWC scripts, budgets, production....

Now I'm thinking I want to film The Starving Sea!!  

One thing I liked about it is that it takes place on the ocean. I love the ocean! Much more interesting visually! That's what I said about the fort too though, but since this takes place during the day, there shouldn't be any lighting issues at least. Not sure what to do with the blob though, but I think that can be worked out. Now I just need to track down the writer and then call up my buddy Dena to see if she wants to step onboard with me, so to speak.

Let's see, I know a guy with a boat that I think can be sweet talked into letting us use it....hmmmm  

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films I've said the same for a while about features. Good idea...especially for the Epic ones.

Look at The Martian - serialised on the author's own website before being self-published on Amazon for 99c in 2011, where it sold 35,000 copies in three months, then a trade fiction publisher acquires publication rights for $100,000. Same month, Twentieth Century Fox options the film rights. By May 2014, the novel has debuted in the Top 20 in the hardback fiction charts and Ridley Scott has signed on to direct the film.

If you have what you're convinced is an amazing concept but the script just isn't generating any interest, then surely it's worth considering adapting it into something you can actually release for the general public to read, either yourself or collaborating with a fiction writer? If it's any good, it'll boost your chances of selling the screenplay in the long run.

Quoted from Grandma Bear All this talk about the OWC scripts, budgets, production.... Now I'm thinking I want to film The Starving Sea!!   One thing I liked about it is that it takes place on the ocean. I love the ocean! Much more interesting visually! That's what I said about the fort too though, but since this takes place during the day, there shouldn't be any lighting issues at least. Not sure what to do with the blob though, but I think that can be worked out. Now I just need to track down the writer and then call up my buddy Dena to see if she wants to step onboard with me, so to speak. Let's see, I know a guy with a boat that I think can be sweet talked into letting us use it....hmmmm

There will be a lot of lighting issues as your key light...the sun...will be in constantly different positions as regards the positioning of the boat.

But good luck. It's certainly not a project I would tackle!

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films There will be a lot of lighting issues as your key light...the sun...will be in constantly different positions as regards the positioning of the boat. But good luck. It's certainly not a project I would tackle!

Well, like I said earlier, boats are not stationary, even when anchored, so I personally don't see that as a real issue. We would have to take it in consideration though when doing our shot list, so an early morning sun is not at the beginning of the film then the midday sun in and then back to morning sun and then again back to midday.

And yes, I have been called a complete nut before. By family even. Risk taker too, but I'm a positive person, so I always think things will turnout good.  We shall see.  

By the way, there were 32 entries, I haven't really seen 32 people commenting on the scripts.

Quoted from Grandma Bear By the way, there were 32 entries, I haven't really seen 32 people commenting on the scripts.

LOL...not even close.  Pathetic as always.  I didn't enter but I'm trying to get through them all, as usual.

WEAK!!!!!!!!!

Need to go back to the asterix system where Don marks scripts by writers who haven't read any.