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Phil, I suggest that you do give an actual page count, or at least a parameter that does not allow 1, 2, 3, and 4 page scripts. It's been a problem in teh past, why not nip it in the bud now?
Just a suggestion...
Why is it a problem if someone writes a 1 page script?
There are numerous competitons that require films of such length...Depict, Virgin Media etc...not to mention the potential revenue from viral videos.
Rick, the problem with 1 page scripts in this challenge" is that the majority of those 1 pagers are joke scripts, not taken seriously, not meant to be taken seriously.
Also, writing a 12-15 page script in a week is quite a bit different than writing a 1-3 page script, in terms of time.
I realize that there are numerous comps that look for 1 page scripts, or whatever number of page scripts. That's fine and that's cool, and it's a level playing field, because all the entries are 1 page, or whatever. That's not the case here at all, and IMO, it's a problem when the vast majority of writers push themselves to churn out a 12 page script, and a few throw together a 1 page joke at the last minute and get more reads then those that really tried.
True, Jeff, but there have also been 15-page joke-scripts submitted so I don't think a minimum page count will weed out those unwanted scripts. In terms of the actual challenge, I would consider it a much greater challenge to tell a complete three-act story in 1 or 2 pages than 15 pages. 15 is easy. Anybody can do that. Of course it takes less time to write 1 page but I think the planning takes longer than with a 15-pager.
Down in the hole / Jesus tries to crack a smile / Beneath another shovel load
I think the key word here is "solid", Jeff. Like you, I'm yet to read a solid 1, 2, 3, or 4-page OWC entry. But then again, I haven't read that many solid 15-pagers either.
Down in the hole / Jesus tries to crack a smile / Beneath another shovel load
There have been some for sure, though. Cam has come through with 2 very solid entries the last 2 OWC's. I think my Halloween entry was also pretty good.
The point, I'm trying to make here is that it is difficult to write a script on an unknown topic and make it fit into 12 or 15 pages in a weeks time. It really is. That's why so many entries are piss poor.
It's a great challenge and a great writing exercise. Rob, you should definitely enter this time around. Seriously! Good stuff, brother.
I suppose it just comes down to subjective opinion.
I think you make a fair point about the amount of work people put in...but I honestly don't think people will read more of the longer scripts if there are less short ones. I think the longer ones will still get the same amount of reads and you'll just lose any "extra" reads, if you will, on the shorter ones.
As far as I'm aware none of the shorter stuff has ever "won" so to speak, so I'm not sure what the problem is really.
Plus, I'd much rather read or watch a very good 2 minute short than an average 15 minute one tbh...and 99% of readers/viewers would as welll.
But anyway...like I say, it's all subjective...so as long as we know up front it's all good IMO.
I just really like super shorts, some of my favourite ever short films have been as little as 90 seconds long.
I, on the other hand, basically despise super shorts. I think they're a waste the vast amount of time.
I like scripts that have some meat to them, lots of long, meandering unimportant banter, gratuitous sex, nudity, violence, drinking, drugging, goofy cameos, name dropping, brand placement...did I already mention gratuitous sex and nudity...oh yeah, I did...sorry.
I LOVE short films too. I watch a lot more of those than I do features.
Atom Films used to be my favorite site until they decided to only do comedy. One of the best shorts I've seen was a Canadian horror/thriller where this guy drives home and all the people he sees are all mannequins. He ends up killing some of them in his house. Not one single word was spoken in it either.
I LOVE short films too. I watch a lot more of those than I do features.
Atom Films used to be my favorite site until they decided to only do comedy. One of the best shorts I've seen was a Canadian horror/thriller where this guy drives home and all the people he sees are all mannequins. He ends up killing some of them in his house. Not one single word was spoken in it either.
I agree...and research shows how people have very little patience on the internet. It's very difficult to get people to watch something over 6 minutes...over ten...almost impossible. Even sites like BBC Films (where people go to specifically watch films) say that anything over ten minutes will not get views.
One of the most moving films I ever saw was 2:30 long...about the realtionship between a man and his mother who was becoming senile and a backstory that was about the woman losing his daughter on the beach.
Moved me to tears in that time...an amazing piece of work. Packed more in than thousands of feature films I've seen over the years.