Quoted from Mr. Blonde I think you're going to be disappointed, Marnie. I'm apologizing in advance. =)

Ah, so Blonde's going to be the one we blame.  

Looking forward to seeing what you got Sean.

Quoted from Don Marnie, and only Marnie, can submit the first 10 pages of a feature based on the theme and genre announced on February 6th at 10:00 pm est. Ban on writing shorts circumvented. - Don

Aga! Now I'm almost sure I'll be able to guess out Marnie's work!

Quoted from khamanna Aga! Now I'm almost sure I'll be able to guess out Marnie's work!

Oh you guessed mine last time, Kham.  

Sean's in charge. Some kind of crime/thriller is my guess. And it has to take place in a historic place where pilgrims landed.

Quoted from Mr. Blonde I think you're going to be disappointed, Marnie. I'm apologizing in advance. =)

i'm betting its an off the wall idea.  

or...

you script has to be written backwards  

Ouch. Is my stuff THAT predictable? I don't ALWAYS do crime/thrillers or stories that are written backwards...

Now, that I got my faux-irritation out of the way, your contest entry is going to be a Memento-style crime drama that deals with two people sitting at a table and discussing stuff not even remotely related to the plot. Then, in the last two pages, you have to reveal the whole plot through heavy-handed exposition and the good guy usually dies. Lol. =)

On a more serious note, guys, for this challenge, I would like you to submit to me, when it opens up, which topic you're going to pick. You'll know what I mean when you see the challenge. The reason why I'm doing this is so that we don't end up with fifteen scripts that are virtually identical. This will happen on a first come, first served basis. However, if an idea you want is already taken and you really have your heart set on it, let me know in the message. I'd prefer not to have more than two or three people doing any one idea, especially when there are so many good ideas to choose from.

Quoted from Mr. Blonde On a more serious note, guys, for this challenge, I would like you to submit to me, when it opens up, which topic you're going to pick.

While I am not exactly sure what you have in mind, I would discourage such complexity.

Every OWC brings many new names out of the woodwork.  Some will not understand the directions, some may not understand how to contact you, some will simply not care and do whatever they want.  I suspect many work right off the home page and do not even peruse these forums at all.

It is your show, and I am happy to sit back and watch it unfold as you see fit, but I am speaking from experience when I say "the simpler, the better".

Getting too jiggy with the OWC nearly always leads to unforseen problems.  It is very easy to wind up with a big clusterf*** on your hands.

I agree with Bert. Plus, it makes it harder to choose a favorite when people have different topics.

I agree with Bert too. I think one topic for all with the same parameters is best all round.

Quoted from DustinBowcot I agree with Bert too.

And think about that for a second....how often do you see THAT?

I say let Blonde do what he wants.

Whatever he's up to sounds fun.

I think Sean's idea could work, but if the guidelines handed out to each writer are very specific and constricting, it could result in some confusion like Bert said. Different genres for the same topic might be manageable, but I guess we'll see how it turns out.

I want to acknowledge what Bert has said that simpler is easier.  However, I'm inclined to give Sean the leeway to try something new.  

One of the advantages of a free, challenge (as opposed to a contest you pay to enter) is that you can experiment.  Also, since this challenge is pretty much limited to just the discussion board crowd, I'm sure we'll all be very understanding and forgiving of any hiccups.

Also, bear in mind that until the OWC theme and genre is posted, nothing is set in stone and things might change.


Don

I agree with Bert, Sean, and Don.

How often do you see that?  

On a more serious note, I do agree with Bert, that simpler is usually better for these OWC's.

But I do like what Sean is talking about in theory...we'll have to wait and see exactly what he has in mind.

Whatever it turns out to be, I hope to be in and right the wrong I shit out the last OWC.  I'm still very embarrassed over that POS.

Tally Ho!

Guys, I give you my word. If this weren't the way to produce the best quality product, I wouldn't do it. I think this will result in a better OWC (in this particular instance, only) than if it were a free choice one as has been done in the past. I hope it works like I imagined, but if it doesn't, I'll take full responsibility. It's time to experiment. =)