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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board    One Week Challenge    September, 2020 One Week Challenge  ›  The September, 2020 One Week Challenge is... Moderators: LC
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LC
Posted: September 11th, 2020, 10:25pm Report to Moderator
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Announcing: 'The SS Killer Dialogue Challenge'.

Most screenwriting guides instill in writers the golden rule of: Show, don't tell. Movies are primarily a visual medium so we focus predominantly on action to drive the narrative.

However, there are some famous screenwriters renowned for their rich dialogue driven scripts, and there are writers who are especially adept with the gift of the gab -

Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen, David Mamet, Aaron Sorkin, Diablo Cody, Greta Gerwig, Sofia Coppola, and the late, great RomCom writer, Nora Ephron - to name just a few.

Select from one of the following premises or prompts below and build your 'talking heads' story around it:


I just make up these rules, I have no control over them.

A mysterious parcel is delivered to your house.

Dead person in a room.

Woman on a ledge.

You were talking in your sleep.

You have exactly one hour.

There's blood everywhere.

There's someone upstairs.

This isn't what it looks like.

You're not the one for me.

It's a dead end. What now?

It was on fire.


Write your choice of prompt/premise under your logline. Your premise or prompt must play a vital role in your story. It cannot be just a throw-away line.

Script Length: Write a 5-10 page properly formatted script.
Two characters
One location



Genre: Thriller, Drama, RomCom, Sci-Fi, Crime.
NB: If selecting Comedy genre it must be of the RomCom variety.


Additional Info:
Okay, so here's a big NB: You have an Optional inclusion of a
Third Variable or Scene Agitator:

The Third Variable may be in the form of a third character, time element, audio element, object, animal, impediment, etc.

NB: If you choose a third character as your Third Variable this character will be allowed to speak -
only three lines of dialogue.

See this link -

http://scriptshadow.net/a-super-secret-dialogue-trick-that-will-seriously-up-your-dialogue-game/

- (thanks to Carson at ScriptShadow) for the excellent article and rundown of what The Third Variable is and how it can add to your dialogue and story. Fortuitously, the ScriptShadow article appeared in the midst of concocting this challenge.


As usual Story is all important but dialogue is key to this challenge. Entertain us, thrill us with your witty banter, lack of on the nose dialogue, and cleverly hidden exposition. Scale the heights with your great one-liners. Make us laugh, make us cry, make us hang on your every word. Whatever you write, make it easy on the ear and eloquently memorable.

Timeline:
Friday 9/11 - Theme and Genre release
Friday 9/18 Scripts due 11:59 edt
Sat 9/19 Noon edt scripts posted
Friday 9/25 Writer's Choice votes due

Budget: Low
No Covid-themed scripts. For this one, let's pretend the plague doesn't exist.

This isn't a contest - it's a challenge. There are no official prizes.

You may submit more than one script but it's better to write one GREAT script than two or three mediocre ones. You may also have a writing partner.

You can revise your script as many times as you wish up until the deadline.

Do not put your real name on your script; this is an anonymous challenge. However, please use your real name when submitting your script.

After the challenge closes you can either have your script removed or resubmit your script with your name on it.

Participants must read and comment/review in the discussion board at least five other scripts submitted.

Please put ©2020 on your title page.

Submit your five to ten page script, anonymously to  simplyscripts.com/owc by midnight September 18th midnight edt.

Any questions about the challenge, post them below.

There will be a review page emailed to you for you to score the scripts you read. Please only give scores to scripts that you have read. Please do not rate scripts in your review.


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mmmarnie
Posted: September 11th, 2020, 10:52pm Report to Moderator
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Very nice, Libby!! I'll start off the question bombs...one location. Like from fade in to FADE out? Only one?


boop
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LC
Posted: September 11th, 2020, 11:04pm Report to Moderator
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You know, Marnie, I did deliberate over two but went with one. Could be good for the restrictions on filmmakers at the moment. Unless there's an uproar we'll stick with the one confined location. If it's a house or similar, then of course other rooms within that same location are allowed.


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JEStaats
Posted: September 11th, 2020, 11:10pm Report to Moderator
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No sh*t, there I was....

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Love it. F_cking love it.
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LC
Posted: September 11th, 2020, 11:11pm Report to Moderator
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It may seem obvious but I forgot to add, don't let on which premise/prompt you are using.


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LC
Posted: September 11th, 2020, 11:12pm Report to Moderator
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Quoted from JEStaats
Love it. F_cking love it.

Ah, well that's nice. Thanks, John!  


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Spqr
Posted: September 11th, 2020, 11:14pm Report to Moderator
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This could give an advantage to people who talk to themselves a lot. Not saying I'm one of those, you understand.
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LC
Posted: September 11th, 2020, 11:35pm Report to Moderator
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I'm with you there, Spqr.  
...
A couple of dialogue links for those who want some inspiration.
https://screencraft.org/2016/03/22/7-screenwriting-secrets-from-the-masters-of-great-dialogue/

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2016/the-20-best-dialogue-scenes-in-cinema-history/#comments

On another note, Mark D, and Christopher W, you both were inspiration (with your dialogue questions on the boards) for me thinking up this challenge, so I hope you'll give this one a go.

Oh, and this little story I came across:

Here’s a great anecdote from veteran screenwriter Robert Towne (Chinatown, Shampoo) about when he took acting classes with his friend Jack Nicholson:
Watching Jack improvise really had an effect. His improvisations were inventive. When he was given a situation, he would not improvise on the nose. He’d talk around the problem, and good writing is the same way: it’s not explicit. Take a very banal situation — a guy trying to seduce a girl. He talks about everything but seduction, anything from a rubber duck he had as a child to the food on the table or whatever. But you know it’s all oriented toward trying to fuck this girl. It’s inventive, and it teaches you something about writing. Most scenes are rarely about what the subject matter is. You soon see the power of dealing obliquely or elliptically with situations, because most people rarely confront things head-on.


We rarely ask directly for what we want.


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mmmarnie
Posted: September 12th, 2020, 12:08am Report to Moderator
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Ok...so if it's in a house, they can use several rooms because house is the location. If it's in a movie theater, they can be in the lobby, in line for popcorn, and then inside theater?


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LC
Posted: September 12th, 2020, 12:20am Report to Moderator
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Yep, I'd pass that. As long as they're not in an Uber parked outside the movie theatre.


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mmmarnie
Posted: September 12th, 2020, 12:25am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from LC
Yep, I'd pass that. As long as they're not in an Uber parked outside the movie theatre.



Ok. Got it. Thanks. And thank you for including rom/com and including the amazing Norah Ephron.


boop
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LC
Posted: September 12th, 2020, 12:37am Report to Moderator
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Yeah! Probably should have included Nancy Myers, but Ephron is my favourite.

So Marnie... You go ahead and write that Thriller now.  


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MarkD
Posted: September 12th, 2020, 12:54am Report to Moderator
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Quoted Text
On another note, Mark D, and Christopher W, you both were inspiration (with your dialogue questions on the boards) for me thinking up this challenge, so I hope you'll give this one a go.


I was just about to say, was this challenge meant for me? This will give me an excellent opportunity to improve my dialog writing.
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LC
Posted: September 12th, 2020, 12:59am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from MarkD
I was just about to say, was this challenge meant for me? This will give me an excellent opportunity to improve my dialog writing.

Yes! Glad you noticed, Mark, and very pleased you're on board.



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mmmarnie
Posted: September 12th, 2020, 1:00am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from LC
Yeah! Probably should have included Nancy Myers, but Ephron is my favourite.

So Marnie... You go ahead and write that Thriller now.  


LOL...I'm more of a drama girl. Just rarely see rom/com included. I'm way,  way too bitter about love anymore to squeak out a rom/com. Unless it's funny that she kills the guy at the end. Lolol. And I love Nancy Myers also. Norah is definitely the queen though.


boop
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