One Week Challenge -- April '07

This Friday, April 20th, the genre/theme for the one week challenge will be announced.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's an 'unofficial contest' to see how well you work under pressure.  Imagine of a director came up to you and asked you to write a short that takes place in a petshop.  Could you do it?

The unenforceable rules for the challenge are:

Entering is not mandatory!

You have one week to write a fifteen page (or less) script based on the genre & theme announced Friday.

Do not put your name on the script.  For the first week or so, the scripts will not have the writers' name on it so no one can pick favorites.

No betting!

Submit the script as you normally would.  In the comments box, on the submission page, mention it's part of the one week challenge.

Don't start guessing right away who wrote what.  There's plenty of time to chat about it later.

Phil

And as another note, DO NOT fill this thread up with childish posts and jokes. I will be watching it closely as the other one was a mess.

I guess I'm posting the theme and genre tomorrow morning (EST).

Phil

Cutting and pasting from a previous post, here are the rules:

Entering is not mandatory!

You have one week to write a fifteen page (or less) script based on the genre & theme announced Friday.

Do not put your name on the script.  For the first week or so, the scripts will not have the writers' name on it so no one can pick favorites.

No betting!

Submit the script as you normally would.  In the comments box, on the submission page, mention it's part of the one week challenge.

Genre:  Comedy
Theme:  Telling your spouse that you lost your job.

Good luck with it!

Phil

And so it begins...

Good luck, everyone.

Cheers, Chismeister.

Hmm, interesting theme.

Quoted from dogglebe

Do not put your name on the script. For the first week or so, the scripts will not have the writers' name on it so no one can pick favorites.

Note to some of you newer members.

To help preserve anonymity, you generally do not state explicitly whether or not you are even participating. I just deleted a post from somebody who stated that they were.

And one script per customer please!

Quoted from pia

Okay...

It says on the calendar the next OWC is going to be announced tomorrow....
Where's the buzz?
No jokes, no nothing?
What's up with that?

Quoted from Old Time Wesley

And as another note, DO NOT fill this thread up with childish posts and jokes. I will be watching it closely as the other one was a mess.

A conflict of interests?

I think pia's right, things are a little dead around here...

WAY too serious around here. I for one will not, not be entering, maybe, if I feel like it, Could be 50 50 chance of me entering, 100% sure that I will probably/ probably not participate.

Quoted from dogglebe

Genre: Comedy
Theme: Telling your spouse that you lost your job.

Maybe I'll enter this, maybe I won't...

Personally, I think the subject is way too specific. Not that it doesn't allow room for creativity, I'm just worried we'll end up with a lot of very similar scripts.

I much prefer it when the subject is short and simple e.g. Horror - Milk, Thriller - a diary Comedy - Prison, Drama - A debt etc... I think that allows for wider range of interpretation.

Quoted from Martin

I think its more of a challenge if the parameters are a little tighter. That way, you have to try harder to think of ways to separate yourself from the crowd. It's more fun that way. Personally, I thought the Western and Drama at a family BBQ OWC's were a little on the easy side (even though I didn't get to participate in the second one). Not that that's a bad thing. I've heard a few complaints about the OWC over the past few but personally, I've never had a problem with them. I think they've all been pretty varied. This topic seems a little more specific than the last one but a little easier as well IMO.

Quoted from Martin

Personally, I think the subject is way too specific. Not that it doesn't allow room for creativity, I'm just worried we'll end up with a lot of very similar scripts.

I much prefer it when the subject is short and simple e.g. Horror - Milk, Thriller - a diary Comedy - Prison, Drama - A debt etc... I think that allows for wider range of interpretation.

I think there going for something closer to what might be experienced if a producer asked you to write something, so that the exercise is actually preparing you for something. There was a thread about it, about how it should be more specific, I'm not sure what it was called...

Quoted from Higgonaitor

I know what you're talking about. I think it's a discussion that came out of the last OWC thread. Some people seemed to think SciFi and popcorn was a concept too whacky for any producer to suggest. Likewise, horror and milk. The last OWC was fun but I think those guys are right.

Well, I will definitely not reveal whether or not I'm not participating or not. No way.

Quoted from dogglebe

Genre: Comedy
Theme: Telling your spouse that you lost your job.

I have to admit that given my current situation, the subject is a just a little bit ironic.

Quoted from Martin

Personally, I think the subject is way too specific. Not that it doesn't allow room for creativity, I'm just worried we'll end up with a lot of very similar scripts.

I don't know if you were around for the original challenge, but that was a pretty specific genre and theme (drama about a funeral home director who must prepare the remains of his high school bully). And we still very different scripts submitted.

Phil

What's the page limit, if any?

Page limit is about 15, as I understand. Could be less, but the scripts from the other challenges have been around that long.

Cheers, Chismeister.

I suggest fifteen pages as you're not rushing to complete a forty page short in a week. The rules, here, are not enforced.

Phil

The due date is enforced though, at least relatively so.

So I might enter this. Comedy ain't my thing, so I'll enter, or I won't.

Either way, I'm going to be reading submitted scripts. I love reading these things. I like to see how many different ways people can use the same theme and genre to write a script. This'll be fun.

Sean

Quoted from Zombie Sean

So I might enter this. Comedy ain't my thing, so I'll enter, or I won't.

I don't know if you're entering or not but either way, I don't think you should make that decision based on whether or not it's your genre, especially if you've never tried before. You can always try once and if you don't come out so hot, you can try again next time to see if you can fix your mistakes the last time. If you crash and burn the second time then it's definitely not your genre. That's the way I look at it anyway. The script I wrote for last year's Comedy OWC got mixed reviews so I won't count myself out of this one... or will I? Haha! I love how the OWC is the only time you can totally contradict yourself without anyone calling you out on it. Anyway, just a piece of advice.

Quoted from Zombie Sean

So I might enter this. Comedy ain't my thing, so I'll enter, or I won't.

All the more reason why you should do it. It's supposed to be a challenge.

Phil

Quoted from James McClung

HA! Take a look at my Scary Movie 5 script. Now there's what I'm talking about how comedy "ain't my thing."

But now yous guys have made me feel as though I haven't tried enough with the genre (taking I've only written on script in the comedy section) so now I'm beginning to think about joining.

Sean

Will there be another horror OWC? Or action? Or Sci-Fi? Anything with blood and guts?

At this point, it's up to Phil.

He's the one who decides these things.

Cheers, Chismeister.

Spooky quiet around here. I hope everyone is busy writing something.

I wrote one, but I'm not gonna say if I'll submit it or not. It isn't funny at all and what's the point of submitting something unfunny to a comedy challenge? Unless it's so bad it's funny. Maybe I can go for some sort of "Raspberry" award....better not, I already have a few of those. No wait, those were Biggest Turkey awards.

I can't wait to read all the scripts. These challanges are pretty neat.

Cindy

I'm looking forward to reading these too. It is an interesting topic with a lot of potential. Maybe I'll join in and write something... um, maybe not.

Dethan

Quoted from tomson

Guess I'll know which one is yours, haha.

Seriously though, I wouldn't be so hesitant to submit your entry. I have a bad feeling submissions are going to be lacking this time around. Like you said, it's been awful quiet around here. Besides, no harm in trying.

I had the most original idea for this OWC, no doubt in my mind it would be nothing like any other entry unless someone was reading my mind or I was sharing my ideas with them... yeah, if I don't write one I'll try to read a few anyway just so the writers aren't stuck with useless "At least it was on topic" or "This wasn't on topic but..." kind of reviews.

Quoted from Zack

Will there be another horror OWC? Or action? Or Sci-Fi? Anything with blood and guts?

When I use horror as a genre, it's usually gothic horror. No blood and gore and veins in my teeth.

Deadline is tomorrow, folks.

Phil

My lack of a word proccessor was a difficult hurdle, and i've never been good with hurdles.... I'm not sure I'll be able to finish the race.

Sometimes my analogies amaze me.

This time it did not.

I typed mine on paper. How do I submit that? ??)

Darn it! I tried so hard to enter this but everything I came up with just didn't work at all. Can't wait to read everyone elses though.

I know it's supposed to be a challenge... but I do prefer the simple Horror/Milk, Sci-Fi/Popcorn thing. It's so much more fun! And members can just go nuts and conjure up some very unique stories. That's me though.

:)

Quoted Text

I know it's supposed to be a challenge... but I do prefer the simple Horror/Milk, Sci-Fi/Popcorn thing. It's so much more fun! And members can just go nuts and conjure up some very unique stories. That's me though.

Yeah those were fun. Though, the Horror - Milk one, there were about 3 of the same stories concerning babies and their mother's breastmilk.

Sean

Quoted from tomson

I typed mine on paper. How do I submit that? ??)

You can just stick it in your modem. :)

Yeah, Pia. You can just stick it.

Time's up, folks. Pencils down everyone. Submit your work.

Phil

Let's go folks. You have until midnight. Get 'em in.

Don

Mine is stuck in the modem!

I think I'm gonna have to retype mine. Just got to go buy some more paper first.

tick... tock... tick... tock... it's almost midnight! I'm really looking forward to this!!! :D

These things are crazy. I wrote mine last Saturday, the day after it was announced. I then got busy with school and totally forgot about it. I finally realized that I needed to submit my script at 10:00 last night and an hour away from my computer.

I made it....somehow.

You're not supposed to reveal if you entered or not, Jonathan. :P

Quoted from Zack

You're not supposed to reveal if you entered or not, Jonathan. :P

Well, you can, but it just makes it easier for us to know which one might be his. As long as he doesn't say what his is called or what it's about. :P

Sean

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