A challenge for individual script writers tailored to your respective strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, so you get out of it what you want the most, or what I, in my subjective opinion, think you need the most  .

Maybe you tend to write in only one particular genre and fancy being challenged to write another one. Or perhaps you only write in one genre, in which case the challenge would be more about forcing you to be more original, or to go bigger with your ideas.

The challenge will start with a general discussion about where you see yourself, the type of stories that you like, what people have said are your strengths, what you think you need to work on, where you want to end up, that kind of thing. I'll look over the scripts that you have posted on here, look at what others have noted as well and set an interesting challenge that fits the criteria.

The rules that are then set for the script will be designed to help you achieve your individual goal. So, if you want to create a low budget horror piece to attract an independent producer, the task will focus on that. If you are looking to create a high concept action piece that you can expand into a feature, the challenge will focus on that.


There will be three categories that you can choose.

1 Lucky Dip. You can ask to be given a random challenge. I will choose a genre, a topic and present a particular, measurable challenge. Fellow SSers could then adjudicate.

2.Hollywood Producers Pitch. Production company is looking for high concept, original genre ideas.  

3.Independent Producers pitch. Local filmmaker is looking for a low budget script to present at festivals

The categories will be non exclusive. IE you may want to create a high concept, low budget film. You may also ask for a challenge that you have created and I reserve the right to make new ones up.  ;)


IMPORTANT: THIS CHALLENGE IS DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT, NOT COMPETE WITH THE OWC! NO CHALLENGES WILL BE ISSUED THAT WILL INTERFERE OR OVERLAP WITH THAT COMPETITION. THIS CHALLENGE SHALL OFFICIALLY BE OPEN FOR BUSINESS ON THE 10TH SEPTEMBER.

You may of course ask any questions or express an interest on this thread in the meantime.

This sounds interesting.  I'll be up for it.

ok, well, I'm probably gonna re-submit one of my scripts in like a week or so.

You can check it out soon.

I like your idea and I think it's great you're taking this on.

There's three 'challenge' threads on the board right now.

I smell frustration in upcoming weeks.


Phil

Quoted from dogglebe There's three 'challenge' threads on the board right now. I smell frustration in upcoming weeks. Phil

Maybe, but they're not compulsory are they?

yes.  yes, they are.


Phil

Quoted from dogglebe yes.  yes, they are. Phil

Zinger.

Quoted from dogglebe There's three 'challenge' threads on the board right now. I smell frustration in upcoming weeks. Phil

There's nothing to get frustrated about. You've got the "main" one, your little baby, and then two others that are there to be used as people see fit.

Mine is going to be for a fairly select audience, I would have thought.

I'm in for this my dear Decky!

I'd like to improve on my ability to blueprint my plot initially and write through in one go in 3 hours and 48 minutes a draft with some substance, logic and workability.  ;D

OK, maybe that's a little extreme, but I would like to be able to work plot lines like a crazy person and become very skilled so that I can feel the movements of time in a film coursing through my veins.

I'd like to work with comedy, fantasy/supernatural and drama. I'm also interested in horror, but I think it's a bit more psychological horror that I'm interested in and not necessarily graphic.

There are so many areas of skill I'd like to work on that I can't list them here, but of course, a solid balance between character work and a well constructed plot foundation  woven together seamlessly, or near seamlessly, are high aspirations for me.

Thank you so much for taking this project on!

P.S.

Just a moment-- I went back and read your post again:

I'm still trying to find where I feel pulled towards genre wise. I always seem to come back to what I enjoy.

I enjoy working with family kind of entertainment and also romantic comedy. I also like working with spiritual aspects in my stories/scripts and learning how to condense ideas down into short scenes or even single shots.

Right now, I just feel like Michael's "steal this idea" thread expresses my sentiments perfectly. I've got enough material and ideas that I can give them away for free...

Many of us I think do. That's not a problem. The problem is in developing skill.

That's where I see myself in the future. Continuing to work and feeling myself developing more skill. How much? That's yet to be determined. But that's my goal.

Sandra

Welcome aboard Sandra!

I reckon you'll make a very interesting victim.  ;D

Before you edited your post I was actually going to reply that I noticed that you were quite a spiritual person. That does seem the most obvious territory for this little game, but we will see.

Could you post a link to some of your shorts on here? I'll have a look over them ( I know I've read at least one of them before, it may have been a OWC, perhaps the one set on a boat, and I enjoyed it).

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films Welcome aboard Sandra! I reckon you'll make a very interesting victim.  ;D Before you edited your post I was actually going to reply that I noticed that you were quite a spiritual person. That does seem the most obvious territory for this little game, but we will see. Could you post a link to some of your shorts on here? I'll have a look over them ( I know I've read at least one of them before, it may have been a OWC, perhaps the one set on a boat, and I enjoyed it).

Yes, I will be an interesting victim.  ;D

My scripts are on the "Scripts you have Posted" page, right under Jayrex.

Sandra

Hi Dec, i'll be interested in having a crack at the lucky dip. Is it for a short or feature, I can't recall the details form the other thread.

The timing for it will be good, as my family is away for 3 weeks from Sept.13
You can check out my stuff on my sig. Cheers.

Lucky Dip

Quoted from stevie Hi Dec, i'll be interested in having a crack at the lucky dip. Is it for a short or feature, I can't recall the details form the other thread. The timing for it will be good, as my family is away for 3 weeks from Sept.13 You can check out my stuff on my sig. Cheers.

I was thinking shorts, personally I think a feature is a large task to ask of someone just for a challenge. However I want it to be that you get what you want out of it, so you are involved in the creation of the challenge itself. So if you want to concentrate on a feature the challenge would revolve around something like creating a character who could carry a feature or developing a premise that you could expand later.

For instance Saw started out as a short, and I'm sure there are numerous others that have begun that way.

I would take up a feature.

Quoted from Murphy Lucky Dip

Hi Murph.

Could you link me up to your scripts?

Cheers

Hi Dec!

Well, you convinced me, so I guess I'm up to the challenge  ;)

I've written mostly dramas and comedy in Spanish, and because of that my main goal could focus on writing a short in English. Who knows, maybe I even have a problem with structure or character development and you could guide me on working that, too.

The thing is, I have no specific ideas in my head right now (the theme and genre would very open because of that), but the problem is... How would you read my stuff if they are written in Spanish? I've never posted anything here because of that.  :-/

Maybe we should start form scratch... What do you say?

Quoted from rendevous Maybe, but they're not compulsory are they?

Actually, the problem is that there are three and very few people, if any, will enter all three.  As a result, we will end up with three competitions with low turnouts.


Phil

Dec, I want to applaud you for taking the time to do this.

And Phil - what's the third? The OWC, this...and what? Thief? 'Cos that has a fixed entry (which is now closed) and won't start until after the OWC is finished. Have I missed one?

That's not a concern Phil. The OWC will be by far the most popular and this thing will only really be for a few people at once.

It only starts to run once the OWC is safely out of the way as well. I'm not trying to steal your thunder here, honest. :)

But Phil, this challenge begins on September the 10th and the OWC ends on August 28th. I don't think they collide at all.

And this one is not a competition, but a challenge to yourself... or am I getting it wrong?

J.E.

PS: Not sure which is the third competition you mention.

Quoted from dogglebe Actually, the problem is that there are three and very few people, if any, will enter all three.  As a result, we will end up with three competitions with low turnouts. Phil

I think most regulars to the OWC will enter them all cause people seem willing to drop everything for them.

The only thing that may happen is people will tire of these challenges as they keep growing. For the time being people are excited so go for it.

Hey Dec, you missed my post. I want to participate in the challenge.

I was thinking that I can translate a couple of shorts for you to evaluate me. What do you think?

Cheers

Quoted from jecastellon Hey Dec, you missed my post. I want to participate in the challenge. I was thinking that I can translate a couple of shorts for you to evaluate me. What do you think? Cheers

Were you planning to translate the shorts anyway? If so, that's a good idea, if you weren't, I wouldn't want you to go to too much trouble. We can just have a discussion on PM about the kind of things you have written and the kind of things you'd like to write.

Welcome aboard.

I'll be up for this now that my soulshadows script is pretty much complete.

You can check out some of my scripts in my sig.

Cheers, Ste

Ok, Dec!

Let me check out my scripts to see if I find a couple of good (and short) ones to translate and post or send to you. Give me some time and I'll let you know!

Thanks a lot! :)