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National Screenwriting Competition
Another week, another approaching contest deadline ... National Screenwriting Competition's deadline for submissions is november 19, and I interviewed contest director, Seamus O'Fionnghusa. Seamus is a writer who ran into problems when he tried to market his first screenplay. He decided to take the initiative to help aspiring writers and started his own contest, the National Screenwriting Competition, now in its third year. Using his own contacts, he's been able to get such industry judges as director Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, Tigerland), literary agent Ben Smith, and former Paramount executive John Ferraro.
Q: How many entries do you receive?
A: Last year we received about 500. We extended our deadline this year because of the tragedy on September 11.
Q: What happens to the script once it arrives in the mail? What's the selection process?
A: We stamp the script with a number and separate the application. First round readers, usually college students with at least one film class, judge the script in three sub-categories - story, characters, and dialog - which are rated on a scale from exceptional to poor. The reader gives the script a pass, consider, or recommend. A consider will get the script a second read, either by myself or another story analyst. The top ten are given to the industry judges for the final competition. The winner is chosen by a majority vote.
Q: Is there one genre that seems popular in the submissions you receive?
A: We received a lot of thrillers and action scripts last year. We'd like to see more comedies, coming of age, westerns or horror scripts.
Q: Do you allow collaborations? Do you allow submissions based on life rights or adaptations?
A: We allow collaborations. We allow scripts based on life rights or adaptations only if they do not infringe on other rights.
Q: Who are your success stories?
A: We haven't kept up with the previous winners.
Q: What are your plans for the contest next year?
A: The competition will remain the same.
Some of you may be thinking, "College students are the first round readers? How could they possibly know anything?" Whether or not they know anything is debatable, but the truth in Hollywood is that most scripts by unknown writers are first read by the lowly college intern or the assistant(who just graduated from college). If your script doesn't impress them, it won't reach the next level ... their boss.
If you want to impress them at National Screenwriting Competition, you can check out the complete rules at www.nationalscreenwriting.com.
Monica Zepeda
iam_monica@excite.com
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