1. There is not a writer who is not desperate! :D Welcome to the club.
2. You definitely will not duplicate readers. All these competitions have their own network of people, all very different people. And as I have said before, you are lucky if anyone even reads it!

Keep improving your script and keep entering. Nothing wrong with that. Showing passion in your chosen field is positive, not negative. Showing drive and ambition and the will to win are all good traits.

Zoetrope is one of my favorites. The people I have dealt with there were human and awesome. Do report back about your experience with them if you enter.

(Please note, that I added a note to Big Break in this post and also, notice that I did not include them in my 2010 lineup, due to complaints. )

I had the same problem when I electronically upgraded to version 8 of Final Draft, which I had to do in order to enter the Nicholl. Several days (and many phone calls to customer support) later, I finally had the software on my computer. Perhaps this was a harbinger of my current complaints.

Thank you for your words of encouragement. Sincerity radiates from them, which makes me appreciate them all the more.

I wonder what you think about me entering this same script In the American Zoetrope competition. My knowledge of Hollywood is exactly as large as whatever David Trottier decided to include in his book. I feel that by entering three large competitions with the same script I run the risk of: 1. seeming desparate(which is probably true) and 2. duplicating readers. I feel like #1 is in my own mind? How could they know I am desparate to have a job writing screenplays rather than working as an orderfiller at a grocery distribuition wharehouse? #2 feels like a real possibility to me, I just don’t know.
I have written six other screenplays, it’s just that I only bought the Trottier book at the end of May, and all my focus has been on this first screenplay. I don’t want to give up on it yet.

Your other opinions have the ring of truth to them, I would be grateful for one more.

Trevor

Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS on doing so well in the competitions. That is great.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

I am not surprised about your experience with Big Break. For me, just ordering the Final Draft screenwriting program, which is the main software screenwriters use, was a nightmare. It took a month and several phone calls just for me to receive the Final Draft software… It should be very simple to drop a CD in the mail and mail it. So yes, dealing with Final Draft for a screenwriting competition is probably not so pleasant either, I imagine. I included them in my top 8 solely based on the prize money and their leverage in the entertainment industry.

Due to your, my, and others’ experience with them, I will add a note to that competition.

Thank you!

This year I entered different versions of the same script in three competitions, Scriptapalooza, the Nicholl, and the Big Break. I did not intend to enter the same script this many times, the process of revision dictated my entries. In other words, the more I revised the better it got. This was reflected in how the contests judged my entries. Scriptapalooza rejected it outright. The Nicholl selected me as a quarterfinalist (the top 326 out of 6500). The Big Break selected me as a semifinalist.
My experience with Scriptapalooza was fine, I sent them an improperly formatted script and they were right to trash it. My experience with the Nicholl was excellent. All communication from them was cordial, even when they sent me the “sadly your script did not advance to the semifinal round” email. The Big Break on the other hand was an unqualified disaster from the beginning, even as I was advancing through the rounds.
I think that for whoever wins the Big Break, the contest may be a good thing. It really might open door for its finalists. But the contest is totally disorganized and I would not submit to it again.
1. The quarterfinalist announcement came in the form of a link to their online magazine. If you think getting a “sadly your script did not advance…” email is nervewracking, imagine scanning a list of 218 screenplays, written in really small print, looking for your title. My screenplay made it through this round, but my heart nearly didn’t.
2. On August 23rd I received an email from an employee at Final Draft saying that my script was a semifinalist and in the running to be a top ten finalist. The email contained a link to the list of semifinalists. (If you check Final Draft’s website you can still see this list of supposed semifinalists.) The problem with the list, it was identical to the list for the quarterfinalists. It still has 218 screenplays on it. The fact that the lists were the same really reduced my excitement over being a “semifinalist”.
3. At that time, (the error has since been corrected) a note accompanied the list saying that on Monday August 27th another list of the top 35 screenplays would be posted. It also said that all entrants would get an email notifying them of their status in the competition. There is no Monday August 27th! Monday was the 30th, not the 27th. That’s a high school mistake. That’s like submitting a screenplay with an opening 16 pages of voiceover narration.
4. Yesterday, Monday August 27th or 30th depending on whose calendar you use, I began relentlessly checking my email every hour on the hour from 9 o’clock California time onward. Nothing. At five o’clock California time I got on the Final Draft website to see it their were some kind of update. And that is how I found out I did not advance.
5. I have yet to receive an email.

I hope that this post discourages people from entering this competition. The ambiguity, disorganization, and lack of respect, is not worth a 15000 dollar reward.

I would love to know what you think about my experience here, and whether or not it might prompt you to downgrade your estimation of the Big Break.

Trevor

If you have an agent interested, you are already way ahead of what any screenplay competition can offer you.

Ask the agent directly if s/he is interested in representing you and if s/he will be trying to sell the screenplay for you. If yes, then ask what is the action plan and what you can expect, time wise and otherwise.

If no, then ask if that agent could recommend any other agents to you who may be a better fit for you. Also, continue showing it to other agents until one signs you on as his client.

Regarding SONGS IN SCRIPTS, that is a great question. I will write a full post about it.

In the meantime, don’t worry too much about song usage in your description and mood, but do try to avoid using lyrics. I usually play it safe by writing, “A song like…” As only a suggestion, it gives description, without being unlawful or having unrealistic expectations on the budget or legal team.

For spec scripts (scripts for sale and writing samples), it is ok to suggest certain songs, but only do it if it is absolutely crucial to the telling of the story. Otherwise, leave it up to the director and music composer, that’s their job.