AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

Final Call for Submissions:

SUBMIT NOW: www.bluecatscreenplay.com

Deadline: May 1st - Winner receives $10,000, finalists $1500

Since 1998, BlueCat consistently develops, recognizes and rewards the great, undiscovered screenwriter. Every entry receives a written analysis by the contest judges,

something unheard of in most screenwriting competitions.

Want tips? Visit our site for articles on all aspects of screenwriting.

SUCCESS STORIES!

Our alumni sell scripts, secure representation,

direct award-winning films, and build careers.

BlueCat's 2005 winner, BALLS OUT: The Gary Houseman Story, starring Sean William Scott, was released by Sony in early 2009.

Our 2007 Winner, Ana Lily Amirpour's The Stones, was just selected as a Tribeca All-Access Recipient.

Lance Hammer, 2004 BlueCat Finalist, was nominated for a 2009 Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay.

Recently, 2005 Finalist Aaron Guzikowski was signed by Endeavor for his script, Prisoners, with Mark Wahlberg attached to star.

ENTER NOW: www.bluecatscreenplay.com
Interview with a Blue Cat Reader

Ever wonder who reads your script when you enter a screenplay contest? Jennifer Barbee has read for BlueCat for a few years. She’s one of our tried and true veterans. I asked her a few questions recently. I think you will find what she has to say very interesting.

How many scripts do you think you've read in your life?

I would estimate that I’ve read about 450 scripts as an analyst.

How many for BlueCat?

I’m hovering right around 200 scripts. I store most of my analysis in a single Word document, adding new text with each analysis. That document is currently 267 pages long. Occasionally I amuse myself by thinking that I’ve done a novel’s worth of analysis for Bluecat up to date. Though far less literarily ambitious than a novel, I hope that in those pages I’ve at least helped some up and coming talents hone their skills.

What do you think makes for a screenplay you love?

Call me old-fashioned, but I like a good solid story, free of gimmicks. If the story is fresh – whether it be one I’ve never heard before, or a brand new way of telling a familiar tale – it raises my reader antennae. Some of the finest scripts I’ve read are deceptively simple, but have such vibrant characters and such well-developed themes that I remember them long after that last page is turned. If a story feels organic and unforced, then the writer is really on to something.

What are some of the recurring problems writers have in their submissions to BlueCat?

Aspiring writers seem to have a tendency toward non-linear story presentation. Scripts are often peppered with confusing flashback sequences, dreams, and visual memories that kill the natural flow of the story. Unless a flashback is absolutely necessary, I always want to see a story progress in natural arc. I’ve seen so many scripts halted dead in their tracks by the clichéd flashback sequence, that I’ve lost count.

Is there anything that really makes it hard for you to even finish reading a script?

Definitely! Each script’s temperature can usually be taken within the first 10 -15 pages. The one thing that makes me dread the experience of reading the next 90 pages of a script is a lack of infused passion on the part of the writer. Writers should remember that a reader can almost always tell if the story and script are earnest, or if they are simply a forced product of the writer’s basic desire to write a script, rather than that a need to write that particular script. Even if a script is imperfect, I would always rather read one that a writer simply had to write out of some inner passion or desire to tell his/her characters’ stories than one that was written for the sake of writing. I always think that it is important to stew on your characters for a while before putting them to paper. Let them fill with blood and heart and guts, so their voice and motivation will come much more naturally. As a result, the script’s heart will beat along with them. A script with no heart is just a stack of paper.

When should a writer not send their script into a competition?

Even though competitions often offer written critiques of a writer's work, it is still best not to send first drafts that haven't gone through a few readings by some trusted friends or colleagues. I usually recommend table reads to test the characters' dialogue as it would sound spoken out loud, for one thing. Thorough preparation not only helps your script, but also helps your chances of submitting a script that will get the reaction you are shooting for.

What's the hardest thing to tell a screenwriter?

The hardest thing to tall a screenwriter is that his/her idea just isn't good material for a feature script. Unfortunately, the writing can be technically solid, but if the idea isn't interesting and compelling, there's not much you can do. It's like planting a sunflower seed and hoping to grow an oak.

Read more interviews and articles here:

www.bluecatscreenplay.com/news/advice.php#kubricks_boxes

THE BLUECAT SCREENWRITING WORKSHOPS
with Gordy Hoffman

The First Ten Pages Workshop

This workshop will consist of ten writers each submitting the first ten pages of a screenplay to each member in advance of the workshop day. This screenplay can be incomplete, a first draft, or a rewrite. We will go over each work individually, discussing the specific, unique and common challenges each writer faces. This discussion will include the technical aspects of description and dialogue, the depth and reality of the characters, and how the first ten pages reflect where the entire story begins.

We will read each writer's pages in the workshop, allowing the screenwriter to hear their screenplay aloud. Each writer will be asked to read the material in advance of the workshop to maximize the constructive input each participant receives.

The intimate, focused interaction with fellow writers in the workshop will provide all with a greater understanding of the work that lies ahead on their screenplay, and more importantly, a detailed sense of how they might develop as writers themselves.

Register Now: www.bluecatscreenplay.com/workshop

Upcoming Workshops

Boston - The First Ten Pages Workshop (limit 10 writers)
Sunday, April 26th 9:00am - 6:00pm
Fee $115

Denver - The Art of Screenwriting
Saturday, May 2 9:00am - 5:00pm
Fee $40 / $30 DSA Students, Family and Faculty

Kansas City - The First Ten Pages Workshop (limit 10 writers)
Fee $115
A $20 donation will be made to the KC Film Commission on behalf of each registrant.

BlueCat Screenwriting Competition
PO Box 2630
Hollywood, CA 90078
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