Wednesday, April 29, 2015

FREE STUFF

I love free stuff. Free stuff is good. So here's a great FREE resource from Borgus Films to help you grow as a writer. Don't say I never give you anything...

I thought you might be interested in telling your readers about our new tutorial series based on Alfred Hitchcock's forgotten television works. 
We cover topics of relevance to screenwriting such as: creating unpredictable characters, building suspense and anxiety, manipulating audience knowledge, focusing on simple story objects, and more. 
HITCH20 explores the twenty episodes of TV that Hitchcock personally directed.  Each episode of this series features guest appearances from various Hitchcock scholars and film gurus with their insights on what makes these gems of TV relevant to today’s screenwriters and filmmakers. 
Guest commentaries include: 
-William C. Martell (screenwriter for HBO and Showtime)
-Parker Mott (Film Slate Magazine)
-John P. Hess (FilmmakerIQ)
-Lesley Coffin (author, Hitchcock's Stars: Alfred Hitchcock and the Hollywood Studio System
Proudly sponsored by: 
Glidecam, Paralinx, & Michael Wiese Books. 
Reviews: 
"An oft unopened door inside the genius of the Master of Suspense."
  -- V. RenĂ©e, No Film School 

"Packed with insights."
   -- Lights Film School 

Official site: http://www.borgus.com/hitch20Watch all episodes free on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/borgusfilm

Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

SHORE SCRIPTS 2015 SCREENWRITING COMPETITION

Shore Scripts have launched their 2015 short and feature competitions, so if you have a screenplay ready be sure to enter. Find the details below.

SHORE SCRIPTS 2015 SCREENWRITING COMPETITION NOW OPEN




"Our mission is to discover new exciting screenwriting talent from around the world. We put the best scripts into the hands of the producers, production companies and agents that have the means to get them made. Shore Scripts has amassed a roster of the most respected industry Judges of any screenwriting competition in the world. They include both Oscar and BAFTA winners, and the Heads of Production at Working Title Films and Ridley Scott’s, Scott Free Films.
All of our 21 Judges will read the winning scripts.We have over 100 Production Companies and agents attached to read the best scripts that we send through to them each year. These do not have to be winning scripts. If we feel a screenplay is strong enough, and a good fit with a production companies slate, then we will send it through with the writers prior consent."

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

BLOG REWIND - REJECTION REVISITED Tuesday April 12th 2011

I've spoken about rejection and how to handle it before, but it's something well worth going over again as it's all too easy to forget that sometimes rejection does hurt.

It's important to build up a thick skin against rejection, but even if you do there will always be that one rejection too many that gets to you. We're all human and we all desire to be loved and liked; writers even more so I think. The important thing as a writer is not to let others see you're hurting and not to rant publicly about it. That is a big mistake, a big fat no no in media circles, and a sure fire way to get yourself a bad name. It's worth remembering that if someone Google's your name they might come across your moan and think you're hard to work with and avoid you. No one likes a moaner, not even other moaners.

Go and Google your own name right now and see what comes up. If any moaning, or anything negative comes up then remove the offending article, blog or Tweet. I did this the other week and found two very early, very negative blog posts which I later removed. Here's a few other important things you might want to consider.

Rejection isn't personal. No one ever died from rejection. Rejection doesn't mean your work is rubbish, it just means they didn't like it/or it wasn't right for them at the time. Someone else might like it and snap your hand off.

Remember, be positive at all times online and keep any negative thoughts behind closed doors. Your career will thank you for it.