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The Seventh TV Writer.Com SPEC SCRIPTACULAR Competition is now OPEN! Please scroll down and read the various tips and then - ENTER! January 28, 2005 SPEC SCRIPTACULAR WINNERS CHOSEN Cloud Creek Institute For The Arts, TV Writer.Com & WriteSafe.Com are proud to announce the WINNERS in the Sixth TV Writer.Com SPEC SCRIPTACULAR Competition, ending December 1, 2004! GRAND PRIZE:
SITCOM WINNERS:
ACTION - DRAMA WINNERS:
PILOT - MOW - SPECIAL WINNERS:
Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! You too can be a winner. The next SPEC SCRIPTACULAR opens February 15, 2005. Enter! January 20, 2005 SPEC SCRIPTACULAR FINALISTS CHOSEN Cloud Creek Institute For The Arts, TV Writer.Com & WriteSafe.Com are proud to announce that the Finalists in the Sixth TV Writer.Com SPEC SCRIPTACULAR Competition have been chosen. In alphabetical order by category and title, these Finalists for the contest ending December 1, 2004 have demonstrated that they're right upt there with the best of the screen and TV writers working in the business today. SITCOM:
ACTION/DRAMA/DRAMEDY:
PILOT/MOW/SPECIAL:
A hearty congratulations from Cloud Creek Institute For The Arts, TV Writer.Com & WriteSafe.Com! Be sure and come back here in one week, on January 27th, to see who the WINNERS will be. January 12, 2005 SPEC SCRIPTACULAR SEMI-FINALISTS CHOSEN Fanfare please! Cloud Creek Institute For The Arts, TV Writer.Com & WriteSafe.Com are proud to announce that the Semi-Finalists in the Sixth TV Writer.Com SPEC SCRIPTACULAR Competition have been chosen. Out of 180 entries, 10 Sitcoms, 12 Action/Dramas and 15 Pilots/MOWs/Specials are well written enough and professional enough in concept and execution to be in contention for the Big Prize. In alphabetical order by category and title, the Semi-Finalists for the contest ending December 1, 2004 are: SITCOM:
ACTION/DRAMA/DRAMEDY:
PILOT/MOW/SPECIAL:
NUMBER OF ENTRIES BY CATEGORY:
NUMBER OF ENTRIES BY SERIES:
Cloud Creek Institute For The Arts, TV Writer.Com & WriteSafe.Com thank and congratulate everyone who entered. All of you should be proud of yourselves for overcoming the highest hurdle every writer must face - the blank page! Way to go, gang! Don't forget to check back here in one week, on January 19th, to see who the Finalists will be. January 10, 2005 6th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR UPDATE Cloud Creek Institute For The Arts, TV Writer.Com & WriteSafe.Com are pleased (and relieved) to tell you that the Semi-Finalists in the 6th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR will be announced this coming week. For now we can tell you that the final count on entries was 180. The online entry process was a big success, but please, everyone - next time be sure that your name and the name of your work are present within your uploaded file. A title page is preferred, but having this information in a header or footer will be very much appreciated as well... especially by our hard-working SPEC SCRIPTACULAR gnomes, who have been at it morning, noon, and night, keeping all the records and co-ordinating with the judges. We also want everyone who entered to know that Larry Brody's Personal Feedback on your entries is still available. You can find out the details HERE. (Please make sure to remind us of the name or filename of your entry in the space marked "Comments" on the payment page.) December 4, 2004 The 6th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR IS NOW CLOSED The 6th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR is now closed, although we expect last-minute entries to arrive over the next week and a half. So far we have received 176 entries, almost two-thirds of them online. We'll have more statistics, including breakdowns by genre, show, etc., as soon as everything is in. Judging will be starting this weekend. With luck we will be able to announce Semi-Finalists by Mid-January of 2005, with Finalists two weeks after that and Winners two weeks after that. Just in time for the next running to begin, February 15th. Our thanks to everyone who entered...or even thought about entering. Remember - this contest isn't for us it's for YOU. September 6, 2004 SPEC SCRIPTACULAR TIPS Now that the 6th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR is up and running, here are some things to keep in mind when preparing your entries: When writing an episode for an existing sitcom, action, or drama show, stay within the parameters established by the series. The best way to attract the attention of producers, agents and judges is to follow the conventions of a series while writing what is simply the best-written version possible. This means focusing on the series leads and giving them the best lines and putting them into the most interesting situations. One of the basic signals that a writer is not ready for primetime is the insertion of a guest character who overwhelms the leads. Save that for fan fiction. When writing an episode for an existing series make sure you are using the proper format for that series. Check the web for samples. Our sponsor, WriteSafe.Com has many accurate spec samples in the TV section of its "New Gallery." This means that the length of your script should be the same as the usual length of the teleplays for the series for which you are writing. No 75 page drama scripts please! (Unless it's a spec for THE WEST WING.) The best way to attract the kind of attention that gets your own pilot or screenplay or "special" sold or represented awarded is to write as freely and openly and spiritedly as possible. The trick to successfully breaking new ground in your work is to write so that the reader knows that you understand the "rules" and have deliberately chosen to break them. Sending this message is vital, and it can be done via any number of indirect and more direct techniques. When producers, agents and judges read screenplays and teleplays they are always looking for work that satisfies their definition of "good writing." Within the entertainment industry this usually boils down to interesting characters who involve the reader in their problems; clever, original and yet seemingly realistic dialog; and a fast-paced story that keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat. For all practical purposes, the most important of the three elements described above is "clever, original and yet seemingly realistic dialog." Because of their busy schedules, most show business professionals - and too many judges - often just skim down a page, reading only the dialog. If they encounter cliched speech, dull speech, overly-expository speech, or speeches that are too long and "stagey" that's the end of your chances. Dialog that is witty and conversational rules. No film or television writer ever went wrong by concentrating on banter. It works for Nora Ephron and Alvin Sargeant and Larry David and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and David E. Kelly and Shane Black and Aaron Sorkin, and it will work for you. April 6, 2004 FURTHER ADVENTURES OF A SPEC SCRIPTACULAR WINNER JILL AMANDA WEINBERGER, 1st Place Winner in the 4th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR Sitcom Category and 2nd Place Winner in the 4th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR Action-Drama Category has this to say about what's been happening since the contest: "Met with Mr. Scharlach [Ed Scharlach, Producer of SCOOBY DOO] yesterday, and he could not have been nicer. Thanks to the tips from your book, I had prepared enough to gently pitch a few well-fleshed out ideas for episodes, which he seemed to like. Gave him my "Will and Grace," so we'll see! "Thanks for making it happen. And thanks for what I can only assume was your effusive praise, given the number of times Ed said, "since Larry thinks so highly of you." I had the warm fuzzy feeling of somebody who's been thouroughly talked up... "So I'm doing my schmoozey best. And I really have to say that it's the Spec Scriptacular win that's given me the confidence to depart from my "waiting to be discovered in my living room" plan, so thanks!" You're welcome, Jill. Good luck with SCOOBY DOO! November 1, 2003 NEW SPEC SCRIPTACULAR PARTICIPANT With only 1 more month to go, Mark Lichtman, partner in the SHAPIRO-LICHTMAN TALENT AGENCY, has expressed his interest in personally seeing the winning entries. We can't promise or guarantee representation by this distinguished agency, but Mark has been a big booster of new writing and directing talent in the past and is currently working with some recent SPEC SCRIPTACULAR Finalists and students of Cloud Creek Institute For The Arts so the opportunity is there. Home | About | Rules | Prizes | Enter Online| Enter By Mail | News | Contact Sponsored By
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February 15, 2005
