Screenplay submissions taking over Matt’s office

After several months of sifting through a record number of over 6500 entries involving unique stories, memorable characters, and exemplary dialogue, we have finally narrowed down the field to the celebrated Second Rounders (top 10%) and the Semifinalist scripts that are still in contention.  The full results will be posted on our website next week but in the meantime, notification letters should be arriving in mailboxes before then.  Regardless of the outcome, you have already taken an admirable step in your writing career by completing a story and putting it through the gauntlet.  Evaluating screenplays at this level is a complicated process that is, by nature, extremely subjective.  The measure of your success as a writer is not forecasted only by the outcome of a competition. Whether this was your first or nineteenth time submitting in AFF, rejection is never easy but it is an important part of growing as an artist.  Without rejection, there would be no incentive to improve and no reason to push further to succeed.  And when you do succeed, the rewards are far greater and the experience much sweeter.  To those of you who advanced in the competition this year, congratulations on receiving a distinction that is achieved only by few.  As a writer, you are of course only as good as your next work.  If writing is your passion, please continue to pursue it.

- Matt Dy

Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Director

This is the first year Enderby Entertainment is participating as the sponsored award judge for the AFF Screenplay Competition.  The new Enderby Entertainment Award is a sub-category of the Screenplay Competition and is open to feature scripts in all genres with an original concept and distinctive voice that can be independently produced under $5 million.

Enderby Entertainment will review the top scripts submitted in this category and will determine the Semifinalists, Finalists, and eventual winner.  Finalists will be given the opportunity to meet with the production company during the Festival and Conference, which will be held Oct. 18-25, 2012.  The winner of the Enderby Entertainment Award will receive a prize package including $2,500, reimbursement for airfare (up to $500) and hotel (up to $500) for attendance to the Festival and Conference, and the bronze AFF Typewriter Award.  I was fortunate to interview the founders of Enderby Entertainment, Rick Dugdale and Daniel Petrie, Jr.  Read their bios and interview below.

Rick Dugdale

Rick Dugdale is the president of Enderby Entertainment and oversees all aspects of finance and physical production for Enderby.  He serves as producer or executive producer on all Enderby Entertainment projects, including Cherry, starring James Franco and Heather Graham.  Dugdale also serves as CEO of Tony-Seven Films, Enderby Entertainment’s thriller division; he served as executive producer on The Speak, Vile and 5 Souls and as producer on Silver Falls and No Tell Motel.  Dugdale joined Daniel Petrie, Jr. & Company as Vice President, Production in 2003 before becoming a full partner in 2004.  He then founded Enderby Entertainment with Petrie in 2006.

 

Daniel Petrie, Jr.

Enderby Entertainment partner Daniel Petrie, Jr. oversees creative affairs for the company.  Petrie’s writing credits include Beverly Hills Cop, The Big Easy,Turner & Hooch, and Toy Soldiers.  Most recently, Petrie was executive producer, showrunner and co-creator of the 13 episode TV series Combat Hospital, simulcast on ABC and Canada’s Global TV in the summer of 2011.  He currently serves as Vice President, Programs of the Writers Guild Foundation and is a former Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a former Trustee of the American Film Institute.  Petrie has also been an active supporter of AFF since 1997.

Matt: Both of you have attended AFF several times in the past.  Care to share any memorable experiences from the Conference?

Rick:  Well the best way for me to answer that would be The Driskill Bar, only because it encompasses so many memories.  You can always find great conversation there at any time of the night….literally.

Dan:  I’ve been coming to the Austin Film Festival off and on since 1997 — I hate it when professional obligations prevent me from going.  I always have a good time, but more importantly, I always learn something, or am reminded of something, important about screenwriting, both from my fellow panelists and from the up-and-coming writers attending the conference.  So my dominant memory is of how I feel when I return to Los Angeles, recharged and revitalized about writing.

 Matt: Previous AFF Semifinalists, Rachel Long and Brian Pittman, met the two of you at the Conference and Enderby Entertainment is now working with them on their script, “Stranded”.  How did the meeting initially happen and what followed?

Rick:  Well as I answered above, it all happened at the Driskill bar.  Dan and I were there having a cocktail as Brian Pittman approached us and then when on to tell us about their script Stranded.  We agreed to read it.  We loved it and then over the course of the next 6 months we developed it with them and agreed to option it and produce it.

Dan:  I always suggest to newer screenwriters that, rather than ask someone to read your script, it’s much better if that someone asks you if they can read it.  As I remember it, Brian and Rachel handled it in just that way.  They weren’t pushy, but they told us enough about the screenplay and how they came to write it that Rick and I asked if we could read it.  And of course it didn’t hurt that their screenplay was a Semifinalist.

Matt: What excites you when you read a script and what advice would you give to writers wanting to enter in the Enderby Entertainment Award category?

Rick: I would say a great hook.  Something fresh with great characters that we haven’t seen before.  As for advice be realistic.  It needs to be a makeable film that can be to a wide appeal in order to have options for financing.  As much as I love hockey, a small indy drama about a hockey family is going to be a tough film to finance and get distribution.  Same could be said for lawn bowling.

Dan:  Audiences want to see something they haven’t seen before in quite the same way — that’s true whether the film cost $250 thousand or $250 million to make.  I’m excited when I read a script that offers a fresh take, that gives us an original and distinctive voice, that brings to life unexpected characters in novel situations.

Matt: What common mistakes do you find when you read a script?

Rick: No scene headings.   EXT. RADIO STATION — NIGHT and then by page 35 we’ve gone through 12 sets and 5 script days with no changes.  It’s a script, not a book.

Dan:  Screenplays should tell only tell us what we see and hear — and we can’t see or hear the character’s thoughts.  Yet I often read description that says something like, “Joe stares out the window, and we can tell he’s thinking of that time in Barcelona…

Matt: Why should someone submit a script to AFF?

Rick: First and foremost, because you should try every angle to get to AFF.  We tell every writer we know to submit their scripts to AFF in the hopes that their script will make it through and that we’ll see them there, not to mention the vast learning experience it is for many writers that attend.  AFF has always been the best place to go if you’re a screenwriter.

Dan:  Screenwriters starting out always have questions about how to get people in the industry to want to read their scripts.  Well, one of the best ways is to win or place high in a prestigious screenwriting competition, and the Austin Film Festival’s competition is one of the most prestigious.  And besides, as Rick points out, you get to go to the Austin Film Festival’s Screenwriting Conference, an outstanding experience for screenwriters at every career level.

To enter in the Enderby Entertainment Award, you must first enter in the Drama or Comedy screenplay categories.  If you have already submitted in the competition but did not opt to be considered for the Enderby Entertainment Award, e-mail Matt at matt@austinfilmfestival.com to request to have the category added to your entry.

Click HERE to submit your screenplay.  June 1^st is the FINAL deadline.  Good luck!

~Matt Dy, Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Director

We recently announced our full list of industry judges for the Screenplay & Teleplay Competitions (click here for the list).  From now through the final June 1^st deadline, we’ll post a few interviews from this year’s group of judges.  The first interview is with Richard Bever, a Los Angeles-based producer and co-president of Chill Films.  Richard has attended AFF as a panelist and judge for several years and is an all-around nice guy.

Richard Bever’s Bio

Richard Bever

Richard is the former Head of Development and Production at Andrew Lauren Productions, which produced the Oscar-nominated film The Squid and the Whale during his tenure. Among his producing credits are In Memory of My Father; Audrey; and Against the Current (Sundance 2009). Richard and his partners at Chill Films are currently packaging: the horror project Blood Letter to be directed by David A. Armstrong (Saw I-VI); the crime drama NUM to be directed by veteran actor Brian Cox and starring Kiefer Sutherland; the sports drama Slugger (2007 AFF Winner) with director Mark Robert Ellis and producers Tamer Howard and G.Mac Brown (Men in Black; The Departed); the drama The Gardener’s Daughter by writer Steven Peros (Cat’s Meow; Footprints), to be directed by Dean Pollack (Audrey; Show and Tell)  Richard recently executive produced the documentary Wish Me Away (Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Los Angeles Film Festival) and he is currently working on the documentary Rebels of the Third Age.

Matt:  What excites you most when you read a script?

Richard:   Succinct, realistic dialogue; well-thought out characters; and unforeseen events – and all within the first act.

Matt:  What common mistakes do you find when you read a script?

Richard:   Scenes that start too soon and end too late. Writers should look at their scenes and see if they can enter the scene a line or two later and then leave as soon as the goal of the scene is accomplished.

Matt:  What’s the best advice you would give to a writer wanting to break out?

Richard:  Know what types of stories the industry is hungry for and put your stamp on those genres.

Matt:  Having judged for AFF previously, were there any writers that you connected with from the competition?

Richard: I’ve connected w/ countless writers from AFF – keeping in touch w/ writers from outside of my area and reconnecting in person with writers who are nearby. Every year I attend I see face after face, writers whom I know by name and know their work.

Matt:  What is the best script you’ve read and/or best film you’ve seen lately?

Richard: Adam Gyngell and Fred Fernandez-Armesto’s “Deep Burial”, which was a winner at AFF in 2011.

Matt:  Why should someone submit a script to AFF?

Richard:   Every year I meet writers who have made their virgin AFF trek and they are universally amazed at the opportunities the festival provides for them and they vow to make it an annual journey. And this is why every year I know more and more of the writers.

June 1^st is the final deadline for submissions.  Enter your script for the opportunity to have your script read by our industry judges.  To submit your entry, click here.

Matt Dy

With the regular deadline for screenplays approaching next week on May 15^th, I can only imagine the anxiety many of you are currently experiencing if you are planning on submitting.  The typical neurotic questions that plague all writers are probably reaching a cacophony at this moment including: “Am I ready to send my baby out into the world?!”,  “Will they like it?!!”,  “Do I need to do a 34^th rewrite on my script?!!!”  Unfortunately, these questions aren’t addressed in our Frequently Asked Questions page for the competition.  However, you may be able to find answers to other questions and mitigate any other concerns you might have if you take a look at this page.

Lately, we’ve been receiving more and more calls and e-mails regarding the same questions.  I’ve made a list of very frequently asked questions that may help you and make your submission process much easier.

• Q: Do you accept international submissions?

• A:  Yes we do!  Each year we receive many submissions internationally including ones from Canada, Japan, and Ireland.  Submissions, of course, must be written in the English language.

• Q:  I’m having issues submitting online and I keep getting an error message.  What should I do?

• A: Due to possible high traffic on the website, you may need to wait a few minutes and try again. If you continue to have problems, try another web browser (Firefox or Explorer) or try submitting from a different computer. Double-check that the file is in a .pdf format and under 5MB. If you still cannot submit, contact the Screenplay Competition Director at screenplaydirector@austinfilmfestival.com or call the office at 512-478-4795.

• Q: Did you receive my submission?

• A: As long as you paid through PayPal and have an e-mail receipt, then we have received your online entry form, script PDF, and payment. A separate e-mail confirmation from AFF is sent out at least within 5 business days.  If you submitted through the mail, you will only receive confirmation if you included a SASE which we will send back to you.

• Q:  Who are this year’s judges?

• A:  Many judges have already been confirmed and we will announce the list of confirmed judges very soon.  Just a few already confirmed include Joyce San Pedro (Creative Executive for Alex Siskin and Escape Artists at Sony), Melissa Breaux (Manager, Washington Square Arts), Richard Bever (Co-President, Chill Entertainment), and Kyle Killen (showrunner, Awake and Lonestar).

• Q: Do you accept scripts for animated features and television shows?

• A:  Yes we do!  Any teleplays for animated shows should be for primetime (i.e. The Simpsons, Family Guy, etc.).

• Q: When are the deadlines?

• A: Postmarked or submitted online by Friday, June 1st 11:59PM PST ($50 for screenplay entries and $30 for teleplay entries). Regular screenplay submission closes on Tuesday, May 15th 11:59PM PST ($40 fee).

Read through the entire FAQ page if you have questions.  If you don’t find the answer you are looking for, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at matt@austinfilmfestival.com or call our office at 512-478-4795.

If you’re submitting this year, you are taking a brave step in growing as a writer.  You’ve got 8 days for the regular deadline and 25 days for the final deadline.  Are you ready?

Good luck!

–Matt Dy, Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Director

I recently read Gavin Polone’s article, “Who Really Determines the Fates of Aspiring Screenwriters?” If you haven’t read it yet, definitely take a look at his insightful piece.  Gavin Polone is a film and television producer whose credits include Zombieland and Curb Your Enthusiasm.  The titular question that Polone answers in his article got me thinking about the importance of screenplay competitions.  With the current state of the studio system and the deluge of scripts in agency offices, it has become increasingly difficult for aspiring writers to break out.  Winning or advancing in a screenplay competition may be more relevant than ever and could be what alters your fate as a writer.

With increasing numbers of submissions to agencies and production offices, it’s no surprise that the agents that Polone refers to don’t actually have the time to read everything.  In screenplay competitions, EVERYTHING is read (or should be if you’re paying an entry fee).  At AFF, each script is given careful consideration with each one read at least twice by two different readers before being eliminated.  The readers we use are also carefully selected and interviewed in person and closely monitored during the reading process.  In an agency or production office, it seems unlikely that there would be a consistent and efficient process for combing for quality material.  Also, many screenplay competitions now provide constructive feedback for submissions which you almost never get from an agency.

Screenplay competitions have been around for a long time (AFF is now in its 19th year) and it’s nothing new that if you win or advance in a competition, the likelihood of your script moving up to the top of the stack in an agent’s office would be greater.  Many success stories have come out recently from previous alumni of the AFF Screenplay Competition who are now signed with an agency or in production on their script.  Some of those include:

• Christopher Cantwell, a 2010 Semifinalist, recently had his script “Off the Grid” optioned by Indian Paintbrush (Jeff Who Lives at Home).  Christopher e-mailed me a few months ago to tell me that his current agent at ICM first reached out to him literally as his plane was landing upon returning from the AFF Conference.  He credits this to placing in AFF.  His script also ended up on the 2011 Black List.
• Julie Howe, the 2010 Comedy Screenplay Winner, signed an exclusive deal with Experience Media Studios last year to produce her screenplay, and has since expanded the team to include Sony Pictures Entertainment-based producers Alex Siskin (Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds) and Joyce San Pedro (an AFF judge and panelist).
• Rachel Long and Brian Pittman’s 2008 Finalist script “Stranded” was previously acquired by Rick Dugdale and Daniel Petrie Jr’s production company Enderby Entertainment (this year’s sponsored award judge).  The project is currently set to go into production this June with Petrie set to direct.

Other screenplay competitions also have had great success in helping their writers.  The BlueCat Screenplay Competition has had similar success with getting their top writers signed with top agencies.  The Nicholl Fellowship of course has always had a great track record with their finalists and winners each year.  Many of our previous winners have also been Nicholl winners including last year’s winner, Dion Cook, and the 2010 winner, Andrew Lanham.  If you’ve got the funds, submit to as many competitions as you can.

Submitting to screenplay competitions is a great start but don’t stop there; create a webisode series, adapt your story into a book or stage play, or even take the initiative and shoot the script yourself.  The bottom line is: if someone at an agency doesn’t take notice of your script, make them take notice.  Or make them wish they had if you succeed elsewhere.  At the end of Polone’s article, there is a silver lining when he states, “Fear not, since, in my experience, truly good writing always finds its way to the decision-makers…”  It’s nice to know we can still remain optimistic.

–Matt Dy, Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Director

Even with some last minute changes to the predictions I initially posted, I still ended up predicting only 17 out of 24 categories last night.  Not my best by any means but alas, there’s always next year when the Dark Knight Rises will sweep the 2013 Oscars (one can still dream I guess).  It’s funny how obvious the outcome seems now in retrospect.  In this age of blogging, anyone can be an Oscar expert but the only ones who truly know the outcome in advance is PricewaterhouseCoopers.  Nobody knows anything and the best method to playing this game is to not over think it.  So instead of moping over how bad I did this year, I’ll reflect on what I learned from watching the Oscars:

1. I realized I was born the same year Meryl Streep won her last Oscar for Sophie’s Choice.  I can’t wait to see her win another 29 years later when she won’t need makeup to play Margaret Thatcher again in The Iron Lady 2.
2.  The telecast was rather dull and I wonder what Eddie Murphy would have brought to the show if he had hosted.  Heck, Ellen DeGeneres’ JC Penney commercials were considerably funnier.
3. I did not realize Twilight belonged in the pantheon of great movie moments.
4. Comedic anecdotes from presenters are almost never funny unless you can speak Mandarin like Sandra Bullock, or your names are Will Ferrell and Mack Zalifigakas.
5. My thoughts from watching the In Memoriam montage: “All those people are dead???”
6. I would like to play a drinking game with the Bridesmaids.  “Scorsese!”
7. Viola Davis is gorgeous.  I’ll predict she’ll win an Oscar in the future or at least end up on Joan Rivers’ best dressed list.
8. Never underestimate the power of Harvey Weinstein.  Three of his films won Oscars (The Artist, The Iron Lady, and Undefeated)
9. The Academy really needs to reevaluate its voting process for Best Original Song.  Only two nominees this year?  And it was a crime The Muppets didn’t get to perform the winning song, “Man or Muppet”!
10. Christopher Plummer is just two years younger than the Academy Awards?
11. Billy Crystal can read minds.  I’m glad we all finally know what goes on in Marty Scorsese’s and Nick Nolte’s heads. AND…
12. I need to stop obsessing over the Oscars and get back to writing my script!

 –Matt Dy, Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Director

Will The Artist sweep the Oscars?  Will Meryl Streep FINALLY win a long overdue second Oscar for lead actress?  All will be answered this Sunday night when the awards will be handed out.  The real question is… will people really care?  Compared to last year, most of the films nominated this year haven’t really polarized the general public as much while the current frontrunner is a black and white silent film most are hesitant to see at first.  Regardless, I’m still a faithful Oscar watcher and prognosticator (read my post from Feb 1) and I’ll still make my annual predictions.  Here’s who I think will win in all 24 categories.

And… to make a shameless plug, we have a special promotion in honor of the Oscars.  Anyone who purchases a Producers Badge to the 2012 Austin Film Festival & Conference by Sunday, February 26th will be entered for a chance to win a copy of the screenplay of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, signed by Academy Award®-winning writer Steven Zaillian!

Zaillian, who was awarded with the Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the 2009 Austin Film Festival, wrote both THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and MONEYBALL, each earning a handful of Oscar nominations.

And everyone who has purchased a Conference Badge or below by February 26th will be entered in a raffle to win an upgrade to a Producers Badge!  Click here to buy your Badge.

–Matt Dy, Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Director

At a New Year’s Eve dinner with friends, we all took turns proclaiming what our New Year’s resolutions are.While I don’t think I need to lose weight, don’t smoke (regularly), and certainly don’t want to stop drinking, I decided my resolution is to make 2012 the year I finish the screenplay that has remained in my head for so long.

What inspired me to make this resolution is my coworker who just recently finished her first screenplay.This time last year, I playfully made fun of her when she said she finished her 50 page feature script which is now a much more polished 89 pages.She has the last laugh now and I admire her for her persistence to finish her script.It has been nearly 3 years since I have completed a feature screenplay.I have another story that I am passionate about sharing, but all this time, I’ve only jotted down random thoughts and ideas in notebooks without any real focus.I can blame the long stressful hours working at AFF and the numerous amount of amazing scripts that I have to read (that not only put my previous work to shame), but who needs to make excuses?I know there are writers who probably work two jobs with families to raise and they still make time to write and are more prolific in one year than I’ve been in 3 years.I have a story; I just need to write the damn thing!For all us who are writers, this is a plight we all share.There never seems to be enough hours in the day to write but if we budget our time well, turn off the TV (except for Modern Family and Breaking Bad), and dedicate at least one hour a day to write, we can all have a polished screenplay by this time next year or sooner just like my coworker.

Even if the Mayans are right and this will indeed be our last year of life on Earth, what have we got to lose? Our stories may be all that remain anyway just like the ancient hieroglyphics of cave men.If you have a story you’re itching to share, join me and make 2012 your year to finish that screenplay.

-Matt Dy, Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Director