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What's New, BlueCat?                                          
The Official Newsletter of the

BlueCat Screenplay Competition   


August 1st, 2012 
ALL ANALYSIS SENT BY SEPTEMBER 1ST 
What's In A Name? 

 

While we've been harvesting all kinds of rules and wisdom about how to write a screenplay and what it should look like, there's really no hard and fast rules about sticking a title on everything. Some writers come up with a name for their script at the same time as they come up with an inciting incident, while other writers need to wait until the end of the process to figure out what they're going to call the damn thing. In some cases, the title gets changed in production or after release, with varying degrees of success.  

 

No matter when you name your script, though, it's not something to be taken lightly - before any paperwork is signed or any trailers are shot, your title is the first and only advertisement for your script. It's got to be enigmatic enough to draw a reader's attention, but not so lofty that it looks like you're BSing. No matter how great your script is,
unless what's printed on the first page is a winner, you can't guarantee that people are going to pick it up and start turning the pages.  

 

It's no coincidence that we're talking about this today, either - today, August 1st, is the deadline for the BlueCat Title Contest! All scripts submitted before 11:59 PM PST tonight are automatically entered in the title contest, where the community will vote on the top three titles and the lucky winners pick up $250 apiece.  

 

So read what we've got and ask yourself if maybe your script could do with a new nome de plume. Then, enter BlueCat!  

 
-The BlueCat Team  

UPCOMING DEADLINE: BlueCat Title Contest!
The Clock Is Ticking!
  

After years of discovering incredible movie titles throughout the thousands of submissions we've received, BlueCat created our Movie Title Contest in 2010.

 

All writers who enter by the 11:59 PM PST AUGUST 1ST deadline are eligible.

 

All winners will be determined by the vote of the entrants, with the top three titles awarded $250 each.

 

Do you have a compelling, unforgettable title? Why not? How is your title serving your script? 

 

SUBMIT NOW!  

BlueCat Alumni Corner: Kathy Garcia
Where Are They Now?  
   
   
2004 BlueCat finalist Kathy Garcia took home $2000 for her script Georgie, but her good fortunes didn't end there. The script went on to win Fade In magazine's grand prize, come out on top at the Rochester Film Festival's 'Screenplay Live' event, and make it to the quarterfinal round of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship. Georgie is in development, while Garcia's followup script, The Kingdom, was a semi finalist in the screenplay competition at the Austin Film Festival.  
Naming Your Baby: How To Find A Great Title For Your Screenplay
Gordy Weighs In   
 


A couple weeks ago we brought you this article by BlueCat founder Gordy Hoffman about how to settle on the best name for your screenplay. But in case you missed it, or if you loved it and wanted to read it again, here it is! Give it a good read to get the inside scoop on what you should call your masterpiece.  
Wordplayer: Title Search
Don't Judge A Site By Its Old Layout
   
 

Terry Rossio is one half of the writing team that gave us Shrek, Aladdin, and Pirates of the Caribbean - based on his pedigree, I think we can forgive this article for not having the flashiest format. It is, in fact, a fascinating journey into both how to properly name your own script as well as the high rolling entertainment industry drama behind blockbuster titles. (Did you know Miramax paid $600,000 just so they could use the title Ransom for Mel Gibson's revenge thriller?)   
Selected Script: Reservoir Dogs
A Controversial Choice - And Not Just For The Violence




The screenwriting community is divided over Quentin Tarantino's debut script, Reservoir Dogs. While it's widely regarded to be a great film, the title has been a real point of contention. Some writers argue that it's a terrible title because it has nothing to do with the movie (which features a distinct absence of both dogs and reservoirs) while others say that a misleading title perfectly fits a film about deception and fake identities. Don't know where you stand? Read it for yourself  
Free Entry To BlueCat 2013!
Details Below!

The 2013 BlueCat Screenplay Competition is getting closer and closer, and to celebrate we're going to be giving away free submissions to a few lucky contest winners over the next three weeks! Keep an eye on our Facebook page and Twitter feed, where we'll be announcing the contests and giving you a shot at entering BlueCat, getting two pieces of feedback on your script, and a shot at a $10,000 prize all for free!      
UPCOMING DEADLINES
The Clock Is Ticking - Yes, Already



AUGUST 1ST
Title Contest Deadline
  

Scripts submitted by Aug1st, 2012 will receive their written analyses by September 1st, 2012 and will be automatically entered in the Title Contest.

$60 entry fee.   

  

OCTOBER 15TH      Regular Deadline 
Our Regular Deadline is October 15th with an entry fee of $65.


NOVEMBER 15TH
Final Deadline 

Our Final Deadline is
November 15th with an entry fee of $70.



SUBMIT YOUR SCRIPT
Gordy Video: Tone
Watch Your Tone, Son




The tone of your script does a lot to determine what your title is going to be - a heartwrenching, compelling drama, for example, would do well to avoid a comically long title. Here, BlueCat founder Gordy Hoffman talks to us about how to maintain the tone of your script so your title fits your story.  
Screenplay Tips #6: Titles 
Lists Make Everything Easier 



Novelist and script reader Lucy V. Kay has pulled together six guidelines for how to both name your script and know that you've picked the best possible name for the story you've written. Take a look
Box Of Horror: The 50 Best Movie Titles (So Far)
Learn From The Best



Screenplay titles eventually become movie titles, and when that happens the general public begins to weigh in on whether the title is appropriate, misleading, or just too damn long. In this article, the folks at movie blog boxofhorror.com have pulled together their picks for the 50 best movie titles yet.    
Quote  



"One of the key ingredients of a good title is that it must be the headline of the story. ...It does the one thing a title must do: It says what it is!"

Blake Snyder

BlueCat Interviews    



Miss an interview? Don't sweat it! All of our interviews with 2012's winners - along with some other interviews from BlueCat's past - are available on our website. It's a great opportunity to tap into the psyches of our winners and figure out what makes them tick - and, more importantly, what makes them write good screenplays! 
Last Workshops in 2012!

We've just booked a workshop in Vancouver, as well as adding a second workshop in Austin, along with our new dates in Orlando, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.

We currently have only two spots open in Melbourne, three spots in Sydney, three slots in Auckland and one in Wellington.

Denver has sold out of Full Registration writer spots, but there is still room for Regular Registrations for $45 

   

Can't make it to a workshop? Would you like to workshop your script from the comfort of your home? Try our online workshop!   

 

       


Gordy Hoffman
An award-winning screenwriter, Gordy Hoffman founded the BlueCat Screenplay Competition in 1998, having since presided over the evaluation and adjudication of over 10,000 screenplays. This unique combination of writer and reader of screenplays has allowed Gordy to develop and evolve a keen eye and feel for how a screenplay works successfully, and the intuitive, personal ways to address the  problems of a screenplay through a writer's approach.

Gordy's first screenplay, a black comedy about the underground donor organ market, remains unfinished. His second screenplay, LOVE LIZA, directed by Todd Louiso and starring his brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman, won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. In 2001, Gordy was chosen for Fox Searchlab, a director development program at Fox Searchlight, where he wrote and directed three digital shorts, THE WOMAN WHO STOPPED SEEING MOVIES, JACK SIGNS and UNTITLED.

  

Gordy made his feature directorial debut with his script, A COAT OF SNOW, which world premiered at the 2005 Locarno International Film Festival. A COAT OF SNOW screened at the Milan Film Festival, made its North American Premiere at the Arclight in Hollywood, and won the Domani Vision Award at VisionFest, held at the Tribeca Cinemas in New York.

  

Gordy has taught screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, as well as led workshops all over North America, Poland and the UK. He has served as a panelist for the IFP Script to Screen Conference in NYC, Women in Film's Script DC Conference in Washington, D.C., the George Eastman House Film Festival, as well as a judge for the McKnight Screenwriting Fellowships in Minnesota. A proud Jayhawk, he sits on the Professional Advisory Board of the Film and Media Studies Department at his alma mater, the University of Kansas. Gordy Hoffman founded the BlueCat Screenplay Competition in 1998 and remains its judge. He's recently completed a script about Christmas Shopping, and he's now working on a project for Abigail Spencer.   

 

 

What is the Full Script Workshop?

Participants read seven screenplays in advance of the workshop. Screenplays can be first drafts or rewrites, with first time writers and veterans all welcome. During the workshop, Gordy provides direct and in-depth feedback on each screenplay, with everyone encouraged to contribute his or her own thoughts and concerns. Gordy provides brief written notes to each writer after the workshop.  

 

Do you want to participate, but do not have a script to submit at this time? You can audit the workshop, which allows you to attend without submitting written material, read the scripts in advance and still participate in the discussion.

 

 

Our New Zealand and Australia Tour
Inspired by our recent Joplin Award Winner (Best International Script outside UK, Canada and USA), BlueCat is traveling down under to lead a few workshops and have a staged reading of our Joplin winner in Wellington, NZ.
 

Auckland


US SUMMER / FALL SCHEDULE 

Denver 
 

September Online Workshop
Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers)
SCRIPTS DUE: September 6, midnight PST
COMMENTS RELEASED: September 23rd, 6:00 PM PST
FOLLOWUP QUESTIONS DUE: September 30th, 6:00 PM PST
FOLLOWUP ANSWERS RELEASED: October 3rd, 6:00 PM PST
Full Registration: $165 
Audit: $40
Register Now

Phoenix
Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers)
Saturday, September 15th, 9:00AM-6:00PM
Regular Registration $45 
Full Registration $195
Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers)
Saturday, September 29th, 9:00AM-6:00PM
Regular Registration $45 
Full Registration $225 
Register Now

New Orleans
Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers)
Sunday, September 30th, 9:00AM-6:00PM
Regular Registration $45 
Full Registration $225
Register Now

Orlando 
Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers)
Saturday, October 6th, 9:00AM-6:00PM
Regular Registration $45 
Full Registration $225
  Register Now

Austin 
Full Script Workshop (Limit 4 writers SOLD OUT) 
Tuesday, October 23rd, 6:30PM-10:30PM
Regular Registration $35 
Full Registration $175
Register Now

Austin 
Full Script Workshop (Limit 4 writers)  Wednesday, October 24th, 6:30PM-10:30PMRegular Registration $35  Full Registration $175
Wichita 
First Ten Pages Workshop (Limit 10 writers)
Sunday October 21st, 8:00AM-5:00PM
Full Registration $115
TFA Member $85 
 
Los Angeles  Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers) Saturday November 3rd, 9:00AM-6:00PMRegular Registration $45    Full Registration $175  Register Now  
San Francisco Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers) Sunday, November 10th, 9:00AM-6:00PMRegular Registration $45  Full Registration $195 Register Now 

Kansas City
Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers)
Sunday, November 18th, 9:00AM-6:00PM
Regular  $45 
Full  $195

Vancouver
Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers) 
Saturday, December 1st, 9:00AM-6:00PM 
Regular $45 
Full $225

New York
Full Script Workshop (Limit 7 writers) 
Saturday, December 15th, 9:00AM-6:00PM 
Regular $45 
Full $245 
Alumni $215 

Where should we go in 2013?
 



 
 
 
   
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