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What's New, BlueCat?
The Official Newsletter of the
Bluecat Screenplay Competition
June 4th, 2013
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IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
- Alan Wenkus and Leigh Savidge: Going from BlueCat to Universal
- Steven Soderbergh and "The State of Cinema"
- A Conversation With the TRAFFIC Screenwriter Stephen Gaghan
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Selected Script: TRAFFIC
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Secrets from Inside the TV Writer's Room
- Danny Boyle's 15 Golden Rules of Moviemaking
- The Wrap: Screenwriters Need to Learn to Lie Through Their Teeth
- Emmys: Let's Talk Writing
- LightHouse Writer's Workshop
- Willamette Writers Conference
- Upcoming Workshops: Philadelphia, New York, and online
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2014 Call for Entries
We are now open for submissions!
Official Call for Feature Screenplays June 15th.
Opening Day Entry Fee $55.
Enter on or before Opening Day and receive two written analyses on your screenplay by July 1st.
This year, BlueCat establishes one of the largest cash prizes in the world for a Short Screenplay, with a Grand prize of $10,000, along with an increase in our Feature prize to $15,000.
Students will be eligible to submit their short screenplay at a discounted rate of $29 for the duration of the competition.
Each Short Screenplay submission will receive one written analysis, while each Feature Screenplay entry will receive two.
All Feature Screenplay submissions received by June 15th will receive their feedback by July 1st.
Best Feature Screenplay
$15,000 Grand Prize
Four Finalists
Best Short Screenplay
$10,000 Grand Prize
Three Finalist
$1,500 Prize
The Cordelia Award
Best Feature Screenplay from the UK
$1,500 Prize
The Joplin Award
Best Feature Screenplay from outside the USA, Canada or the UK
$1,500 Prize
Movie Title Contest:
Three Winners $250 each
SUBMIT YOUR SCREENPLAY
Recent achievements by BlueCat Alumni include:
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Young Il Kim's script, RODHAM, a 2012 Blacklist Script, recently attached director Jason Ponsoldt (THE SPECTACULAR NOW). Young recently won the 2013 Alfred P. Sloan Commissioning Grant from Sundance, where he will write a biopic on Stephen Hawking.
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Aaron Guzikowski's PRISONERS, starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Melissa Leo, will be released September 2013. The Sundance Channel recently bought Aaron's TV pilot, THE DESCENDENTS, making it their second scripted show after RECTIFY.
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Ashleigh Powell sold her script, SOMACELL, to Warner Brothers, with David Goyer attached to produce.
- SOMACELL, along with RODHAM, were two 2012 Blacklist Scripts written by BlueCat Alumni.
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Alan Wenkus and Leigh Savidge: Going from BlueCat to Universal
I am sure that most of you have heard the buzz surrounding an upcoming film, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON which is a biopic on N.W.A., a hiphop/rap group made up of Eazy E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre.
What you may not know is that the writers of the script, Alan Wenkus and Leigh Savidge, were the 2008 BlueCat Quarter-Finalists for their screenplay, LANCE MANION - which is now casting to become a Handstamp Studios and Xenon Pictures web series. We caught up with Alan Wenkus, who filled us in on the latest news about STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON and how this all came about.
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Danny Boyle's 15 Golden Rules of Moviemaking
MovieMaker Magazine
If an Oscar-winning director shares his thoughts on filmmaking, we take notice. With his latest film TRANCE still in theatres, MovieMaker Magazine recently republished a list of Danny Boyle's "Golden Rules."
The rules include ideas such as trust your instincts, don't have an ego, and film happens in the moment. For the full list, follow the link below.
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Screenwriters Need to Lie Through Their Teeth
Guest Blog on TheWrap.com
In a recent guest blog post on TheWrap.com, UCLA Screenwriting Chairman Richard Walter shares his thoughts on the truth and authenticity that a screenwriter should seek.
From the post: "Not only dialogue but other aspects of scripts are suffocated by this foolish devotion to some sort of factual, historical honesty."
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Secrets from Inside the Writer's Room
From the Los Angeles Times
With the eligibility period coming to an end for the 2013 Primetime Emmys, the Los Angeles Times has a special feature running on their website called "The Envelope: The Awards and Industry Insider." This article takes a peek inside the writer's room of some of the top shows on TV. From the site: " Sometimes, the words flow like water. And sometimes, there's a clog in the drain. For whatever reason, TV writers can find themselves stuck on a scene - the death of a character, being pulled between multiple assignments, or just a season finale with a lot of loose ends that need tying up - and that tough scene can make for some serious headaches. The Envelope talked to several show runners about how they got the creative stream flowing again this season." Click here for the article.
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Emmy's 2013: Let' Talk Writing
From the Los Angeles Times
Another feature from "The Envelope: The Awards and Industry Insider," this article features some top showrunners discussing how the awards can help a show. Sharing their thoughts are Alex Gansa of HOMELAND, Terence Winter of BOARDWALK EMPIRE, David Benioff of GAME OF THRONES, Glen Mazzara of WALKING DEAD and Vince Gilligan of BREAKING BAD. Click here for the video.
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See Gordy at the Williamette Writers Conference
Portland, OR - August
Enjoy Gordy's workshops? The Williamette Writers Conference will be held August 2-4th at the Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel. "Willamette Writers' goal is to provide and encourage a creative environment and support system for current and aspiring writers." Register and find out the details here.
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"The State of Cinema"
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh recently delivered the annual State of Cinema Address at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Video of the speech spread across the internet. At times, Soderbergh's message was pessimistic: "It's over. It's over. Nobody will buy this film? This is just insane. The movie business is over." However, he also provided a message of hope: "...somebody out there somewhere, while we're sitting right here, somebody out there somewhere is making something cool that we're going to love, and that keeps me going." Follow the link below to the video (via Screenwriting From Iowa).
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Video Interview with TRAFFIC Screenwriter Stephen Gaghan
From The New York Times
Stephen Soderbergh took home the Oscar for Best Director for TRAFFIC. The film garnered three more Oscars, including the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
New York Times reporter Ginger Thompson recently sat down with writer Stephen Gaghan to discuss his research for the story and how it impacted his approach to crafting the script.
From the NYT: " Life imitates art in a New York Times article that looks at the events that inspired Steven Soderbergh's movie TRAFFIC. The article focuses on a former Mexican police official who helped hunt down drug traffickers, much like the character Benicio Del Toro so memorably portrayed in the Oscar-winning movie."
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written by Stephen Gaghan
Click here to read the script.
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Connect With BlueCat!
Be sure to "Like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, for your opportunity to win a FREE ENTRY. Recent Facebook contests included the best character bio written in 140 characters or less, and the best action line from your original screenplays. Follow the conversation on Twitter and look for writing tips, videos, and screenwriting articles.
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Workshop With Gordy at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop
Enjoy Gordy's workshops? Lighthouse Writers Workshop is a week long or weekend intensive writing workshop for advanced fiction, poetry, screenplay or non-fiction writers. Register and find out the details here.
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Hey, Whaddya Say?
"I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of."
--Joss Whedon
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Advertise With BlueCat
Would you like to advertise in our newsletter? Interested in a dedicated e-blast? We have nearly 13,000 screenwriters who read our newsletter every week. To discuss, please contact Heather at info@bluecatscreenplay.com.
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BlueCat Workshops
BlueCat Screenplay Workshops are a one-day, intensive opportunity to certifiably improve your script in a small group environment, led by award winning screenwriter and BlueCat founder Gordy Hoffman.
Your script will be read in advance both by Gordy as well as the other workshop participants; everyone receives in-depth feedback on their script from a number of different perspectives.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:
Online Script Workshop - June 27th - REGISTER
Online Workshop - September 26th - REGISTER
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