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

Bluecat Screenplay Competition   


August 13th, 2013

IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
2014 Call for Entries
We are now open for submissions!


Official Call for Entries
Next Deadline: Thursday, September 1, 2013
Entry Fee: ($60 Features, $40 Shorts)

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 submissions will be eligible for a Resubmission entry if received by the October 15th deadline.


Best Feature Screenplay

 $15,000 Grand Prize
Four Finalists

$2,500 Prize

 

Best Short Screenplay

$10,000 Grand Prize

Three Finalists

$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

 

 SUBMIT YOUR SCREENPLAY

Recent achievements by BlueCat Alumni include:
  • Young Il Kim's script, RODHAM, a 2012 Blacklist Script, recently attached director James 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.

  • Elijah Wood produced Ana Lily Amipour's A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, set for release in late 2013.

  • 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 DESCENDANTS, making it their second scripted show after RECTIFY.

  • 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.
Ten Legendary Screenwriters 
From AskMen.com    
This article from AskMen.com features a list of ten legendary screenwriters and the works for which they're known.

Anyone missing? Did you favorite writer make this list? Head over to Facebook or Twitter to let us know.

From AskMen.com:

"In tribute to the ink-stained grunts who toil in the shadows (along with the control freak directors who also write screenplays for their movies), [we] bring you a list of the top 10 legendary screenwriters. Those on this list made it because they have been able to buck the vagaries of a fickle trade and consistently produce scripts that end up being great movies."
Rare Find: Orson Welles at a Paris Film School   
1982 Video      
Orson Welles gives a talk at a Paris film school (1982) - Part 1
Orson Welles
Not much needed in the way of description. Just a rare find of Orson Welles speaking to a class of Parisian film students. Watch and learn, folks.  
 
From Filmmaker IQ

"The great Orson Welles shares his views on cinema and movie-making with French film school students.
Damon Lindelof on Blockbuster Screenwriting
Vulture      
 
 

Damon Lindelof has been hired to re-work some notable titles in the past few years. A recent Vulture article discusses Lindelof's approach to writing summer blockbusters.

What do you think of Lindelof's approach? Join the discussion on Facebook.

From Vulture:

"Damon Lindelof, the ubiquitous �screenwriter-producer whose name seems attached to all of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters, is doing his damnedest to get small. This summer, he (along with fellow triage artists Drew Goddard and Christopher McQuarrie) miraculously pulled Brad Pitt out of the mass grave that was WORLD WAR Z's zombocalyptic original third act and restored the regular-guyness that made Pitt's character work. He also resisted the temptation to threaten Earth's existence (yet again!) at the end of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, focusing instead on a personal vendetta-albeit one enacted via a dizzying mile-high pursuit across a 23rd-century cityscape. But, hey, you have to give something to get something."

Written Interview with Laeta Kalogridis
Writer of SHUTTER ISLAND
 
We chose this interview because Laeta Kalogridis exemplifies the never-say-die screenwriter. Kalogridis went nearly ten years between breaking into the business and earning his first credit as a writer. Among other topics covered, Kalogridis emphasizes the importance of staying humble.

From WGA.org:

"The sole scribe for Martin Scorsese's...film SHUTTER ISLAND...isn't phony, Hollywood humble, that insipid brand of affected humility borne of equal parts insecurity, desperation, and self-obsession. She's the unobtrusively profound kind of humble that comes from having truly worked hard and tasted both victory and defeat."
 
Selected Script:  

Taxi Driver    
Written by Paul Schrader    
 
READ THE SCRIPT

(thanks to Cinephilia and Beyond)


BONUS
Film Comment Interview, 1976:


CLICK IMAGE FOR ARTICLE
Paul Schrader AMA
Reddit 
 
Last week, writer/director Paul Schrader visited Reddit for an "Ask Me Anything" session. Follow the link below to read the thought of this filmmaking legend, whose film THE CANYONS is out now.

Schrader discusses projects from throughout his entire career and doles out some great advice along the way.

PAUL SCHRADER AMA 
Paul Schrader: Notes on Film Noir
From Filmmaker IQ   
Paul Schrader, circa TAXI DRIVER
If you're a fan of film noir, then this essay is for you. Posted a few months back, Cinephilia and Beyond has a PDF of Paul Schrader's analysis of one of film's "most important genres."

From Cinephilia and Beyond:

"An amazing dissertation on one of the most important genres of American film, written by the legendary screenwriter of TAXI DRIVER and RAGING BULL. Not for everybody, but worth it for those willing to take the time to read it in full."

Ten Tips from Billy Wilder
How to Write a Good Screenplay 
 
The man won six Academy Awards during his illustrious career, so get ready to hit the print button. You'll want these tips within eyesight of your keyboard at all times.

From OpenCulture.com:

"...there's no better film school really than listening to what Billy Wilder says."

Video Interview: Vince Gilligan    
Creator of BREAKING BAD 
Vince Gilligan Interview Part 1 of 4 - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG
Vince Gilligan Interview Part 1 of 4 - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG

Vince Gilligan. Creator of one of the most critically-acclaimed shows on television. Four-hour long interview.


What else do you need to know?

 

From EmmyTVLegends.org:

"In his nearly four-hour Archive interview, writer/producer Vince Gilligan talks about knowing that he wanted to be involved with storytelling, in film or television, from a very early age. He discusses his education at NYU Film school and winning a screenwriting award, which led to his first jobs in television writing."
 
Bonus: More Paul Schrader 
80-Minute Video Interview 
The Canyons' Paul Schrader Interview (2013) - The Seventh Art: Issue 13, Section 3
THE CANYONS' Paul Schrader Interview (2013) - The Seventh Art: Issue 13, Section 3

Thanks to The Seventh Art video magazine for this great interview with Paul Schrader. In the video, Schrader discusses his entire career, and delves into his latest project, THE CANYONS.

From The Seventh Art:

"Paul Schrader is an American filmmaker whose work as a screenwriter and director hold a significant place in the history of American cinema, including TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL, AMERICAN GIGOLO, MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS and LIGHT SLEEPER. Schrader has no shortage of interesting stories about New Hollywood as one of the original movie brats, as well as a critical background that has informed his work. It follows that he has a varied oeuvre that includes both deliberate consistencies (his lonely man series of films) and outlier films like DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST."

Hey, Whaddya Say?


"Know where you're going." 

--Billy Wilder 
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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:
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