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

BlueCat Screenplay Competition   


November 4th, 2014


10 DAYS UNTIL

THE FINAL DEADLINE:

NOVEMBER 15th
 

Every screenplay receives written analysis!

 

Over $40,000 in cash awards!

 

SUBMIT YOUR SCRIPT

 

IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
  • 3 SCRIPTS: American Splendor, Maria Full of Grace, and Where the Wild Things Are
  • A lecture from writer Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
  • Behind the scenes of Dear White People, Whiplash, and Birdman 
  • Advice from BlueCat founder Gordy Hoffman
  • Wisdom from Pixar's Andrew Stanton
  • A storytelling tip from Michelangelo Antonioni
  • Elvis Mitchell's The Treatment -- a treasure trove of interviews
  • The BlueCat Community Corner
  • BlueCat Workshop information

 

PETER STRAUGHAN LECTURE
from BAFTA

Peter Straughan (writer of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Men Who Stare at Goats) gives a fascinating look into his creative process in screenwriting lecture.

ANATOMY OF A SCENE
From The New York Times

  
Writer/directors Damian Chazelle (Whiplash), Justin Simien (Dear White People), and Alejandro Inarritu (Birdman) discuss pivotal scenes from their films in the The New York Times web series Anatomy of a Scene.


BLUECAT ADVICE VIDEO
From The Ask BlueCat Archive 

 

BlueCat founder and judge Gordy Hoffman discusses the importance of screenplay structure.

 

  WATCH THE VIDEO 

 

HEY, WHADDYA SAY?

 
"The first draft is nothing more than a starting point, so be wrong as fast as you can."


-Andrew Stanton
writer/director of WALL-E 
THE TREATMENT
From KCRW

  
Elvis Mitchell hosts The Treatment, a radio show that features inspiring interviews with filmmakers and writers!

SELECTED SCRIPTS
Three Screenplay PDFs

AMERICAN SPLENDOR
by Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman

MARIA FULL OF GRACE
by Joshua Marston


WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE 
by Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers


THE UTILITY OF MYSTERY
From Filmmaker Magazine

  
An actor recounts a quick piece of storytelling advice given to him by filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni on the set up of the film Blow-Up.


HEY, WHATCHA UP TO? 

The BlueCat
Community Corner

 

BlueCat is continuing our new Community Corner in the newsletter where each week we feature what YOU'RE up to.    

 

Do you play in a band, paint, write books, draw, sculpt, make short films or web series, etc.? Do you participate in an arts organization our community should know about?

 

Share your accomplishments as well as upcoming fairs, shows, screenings, and gatherings by emailing:

info@bluecatscreenplay.com

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.
BlueCat Screenwriting Workshops
 
BlueCat Screenplay Workshops are an 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.

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for LOVE LIZA, Gordy Hoffman has taught screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, as well as led workshops all over North America, Poland, Australia, New Zealand 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, DC, and the George Eastman House Film Festival, as well as a judge for the McKnight Screenwriting Fellowships in Minnesota. Gordy Hoffman founded the BlueCat Screenplay Competition in 1998 and remains its judge.

  

THE FULL SCRIPT WORKSHOP

Participants read all screenplays in advance of the workshop. 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.

  

Each writer will leave with a great sense of what they can do specifically to improve their screenplay, as well as a better awareness of where they might properly develop as a professional screenwriter as a whole. Writers benefit from the direct focus placed on their screenplays by the workshop, along with the analysis of the other scripts.

  

Screenplays can be first drafts or rewrites, incomplete or partial, with first time writers and veterans all welcome. Scripts are due 10-14 days prior to the date of the workshop.

  

Note: Screenplays submitted to the workshop are not eligible to be entered into the BlueCat Screenplay Competition.

  

  

Regular Registration Option

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

  

  


UPCOMING WORKSHOPS: 

 

  

Online - November 6th - REGISTER  

(Only 5 spots left)

  

Los Angeles - November 8th - REGISTER 

(Full registration SOLD OUT,  

regular registration still available)

 

 San Francisco - November 15th - REGISTER  

(Full registration SOLD OUT,  

regular registration still available)

 
 

Denver - November 24 -  REGISTER 

(Full registration SOLD OUT,  

regular registration still available)

  

Denver - November 25 - REGISTER  

(Full registration SOLD OUT,

regular registration still available)  

 

Online - December 4th - REGISTER  

 

Jacksonville - December 13th - REGISTER 

 

Los Angeles - February 21st - REGISTER

 

Salt Lake City - March 5th - REGISTER 

(Only 5 spots left)

 

Please let us know if 

 

you'd like the BlueCat Workshop 

 

 to come to your town!

 

See you soon.