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

BlueCat Screenplay Competition   


November 11th, 2014


4 DAYS UNTIL

THE FINAL DEADLINE:

THIS SATURDAY

NOVEMBER 15th
 

Feature length and short screenplays accepted!

Every screenplay receives written analysis!

 

Over $40,000 in cash awards!

 

 SUBMIT YOUR SCRIPT

 

IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
  • 3 SCRIPTS: Born on the Fourth of July, Breakdown, and Juno
  • Writers Roundtable featuring Chris Rock, Gillian Flynn, and more
  • Screenwriter Steven Knight (Locke) in conversation with BAFTA 
  • BlueCat founder Gordy Hoffman tells you how to win BlueCat
  • Wisdom from James Cameron
  • A behind the scenes look at The Drop
  • 12 Tips For Directing Your First Feature Film from Indiewire
  • The BlueCat Community Corner
  • BlueCat Workshop information

 

WRITERS ROUNDTABLE
from The Hollywood Reporter

A one hour roundtable conversation featuring writers Chris Rock (Top Five), Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), Jon Favreau (Chef), Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything), Jonah Nolan (Interstellar), and Graham Moore (The Imitation Game). 

STEVEN KNIGHT LECTURE
From BAFTA

  
Screenwriter Steven Knight (Locke, Eastern Promises, Dirty Pretty Things) discusses his craft in this hour long conversation with BAFTA.


BLUECAT ADVICE ARTICLE
From The BlueCat Archive 

BlueCat founder and judge Gordy Hoffman tells you how to win BlueCat.

 

  READ THE ARTICLE

 

ANATOMY OF A SCENE
From The New York Times

  
Director Michael R. Roskam discusses a pivotal scene from his film The Drop.


HEY, WHADDYA SAY?

 
"Writing a screenplay for me is like juggling. It's like, how many balls can you get in the air at once? All those ideas have to float out there to a certain point and then they'll crystallize into a pattern."

-James Cameron
SELECTED SCRIPTS
Three Screenplay PDFs

BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY
by Oliver Stone and Ron Kovic

BREAKDOWN
by Jonathan Mostow

JUNO 
by Diablo Cody


12 TIPS FOR DIRECTING YOUR FIRST FEATURE
From Indiewire

  
First time director David Schwarz (The Discoverers) offers 12 tips for filmmakers on the verge of their directorial debut. 


HEY, WHATCHA UP TO? 

The BlueCat
Community Corner

2003 BlueCat Winner Jon Goldman recently wrote and directed the critically acclaimed short film Market Hours, which was financed by The Weinstein Company and Lexus. 

 

WATCH IT HERE

 

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:

[email protected]

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: [email protected].
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: 

 

 

 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.