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

BlueCat Screenplay Competition   



December 9th, 2014

 

BlueCat Screenplay Competition founder & judge , Gordy Hoffman, will screen his short film, Dog Bowl, at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival!    

 

Dog Bowl is one of only 14 U.S. Narrative Shorts chosen from 8,061 submissions.  

 

In Dog Bowl, a heartbroken girl spiraling through her life stumbles upon the true nature of her existence after stealing the vest off a service dog.  

  

Gordy will discuss his film on an upcoming UStream live broadcast on Tuesday, December 16th from  

6:30 - 10:00 p.m. (PST) 

 

Congratulations Gordy! 

 

 

 

DOG BOWL OFFICIAL WEBSITE   

 

IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
  • Writer/director Billy Wilder on Screenwriting
  • Oscars: 39 Screenplays that Matter
  • 3 SCRIPTS: Big Eyes, The Imitation Game, How to Train Your Dragon 2
  • Screenplay consultations with Gordy Hoffman
  • An interview with An Evergreen Christmas screenwriter, Jeremy Culver
  • Anatomy of a Scene: The Imitation Game
  • UCLA Screenwriting Chair shares screenwriting insights
  • The BlueCat Community Corner
  • BlueCat Workshop information
BILLY WILDER ON SCREENWRITING
from The Paris Review

Writer/director Billy Wilder had an impressive resume of classic films. In an interview by James Linville in The Paris Review he discusses his thoughts on the art of screenwriting.

Oscars: 39 Screenplays that Matter
From The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter refreshes us on 39 screenplays from 2014 that are among those competing for spots on the 2015 Oscar ballot. 


SCREENPLAY CONSULTATIONS 
With Gordy Hoffman

 

Gordy Hoffman, BlueCat's founder and judge, is available to give comprehensive consultation services on your screenplay.

 

The overall goal of Gordy's consultation services is to facilitate the development of the script into a wholly original, highly engaging script that is viable in today's film market. Gordy will coach you on developing your script into an emotionally engaging experience for your reader and, ultimately, the audience in the theatre.

 

 

UCLA SCREENWRITING CHAIR SHARES INSIGHTS
From Movie Outline

Professor Richard Walter, co-chairman of the graduate screenwriting program at UCLA, discusses the business of screenwriting. He shares his insights on developing your career as a writer, networking, and creating a strong script.  
HEY, WHADDYA SAY?

 
"The challenge of screenwriting is to say much in little and then take half of that little out and still preserve an effect of leisure and natural movement"

- Raymond Chandler  
Co-writer of Double Indemnity 
SELECTED SCRIPTS
Three Screenplay PDFs

Big Eyes
by Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski

The Imitation Game
by Graham Moore

How to Train Your Dragon 2   
by Dean DeBlois


JEREMY CULVER INTERVIEW
From Selling Your Screenplay

  
Director/Writer Jeremy Culver (An Evergreen Christmas) discusses his career and writing process on Ashley Scott Meyers' podcast.    
 
 
ANATOMY OF A SCENE:
THE IMITATION GAME
From The New York Times

  
Director Morten Tyldum discuesses a scene from The Imitation Game. See how the finished product compares to the script.  


HEY, WHATCHA UP TO? 

The BlueCat Community Corner:
Karen Francis

 

Screenwriter Karen Francis has directed her past BlueCat submission, Christmas Ride. The film was produced by her company, Art Promotions, in cooperation with Yarbrough Media Productions. Christmas Ride had a theatrical run in Los Angeles County September 19th-25th, 2014. Her screenplay won a semi-finalist award from the Charleston International Film Festival in 2013.  Congratulations Karen! 

 

What are you 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] 

Please use the subject line Community Corner Submission 

 

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: 
 

Los Angeles - February 21st - REGISTER 

(Only 3 spots left)

 

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.