This is the time of the year when Screenwriters are submitting their screenplays to Agents, Producers, and Screenwriting contest. Your script will be rated: Recommend, Consider, or the dreaded Pass. You only have one chance to impress an agent, producer or a competition screenplay reader. DO NOT send in your script before it is ready. Let First Act Script Coverage evaluate your script. We will give  your screenplay the industry standard rating: Recommend, Consider, or Pass. This should give you an idea how others will rank it. To get your screenplay coverage, visit our site at: http://www.firstactscriptcoverage.com

RECOMMEND
When a screenplay reader gives a script a recommend it means that person believes so strongly in that screenplay that if they had the money they would produce the screenplay themselves. The script is well-written, is original, with a great concept, theme, well defined characters, interesting plot, and engaging dialogue. A recommend is very hard to get. A screenplay that gets a recommend is in the top 2 to 5% of all scripts received in a studios development department.

Attention all aspiring and seasoned screenplay writers. You might want to check this out. See below.

AFF Presents: Launching Your Writing Career; A Special Discussion in LA March 30, 2013 • 1:00 PM

The Los Angeles Film School, 6363 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, California 90028 (view map) Price: $10.00 Quantity: Now in its 20th anniversary, Austin Film Festival brings its longtime commitment to the art and craft of screenwriting to Los Angeles for Launching Your Writing Career, a special event on Saturday, March 30th from 1:00PM to 2:30PM.  In partnership with and hosted at the Los Angeles Film School, the event will feature a discussion with Greg Beal, Director of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting; Franklin Leonard, Founder of The Black List; and AFF Screenplay Competition Director Matt Dy.  AFF Board Member and former Writers Guild of America West President Daniel Petrie, Jr. will moderate.  Discussion will include success stories from AFF, The Nicholl, and The Black List, what readers and judges look for when evaluating scripts, and advice on how to take your script to the next level.

Launching Your Writing Career will be held at the Los Angeles Film School Theater at 6363 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA, 90028 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM.

$10 General Admission

Screenwriting contests are one of the best ways to get your script read by people in the industry (producers, studios, agents, managers) who can get your script made into a movie. There are a lot of screenplay contest out there, but not all of them are reputable. Some contests are designed to simply rip the screenwriter off. Before sending your script to any competition, it is recommended that you register your screenplay with the U.S. Copyright office, www.copyright.gov  and/or the Writers Guild of America, www.wga.org. Listed below are the most reputable contests that I am aware of.  Some of the competitions, such as Blue Cat, offer feedback with your entry fee.  Check out the list below. Before sending your screenplay out to any screenwriting competition make sure it’s the best it can be. Let First Act Script Coverage read your screenplay and give you an honest evaluation of it. Contact us at:http://www.firstactscriptcoverage.com

In its simplest term, genre is the type of screenplay you have written: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime (gangster), Drama, Horror, Musical/Dance, Science-Fiction, War, and Westerns. It's important to clearly identify your genre so you can market your script to the right agent, manager, studio, producer, or talent. Example: You would not want to make the mistake of giving your Sci-Fi script to an actor who only does comedy.

This week we will look at five of the most popular feature film genres. Part two will be uploaded on Tuesday, 2/19/2013

Action: Action films are high energy, with physical stunts, chases, battles, fights, escapes, floods, explosions, disasters, fires, etc. It’s the good-guy battling bad guys. Think James Bond, martial arts films. Note: sometimes Action films are confused with adventure films.

A logline is a 30 second elevator pitch. It is one to three sentences summarizing the concept, the premise of your screenplay. A logline is also known as the hook.  It is what you use to pitch your story. When you meet with a producer and he asks, “What is your story about?” He is asking you to give him your logline. It should be short and concise, such as what you see in the TV guide. It tells what the movie is about. It should be written in such a way that it captivates and excites the interest of a producer or agent. When you send a query letter to a producer or agent, you will include your logline.

A great logline can help sell your script. Therefore, it must be enticing. Yet, it should be true and not misleading. Stories are about characters and problems (conflict). Without conflict, there is no story. A logline must show:
1) Who the story is about? (protagonist, hero).
2) What does he/she want? (goal/conflict).
3) What stands in his/her way? (Antagonist or primary obstacle)

It’s February. Romance is in the air. It’s the time when we fully express our love. There are many types of love; the love we have for our significant others, the love we have for our parents, children, siblings, other family members and friends. We are armored with celebrities, sports figures, models, ministers, politicians, and of course, our words. The way we love is a mirror of life.

As a script reader for First Act Script Coverage, I am amazed at the number of people who romanticize the words they put to paper. The most challenging part of my job is to convince a writer to delete a word, narrative, dialogue, and/or scenes that do not advance the story. Why do we fall in love with our words? Is it because we work so hard creating our baby? After all, it takes great pain to find the right word, or phrase to say what we want to convey. Words are the greatest expressions of our selves. We’re awakened in the middle of the night with the perfect word or phrase that will make our writing memorable. Becoming a Word-smith forces the creative essence of who we are to come forth.

Do you have a story to tell? What are you waiting for? I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met that say they’ve been thinking about writing a screenplay. They tell me their story is really, really, really good and then they add, “I know it would make millions of dollars and win an Oscar. Then I ask, “Why haven’t you written it?”  Most of the time, people tell me they just don’t have the time.

One thing I know for sure is we all have twenty-four hours in a day. It’s what we do with our time that makes the difference. I don’t want to offend anyone, but if you are called to be a writer, you must practice your craft. Tiger Woods became a great golfer because he practiced. The Williams sisters practiced tennis, gymnast practice, lawyers practice, doctors’ practice and so must you. Hiding your story inside of your head is stealing your gift from the world to enjoy.

Are you preparing to enter a screenwriting competition? Let First Act Script Coverage review your script before you submit it to a contest. Screenplay competitions are a great way to get your script into the eyes of deal makers. Winning a contest can be very rewarding, not only earning thousands of dollars, but it might get your script optioned or sold.  There are a lot of competitions. The most notable are the Nicholl Fellowship , Sundance, and Austin Film Festival to name a few. These contests are highly competitive. Thousands of entries are received each year. In order to be competitive, you must make your script the best it can be. Let First Act Script Coverage write an analysis of your screenplay. We will check spelling, grammar, premise, plot, character, and dialogue. We will write your logline and a synopsis. You only have one chance to impress so make your script stand out from the rest. Let First Act Script Coverage make your screenplay the best it can be. www.firstactscriptcoverage.com