So I've been busy trying to get back into writing my rom-com. I'm 45 pages into it. Not as far as I would have liked to have been by this stage, but it's a tough gig getting back into the story after an extended break and matching the treatment with the producer notes. Plus its a complicated story. But anyway, on the positive side, I'm forging ahead and am over a third of the way there.
But the welcome news today is that TABLE FOR TWO? has reached the quarter-finals of the Fresh Voices Screenwriting Competition. Fingers crossed it can go further.
Good luck to my friend, Gordon Slater this weekend. Gordon starred as Keithy McPhail in 2 x 3, and this weekend he's shooting his short, 'Plastic Fantastic', in Edinburgh. Break a leg, Gogs!
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Monday, 9 January 2012
2012: a make or break year???
OMG! It's the 9 January already and I've only just (about) recovered from the Christmas and New Year festivities.
Now the real work starts. And I somehow have the feeling that 2012 is going to be a big year, a defining year in terms of my writing adventure.
First up is to get on and finish the first draft of 'DeCodeMe' as this is my first commission as a screenwriter. But I also want to write a stage play, revisit my two completed screenplays, write another screenplay and pick up (or rather restart) my novel. And who knows, maybe I'll get behind the camera again this year and direct a short.
The only thing of note to report that's happened over the festive period is that TABLE FOR TWO? reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 Champion Screenwriting Competition. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it makes it into the semis.
Oh, and I got an interesting review of my short film, HEART ATTACK, on Kevin Spacey's Triggerstreet under the heading 'Self Aware Parody or Soft Porn?' ('high kink' not 'soft porn', surely!). Anyway, the review says: "Writer/Director Warren Paul Glover brilliantly straddles the world of porn and parody in this "romantic" comedy about a mortician's attempt at balancing his profession and desire. Hilarious comic performances propel this comedy as the female cardiologist with romantic designs on a mortician, are kept at bay by a mortician's overwhelming connection to his "body" of work. In the end, for the main character at least, the body has more of a drawl than the heart." What to make of that...it's pretty positive (I think!), so maybe I should get behind the camera again this year...
What I do what to do this year is to make some progress migrating this blog, which is a bit cumbersome to maintain, over to my new webpage: http://www.wazman01.com/. I hope you'll follow me over and I wish everyone a happy, healthy and succcessful year.
Now the real work starts. And I somehow have the feeling that 2012 is going to be a big year, a defining year in terms of my writing adventure.
First up is to get on and finish the first draft of 'DeCodeMe' as this is my first commission as a screenwriter. But I also want to write a stage play, revisit my two completed screenplays, write another screenplay and pick up (or rather restart) my novel. And who knows, maybe I'll get behind the camera again this year and direct a short.
The only thing of note to report that's happened over the festive period is that TABLE FOR TWO? reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 Champion Screenwriting Competition. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it makes it into the semis.
Oh, and I got an interesting review of my short film, HEART ATTACK, on Kevin Spacey's Triggerstreet under the heading 'Self Aware Parody or Soft Porn?' ('high kink' not 'soft porn', surely!). Anyway, the review says: "Writer/Director Warren Paul Glover brilliantly straddles the world of porn and parody in this "romantic" comedy about a mortician's attempt at balancing his profession and desire. Hilarious comic performances propel this comedy as the female cardiologist with romantic designs on a mortician, are kept at bay by a mortician's overwhelming connection to his "body" of work. In the end, for the main character at least, the body has more of a drawl than the heart." What to make of that...it's pretty positive (I think!), so maybe I should get behind the camera again this year...
What I do what to do this year is to make some progress migrating this blog, which is a bit cumbersome to maintain, over to my new webpage: http://www.wazman01.com/. I hope you'll follow me over and I wish everyone a happy, healthy and succcessful year.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Luck's Ran Out scores runner-up spot in the 2011 Writers' Block International Writing Competition
Got some good news today. LUCK'S RAN OUT (my 2010 Screenwriter Showcase winning script) came runner-up in the 2011 Writers' Block International Writing Competition. I'm both delighted and gutted. Delighted to have placed so highly out of over 600 entrants; gutted to have missed out on the $1,000 prize money! But still, good news that this script has again reached the higher echelons of a screenplay competition.
This means that this script has placed highly in eight screenwriting contests, as well as being granted a 'CONSIDER' by Extreme Screenwriting and CoverScript.com coverage services:
* Runner-up: 2011 Writers' Block International Writing Competition
* Quarter-finalist: 2011 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards
* Semi-finalist: WriteMovies International Screenwriting Contest 27 (2011)
* Quarter-finalist 15th Fade In Awards (2011)
* Emerging Screenwriter screenwriting contest Top 100 (2011)
* Semi-finalist: 2011 Golden Age of TV short screenplay competition
** Winner - Screenwriter Showcase 2010 Screenwriting Contest (feature)
* Semi-finalist: 2010 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards (short)
Still haven't been able to find it a home, but perhaps coming runner-up in the Writers' Block contest will increase the script's exposure and convince a producer to option it (I did turn down one option agreement for this script - the only one I've received - from a Portuguese production company, because they didn't want to offer any money for it, ie they wanted it for free).
This placing has given me a boost. Just the shot in the arm I need to get me back in the mood to start tackling the script for 'DeCodeMe', which I've been finding difficult to get into.
This means that this script has placed highly in eight screenwriting contests, as well as being granted a 'CONSIDER' by Extreme Screenwriting and CoverScript.com coverage services:
* Runner-up: 2011 Writers' Block International Writing Competition
* Quarter-finalist: 2011 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards
* Semi-finalist: WriteMovies International Screenwriting Contest 27 (2011)
* Quarter-finalist 15th Fade In Awards (2011)
* Emerging Screenwriter screenwriting contest Top 100 (2011)
* Semi-finalist: 2011 Golden Age of TV short screenplay competition
** Winner - Screenwriter Showcase 2010 Screenwriting Contest (feature)
* Semi-finalist: 2010 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards (short)
Still haven't been able to find it a home, but perhaps coming runner-up in the Writers' Block contest will increase the script's exposure and convince a producer to option it (I did turn down one option agreement for this script - the only one I've received - from a Portuguese production company, because they didn't want to offer any money for it, ie they wanted it for free).
This placing has given me a boost. Just the shot in the arm I need to get me back in the mood to start tackling the script for 'DeCodeMe', which I've been finding difficult to get into.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Can I cut it?
Got news today that TABLE FOR TWO? has made the semi-finals of the 5th Annual Story Pros International Screenwriting Contest, which equates to the top 15% of entries. Fingers crossed it can make it the cut for the finalists...
We had a few friends round for dinner last night and they asked what was I working on, so I told them about 'DeCodeMe'. Some interesting reactions. Mostly the response being that it was quite ambitious and challenging for a rom-com and that I'd have to work hard to convince the audience. Got quite a task on my hands then, according to this vox pops. And this hard work starts tomorrow when I really need to knuckle down and get going on the script. I think I'm really going to find out whether I can cut it as a professional screenwriter with this project.
We had a few friends round for dinner last night and they asked what was I working on, so I told them about 'DeCodeMe'. Some interesting reactions. Mostly the response being that it was quite ambitious and challenging for a rom-com and that I'd have to work hard to convince the audience. Got quite a task on my hands then, according to this vox pops. And this hard work starts tomorrow when I really need to knuckle down and get going on the script. I think I'm really going to find out whether I can cut it as a professional screenwriter with this project.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
In a hole. Must get myself out.
So it's been two weeks since my producer signed off on my treatment for 'DeCodeMe' and, as yet, I haven't written anything. I think I'm too scared to dive in because of the pressure!!! To be fair, I've had a few other things to do but I have been prevaricating. Time to stop and jump right in now though.
In better news, TABLE FOR TWO? has made the cut for the quarter-finals of the 5th Annual Story Pros International Screenwriting Competition and IN A HOLE is getting good reviews on Circalit. And DARK ANGELS is now up on IMDb.
Right, I must make myself start writing 'DeCodeMe'. The script's not going to write itself. Time to climb out of my hole and get to it.
In better news, TABLE FOR TWO? has made the cut for the quarter-finals of the 5th Annual Story Pros International Screenwriting Competition and IN A HOLE is getting good reviews on Circalit. And DARK ANGELS is now up on IMDb.
Right, I must make myself start writing 'DeCodeMe'. The script's not going to write itself. Time to climb out of my hole and get to it.
Thursday, 17 November 2011
It's not Casablanca or Citizen Kane but...
I got some feedback on my dramedy feature script, TABLE FOR TWO?, from the 2011 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition this morning. I won't know whether I've made it into the quarter-finals with this script until January, but they scored me 138 out of 160, which if my maths is right equates to around 86%, which is not bad.
Here's some of what they had to say:
"Hello Warren. I had a lot of fun with this. Much like the occasional big Hollywood blockbuster, it’s always refreshing to see someone take pulp as far as it can go. This is a tangled web of deceit, backstabbing, illegality and plain old soap opera style the-child-isn’t-yours sensational plot twists. It should feel pointless, and in a way it is, but it’s written very well and the plot twists are so well paced and so surprising that it elevates the material. It might be soap-style melodrama, but it’s damn good soap-style melodrama."
The judge then makes a couple of observations which I think are very interesting and will prove useful when I come to rewrite the script (it's currently on Draft 4). One of the things that I'll need to analyse is the comment that:
"The structure of your story doesn’t quite fit standard conventions. But the structure does sort of work for your story. However, I can see a studio reader mistaking its unorthodox structure as a failure to obey the rules, and dismiss the script for that reason. I’m a little hesitant to suggest you change your structure to a more obvious 3-act structure, but I do think you should be aware that this could be a hurdle in future. But these are more nitpicks than criticisms. This is a well written screenplay that, although doesn’t aim to be a Casablanca or Citizen Kane, succeeds on every level that it attempts to. Great job!"
I'll have to take another look at the structure. This is the same script that got a RECOMMEND from Extreme Screenwriting coverage, and no comment was made about structure there. But as I've learned, there's no limit to better in this game so I will take another look at it. But this will be next year now as I have to start writing DeCodeMe (I must get a move on, I know).
In other news, TABLE FOR TWO? - yes, we're still talking about the same script - reached the Semi-finals of the Gimme Credit International Screenwriting Contest. Shame it didn't quite make the cut as a finalist but you can't win them all.
And speaking of winning scripts, LUCK'S RAN OUT (my 2010 Screenwriter Showcase first prize script), only made the Second Round of the MovieScript Golden Brads screenwriting contest. This is another script I'll have to revisit for a rewrite next year. I thought there might be more producer interest in this after it won the Showcase and I rejected an option agreement from a film company in Portugal, but not a sniff since. Surely there must be some producer out there who wants a good, gritty drama that tackles contemporary issues?
In my last post I talked about how I was meeting up with my old playwriting course colleagues to go see Sprout. Well, it was shit, and we all thought so. We also thought we could all do better. Let's hope we can and that at least one of us (preferably all of us) can get a play staged.
Right, my next writing task is to start writing the script for DeCodeMe. Wish me luck. There's a lot riding on this one.
Here's some of what they had to say:
"Hello Warren. I had a lot of fun with this. Much like the occasional big Hollywood blockbuster, it’s always refreshing to see someone take pulp as far as it can go. This is a tangled web of deceit, backstabbing, illegality and plain old soap opera style the-child-isn’t-yours sensational plot twists. It should feel pointless, and in a way it is, but it’s written very well and the plot twists are so well paced and so surprising that it elevates the material. It might be soap-style melodrama, but it’s damn good soap-style melodrama."
The judge then makes a couple of observations which I think are very interesting and will prove useful when I come to rewrite the script (it's currently on Draft 4). One of the things that I'll need to analyse is the comment that:
"The structure of your story doesn’t quite fit standard conventions. But the structure does sort of work for your story. However, I can see a studio reader mistaking its unorthodox structure as a failure to obey the rules, and dismiss the script for that reason. I’m a little hesitant to suggest you change your structure to a more obvious 3-act structure, but I do think you should be aware that this could be a hurdle in future. But these are more nitpicks than criticisms. This is a well written screenplay that, although doesn’t aim to be a Casablanca or Citizen Kane, succeeds on every level that it attempts to. Great job!"
I'll have to take another look at the structure. This is the same script that got a RECOMMEND from Extreme Screenwriting coverage, and no comment was made about structure there. But as I've learned, there's no limit to better in this game so I will take another look at it. But this will be next year now as I have to start writing DeCodeMe (I must get a move on, I know).
In other news, TABLE FOR TWO? - yes, we're still talking about the same script - reached the Semi-finals of the Gimme Credit International Screenwriting Contest. Shame it didn't quite make the cut as a finalist but you can't win them all.
And speaking of winning scripts, LUCK'S RAN OUT (my 2010 Screenwriter Showcase first prize script), only made the Second Round of the MovieScript Golden Brads screenwriting contest. This is another script I'll have to revisit for a rewrite next year. I thought there might be more producer interest in this after it won the Showcase and I rejected an option agreement from a film company in Portugal, but not a sniff since. Surely there must be some producer out there who wants a good, gritty drama that tackles contemporary issues?
In my last post I talked about how I was meeting up with my old playwriting course colleagues to go see Sprout. Well, it was shit, and we all thought so. We also thought we could all do better. Let's hope we can and that at least one of us (preferably all of us) can get a play staged.
Right, my next writing task is to start writing the script for DeCodeMe. Wish me luck. There's a lot riding on this one.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
DeCodeMe Gets the Green Light!
So it was great fun catching up with my playwriting pals from my playwriting course last night. We went to the Old Fitzroy pub, which has a theatre attached, and we've all decided to go watch the play, Sprout, next week. And we also conspired to commit to writing a short play by mid-January. We all wrote one word down on a piece of paper, folded the paper then took a lucky dip. The word we got is to be the theme of the play. So I'll see how I go on that one...
The big news though is that after my long telephone call with Deborah Kol yesterday, I've now got the green light to start writing the script for 'DeCodeMe'. We've talked the treatment to death (although I think Deborah wanted to talk it to death some more - she's very thorough!) so now the pressure's on for me to write a killer script. I'll start that process next week, I think, and aim to get the first draft done by Christmas.
Today I entered PROJECT 629 into a short play competition and also sent it to the White Rabbit Gallery, which focuses on Chinese art and culture. Can't hurt to see if they might be interested in it.
Am off to see God's Ear tonight. One of my playwriting colleagues, Julian Garner, is in it.
The big news though is that after my long telephone call with Deborah Kol yesterday, I've now got the green light to start writing the script for 'DeCodeMe'. We've talked the treatment to death (although I think Deborah wanted to talk it to death some more - she's very thorough!) so now the pressure's on for me to write a killer script. I'll start that process next week, I think, and aim to get the first draft done by Christmas.
Today I entered PROJECT 629 into a short play competition and also sent it to the White Rabbit Gallery, which focuses on Chinese art and culture. Can't hurt to see if they might be interested in it.
Am off to see God's Ear tonight. One of my playwriting colleagues, Julian Garner, is in it.
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