Greetings from Australia. I have spent a while trying to translate this post from Australian to American, so you'll have to excuse any misspellings.
I'm obviously not based in LA, and possibly never will be, and I have entered a few competitions with my current screenplay. Do you think it was worth it? The only thing I've ever won was a fish and marine life sustainability quiz, rather by accident when I was eight and on a school excursion. They had to make a t-shirt (which was the prize) specially for me, as they had expected the winner to be over eighteen. Anyway, I digress...
I think my concern is, even on the very slim chance that I may win a contest, and a couple that I have entered include meetings with industry folk, would I be immediately "pooh-poohed" on the grounds that I live in a different country? What would be the point of meeting a contact who I may never see again based on my citizenships? Let me tell you, with the economic crisis, the Aussie dollar isn't going well for anyone paying competition administration fees in the US.
Anyway, one of my favourite things about writing is reading, and I love reading your blog. Particularly the reviews, love to see more...
THIS IS SO GREAT! Corrections instead of criticism and platitudes. I made the hubby go fetch dinner because I couldn't tear my self away. I would sing your praises further, but I am compelled to return to my new addictive blog.
Hey Julie,
A friend of mine has just moved to LA and is keen to come along to your next table reading. His name is Simon Dooley, he's acted in one of my short films and helped me with my table reading. He's a really nice guy and could do well in a roles like where an Australian actor pretends to be an African American (or whatever it was in Tropic Thunder??)
Hi Julie,
I read the RW blog religiously and enjoy it so much. I too find it very helpful.
I have a question for you which sort of relates to the blog on words. I have been told two different things about writing for readers. One is that most readers are college educated and you should give your writing flare, and use an interesting choice of words. This is what I like to do, because this is my style anyway. But I've had people tell me that I shouldn't use "big" words because most readers won't know what I mean. Now, keep in mind I don't deliberately look for ten-dollar words to be showy. Just your average good vocabulary words.
Oh thank you, Sterling. There really is nothing new under the sun when it comes to screenwriting; despite all the shelves of books on the topic, blogs, etc., but it's HOW you say it that can be entertaining and fun. So I hope I accomplish that. Thank you for such a kind compliment and thank you for being part of the RWII! xox
I've been reading RW for the past 6 months + it has been extremely helpful. I love how you give examples. Many sites have basically the same advice regarding loglines, first draft, character arc, etc., but when you talk about something you back it up with an actual instance.
Thanks for all the effort you put into this wonderful resource. It is appreciated.
This feels so much friendlier than the other site ... like meeting for coffee after work. Check out Salon.com ... I just had a "Open Salon" essay make the transition to the real home page. It's like being asked to have dessert at the grown-ups' table ...
Thanks for the welcome message! I've enjoyed the blog for ages so I thought I should finally join the forum :)
Quick word about the website- I think it's a fantastic upgrade and I love, love, LOVE the fact that you've put coverage samples on there. Makes all the difference in the world as you don't feel you're blindly offering up your baby and have no idea what's going to be given back to you. Such a great way to put writer's minds at ease, showing them a variation of what they're going to receive. Simple but genius. And I hate to be the one to point it out, but there's a broken link. On the "About YOU" page, if you click on the Rouge Wave II link it just returns to the "About YOU" page again. Thought you might want to know!
Just wanted to let you know the Script Department web site is beautiful! Great job to all who worked on it. FYI the Hollywood Military Advisor link on your page here on RWll seems to be broken( probably overlooked when the new TSD site was launched). But,congratulations on the new site!
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Greetings from Australia. I have spent a while trying to translate this post from Australian to American, so you'll have to excuse any misspellings.
I'm obviously not based in LA, and possibly never will be, and I have entered a few competitions with my current screenplay. Do you think it was worth it? The only thing I've ever won was a fish and marine life sustainability quiz, rather by accident when I was eight and on a school excursion. They had to make a t-shirt (which was the prize) specially for me, as they had expected the winner to be over eighteen. Anyway, I digress...
I think my concern is, even on the very slim chance that I may win a contest, and a couple that I have entered include meetings with industry folk, would I be immediately "pooh-poohed" on the grounds that I live in a different country? What would be the point of meeting a contact who I may never see again based on my citizenships? Let me tell you, with the economic crisis, the Aussie dollar isn't going well for anyone paying competition administration fees in the US.
Anyway, one of my favourite things about writing is reading, and I love reading your blog. Particularly the reviews, love to see more...
Hope you are well
Best to you and yours,
Bree
A friend of mine has just moved to LA and is keen to come along to your next table reading. His name is Simon Dooley, he's acted in one of my short films and helped me with my table reading. He's a really nice guy and could do well in a roles like where an Australian actor pretends to be an African American (or whatever it was in Tropic Thunder??)
I read the RW blog religiously and enjoy it so much. I too find it very helpful.
I have a question for you which sort of relates to the blog on words. I have been told two different things about writing for readers. One is that most readers are college educated and you should give your writing flare, and use an interesting choice of words. This is what I like to do, because this is my style anyway. But I've had people tell me that I shouldn't use "big" words because most readers won't know what I mean. Now, keep in mind I don't deliberately look for ten-dollar words to be showy. Just your average good vocabulary words.
So which is it?
Thanks,
Audrey
Thanks for all the effort you put into this wonderful resource. It is appreciated.
Sterling.
Quick word about the website- I think it's a fantastic upgrade and I love, love, LOVE the fact that you've put coverage samples on there. Makes all the difference in the world as you don't feel you're blindly offering up your baby and have no idea what's going to be given back to you. Such a great way to put writer's minds at ease, showing them a variation of what they're going to receive. Simple but genius. And I hate to be the one to point it out, but there's a broken link. On the "About YOU" page, if you click on the Rouge Wave II link it just returns to the "About YOU" page again. Thought you might want to know!
Have a great weekend! K :)
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