Monday, July 7, 2014

I Finished My Screenplay

In my last update, I mentioned I was going to be writing a screenplay that would be submitted to a contest. This past week the Quarter Finalists for the contest were announced. I was not on the list. Although I didn't make it on the list, I did accomplish something most people can't say...

I finished my screenplay.

Written by Me

The truth is, I started writing this screenplay years ago. I did what many writers do that are new to writing screenplays. I worked on it here and there, never actually got far, and eventually stopped working on it all together. Which is something I'm not proud of, because I'm actually really passionate about the art form that is screenwriting.

Jump to early 2014, I read online that ScreenCraft is holding a screenplay contest specifically for horror. It kicked me into gear. Finally, once and for all, I was going to finish my first screenplay. I was going to make damn sure of it. From mid March to the end of May, I worked on my screenplay almost every night. Even after working an 8 hour day, then hitting a gym session afterwards, I still came home and at least put an hour into writing something before bed.

My hard work and dedication paid off as I was able to complete my screenplay a week before the deadline of June 1. The 30 to 35 disordered pages I wrote before, were now a cohesive 92 pages.

Yeah, I didn't make it to the list of Quarter Finalists for the contest, but I did receive one page worth of feedback notes on my script. I'm proud of what they had to say about it. The numbers I received on their scorecard rating system shocked me, in a good way.

Just because I didn't advance in the contest doesn't mean my screenplay is bad. I am proud of what I accomplished in such little time. The fact that I finished my screenplay and received positive feedback on it from a reputable source is victory in it self. Not to mention it's my first screenplay.

I'll be moving forward with my writing, short stories and screenplays. Hopefully one day this screenplay will be shared with the world.

- Matt

Are you a filmmaker interested in reading my screenplay? Please contact me.