Thread by @pfeld

#Screenwriting contests. A thread:

In June, frustrated that my scripts were not placing in contests even though I KNEW they were good, I decided to stop entering them. In fact, every time I saw a contest I could enter, I would take the $$ the entry fee cost and save it. 1/?

You may have seen me QT myself and keep track of the amount. It's been about 4 months since I started and #screenwriters do you want to know the amount of $$ I've socked away?

$1315.

2/?

Yes. That's One Thousand and Three Hundred and Fifteen Dollars.

3/?

That is from individual contest entry fees alone. This does not count paying extra for coverage. It is not me saying - "Oh, the early entry fee plus the regular entry fee plus the late entry fee." It's one entry fee per contest. 4/?

Also, I haven't gone Google searching for contests. These contests have popped up in my inbox based on my having signed up for newsletters in the past or based on me seeing ads/info on Twitter. I have come across all these organically. 5/?

So, in the past four months, if I had entered every contest advertised to me, for which I had a script ready... I would have spent over $1300! That's rent! That's what I earn in 2 weeks at one of my part time jobs! That's crazy to me! 6/?

Let me stop for a second and say: it's important to invest in yourself. Spending $$ to advance your career is not inherently bad or foolish. But what do you get out of spending that $$? For me, contests provided a stack of rejections and the sense of being gaslit (lighted?). 7/?

Because I have no doubt I'm talented. But the contests made me wonder what was wrong with me (spoiler alert: it's not me. I write "women's stuff," overtly Jewish characters, and long scenes w/lots of (fast-paced) dialogue (re: the latter, like Sorkin, Hawks, Moonstruck). 8/?

When I realized it wasn't me, it's that I'm not writing "important" films and my scripts are 120 pgs (gasp!), I decided investing in myself looked different than what the system sold me on: dumping 2 wks of paychecks into contests that had judged me and found me lacking. 9/?

So - because I'm a director too - I'm taking that money and recording one of those ill-received-by-contests pilots as an audio romcom. Paying actors, hiring a composer, etc. And instead of rejections and insecurity, I'll have proof of my skill, a calling card. 10/?

And I'm not here to bash contests (though $1315 in 4 months?! Extrapolated, that's nearly $4000/year!) because I know some of you do GREAT with them - get signed off them, sell a script, etc. But if you're like me - you've put in the WORK and still judges don't get you... 11/?

Ask yourself - "What am I good at? What would showcase my skill and grab attention the way a contest victory might?"

I chose audio recording because my dialogue is so snap, crackle, and poppy it's practically Rice Krispies. And you might not know that until you hear it. 12/?

If your story is super visual what about teaming up with an illustrator and doing a graphic novel storyboard of your script (or even a few scenes)?

If you have a great pitch and interesting story references, why not create a rip reel trailer?

13/?

Or what about a mood board? Maybe turn it into a Powerpoint and add music.

Or just go straight to Tik Tok or Instagram stories and pitch it.

14/?

The point is: contests might seem like an easy way to break in, esp. if you don't have connections, but if you're not a contest person, that's an awful lot of money (again, $1315 in 4 MONTHS!), stress, and hope to waste. 15/?

You have tools and ingenuity at your disposal to show the world how great your work is. And if you stay true to your own voice and keep pushing forward and getting better and being kind, the right people will find you. Contests are only one avenue for that. 16/16