“Writing is a lonely art. You tend to sit on your own in a
room without a whole lot of feedback, and frankly, your mother’s feedback, your
dad’s feedback is not really what you want because they love and adore you. You
actually want to read the tough feedback from professional readers or from the
agents or managers that you submit your material to in your great quest to get
representation.” – Peter Samuelson, screenwriter.
Contests are a great way to get feedback that every writer
needs—to understand what is working in the script and what’s not. I chose to
enter my drama screenplay, Coaching
Class in the Finish Line Competition in 2016 because they promised to give
me feedback for my script. What’s more, based on the evaluation, I could re-submit
a revised draft. This enabled me to improve my script taking it to the top of
the contest table and winning a first runner-up place.
While a contest win can be a great ego boost, it actually is
much more than that. It enhances a writer’s credentials. Being
ranked among the winners of credible contest improves your chances of getting
a foot in the door and having your work read by people who make films and are
on the lookout for great scripts.
The Finish Line competition gave me the confidence to
approach a number of top production companies, both in India and in Hollywood
as well as agents. Meanwhile, the most prestigious screenwriting contest – the
Academy Nicholl Fellowships – which is organised by the same people who run the
Oscar Awards came up. And I decided to enter Coaching Class in Nicholl’s. If it
ranked well, the chances of it being
read by industry professionals across the world would improve manifold. If not,
I had nothing to lose!
In July, results season rolled in. And to my great surprise—and
delight—Coaching Class had made it to the Quarter Finals. It was one of 361
(out of a total number of 7100 entries) to have made the cut. Excitement kicked
in even though I knew the next leg of the contest would be much tougher. By August,
I was informed that my script was only one of 151 scripts to advance to the
Semi Finals round. I was well and truly stunned and super happy, once it began
to sink in.
The feedback from the judges was also sent to me. One judge said, “This drama, set in India, has an interesting, involving
story that is full of tension and conflict. Careful attention has been paid to
structure and both the main plot and the subplots have strong development.”
Another remarked, “The characters are richly detailed and
their goals and dreams feel appropriate and unique to each of their character
arcs. Even the ancillary characters…have interesting backstories.”
More importantly, they pointed out what needed work in the
story. Unlike Finish Line though, I did not have the chance to submit a revised
version. But reaching the Semi Finals of Nicholl’s has boosted my confidence
and given me the calling card I need for future interactions with film industry
professionals.
Samuelson puts it succinctly: "There is no great victory in writing a script that isn't produced unless it was a stepping stone while you were perfecting your craft in order to be able to write a script that did get made into a film. You just need to do it."
Congratulations.You are walking the right path. I am sure thinga will get even better
ReplyDeleteThanks Amrita for your encouragement and support. :)
DeleteCongrats Adite! From 7100 to 151 is a huge confirmation of your writing skills, not to mention morale boosting. I am sure your writing will be made into a film. Wish you all the best!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind wishes. The journey continues! :)
DeleteCongratulations. It's a great inspiration for me to read about your experience. That shows that we should just keep trying without undermining our own abilities. Thank you for such a detailed insight. Best wishes to you for your future projects.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Richa. What you say is true. As a writer, one can only keep writing! :)
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