Like everyone in Hollywood, contest judges are looking for engaging stories, vividly drawn characters, scintillating dialogue and page-turning suspense. Very often, judges will form initial impressions of your script based on how well you’ve described it before they even look at its first page, so it’s important to take the time to polish not only your script, but your logline and synopsis as well. Make them as clear, as sharp and enticing as possible and you’ll see better results. We also can’t stress enough the importance of working with screenwriting pros (not readers) when it comes to “professional” feedback. That’s why we’ve assembled actual working writers and showrunners to help you achieve your screenwriting goals.
Your ability to answer the question “What’s it about?” in a way that is concise, compelling and evocative will factor significantly into your future as a professional screenwriter. Why settle on a mediocre response, when you can work with an accredited, working screenwriter – Chris Erric Maddox ("A Million Little Things," "Dynasty," "Monarch") – one-on-one via Zoom, to help you craft a killer logline for your project!?
Before you start writing your screenplay, you need to lay a solid foundation. Frank Baldwin ("Your Honor," "Cold Pursuit," "Big George Foreman") will assess your screenplay outline for story, hero and world then work with you, one-on- one, via Zoom to ensure you are on the right track to writing a professional- level script.
The first ten pages of your screenplay are crucial. They set the stage, introduce your characters, and determine whether your reader reads on or tosses your script in the reject pile. With over 25 years experience, Pam Falk ("The Wedding Planner") will provide a detailed analysis of your opening pages for solid story structure, crisp dialogue and charismatic characters, then help you transform your work (via Zoom) into a can’t- put-down page-turner that will move your screenplay up the ladder instead of off. Includes one-hour Zoom session.
Before agreeing to read your screenplay, most Hollywood buyers & reps will ask to see a synopsis of the script to not only determine if the premise fits their needs, but to see if the story is engaging, exciting, and offers a satisfying conclusion. Fashioning an effective synopsis is an art unto itself, requiring one to boil down a script’s myriad elements to their bare essentials and present them in a manner that prompts the reader to respond, “Show me more!” Allen B. Ury, Fade In’s senior screenplay analyst with multiple TV and motion picture production credits, will help you perfect your existing 1-3-page synopsis, delivering a potent marketing tool for your TV or movie project.
Before entering a competition or submitting to a Hollywood buyer or rep, you need to make sure you’re not giving them a reason to say “Pass.” Our expert script analysis* lends solid support to your rewrite by focusing on such necessities as a strong, marketable premise, a solid story structure, original and fully rounded characters, crisp dialogue and proper pacing. Quite simply, the best service of its type anywhere. Just ask our satisfied customers! *Includes 30-minute Zoom.
After laboring so long and hard over your beloved script, the last thing you want is for a buyer, rep or contest reader to not take it, or you, seriously because you didn’t take the time to clean up typos, character name inconsistencies and confusing script directions. That’s why having your pages professionally proofed before you send them out is vital. With over 20 years of experience, Bliss Bowen will proofread and detail your script to ensure it’s saying what you want it to say, which in turn will help give you what all Hollywood movers and shakers look for when discovering new talent: an original voice.