This year, Willamette Writers is excited to offer an in-person educational opportunity for aspiring screenwriters. Eight writers will be selected by a panel of judges to participate in a two-day in-person writer’s room in Portland, Oregon. They will work with Grant Rosenberg, an experienced showrunner, producer, and screenwriter, to create a series of short, scripted vignettes. They will then collaborate on the final script, which will be performed by SAG-AFTRA actors at the Willamette Writers Conference in August. This script will move into production in 2025.

About the Writer’s Room

Eight writers will participate in the writer’s room.

In the writer’s room, they will develop the specifics of the script concept and flesh out the characters (including determining their story arcs). As a group, they will outline the stories. Finally, the writers will be paired up to collaborate on a three-page script, which they will have three weeks to complete.  

The final scripts will be performed by SAG-AFTRA actors at the Willamette Writers Conference in Portland on August 3, 2024.

Submission Details

• Submissions open on Submittable on March 11, 2024. Submissions are free for Willamette Writers members, and $4.00 for guests.
• Writers submit an 8-page sample of their work to be considered.
• Submissions should emphasize character and dialogue and be presented in script format as a PDF.
• Participants must have attended at least three FilmLab Happy Hours prior to May 13, 2024 in order to submit. This is an educational opportunity, and participation is key!
• Writer’s room participants will be required to attend:
  • One online training prior to the writer’s room
  • The in-person writer’s room weekend in Portland, Oregon.
  • The in-person conference performance in Portland, Oregon.
• Writers who submit but are not accepted will be invited to participate as viewers of the in-person writer’s room.
• 2022 FilmLab participants cannot submit their work but are invited to join the room as viewers.

Timeline

• Applications open: March 11, 2024
• Applications close: April 12, 2024
• Writers’ Room Announcement: May 13, 2024
• Writer’s Room Dates: June 22 & 23, 2024
• Willamette Writers Conference: July 31 – August 4, 2024

How do you know if FilmLab is right for you?

FilmLabTV is an educational experience aimed at helping writers learn to pitch their ideas, find their voice in the Writer’s Room, and hear their work read by professionals in a formal setting. The goal is to get you the experience you need to take that next step in your writing career. If this sounds like what you need, submit your work.

About the Contest

FilmLab started in 2012 during the Willamette Writers Conference. The lab grew out of a desire to expand upon and promote the growing film industry in Portland, Oregon. Willamette Writers has been helping writers find their community, develop their craft, and expand their careers for 59 years.