We are halfway through the FiLMLaB short script contest. There’s still plenty of time to submit your seven page script for a chance at the Grand Prize: the filming and production of your story by a professional film crew. In three act structure, the second act is always the longest, and arguably the most tedious…
By Danny Manus
If you’re using a short film as your calling card, you need to make sure it’s dialing the right number.
Unless you live in Denmark, where making short films can actually be a sustainable career, film shorts are basically made for three reasons; as practice; as inspiration or proof of concept for a larger feature project; or as a sample to show off your talents.
(This blog is being reposted courtesy of the author. Originally titled, Revelation, Story, and Plot in a Script for a Film Short, it appeared in a June 2013 FiLMLaB column. It is worth reviewing, along with Bill’s short video discussing short scripts, common errors inexperienced screenwriters make, and the benefits for writers in going through a…
If you’re an aspiring screenwriter you may have heard of Ink Tip, the online resource where writers can connect their script with industry professionals. If you haven’t, then stay with me, because Willamette Writers is very happy to announce that InkTip has signed on as a sponsor for the 2015 FiLMLaB Contest! InkTip offers writers…
For those of you who couldn’t join us for the workshop, Randall has provided a few notes for you to think about as you work on your short script. Distill your story down to the essentials – the salient moment/scene Make sure your story has conflict Grab your audience’s attention ASAP – that usually means…
The 2015 FiLMLaB Contest kicked off Tuesday night at Portland’s Historic Old Church, when the final contest parameters were announced. In addition to limits on page count (7, not including title page) and characters (4 speaking roles with allowances for extras), three new limitations are in place this season. The thematic prompt from the first…
Note: The member meeting and FiLMLaB discussion takes place at The Old Church on 11th and Clay in downtown Portland on Tuesday, January 6th at 7 pm, NOT the McMenamin’s location mentioned in The Oregonian A&E on January 4, 2015.
Have you met Ruth Witteried, the Executive Producer of the FiLMLaB Competition, yet?
If not, then this video is the perfect way to get her insight into the Willamette Writers’ FiLMLaB, as well as getting some great background into what this unique competition is all about, including the member meeting on January 6th, and the FiLMLaB workshop on January 10th.
Bonus? This video helps you to learn what an amazing person Ruth Witteried is. She’s incredibly enthusiastic about screenwriting and FiLMLaB. She updates the FiLMLaB website every week with new, valuable information, while still finding top-notch judges, directors, and crew for the project. She’s been involved and active from the beginning in order to make sure that the filming process goes as smoothly as possible for the competition and (most importantly) for our winning writer.
The previous three years have been amazing (check out the films made from our former winning screenplays.) Since it’s FiLMLaB’s fourth 
year and Willamette Writers fiftieth, Ruth is even more determined to make it one of the best possible short screenwriting events ever.
To top it all off, she teaches screenwriting classes, has been an invaluable source as a former Film Coordinator for the Willamette Writers Conference, and has written a YA novel in the character of R. H. Cohen, a young zombie who breaks the bonds of zombie-dom to create poetry, music…and a website.
I love this time of year; the week between Christmas and New Years. It’s so perfectly situated for reflection as we take down the tree, stow the candles and box up the ornaments–we are literally packing up the old year to prepare for the new. A fresh new year to receive dreams, ambitions, potential and…
Willamette Writers is a diverse community of writers. Screenwriters, poets, novelists, playwrights, memoirists . . . all genres, all writers are welcome. We have different levels of accomplishment, expertise and success, but we all share one thing in common: the celebration of the written word. During these final days of Chanukah and Christmas, our hope…
Trying to stay focused and on task during the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas (five if you include New Year’s) can be a real challenge. If you established writing goals on January 1, you are rapidly running out of time to complete them and the knowledge that time is slipping away while you are…
