I had the chance to hang out at the Willamette Writers House in West Linn Friday Night, where the doors were open, post-office-on-tax-day style. Snacks and beverages and short films, including last year’s Script-to-Screen winner, “Alis Volat Propriis,” were on hand. What did I learn? Well, the vast majority of writers out there have figured out how to enter contests without having to leave their homes. And, I’d forgotten how good cheese doodles are, as I absent-mindedly munched on a bowl of them all evening.
Still, it was a fun, laid-back experience hanging out with Lab guru Bill Johnson and the handful of old-school, “I’ll-physically-hand-in-a-printed-script” writers that dropped in as the hours until the midnight deadline ticked away.
As of this writing, a final tally of official entries is still in the works (it’s some technical stuff having to do with “entry fees” and “postmarks” and some kind of “postal service”- whatever). But it looks like fifty or more of you took the plunge and entered the Script-to-Screen contest this year. That represents a 100% increase over last year’s inaugural contest, so we’re thrilled to see that the FiLMLaB is catching on with our writers as a fun and rewarding opportunity. Thanks to all who lent their creative talents to the pool of scripts now in the Lab. We now turn your wonderful creations to our judges.
Speaking of judges, we’re happy to announce the final two celebrity judges who’ll be reading scripts in our final round:
- Creative Executive and Producer Stacy Chattaway, formerly of Fox 2000 Pictures, and now Director of Development at Portland’s own LAIKA studios; and
- Emmy and Golden Globe award winner Erik Bork, screenwriter, producer, and script consultant in Los Angeles.
We’re excited to let them and the rest of our talented judges see your work!
Thanks to all of you who entered; for being brave and creative writers having the faith and energy to deliver your short scripts for us to judge; for leaving extra cheese doodles for me on Friday; and, most of all, for helping to validate the FiLMLaB experiment with your entry, as we try to grow this idea into a meaningful and valuable destination for screenwriters who want to see their work on the big screen.
Best of luck to all!
–Stefan Feuerherdt, Conference Chair