“At FiLMLaB, the experiment is you.”
No, really. We mean it. The FiLMLaB experiment 2016 is all about you, the writer, and what happens when you step into the lab.
It is not easy being the subject of an experiment. Nor is it any fun having limitations placed on your creativity: seven pages, four characters, and writing prompts that change from year to year.
Who do we think we are?
The FiLMLaB experiment is a short screenwriting competition sponsored by the nonprofit Willamette Writers. In an effort to provide experiential learning to aspiring screenwriters, we challenge you to step into the lab and engage in an exercise of contained script writing. Not only will the writing challenge you, if you make it to the Celebrity Round of judging, you will get script notes from Hollywood producers at no additional cost. If you survive that round, you’ll have a chance to use those notes to rewrite your script under the guidance of veteran screenwriter Randall Jahnson (The Doors, Mask of Zorro) before final judging, and a shot at our one of a kind Grand Prize: production of your script.
Full Production
That’s right, production this summer with a professional film crew in Portland, Oregon. You can even join us on set.
Should you, indeed, come out on top of our little experiment, you will find little time to rest on your laurels. Directors have their own ideas about story and will expect you to accommodate their point of view. Actors, too, may request revisions. Can you say rewrite? Can you say it two or three times? This is where the experiment gets interesting: in the exchange of multiple artistic visions for the same story. It is also a tremendous opportunity for creative and professional growth.
Developing Your Career
That, truly, is the point of the FiLMLaB experiment 2016. It’s not about the resulting film, which you may or may not be satisfied with. It’s about real world experience that pushes you outside your comfort zone and makes you a better writer. When it’s all said and done you will have a short film with your name on it and an IMDb credit. Your short will debut at the annual Willamette Writers Conference, August 12-14 in Portland, Oregon (an event to which you are awarded a free pass) in front of 800 fellow writers, as well as representatives from the film and literary industries in residence and looking for new writers. Then, after a few short weeks, it will premiere at the Portland Film Festival, rated among the Top Twenty-Five Coolest Film Festivals by Movie Maker Magazine.
Join the FiLMLaB Experiment 2016
So, what do you say? Feeling up for a creative challenge? Then feel free to step into the lab…..
