Coming Up 2012 - Deadline Extended!

Just in case you thought you missed it - the deadline is now Tuesday 28th June

Full details can be found here

Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award 2011

It's that time of year again Part II:

Each year The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awards the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award.

The competition is designed to motivate non-American novice writers under the age of 30, and to offer them the recognition and encouragement that might lead to a successful career in television scriptwriting. Entrants are asked to create a completed half-hour to one-hour English-language television drama script for a family audience. The deadline for submissions is July 1st.

The winner will be flown to New York City to be presented with an award and a US$2,500 prize at the International Emmy® World Television Festival on November 19, 2011. The winning script will be read by actors in front of an audience at the Festival, and the winner will be invited to take part in the red carpet festivities at the 39th International Emmy® Awards on November 21, 2011.

Application forms can be downloaded here

I've blogged about the award and my experiences with it numerous times. Click on the labels below and that should take you to everything you need to know.

As in previous years, if anyone wants to read my script The Storyteller they are welcome to. Just email me at the usual address, jezfreedman"at"hotmail.co.uk and keep to the one and only rule - it's for your personal use only.

Shameless plug as ever - if anyone wants feedback on their entry before they send it off (not much use after is it - boom) then details of my service can be found here. Don't leave it to the last minute though. For one thing, it makes my head hurt. For another, hoping that my feedback is useful, you'll want time to redraft before you send it.

Best of luck everyone

Pitch For FREE Online With Talent Circle

I've been a bit slow on the uptake on this but it's a great initiative spearheaded by Lucy together with Talent Circle. Pitching, writing loglines and a synopsis is a skill in itself that almost bears no relation to writing a script. But like most things they share this in common - the more you practice the better you get. Here are the details:

Want to pitch for FREE, online?

First you need to register with Talent Circle (this is free).

To place a pitch on the bulletin, there are a few things you need to know first. First off, we've introduced some guidelines for pitches. We ask that all pitches follow this format:

1) Title

2) Genre

3) Format (ie. short, feature, web series, treatment, etc)

4) Logline (25-30 words max)

5) Short Synopsis (60-100 words maximum)

6) Writer Bio (2 short sentences max – ie. Credits? Projects? Screenwriting MA? Blog URL? Etc)

In order to pitch, you need to post to the NOTICEBOARD. Here's how you do it:

1) Log in and create a "submit a posting"

2) Select "Notice (or just about everything else)"

3) Choose your email response.

3) Fill in the details (remembering the guidelines above please!)

4) Under "classification" choose "Script Pitch" - Submit and you're done!

FYI - We ask that writers only submit two pitches a day and to check their pitches have gone up BEFORE submitting duplicate postings. If for any reason your pitch is declined in the first instance, we will give a reason why and a second opportunity to submit.

LAST OF ALL:

Writers pitching on the bulletin are expected to be looking to connect with other writers, producers, directors, etc and to welcome communication from colleagues. However, if YOU are offering constructive criticism to writers on their pitches, please be aware of the TONE and CONTENT of your messages! Excessive negativity/confrontational attitudes to pitches placed on the site are NOT WELCOME and will be not be tolerated by Talent Circle.

GOOD LUCK!

Please pass this great FREE opportunity on to all your writing friends.