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I love this description from the Houston Library for the interview I just did with them: “Robin Brande discusses writing,…

In a video short about the scriptwriters working on the new TV show Touch, producer and writer Tim Kring revealed what he is looking for when hiring a screenwriter.

Kring created hit television shows like Crossing Jordan and Heroes, so his advice is valuable for all the aspiring screenwriters in the audience. If you want more writing advice, we interviewed 24 producer Howard Gordon about his new novel, Hard Target.

Check it out: “One of the things I set out to do in terms of finding writers for this show–I was very interested in writers who wanted to write short stories. In essence, short stories. So I was interested in writers that were really good at creating characters. Who really wanted to tell stories that were contained, and had a beginning, a middle and an end.” (Via Antoine Wilson)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Amazon Studios has awarded $1 million to Rob Gardner for his test movie, 12 Princesses–”family friendly musical tale about a love-struck farm boy in a magical world.” Follow this link to watch the 12 Princesses test film.

In addition, Matthew Gossett won Amazon’s $100,000 best script award for Origin of a Species, “a thriller about an ex-cop facing the greatest obstacle of his life.” Follow this link to read the script for Origin of a Species. Every year the  studio collects scripts and test movies from aspiring filmmakers, rewarding the best work with annual prizes.

Here’s more about the program, from the release: “Amazon Studios first launched in November of 2010, since then the Amazon Studios community has submitted more than 700 test movies and 7,000 scripts. In the last year, 39 scripts, test movies and trailers were highlighted in contests and awarded more than $1.9 million in cash prizes. Additionally, Amazon Studios recently attached prominent producers to three projects discovered through the community to help further their development process.”

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Amazon Studios has awarded $1 million to Rob Gardner for his test movie, 12 Princesses–”family friendly musical tale about a love-struck farm boy in a magical world.” Follow this link to watch the 12 Princesses test film.

In addition, Matthew Gossett won Amazon’s $100,000 best script award for Origin of a Species, “a thriller about an ex-cop facing the greatest obstacle of his life.” Follow this link to read the script for Origin of a Species. Every year the  studio collects scripts and test movies from aspiring filmmakers, rewarding the best work with annual prizes.

Here’s more about the program, from the release: “Amazon Studios first launched in November of 2010, since then the Amazon Studios community has submitted more than 700 test movies and 7,000 scripts. In the last year, 39 scripts, test movies and trailers were highlighted in contests and awarded more than $1.9 million in cash prizes. Additionally, Amazon Studios recently attached prominent producers to three projects discovered through the community to help further their development process.”

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Twihards around the world will watch The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 this weekend. In the latest installment of the blockbuster series, fans can expect to see a dramatic vampire wedding and eventful honeymoon.

We caught up with screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg to talk about writing scripts and the adaptation process. The highlights follow below…

Q: Describe the writing process when you are charged with adapting a book for a script versus writing an original script.
A: Each comes with its own challenges, but nothing is more difficult than starting with a blank page, as a writer does with an original project. I had the good fortune to start with an already fully fleshed out universe and mythology. But an adaptation comes with its own challenges: Honing a 500 page novel into a 110 page script. Externalizing very internal character arcs. Not pissing off the millions of fans around the world who don’t understand, or frankly care, that a book and a movie are very different animals, and that one can’t simply transfer the entire text into screenplay format and shoot it.

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It’s Devon Franklin‘s job as VP of production for Columbia/Sony Pictures to buy film scripts and see them through the development and production process. So, how can aspiring scribes keep their work out of the slush pile? Take a screenwriting class, enter film competitions, and polish your drafts until they’re perfect.

“Do everything you can to work on these ideas,” Franklin, the man behind Jumping The Broom, explained in our @mediabeat interview. “And I promise you — people think this is crazy — we need good scripts in Hollywood. So, if you write a good script, even if you’re in Nebraska, Ohio — you could be in the most remote part of the world — if you write a good script, I promise you somehow we’ll find it.”

Franklin applied the same principles of diligence and faith in his own life, which he details in his new book Produced By Faith: Enjoy Real Success without Compromising Your True Self (Simon & Schuster).

“The book is a metaphor for your life as a movie, and every movie starts with a big idea,” the author and motivational speaker explained. “My whole big idea for my life is to inspire and encourage, and God has called me to use film as part of a way to do that.”

You can also watch this video on YouTube.

Part 1: Jumping The Broom Production VP Brings Spirituality to Hollywood

Part 3: On Wednesday, Franklin discusses what the film industry is doing to stay afloat in the age of Netflix streaming and social media.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Before you finish your script this month, double-check that you don’t make these ten common mistakes spotted by script consultant Dave Trottier.

Here’s one tip: “[Avoid] descriptions of things that cannot appear on the movie screen. For example: ‘John knew what he had to do, but he recalled the words of his aging mother which made him hesitate.’ John’s thoughts, feelings, insights, and inner turmoil cannot appear on the movie screen by just describing them as action. You should instead describe actions, gestures, facial expressions, and sounds that help communicate to the reader what is going on inside of John.”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Stuck in the middle of your script? Try writing your story backwards!

Writing blogger Candace Kearns Read explained the technique: “To write an ending that delivers a great emotional payoff, it helps to ‘back engineer’ from the climax, reworking everything that comes before it so as to manipulate an element of surprise and ensure that the ending is both inevitable and unexpected … the writer can ensure that everything that leads up to the climax sets up the climax, relates to the climax, or otherwise is somehow justified by the existence of the climax.”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The LA Times Festival of Books is this weekend (April  30th – May 1st)! If you live in the Southern California area this is a wonderful FREE event filled with hundreds of authors, artists, and book lovers! There’s even a children’s book stage (bring your kids) and a YA Stage! Not to mention the plethora of panel discussions happening all around the USC campus! (That’s right a new location at USC this year).

Find General Information about the event here: LA Times Festival of Books

Learn about the panel discussions and schedule of events here: Schedule of Events

The YA Stage and Children’s Book Stage Schedule is here:  Saturday Schedule  and  Sunday Schedule

Also, if you’re interested in writing your own web-series check out the great new book Byte Size Television written by the wonderful teacher and screenwriter Ross Brown. He will be selling and signing his book from 3-4pm on Sunday at the Chapman University Booth #226.

Celebrate books, wear sunscreen, and have fun!

While writing a script, author Beth Lisick suggest you explore photographs for inspiration: “Imagine a film still from your script, an image that conveys something unique and compelling. Locate that amazing scene in this incredible screenplay you’re writing.”

What photographs inspire your writing? We recommend the toy soldier photography  of Mark Hogancamp (pictured, via). His work was featured in the inspiring documentary, Marwencol.

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As we near the end of Script Frenzy month, it might help to remind yourself that even an unknown writer can make it with a great script–believe in your dream.

Here is an inspiring story from DeadlineNY: “Relativity Media beat out four studios to pay $650,000 against $1.1 million to scribe Brad Ingelsby, who was at the time living with his parents in Pennsylvania and working for his dad’s insurance business … The Low Dweller is a dark drama set in 1986 Indiana. The protagonist is Slim, a man released after serving years in prison for murder who wants only to follow through on his promise to marry his long-suffering girlfriend.”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

We’ve discovered an illustration-filled guide to comic book scriptwriting over at Five Sprockets. If you are writing a comic book script this month, check it out for inspiration and guidance.

Here’s more from the site: “unlike screenwriting where generally accepted formatting guidelines are largely agreed upon (some may argue this), scriptwriting for comic books has no such generally accepted standards. Publishing houses like Dark Horse and Marvel have put forth script-submission guidelines, but they are all different. There are, however, some generally accepted elements common throughout, such as pages, panels, captions, balloons, and sound effects.”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

What do you listen to while you write? Join this screenwriting music discussion for plenty of musical ideas.

This GalleyCat editor has been listening to Chet Baker and Charles Mingus (pictured, via) while writing lately.

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Looking for more guidance and community as you finish your Script Frenzy script? Try visiting the Reddit screenwriting thread to find tools, readers, and inspiration.

Here’s more about the site: “Submit anything screenwriting related. And this is one sub-reddit where it’s okay to promote or post your own stuff! But do so at your peril! You’re not going to get glad-handed here. In fact, you may get your ass handed to you in a paper bag. But you may also get some useful advice. It’ll probably smart a bit, so brace yourself.”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The best way to learn how to write a screenplay is to read plenty of great scripts. Explore scripts at Save the Cat’s Hall of Records.

Here’s more from the screenwriting site: “This section has been provided by and sanctioned with the kind permission of the forum owner Blake Snyder the author of Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need … It is hoped the publications listed here are recommended in such a way to help and stimulate your development and understanding of the art and craft of screenwriting and to supplement Blake’s Snyder’s books and his method.”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Today’s tip is simple: reading GalleyCat. Below, we’ve linked to 15 scriptwriting tips in one place–half a month’s worth of writing advice.

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month.

1. Make an Outline First
2. Plotbot Streamlines Scriptwriting
3. Use a Screenwriting Glossary
4. Find the Scripwriters in Your Neighborhood
5. Watch a Great Screenplay

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Sometimes you need to watch some bad writing to appreciate good writing in a film.

Above, we’ve linked to a YouTube clip of an infamous scene from The Room–one of the strangest movies ever written. Following the “Worst Lines in Screenwriting History” for more inspiration.

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

If you can’t explain your script in a concise few sentences (or logline), then you will have a hard time keeping the story under control. Write a logline before you take the next step.

The Wikipedia definition contains the actual logline for It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: “Charlie Brown is finally invited to a Halloween party; Snoopy engages the Red Baron in a dogfight; and Linus waits patiently in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin.”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters, comic book writers, and playwrights participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. Read all the advice at this link.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Watched any good screenplays lately? Below, we’ve rounded up a list of 23 Academy Award nominated original screenplays that you can watch instantly on Netflix–twenty years worth of winning scripts.

To help all the aspiring screenwriters in the audience participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. If you are taking the challenge, keep us posted in the comments.

We’ve been building helpful Instant Movies for Readers for the last year, collecting links to the best streaming movies based on contemporary lit to the best book-based movies for people who hate Valentine’s Day.
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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Aspiring writers around the world are working on scripts this month for Script Frenzy–it’s the perfect time to connect with scriptwriters in your neighborhood through the site’s regional connections.

Here’s more advice from the site: “If your area is without a Municipal Liaison, or you don’t have an official region on the site, be sure to pick the region that’s closest to you. Once you’ve selected your region, post a thread in your region’s forum with your geographic location as the title of the post. You can meet the other writers in your area, and post about where you’d like to write and when!”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters in the audience participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. If you are taking the challenge, keep us posted in the comments. Follow along on Twitter as well.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Aspiring writers around the world are working on scripts this month for Script Frenzy–it’s the perfect time to connect with scriptwriters in your neighborhood through the site’s regional connections.

Here’s more advice from the site: “If your area is without a Municipal Liaison, or you don’t have an official region on the site, be sure to pick the region that’s closest to you. Once you’ve selected your region, post a thread in your region’s forum with your geographic location as the title of the post. You can meet the other writers in your area, and post about where you’d like to write and when!”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters in the audience participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. If you are taking the challenge, keep us posted in the comments. Follow along on Twitter as well.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As aspiring screenwriters around the world try to write a 100-page script in April, many need to brush up on key industry terms. We recommend the Screenwriting.info Glossary.

We’ve highlighted two of our favorite definitions: “Courier 12 pitch: The main font in use in the U.S. by both publishers and the Hollywood film industry … V.O.: Abbreviation for Voice Over, denoting that the speaker is narrating the action onscreen.”

To help all the aspiring screenwriters in the audience participating in the Script Frenzy writing marathon, we will feature a new script writing tool or tip every day this month. If you are taking the challenge, keep us posted in the comments. Follow along on Twitter as well.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

It can’t hurt, that’s for sure. This website looks at the underlying structure of movies, including the five key turning points it says all good scripts have:

- Opportunity
- Change of Plans
- Point of No Return
- Major Setback
- Climax

Read more about the turning points here.

Learning about screenwriting, and the business of being a screenwriter, can be a big help to children’s authors. Esther Luttrell is starting a new 6-weeks series of teleclasses next week. Listen to this two part interview with Esther, where she explains the benefits of learning about screenwriting–no matter what kind of writing you do!

Listen to this Part 1 of an interview with Esther Lutrell to find out more about this series:

Listen to Part 2 of the Interview with Esther Luttrell here:

To learn more about this series and to register for it NOW, click here!

Learning about screenwriting, and the business of being a screenwriter, can be a big help to children’s authors. Esther Luttrell is starting a new 6-weeks series of teleclasses next week. Listen to this two part interview with Esther, where she explains the benefits of learning about screenwriting–no matter what kind of writing you do!

Listen to this Part 1 of an interview with Esther Lutrell to find out more about this series:

Listen to Part 2 of the Interview with Esther Luttrell here:

To learn more about this series and to register for it NOW, click here!