Yale Summer Session and The Yale Summer Film Institute
proudly announce
Short Film Screenwriting Competition
Announcing the winner of the 2008 Summer Film Screenwriting Contest:
Zappadoo Written by David Jackson Willis
Zappadoo is about a young ambition college student who thinks he has discovered a way to release people of their vices and find love for himself. David Jackson Willis began his show business career as a street magician in New York City. Finding he was funnier than he was tricky, he moved the act indoors and became a stand up comedian. He went on to make TV appearances as a comedian, and toured with his one man show at over 200 colleges. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he worked on "Frasier" for ten years. He has written and directed 20 short films, which have screened in numerous prestigious festivals. He has several feature films in active development, including "Renaissance Girl," a comedy about an overly serious 18-year-old girl whose aunt forces her to work at a Renaissance Faire against her will.
Yale Summer Session in association with Yale Summer Film Institute seeks submissions (world-wide) of short film scripts, the winner(s) to be produced and exhibited in the Intensive Filmmaking and Acting in Film Workshops. (For more information on these courses please follow links at right.)
Winning writers will have the opportunity to become part of the collaborative production process as their story is produced for the screen. Past winners have attended the premiere and seen more than one version of their screenplay produced.
Please read and follow all contest instructions precisely. Incorrectly formatted, improperly identified scripts or missed deadlines will be immediately disqualified.
Each submission should be in written in industry standard screenplay form between 12 15 pages in length.
Stories should be character driven, focusing on an age range between 18 and 28. (Keep in mind that this is the age range of the acting pool. Occasionally older or younger actors are available.)
Entries should keep in mind locations and stories that utilize campus facilities and New Haven. (It is not necessary to limit your imagination to “college stories” but to keep in mind the production resources and locations available. Stories that require, for example, the recreation of the Roman Forum with 30,000 extras are just not possible to produce.)
Entries should follow one of three specific genre guidelines and structures set out on the internet site.
Timeline:
An initial round consists of a industry standard script no longer than 15 pages based on one of the genre guidelines set out below received by March 31, 2008.
Submit scripts complete with name, e-mail and telephone number and school affiliation (if any).
Finalists will be announced Friday, April 25, 2008, if a winner or two is not clearly decided. Finalists will then be asked to rewrite their screenplay based on judges’ critique.
Winners will be announced May 15, 2008.
Summer Session's Acting In Film and Intensive Filmmaking Workshop run from June 16-July 24, 2008. For more information about these summer sessions classes please follow links at right.
Contest Rules:
Choose one of the following genres to structure your screenplay: mystery, romantic comedy or fish-out-of-water. Use the following guidelines to plan your story and create conflict and plot points. Think outside the box. We are looking for the screenplays to adhere to form, not formula. If your screenplay is selected as a finalist or winner, you must be willing to rewrite.
MYSTERY
Mystery -- The main character(s) is/are presented with something, or a situation, which has no immediate or apparent explanation. His/her/their goal is to makes sense of the clues and circumstances that constitute the present situation.The main character has a limited amount of time (choose a logical time constraint) to:
Overcome obstacles that keep him/her/them from understanding events and learn something about him/her/themselves along the way.
Setup - (approx. 2.5 pages): How do we know the main character has a mystery to solve and why is it important that he/she/they solve it?
What does the main character want? (conscious motivation) What does the main character need? (Unconscious motivation) (Needs and wants are best when in conflict with each other.)
What is the time constraint placed on the main character to solve the mystery? How do we see time slipping away?
What are the stakes if the main character does not solve the mystery?
Inciting Incident - (at approx. pp. 2.5-3.5): What springs the character into action? The setup is complete once the inciting incident sends the character on his/her/their journey towards the goal. It is something that demands the main character to act.
The Middle - The rising action (5 to 6 pages): What does the main character do to achieve his/her/their goal?
What are the obstacles that are getting in the way of the main character’s goal?
How do the obstacles get bigger and bigger, resulting in rising action?
What are the complications? A complication should be unexpected and can arrive in the form of a character, circumstance, event, mistake, misunderstanding or discovery.
What is the reversal or midpoint of your story? What happens that allows the main character to think that perhaps he/she/they are on the right track, or perhaps the wrong track? Perhaps it is a pseudo-resolution that appears to resolve the mystery, but ultimately causes more problems.
What are the tactics your character uses to achieve his/her/their goals? How do obstacles and complications force your character to change tactics?
The Climax (at approx. pp. 7.5-8.5): This is the high point of the drama/comedy where the stakes are the highest and the character’s goals are in the greatest jeopardy.
What is the climax of the story?
Was your character able to accomplish his/her/their goal in the time allotted?
The Resolution (2.5-3 pages): Has the main character achieved his/her/their goal? How has the character changed because of the experience and how is that shown?
Mystery Films: Mona Lisa -- drama
The Crying Game -- drama
Field of Dreams -- drama
Murder on the Orient Express - drama
The Winslow Boy - drama
Raiders of the Lost Ark - drama
ROMANTIC COMEDY
Romantic Comedy -- The two main characters (male, female or male, male or female, female) have chemistry that usually blows up! They are opposites (morally, politically, economically and/or socially.) They are in a situation (usually not by choice by either party initially) where they are forced to work together and rely on each other to overcome their circumstances. The audience knows before the characters themselves that they are meant to be together and the fun comes from watching them realize their attraction. The main characters have a limited amount of time (choose a logical time constraint) to:
1.) Overcome or not overcome the obstacles that have forced these two characters together and see that they were meant for each other;
2.) Discover ways of compromise so that the opposites are not so extreme;
3.) Figure out if outside complications i.e., other relationships, obligations, etc., will figure into their staying together, or going their separate ways.
Setup - (approx. 2.5 pages): How do we know the main characters are opposites?
What does the main character want? Even though it is about the relationship of two characters, it is usually told from the point of view of one.
What does each main character need? (Needs and wants are best when in conflict with each other.)
What is the time constraint placed on the main characters and what are the consequences of not meeting the time limit? How do we see time slipping away?
What are the stakes if the main characters do not work together or rely on each other?
Inciting Incident - (at approx. pp. 2.5-3.5): What springs the characters into action? The setup is complete once the inciting incident sends the character on his/her/ their journey towards the goal. It is something that demands the main characters to act.
The Middle - The rising action (5 to 6 pages): What do the main characters do to achieve his/her/their goal?
What are the obstacles that are getting in the way of the main characters’ goal? Obstacles must be in direct proportion to the main characters’ wants/needs.
How do the obstacles get bigger and bigger, resulting in rising action?
What are the complications? A complication should be unexpected and can arrive in the form of a character, circumstance, event, mistake, misunderstanding or discovery.
What is the reversal or midpoint of your story? What happens that allows the characters to admit their attraction or further alienate them from each other? Perhaps it is a pseudo-solution that appears to resolve the problem, but ultimately cause more problems?
What are the tactics your character uses to achieve his/her/their goals? How do obstacles and complications force your characters to change tactics?
The Climax (at approx. pp. 7.5-8.5): This is the high point of the comedy where the stakes are the highest and the character’s goals are in the greatest jeopardy. Comedy must have elements of heightened reality, grounded in truth but taken to the extreme.
What the climax of the story?
Was your character able to accomplish his/her/their goal in the time allotted?
The Resolution - (2.5-3 pages): Have the main character achieved his/her/their goal? How have the characters changed because of the experience and how is that shown?
Romantic Comedy Films: Woman of the Year
Tootsie
Pretty Woman
Dirty Dancing
Kate and Leopold
When Harry Met Sally
Alex and Emma
FISH OUT OF WATER
Fish Out of Water -- The main character(s) is/are in a situation (either by circumstance, force or choice) that is unfamiliar and threatening to his/her/their desires. The main character has a limited amount of time (choose a logical time constraint) to:
A.) Overcome obstacles in a way that incorporates what he/she/they brings from their old circumstances;
or
B.) Return to old circumstances, but somehow changed by the experience of being a “fish out of water.”
Setup - (approx. 2.5 pages): How do we know the main character is a fish out of water? What constitutes the comfortable environment, i.e., the water? What constitutes the foreign environment? How opposite can you make them?
What does the main character want? What does the main character need? (Needs and wants are best when in conflict with each other.)
What is the time constraint placed on the main character to adapt? How do we see time slipping away?
What are the stakes if the main character does not adapt?
Inciting Incident - (at approx. pp. 2.5-3.5): What springs the character into action? The setup is complete once the inciting incident sends the character on his/her/ their journey towards the goal. It is something that demands the main character to act.
The Middle - The rising action (5 to 6 pages): What does the main character do to achieve his/her/their goal?
What are the obstacles that are getting in the way of the main character’s goal?
How do the obstacles get bigger and bigger, resulting in rising action?
What are the complications? A complication should be unexpected and can arrive in the form of a character, circumstance, event, mistake, misunderstanding or discovery.
What is the reversal or midpoint of your story? What happens that allows the fish to live out of water or to go back to the water? Perhaps it is a pseudo-resolution that appears to resolve the problem, but ultimately causes more problems.
What are the tactics your character uses to achieve his/her/their goals? How do obstacles and complications force your character to change tactics.
The Climax (at approx. pp. 7.5-8.5): This is the high point of the drama/comedy where the stakes are the highest and the character’s goals are in the greatest jeopardy.
What the climax of the story?
Was your character able to accomplish his/her/their goal in the time allotted?
The Resolution - (2.5-3 pages): Has the main character achieved his/her/their goal?How has the character change because of the experience and how is that shown?
Fish Out of Water Films:
Elf Comedy
Mean Girls -- Comedy
Baby Boom -- Comedy
Splash Comedy
Kramer vs. Kramer - drama
