Here's another one...
Do you have a screenplay ready for production? The Boston International Film Festival's Screenplay to Production Contest (BIFF SPC) offers a chance for you to see your screenplay come to life! We are currently seeking feature-length narrative, short narrative, and documentary screenplays. If your screenplay is selected, it will be produced in partnership with the BIFF SPC and featured in the 2008 festival. Don't forget, all submissions must be postmarked by March 31, 2007! Please visit
www.bifilmfestival.com for more details.
I really really caution people when they want to submit to festivals. Here is a repost that I did in response to this very festival posting for submissions on myspace.
"I went to your website and viewed the details.
So that I understand this, you want screenwriters to pay YOU $75 for you can consider scripts for your production?
In other words, you are looking for scripts to produce but, instead of soliciting scripts for consideration of option, you want the screenwriter to pay YOU to read their script?
Correct me if I'm wrong again, just trying to wrap my head around this. Regular production companies don't charge writers to read their work, they seek out screenplays and contract the writer for acquisition, but you are bucking the trend by having the writer pay YOU for that consideration?
I know I'm repeating myself, but just because I'm still confused, most companies look through stacks of submissions for free, but you will have the writer pay YOU to do what you would be doing anyway to find material. Correct?
Have I got that right? And, assuming I do, does that make a heck of a lot of sense to you? Or does just calling it a "contest" make it any different?
Please, if there is anything I've misunderstood, clarify."
The response (at least they bothered to respond; most don't respond to challenges) was this:
"Yes, there is a submission fee to enter a screenplay to the Screenplay to Production Contest. It is common practice for contests, film festivals, etc. to change an entry fee for submissions. The money goes toward the production costs of the selected film(s) and the administrative costs of running the contest. If you have questions you can post them here or for a quicker response please feel free to e-mail us at
info@bifilmfestival.com and we'd be happy to answer."
My follow-up was:
"If it was strictly a contest, I'd still have questions about legitimacy and what the entrants get in return. Contests are there for themselves, not for production. I disagree with them as most of them really mean nothing except ego blows. But putting my personal feelings aside, many of them offer a review of the work by industry professionals and critiques for the enrants. At least then there is something the entrants are paying for, something of value for them to take away from it, even if it is just subjective review.
But this seems as if you are merely calling it a contest in order to have writers pay you to consider their scripts for your production. So let's eliminate the idea of this being a "contest", it isn't. No more than having a "contest" to find out who can mow my lawn; people can submit their concepts along with $75 and the winner will have the honor of mowing my lawn. I'll even pay them a $100 to do it.
If you are a legitimate production company, you would have brought in many scripts as submissions which you would go through and decide what you wanted to produce. Then you contact the writer and arrange a deal. In that sense, it is a competition as the entire industry is a competition. But the writer does NOT pay for the "priviledge" of being considered.
You say that the money goes toward the production costs of the selected film(s) and the administrative costs of running the contest. Why should someone whose script will NOT be produced finance your movie? Do you refund all the money to those people who lost out? Do they each get a financial position in the profits of your movie? They have no financial stake in your production, why should they pay for it?
You may have the best of intentions, but realize you are taking advantage of people's and aspirations in order to service yourself and finance YOUR dreams. If someone wants to enter into that arrangement, that's their business. I just wanted them to be aware of what it is."
Now does this mean that this festival is doing something illegal? No, of course not. But for anyone considering a festival or competition, PLEASE don't let your enthusiasm and desperation get in the way of your common sense. Winning awards in festivals will NOT help you in the professional world. Entering festivals where the judges are major names in the industry will, but only because you are making contacts, not because you have a fancy award. In fact, losing in respectable competitions like the Nichols have had better shots at breaking in than the winners of these other so-called festivals.
I've said it before, the festival circuit is the emerging money-making business of this industry. There are, absolutely, legitimate festivals out there but so many people have jumped on the wagon in order to get aspiring screenwriters to pay money based on the possible hope of maybe getting an unlikely possibility of an ambiguous award. They are playing on hope and desperation. If anyone wants to enter a contest, that's your business. But don't fool yourself, don't let your common sense go to the wayside, don't buy into the marketing hype, always ask questions and walk away if you aren't satisfied with the answers (no matter how sweetly the phrasing).
Every new writer's board has to deal with festival postings, so I expect there will be more here. Hopefully this board is not affiliated with or sponsored by one.
I'm not a crusader in this, but I hate seeing people get taken advantage of. Caveat Emptor, dudes.
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