This week, we are highlighting the top 4 vote-getters in the Mega-Showdown Screenwriting Contest. Monday through Thursday, I will post the first five pages of one of the finalists and all you have to do is read their pages. A good gauge of whether you like the pages or not is to ask yourself, “Would I keep reading?”
What we’re trying to do differently from past showdowns is to give every writer their own day so that people actually read their pages as opposed to just vote on a logline or the first page. We’re trying to find the best writing. The best storytelling.
Also, this is a great opportunity for all screenwriters to learn. A lot of screenwriters still don’t read scripts. It’s hard to know what to do when you don’t have anything to compare it to. This week, you’re going to read 20 pages. Take note of what you like, what you don’t like and try to figure out why. If you do that, I guarantee you you’ll learn something about your own writing.
Time to meet our final contestant of the week. And if you’re getting a case of deja vu, yes, this *is* a different script from yesterday. Time to welcome Luke Secaur to the feedback party!
Title: Outpace the Dawn
Genre: Science Fiction
Logline: The crew of a ramshackle starship, stranded lightyears from the rest of humanity, stages a daring heist to infiltrate a rogue luxury transport, steal the spare warp drive it hoards, and escape the gaze of Eos — a volatile star tumbling toward supernova.
This week, we are highlighting the top 4 vote-getters in the Mega-Showdown Screenwriting Contest. Monday through Thursday, I will post the first five pages of one of the finalists and all you have to do is read their pages. A good gauge of whether you like the pages or not is to ask yourself, “Would I keep reading?”
What we’re trying to do differently from past showdowns is to give every writer their own day so that people actually read their pages as opposed to just vote on a logline or the first page. We’re trying to find the best writing. The best storytelling.
Also, this is a great opportunity for all screenwriters to learn. A lot of screenwriters still don’t read scripts. It’s hard to know what to do when you don’t have anything to compare it to. This week, you’re going to read 20 pages. Take note of what you like, what you don’t like and try to figure out why. If you do that, I guarantee you you’ll learn something about your own writing.
Time to meet contestant number 3. I wasn’t sure how this one would do but I liked the concept of a serial killer preying on helpless hypersleepers. :) Time to welcome Mikael Grahn.
Title: Noah’s Choice
Genre: Sci-Fi
Logline: Halfway through its 120-year journey to save mankind, the hypersleeping passengers of the spaceship A.R.K. begin to fall victim to a serial killer.
Tagline: One killer – no mankind
Movie Crossover Pitch: Knives Out meets Passengers
This week, we are highlighting the top 4 vote-getters in the Mega-Showdown Screenwriting Contest. Monday through Thursday, I will post the first five pages of one of the finalists and all you have to do is read the pages and gauge how you feel.
What we’re trying to do differently from past showdowns is to give every writer their own day so that people actually read their pages as opposed to evaluating the entry on a logline or a first page. We’re trying to find the best writing, the best storytelling, in the bunch.
Also, this is a great opportunity for all screenwriters to learn. A lot of screenwriters still don’t read scripts. It’s hard to know if what you’re writing is good when you don’t have anything to compare it to. This week, you’re going to read 20 pages total. Take note of what you like, what you don’t like, and try to figure out why. If you do that, I guarantee that you’ll learn something about your own writing.
No votes yet. We’ll reconvene voting this weekend.
Time to introduce our second finalist, another high concept entry, who seems to have some insight into what the creator of Scriptshadow likes. I introduce to you, Bedford, from Joseph Fattal.
Title: Bedford
Genre: Thriller / Sci-Fi
Logline: During a graveyard shift in a local air traffic control tower, a passenger flight goes missing, setting off a series of unexplained occurrences in the sky and leaving it up to a single determined tower operator to untangle the mystery.
This week, we are highlighting the top 4 vote-getters in the Mega-Showdown Screenwriting Contest. Monday through Thursday, I will post the first five pages of one of the finalists and all you have to do is read the pages and gauge how you feel.
What we’re trying to do differently from past showdowns is to give every writer their own day so that people actually read their pages as opposed to evaluating the entry on a logline or a first page. We’re trying to find the best writing, the best storytelling, in the bunch.
Also, this is a great opportunity for all screenwriters to learn. A lot of screenwriters still don’t read scripts. It’s hard to know if what you’re writing is good when you don’t have anything to compare it to. This week, you’re going to read 20 pages total. Take note of what you like, what you don’t like, and try to figure out why. If you do that, I guarantee that you’ll learn something about your own writing.
No votes yet. We’ll reconvene voting this weekend.
Okay, let’s get to our first finalist who submitted one of the more high concept scripts to the competition, Danny Albie.
Title: The Best and Brightest
Genre: Mystery
Logline: After the president of the United States is poisoned aboard Air Force One, a no-nonsense Secret Service agent reluctantly teams up with a hotshot White House staffer to investigate a flight of high-maintenance VIP suspects and solve the murder before the plane lands.
Tagline: If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.
Crossover: Knives Out meets Air Force One
Don’t leave this post without voting for your favorite entry!
Before we get to the entries, I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to write an entire screenplay in time to enter this contest. I know it’s not easy. I love all you guys and, from the bottom of my heart, I wanted to include every single entry here today.
If you didn’t make the Showdown, do not despair. We’re going to have another Mega-Showdown at the end of the year. I’d say about 85-90% of the entries that didn’t make the cut were because of bad loglines that had multiple problems. So I recommend you get some feedback on your logline before the next contest. I do logline consultations for $25. Just e-mail me at carsonreeves1@gmail.com.
Here’s how the 10-day adventure of Mega-Showdown will play out. This weekend, your job, as the readers of the site, is to look through all the below entries and vote for your favorite in the comments. You have until 11:59pm Sunday evening, Pacific Time.
The FOUR entries that have the most votes will continue onto next week. Each of those entries will get its own day, Monday-Thursday, to display its first five pages. Next Friday, the four finalists will then go up for a second round of voting where, whoever gets the most votes, wins. I will then review the winning script that very Monday.
Unlike in previous showdowns where one script could run away with the title and, therefore, there was no reason to vote anymore, EVERY VOTE IS GOING TO MATTER this time around. The fourth finalist will probably be decided by a single vote. So make sure you vote!
As has been tradition around here for showdowns, if you feel like you’ve been done dirty and your submission is on par with these entries, post a comment with your title, genre, and logline, and if enough people upvote it, I will add it to the official competition. But post fast cause this comments section is going to be busy.
Okay, with that now said, it is time to introduce the ten official entries into the first ever… MEGA-SHOWDOWN.
Good luck to everyone!
Title: Noah’s Choice
Logline: Halfway through its 120-year journey to save mankind, the hypersleeping passengers of the spaceship A.R.K. begin to fall victim to a serial killer.
Tagline: One killer – no mankind
Movie Crossover Pitch: Knives Out meets Passengers
Title: I Love Dogs
Genre: Comedy
Logline: After his father passes and leaves the multi million dollar inheritance to the family dog, a lazy burn out of a son must prove he’s responsible enough to take care of the dog for two weeks or lose it all.
Movie Crossover Pitch: Billy Madison meets Beethoven
Title: Rocket Girl
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi
Logline: When a 12-year-old aspiring astronaut discovers an alien cybernetic lifeform stuck inside her toy robot, she must steal a rocket from her father’s company to save the species from extinction.
Title: Dead Man’s Dust
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Logline: While a despondent widow struggles to keep her two children safe during the catastrophic 1930’s Dust Bowl in Oklahoma, a deranged killer shows up at their isolated farm right before a massive dust storm hits, forcing them to battle both to survive.
Tagline: From dust you were formed to dust you shall return. Genesis 3:19
Movie Crossover Pirch: Grapes of Wrath meets Seven’s John Doe
Title: Hellbent
Genre: Western
Logline: After killing their brother, a desperate woman convinces a pair of ruthless outlaws to spare her life if she helps them collect the bounty on their dead brother’s head. But the long road into town leads the trio to unspeakable horrors.
Title: The Renewal
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Logline: An ambitious social media influencer encounters a deadly cult masquerading as a new age commune when she joins a group of influencers on a retreat to the desert.
Title: Outpace the Dawn
Genre: Science Fiction
Logline: The crew of a ramshackle starship, stranded lightyears from the rest of humanity, stages a daring heist to infiltrate a rogue luxury transport, steal the spare warp drive it hoards, and escape the gaze of Eos — a volatile star tumbling toward supernova.
Tagline: Lightyears from safety. One hope to reach it.
Title: Bedford
Genre: Thriller / Sci-Fi
Logline: During a graveyard shift in a local air traffic control tower, a passenger flight goes missing, setting off a series of unexplained occurrences in the sky and leaving it up to a single determined tower operator to untangle the mystery.
Title: Crypto-Zoo
Genre: Adventure/Sci-Fi
Logline: An expedition to an island preserve containing the world’s legendary cryptids- Bigfoot, Nessie, Mothman, and others- becomes a struggle for survival when the creatures stage a prison break and begin preying upon the researchers who are attempting to solve the riddle of their existence.
Title: The Best and Brightest
Genre: Mystery
Logline: After the president of the United States is poisoned aboard Air Force One, a no-nonsense Secret Service agent reluctantly teams up with a hotshot White House staffer to investigate a flight of high-maintenance VIP suspects and solve the murder before the plane lands.
Tagline: If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.
Crossover: Knives Out meets Air Force One
