Welcome! Come one, come all, to this exciting Monday. You read the headline so there are no secrets here. 2020 is going to be a transition year for Scriptshadow. Over the next eight months, I am going to be moving away from the site and into production. I know that’s a giant anvil of WTF. You probably have a lot of questions. So I’ll try and answer them for you. Let’s get into it. Shall we?
I’ve wanted to make movies ever since I moved to Los Angeles. At one point it was as a writer. At another point it was as a director. But as the years have passed, and especially after the experiences I’ve had with Scriptshadow, I believe I’m best suited to make movies as a producer. That means finding the script, working with the writer, putting the elements together, and making the movie, baby!
I know producing movies is challenging but I have a secret weapon. You guys. While I’ve been running this site for the past ten years, I’ve been carefully taking note of every strong script I’ve read, every strong concept I’ve come across, every strong writer, every writer with potential – all with this moment in mind. I knew, at some point, I was going to make this jump, and I’ve got a long list of writers I discovered right here, that are going to make Scriptshadow Productions a force to be reckoned with.
I would go so far as to say I know more good unknown writers than anyone in the world. These writers only need an opportunity, someone who believes in them and wants to work with them, and I want to be that first person for them. Furthermore, one of the legacies I want to leave in this business is to have brought tons of new writing talent from all over the world into the business and for those writers to have long fruitful careers.
When it comes to my producing strategy, I’m looking for the kind of material I tell you guys to write all the time. I’m partial to high concept ideas that are financially manageable. I want to make movies that are exciting and fun. Horror, science-fiction, thrillers, action. For reference, here is a list of the TYPES of movies I want to make…
Get Out
It Follows
Psycho
Parasite
Searching
Dead Calm
The Equalizer
A Quiet Place
Nightcrawler
Sex Lies and Videotape
Shut In
Cop Cam
Cloverfield Lane
District 9
Memento
Knives Out
Ex Machina.
I’m not interested in cerebral dramas or anything that’s trying to win an Oscar. I don’t want to be one of these producers who loses his house over The Goldfinch. My template is more Blumhouse and Bad Robot. I want to make crowd-pleasing movies that make money. With that said, I started this site as a celebration of screenwriting. And a lot of that spirit is still in me. So if you have something that doesn’t match these criteria but you believe it’s amazing, that’s fine too. I probably wouldn’t have encouraged Reggie Christmas to send me Jingle Hell Rock. But it turned out to be one of my favorite scripts of the year and now I want to find a way to make it. Just know the equation you’re dealing with when you submit unorthodox scripts. The more off-the-beaten path the script is, the better it has to be.
So how is this going to work? Don’t I need money to produce movies? A team? That’s what these next eight months are about. They’re about calling up these writers I’ve found and asking them what they’ve got. A bunch of good old fashioned pitch sessions. It’s about taking the scripts I’ve fallen in love with out to producers and financiers and studios. A big part of these next eight months is going to be finding a producing partner who complements me. So I’m going to be setting up a lot of meetings for that. These eight months are going to be about setting up the dominos so I can knock them down.
Oh, and there’s one other reason I need these eight months.
It’s to find one last great screenplay through Scriptshadow.
That’s right. It’s the final screenplay contest. And it’s going to be called, appropriately, The Last Great Screenwriting Contest. The best thing about this contest? It starts RIGHT NOW. And staying with Scriptshadow tradition, it’s 100% free. ANYONE can enter.
The only catch is, because I’m the only person reading the screenplays, I can only guarantee I’ll read the first 10 pages of your script. If your script doesn’t capture me in those 10 pages, I will stop reading and move on to the next one. That’s the only way I’m going to be able to get to every entry.
To enter, all you have to do is e-mail me at carsonreeves3@gmail.com with the subject line: THE LAST GREAT CONTEST. Include your title, genre, logline, and a PDF of the script. The deadline for entries will be Sunday, June 14th (EDIT: EXTENDED TO JULY 4TH!!!), 11:59pm Pacific Time. But you can start sending scripts now, which I recommend, since I’ll have more time to read them now, so I’ll be more focused. You can send as many scripts as you want. But if I read two of your scripts and the first ten pages are garbage, I’m not giving you the benefit of the doubt with your other entries. Typically, we all have one script that’s better than the rest. I would submit that. Maybe one more, as some writers like to submit their most commercial script and their most personal script.
I will announce the winning script on September 1st. And from there it’s about me and you trying to get that script produced. There are no guarantees. Which is why I’m not charging an entry fee. Also, this isn’t about a single winner. I’m looking for AS MANY WINNERS AS POSSIBLE. I want to find as many new writers as I can. I want to find as many great scripts as I can. And that’s really what this next 8 months is about. It’s about finding writers and scripts through whatever avenue I can. I don’t care if it’s through the contest, through Amateur Showdown, through a referral, through a script consultation. I just want to find great material. Whatever leads us to making a movie is all right by me.
Questions You May Have
Q: How will Scriptshadow operate over the next eight months?
A: It’s going to be business as usual for the first two months of the year. After that, I still plan to update regularly. However, I’ll start taking a few days off here and there for producing duties. Still, March and April should have a steady flow of up-to-date posts. As we move into May, that’s where a more severe focus will be placed on producing duties. However, I hope to update three times a week during that period.
Producing takes up a surprising amount of time. You’re constantly on phone calls and at meetings and reading scripts and giving notes and, especially when a project starts to move, it’s time-consuming. Since much of that time will be dictated by the projects, a lot of the details are still up in the air at this point. Which is why I don’t know exactly how much time I’ll have. Who knows, I might have more time than I thought. I’m also considering blogging about the producing process, which would allow me to post stuff without having to read a script or see a movie first.
Q: What happens to Scriptshadow after these eight months are over?
A: I don’t know yet. A number of people have told me I’d be crazy to desert Scriptshadow because it’s such a great platform to find writers. So I’m still trying to think of a way to keep it going in conjunction with producing. However, the few times I’ve tried to produce projects while running Scriptshadow, I’ve had to abandon them because the site demands too much time. I don’t want to put myself in that position again. I want to give 110% to producing as it’s not the type of job you can half-ass. I like the idea of a bi-monthly genre-targeted Amateur Showdown. So maybe six showdowns a year. I just don’t know if writers are going to hang around the site during the downtime. It’s something I’m trying to figure out.
Q: Can I submit Amateur Showdown or consultation scripts to The Last Great Screenplay Contest?
A: Yes. But if you’re asking that question, you’re missing the point. I just want to find great scripts. I don’t care if I find them on Amateur Showdown or in The Last Great Screenplay Contest. A great script is a great script regardless of where it’s discovered. So if I read the next Jingle Hell Rock in Amateur Showdown or through a consultation, I won’t tell you, “Make sure to enter the contest!” You’ll have already accomplished what the contest set out to do, which is to make me aware of you as a good writer and your script as a great script.
Q: What if I don’t want my script to be produced by you?
A: If you’re not interested in the grand prize, you probably shouldn’t submit a script, lol. I get it. There are no guarantees I’ll be able to get your script produced. However, there’s a very good chance that you’ll receive some ancillary benefits, such as getting a manager and, hopefully, an agent (if the writers and agents ever squash their beef) as well as meeting new contacts in the industry that may pay off for you in other ways. And, to make you feel a little better, if you decide, after winning, that you don’t want me to produce your script, you have every right to tell me thanks, but no thanks.
Q: I have so many questions about The Last Great Screenplay Contest, Carson!
A: This post is meant to announce the contest. I will put up a more detailed contest post next week. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below and I will make sure that the official contest post addresses them.
Q: Are you producing TV shows or just features?
A: While my main focus is to produce movies, someone I admire once told me: “Making movies is a hobby. Making TV is a business.” So of course I plan to develop TV shows as well. But I just want to find great content, wherever it comes from. Media is changing faster than ever and I’m keeping that in mind as I transition into producing. If someone has a great movie idea, let’s go make it. But if someone has, say, a revolutionary podcast idea, I’m open to that as well. Youtube series? Bring it on. It doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s a killer story. I’m reminded of the novel JJ Abrams produced by Doug Dorst where there were notes written in the margins. That’s the kind of outside-the-box thinking I want to utilize as a producer.
Q: Hey Carson. I work in the industry and follow your blog. I would like to work with you on something, or at least chat.
A: Feel free to e-mail me (carsonreeves1@gmail.com)! I know a lot of industry people read the site in the shadows. Maybe it’s time we finally connect! Especially if you’ve found that our taste lines up, drop me an e-mail and we’ll meet up. One of my primary goals in this process is finding great collaborators to work with.
I know this is a jarring post for some of you, especially those who have been with Scriptshadow for the long haul. It’s going to suck not having the site around anymore, at least in the capacity that it is now. But this has always been in the plans for me and right now, at the start of a new decade, it feels like the right time to make this move. I need a new challenge and what’s more challenging than making movies? :) So as much as it pains me to leave something behind, I’m thrilled to replace it with something I’ve always dreamed about. And I’m even more thrilled to be taking some of you with me. So I don’t think I need to make this next directive any more clear: START WRITING THOSE SCREENPLAYS!!!
