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SPEC SCRIPTACULAR

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What's Happening in the
SPEC SCRIPTACULAR COMPETITION?

May 1, 2008

13th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR NOW OPEN

What more can we say? We're off and running with the latest SPEC SCRIPTACULAR. You've got 3 months to write and submit your masterpiece, win prizes, get discovered, all that usual - but wonderful - sort of thing.

Categories include Sitcoms, MOWs, and Pilots. (The New Media category is Old History for now. Sorry.) C'mon aboard!

April 25, 2008

12th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR WINNERS CHOSEN

This is the Big Moment. The judges have made their decision, and the Winners of the 12th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR are:

SITCOM

1st Place: THE FAMILY GUY: KILL YOUR VEGETABLES by Brian Lubocki & Ryan Harris

2nd PLACE: TWO AND A HALF MEN: BARSHA BARSHA BARSHA by Brad Brown

3rd PLACE: 30 ROCK: THE KINGS OF COMEDY by Joshua Kornbluth

ACTION/DRAMA/DRAMEDY

1st PLACE: THE CLOSER: COPYCAT by Karen Rouse

2nd PLACE: BOSTON LEGAL: DENNY CRANE'S CHAMPION COCK by Vincent Faiola

3rd PLACE: MEDIUM: VAGABOND by Ryan Harris & Brian Lubocki

MOW/PILOT/SPECIAL

1st PLACE: FAST FORWARD by Joey Day Hargrove - Pilot

2nd PLACE: TAKE MY LIFE, PLEASE by Neil G. Rubenstein - Pilot

3rd PLACE: THE CHRONICLES: ORIGINS by Charlie Breit - Pilot

GRAND PRIZE

FAST FORWARD by Joey Day Hargrove

Our congratulations to the Winners, with special congrats to Joey Day Hargrove for being one of the few people in the history of this contest to write a script to compelling that our fearless leader, the Brode himself, actually read it all the way through!

Rock on, Winners. You'll be hearing from us soon.

April 16, 2008

12th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR FINALISTS CHOSEN

The showdown is upon us. The judges have chosen the Finalists in the 12th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR, and here they are:

SITCOM

30 ROCK: THE KINGS OF COMEDY by Joshua Kornbluth

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: THE DIABETES KID by Anthony Roberts

THE FAMILY GUY: KILL YOUR VEGETABLES by Brian Lubocki & Ryan Harris

THE OFFICE: THE CROSSWORD CONTEST by Tommy Gladman Beau Henry

TWO AND A HALF MEN: BARSHA BARSHA BARSHA by Brad Brown

ACTION/DRAMA/DRAMEDY

MEDIUM: VAGABOND by Ryan Harris & Brian Lubocki

THE CLOSER: COPYCAT by Karen Rouse

MOW/PILOT/SPECIAL

FAST FORWARD by Joey Day Hargrove - Pilot

MIAMI WEISS by Justine Barron - Pilot

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER: PILOT by Benjamin A. Chohon - Pilot

TAKE MY LIFE, PLEASE by Neil G. Rubenstein - Pilot

THE CHRONICLES: ORIGINS by Charlie Breit - Pilot

THE PSYCHIC SOLUTION by C.S. Torres - MOW

There were some very close calls here, with as little as a quarter of a point (out of a possible 10) separating many of the Finalists from the Semi-Finalists. Our congratulations to everyone once again!

April 11, 2008

12th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR SEMI-FINALISTS CHOSEN

We'd like to be all quippy and clever, but when it comes to announcing the top finishers in a contest like this anything else would just get in the way. So, here's the moment we've been waiting for since February 1st. The 12th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR SEMI-FINALISTS are:

SITCOM

30 ROCK: THE KINGS OF COMEDY by Joshua Kornbluth

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: THE DIABETES KID by Anthony Roberts

THE FAMILY GUY: KILL YOUR VEGETABLES by Brian Lubocki & Ryan Harris

THE OFFICE: HEIGH-HO A GAMBLING WE WILL GO by Anna Tkatch

THE OFFICE: SNOWED IN by Chrissy Swinko

THE OFFICE: THE BLIZZARD by Brian Loschiavo

THE OFFICE: THE CROSSWORD CONTEST by Tommy Gladman Beau Henry

TWO AND A HALF MEN: BARSHA BARSHA BARSHA by Brad Brown

ACTION/DRAMA/DRAMEDY

GREY'S ANATOMY: POISON by Carla Marie Custance

MEDIUM: VAGABOND by Ryan Harris & Brian Lubocki

THE CLOSER: ABSALOM by Elizabeth Atwater Menes

THE CLOSER: COPYCAT by Karen Rouse

MOW/PILOT/SPECIAL

BLACKSTONE SESSIONS: PILOT by John Walsh - Pilot

EMR by Jeff Cyrulewski - Pilot

FAST FORWARD by Joey Day Hargrove - Pilot

MIAMI WEISS by Justine Barron - Pilot

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER: PILOT by Benjamin A. Chohon - Pilot

REWINDING SAM: PILOT by John Walsh - Pilot

TAKE MY LIFE, PLEASE by Neil G. Rubenstein - Pilot

THE CHRONICLES: ORIGINS by Charlie Breit - Pilot

THE EDGE OF INFINITY by C.S. Torres - MOW

THE HICKSVILLE PLAYERS by Jessica Rotondi - Pilot

THE PSYCHIC SOLUTION by C.S. Torres - MOW

NEW MEDIA

Our thanks to everyone who sat down, faced the blank page, and wrote a script to enter in this contest. Come back soon: We'll be announcing the Finalists next week!

April 7, 2008

WINNERS' COUNTDOWN BEGINS THIS WEEK

In the next day or soo we'll be announcing the Semi-Finalists in the 12th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR. Our sister contest, THE PEOPLE'S PILOT, quotes from HAWAII Five-0 while making a similar announcement, but we'd never stoop to anything so...fannish. (Of course, if you want to clap your hands and say, "I believe in contest announcements," well, feel free.)

February 7, 2008

12th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR IS NOW CLOSED

The 12th SPEC SCRIPTACULAR is now closed, although we're patiently waiting for the last-minute mail-in entries to arrive. When they do, we'll post an update on submissions, categories, all that chazzarai...and maybe we'll even be able to guestimate when the Winners will be announced.

Thanks, all, for your entries - and your comments as well!

February 1, 2008

CONTEST ENTRY PERIOD EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 6th

There we were, in the last 2 days of the contest period, with new series proposals flooding in when - wham! - our merchant account's site had a problem that took the PEOPLE'S PILOT and SPEC SCRIPTACULAR payment pages offline. And as if that wasn't enough to drive entrants crazy, our site started having upload problems as well.

So, in our never-ending battle to please all of the writers all of the time, we're here to apologize to those inconvenienced by what happened and to let everyone know that the entry period is still in effect and that we won't be closing until the very last second at the end of the day on February 6th.

Remember: The new deadline for entries is February 6, 2008. Giving you five more days to WRITE - EDIT - POLISH - DELIVER!

Good luck to all of you from all of us!

January 12, 2008

WELCOME SCREENWRITER SHOWCASE

Screenwriter Showcase (at http://www.screenwritershowcase.com) has come aboard as a PEOPLE'S PILOT and SPEC SCRIPTACULAR sponsor. Starting with the current running of the two contests, PEOPLE'S PILOT 15 and SPEC SCRIPTACULAR 12, 1 year of Gold Plan Spotlighted Screenplay Posting service at Screenwriter Showcase.Com joins the other great prizes being awarded to the PP Winner and SS Grand Prize Winner.

Thanks, Screenwriter Showcase - and welcome aboard!

November 1, 2007

WELCOME TO SPEC SCRIPTACULAR 12!

The interweb's premiere contest for television concepts is open for entries as of today, with the total value of the prizes totaling $10,000. For specifics about who we are and what we're up to, take a gander at the ABOUT, PRIZES, and RULES pages on the index below.

September 6, 2006

WELCOME TO SPEC SCRIPTACULAR 2.0!

In our never-ending attempts to make the best even better (or, some might say, keep fixing things that work until they break), TV Writer.Com has revamped the SPEC SCRIPTACULAR. In a nutshell, here are the latest changes:

The value of the prizes in the SPEC SCRIPTACULAR now totals $10,000.
New Media is growing in importance and value everyday, and it won't belong before it totally overshadows Film and TV. So, jumping on the bandwagon (but swearing up, down, and sideways that we're being cutting edge), we've added a New Media category to the SPEC SCRIPTACULAR mix.

For specifics, take a gander at the ABOUT, PRIZES, and RULES pages on the index below!

September 6, 2004

SPEC SCRIPTACULAR TIPS

Some things to keep in mind when preparing your entries:

When writing an episode for an existing sitcom, action, or drama show, stay within the parameters established by the series. The best way to attract the attention of producers, agents and judges is to follow the conventions of a series while writing what is simply the best-written version possible.

This means focusing on the series leads and giving them the best lines and putting them into the most interesting situations. One of the basic signals that a writer is not ready for primetime is the insertion of a guest character who overwhelms the leads. Save that for fan fiction.

When writing an episode for an existing series make sure you are using the proper format for that series. Check the web for samples. Our sponsor, WriteSafe.Com has many accurate spec samples in the TV section of its "New Gallery."

This means that the length of your script should be the same as the usual length of the teleplays for the series for which you are writing. No 75 page drama scripts please! (Unless it's a spec for THE WEST WING.)

The best way to attract the kind of attention that gets your own pilot or screenplay or "special" sold or represented awarded is to write as freely and openly and spiritedly as possible. The trick to successfully breaking new ground in your work is to write so that the reader knows that you understand the "rules" and have deliberately chosen to break them. Sending this message is vital, and it can be done via any number of indirect and more direct techniques.

When producers, agents and judges read screenplays and teleplays they are always looking for work that satisfies their definition of "good writing." Within the entertainment industry this usually boils down to interesting characters who involve the reader in their problems; clever, original and yet seemingly realistic dialog; and a fast-paced story that keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat.

For all practical purposes, the most important of the three elements described above is "clever, original and yet seemingly realistic dialog." Because of their busy schedules, most show business professionals - and too many judges - often just skim down a page, reading only the dialog. If they encounter cliched speech, dull speech, overly-expository speech, or speeches that are too long and "stagey" that's the end of your chances. Dialog that is witty and conversational rules. No film or television writer ever went wrong by concentrating on banter. It works for Nora Ephron and Alvin Sargeant and Larry David and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and David E. Kelly and Shane Black and Aaron Sorkin, and it will work for you.

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