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Easiest screenwriting contest ever! No, really. And it’s free

Maximum Z community, contests, determination, encouragement, perseverance, persistence, screenplay, screenwriting, script , , , , , , , ,

After seeing several recent big screenwriting contest announcements, I couldn’t help but notice that the number of entries they get usually average in the thousands. Those numbers are then drastically reduced to the respective finalist tiers, continuously being whittled down to single digits and the final GRAND PRIZE WINNER.

(Said winner most likely goes on to fame, fortune, glory, and sudden anonymity.)

But I digress.

All the scripts entered means there are a shit-ton of writers who got the email that began with phrasing along the lines of “Thanks for entering (CONTEST)! We got X entries, and unfortunately, (YOUR SCRIPT) was not selected to advance.”

It’s heartbreaking. And I’ve gotten my fair share of them.

So in a valiant but most likely ultimately futile effort, I humbly present

The Maximum Z Screenwriting Contest.

It’s the only contest of which I’m aware that requires the barest, leastest, most minimal effort one can possibly make to claim victory in a contest.

What makes it so easy? Here’s how it works:

-You wrote a script? Fantastic! You get a set of laurels to shamelessly promote yourself as A GENUINE WINNER.

That’s it.

And as you may have noticed in the title of this post – IT’S FREE

Why am I doing this? Because the fact that anybody who wrote a script should be properly acknowledged for such an important accomplishment. You know it ain’t easy, so why should only a select few get all the glory?

Hence: laurels.

And who’d say no to being offered what amounts to a totally worthless but still-validating award?

So if you’d like to claim this meaningless yet quite meaningful symbol of recognition for yourself and all your hard work, then just click/right-click on the image below and save it to the appropriate page on your computer or wherever you keep that sort of thing. You can even print it out to proudly display above your designated writing area or hold up in the coffee shop where you’ve spent so much time working on said script.

A very hearty congratulations on your well-earned and well-deserved victory!

And it would be awesome if you could so a shoutout on social media – @maximum_z on X/Twitter, @pezscreenwriting on Instagram and Blue Sky, along with photos of you and/or your laurels.

No restraints! (up to a point)

Maximum Z action, comedy, community, development, outlines, problem-solving, scenes, screenplay, screenwriting, script, sequence, short films, spec, story, strategy , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

While my short film is now in the hands of the editor, that allows me more time to get back to working on the outline for the new action-comedy spec.

It’s coming along, but choices have had to be made in terms of how far to take things regarding the story and how things play out.

Do I play it safe and hold back, or do I throw caution to the wind and go all out?

Believe it or not, this was a tougher decision than expected. I don’t want to overdo it, but I also don’t want things to be boring. There’s pushing the envelope, and then there’s way over the top.

But then again, this is an ACTION-COMEDY, with an emphasis on both parts, so maybe there’s some kind of middle ground that would work.

It also helped to get the opinions of a few other writers, who all said for this kind of story, you pretty much have to ramp things up, but to also not let things get out of control, which makes it feel like you’re throwing everything at the wall, which reeks of desperation – which I do not like, or want.

What I do want is for the reader/audience to really get the impact of everything that happens because it all works within the context of the story while also reinforcing/supporting the action and comedy. Not an easy path to navigate, but I feel up to the challenge.

So that’s the plan. Most likely it’ll be initially putting it all together in a simple and straightforward way, then go back and figure out the best/most effective way to have each scene and/or sequence showcase the action and comedy when applicable. Sort of “How can this be more exciting and/or funnier while still accomplishing what it needs to?”

I also suspect that once everything is in place, that’s when the real fun begins. Even with all of this figuring things out, I’m really enjoying putting this one together and look forward to unleashing it on the world when it’s ready.

Just not their thing?

Maximum Z community, contests, crowdfunding, determination, frustration, perseverance, persistence, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, subjectivity , , , , , , , , , , ,

(Apologies for no post last week. Had some important family stuff going on.)

Although my current focus is all about the crowdfunding for my short film, I got a bit of news earlier this week that really made me stop and think.

I subscribe to International Screenwriters’ Association (ISA), and one of the benefits of that is free entry to some of their contests.

I took advantage of that and entered my fantasy-comedy into the Emerging Screenwriters Sci-Fi/Fantasy contest.

It made quarterfinals, which was nice, but did not make the semifinals, which was not as nice.

My first reactions were naturally “Man, this script must really suck,” and “This does not bode well for the other contests I sent it to.”

After the requisite wallowing in remorse and self-pity, I’d remembered something else about this contest. When the list of quarterfinalists was released, I recognized a couple of names and titles I’d seen before.

I checked which of those scripts had advanced and which had not. One in particular that had not was a script I knew had placed in one of last year’s major competitions.

That gave me some pause. A script like this, one of exceptional quality, had NOT advanced in this contest? That just didn’t seem right. How could that happen?

This once again reminded me that IT’S ALL SUBJECTIVE. Your script isn’t going to click with everybody. I don’t know what the criteria for the readers or the contest are. Maybe the script wasn’t “genre” enough for them? Who knows?

I’ve gotten a lot of great & positive feedback on my script, and it’s done moderately well in a few other contests. Not that I’m comparing mine to this other writer’s, but neither script advancing doesn’t mean they’re bad. Just “not what they’re looking for”, and there’s nothing to do about it.

While it would have been nice for the script to advance, it’s not the end of the world that it didn’t. And it was still free.

I’ve been slowly pulling back from contests overall, and this kind of result is a contributing factor.

And almost as a counterpoint to this experience, I recently got a very nice pass on the same script from a reputable management firm that invited writers to submit. I had a strong suspicion it wasn’t the type of material they usually worked with, but figured I’d take a chance. Even though they passed, they liked it, and had some very nice things to say.

Now it’s back to the short film crowdfunding (currently at 34% with just over 3 weeks to go, so hope you can chip in. Thanks!)

A few bangs for your bucks

Maximum Z comedy, community, crowdfunding, determination, filmmaking, perseverance, persistence, producer, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films, thriller, writing , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The crowdfunding for my short film SHECKY continues. We’re closing in on 30%, and doing what I can to keep those numbers climbing.

Every dollar raised goes into the costs involved with making this film, and there are different amounts you can donate. Each tier has its own reward as a thank you for donating.

(and if the names seem a bit odd, just think “showbiz”. It’s part of the story)

$10 – Stage Door Johnny

Social media shoutout of your total awesomeness & onscreen thanks expressing my eternal gratitude

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$25 – What, And Give Up Show Biz?

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, and your name as “Member of the Chorus” on a Paradise Theater poster

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$50 – Road Company

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, your name & your vaudeville act on a Paradise poster

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$75 – Rising Star

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, your name & your act as headliner on a Paradise poster

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$100 – Presenting…

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, your name on the Paradise marquee, a pdf of the film’s poster, a copy of the script

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$250 – In The Spotlight

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, a video of Shecky telling you a joke, poster, script

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$500 – Stage Manager

Social media shoutout, onscreen thanks, joke video, poster, script, digital copy of the film

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$1000 – Publicity Agent

everything above & onscreen credit as “Patron of the Arts – Silver Circle” + 1 ticket to screening (if possible), full-service script notes

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$2500 – Mr./Ms. First Nighter

everything above, onscreen credit as “Patron of the Arts – Gold Circle”, 2 tickets to screening, script notes, interviewed on The Creative Writing Life podcast

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$5000 – Box Office Smash

Everything & above, onscreen credit as “Patron of the Arts – Diamond Circle”, 1 ticket to a screening at a film festival, script notes, podcast interview, short film consultation

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This is a project that’s been a long time coming, so I sincerely hope you’ll be willing to chip in to help make it happen.

No choice but to be determined

Maximum Z community, crowdfunding, determination, film, perseverance, persistence, producer, screenplay, screenwriting, script, short films , , , , , , , , , , ,

The crowdfunding for my short film project continues…

**Still plenty of opportunities & tier rewards for donating!**

And it is quite the mountain to climb. Almost comparable to writing a script.

Almost.

With a script, everything is under your control. You are the one determining what happens, what the characters say, and so on.

Raising the funds to make a film based on that script? The only thing under your control about that is how much effort you put into getting those funds.

In theory, the more you work and the more effort you put in, the more likely you are to succeed.

Again – in theory.

You can push what you’re selling all you want, but it only works if they’re willing to pay.

To paraphrase one supportive donor – “Crowdfunding is a full-time job. You EARN that money.”

You certainly do. When they say every little bit helps, they’re not kidding.

I’ve begun reaching out to members of my network of creatives – writers, filmmakers, and industry-adjacent – to ask about chipping in if they can.

Responses so far – not too bad.

I also realize that times are tough, especially in this business. Things haven’t fully recovered since the strikes, and lots of folks are out of work. The last thing I want is for somebody to feel bad for not being able to donate. I’m just happy to have the support.

Even if all you can do is repost the link, that’s great too. The more eyes I can get on this, the better.

We’ve made some good progress since the campaign started, and there’s no sign of letting up.

As the days count down, I’ll be doing everything I can to see this through.