Final Draft

DC Shorts Film Festival, September 2008

Final Draft, Inc. sponsored the 2008 DC Shorts Film Festival, now in its 5th year. Throughout the week in Washington, the Festival screened 102 films, showcased the 2nd annual screenplay competition, and hosted filmmakers from all over the world.

DC Shorts congratulated Mary Novack, writer of Taco Mary for taking first place in the Screenplay Competition. Other winners included writer Paris Tanaka and Mikki Willis, director, of The List, for Best Cinematography. The Festival Director's Choice Award was won by Bloom, written by David Edward Norman and directed by Lance Larson.

For more information, go www.dcshorts.com.

October 6, 2008 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment

"Take A Meeting" Los Angeles Event Testimonials

Check out the testimonials from Final Draft, Inc.'s Take A Meeting Los Angeles Event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE43LKYpofA

Also, remember the Take A Meeting New York Event will be on November 7 & 8. For more information or to register, go to: http://www.finaldraft.com/takeameeting

October 3, 2008 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment

Take A Meeting New York Event - November 7 & 8

Final Draft, Inc.'s Take A Meeting New York event offers more professionalism and more time to build relationships, present your project, and get your screenwriting career rolling. Executives from reputable companies are added daily to the event roster.

The following companies have already committed to sending representatives to meet face-to-face with scriptwriter attendees for 15 minutes:

1. Angel Light Pictures (Angel's Blade)
2. Atlantic Pictures (To Love an Angel)
3. Abrams Artists Agency
4. Jane Startz Productions (Tuck Everlasting)
5. Jo Films (Hot Flash)
6. Michael Mailer Films (Kettle of Fish)
7. PMA Literary
8. Salty Pictures (High School Musical)
9. Straight Up Films (Brooklyn Rules)
10. The Weinstein Company (The Meerkats)

Attendees will be able to receive onsite help in customizing their schedules to maximize the effectiveness of their meetings. Help in choosing executives ahead of time is also available through Final Draft, Inc.'s event registration system and customer service department.

The Take A Meeting New York event will be held at the Microsoft Facility in Midtown, and will offer seminars and workshops on the craft of writing and the business of selling your script. Featured speakers are writer-favorites like Marilyn Horowitz and Staton Rabin. PLUS, Digital Film Academy and Microsoft will be leading technology seminars.

Take A Meeting New York Sessions:
Friday, November 7: 4 pm - 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 8: 9 am - 5pm

For additional information, pricing, and to register, go to: www.finaldraft.com/takeameeting

September 25, 2008 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment

Stan Lee Guest at September Hollywood Networking Breakfast®

Sandra Lord's Hollywood Networking Breakfast®. is please to welcome guest Stan Lee, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Creative Officer, Pow! Entertainment, on Thursday, September 25, 2008.

Known to millions as the man whose Super Heroes propelled Marvel Comics to its preeminent position in the comicbook industry, Stan Lee's singular co-creations include Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, The Avengers, Silver Surfer, and Dr. Strange, among many others. He has successfully established himself as the creator of the modern day Superhero. Stan's horizons have expanded beyond comic books, giving him the opportunity to become more deeply involved in the creation and development of filmed projects for both the big and small screen.

* * * * *

This award-winning event ("Best Networking Event in LA") provides access to Hollywood's power players, and has featured Academy®, Golden Globe and Emmy® award winners and nominees. A valuable resource for attendees, the event has facilitated many collaborations and networking opportunities.

* * * * *

Sponsors: Final Draft, Jungle Software (The independent Filmmaker's budgeting and scheduling software), InkTip.com (The only website in the world where writers are hired or three scripts are optioned every week), and Villa Playa Blanca (www.villaplayablancacancun.com Pampering Code: CHIA07).

Location: Beverly Hills Country Club, 3084 Motor Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Date: September 25, 2008 (for on-time registration, checks must be postmarked by 9/18/08)

Cost: On-time registration: $40, Pre-confirmed late registration: $45, Walk-ins: $50

Time: Check-in starts at 7:20 am. The breakfast begins at 8:00 am and lasts until approximately 10:30 am.

For reservation forms, go to:
http://www.changingimagesinamerica.org/res-form.pdf

You [u]must[/u] list your [u]full legal name[/u] as it appears on valid ID for Studio Security

Business Casual Attire Required (no jeans, t-shirts, sweats, or other inappropriate clothing). For specific requirements, as well as detailed reservation info, go to Changing Images in America. Changing Images in America is a non-profit organization, promoting diversity in entertainment.

For more information and full reservation guidelines, go to Changing Images in America

September 16, 2008 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment

2008 Writers Faire at UCLA - 9/7/08

The 9th Annual Writers Faire, presented by the UCLA Extension Writers' Program will be this Sunday, September 7, 11am-3pm, at the UCLA Campus: Young Hall Courtyard.

The event features 24 free mini-panels and lectures in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, writing for the youth market, playwriting, publishing, feature film writing, and television writing. Also, there will be more than a dozen professional and community organizations and writing-allied businesses, all of whom share a common goal of promoting writing in Los Angeles.

Final Draft will be doing software demos at the event.

For more information, click here. Or check out the full schedule.

Admission is free. Parking on campus in Lot 2 is $9.

September 6, 2008 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment

New Zealand Writers Guild 2008 Short Film Script Competition

The top three scripts in the New Zealand Writers Guild 2008 Final Draft Short Film Script Competition are:

- Esther's Angels by Pete Force
- The Medal by Simon Paniora
- Brandland by Linda Niccol

And the winning script is ...
The Medal by Simon Paniora.

Congratulations go to Simon, Pete, and Linda, and to the rest of the finalists:
Te Hokinga Mai by Hineani Melbourne; The Collector by Barry Duffield; Katieland by Pete Force; Open Heart by Cushla Dillon; Brutus by Jason Wetzel; Beautiful Collision by Linda Niccol; Longing by Donna Banicevich Gera; Long Weekend by Charlie Bleakley; The Rooster by Reuben Pollock.

The New Zealand Writer's Guild would like to thank Final Draft, Nga Aho Whakaari, and all our readers and adjudicators for making this competition possible. The NZWG is already looking forward to next year's competition...

Congratulations to everyone who entered this contest: Your commitment and enthusiasm are terrific.

For more information on the New Zealand Writers Guild, go to: http://www.nzwritersguild.org.nz/

August 29, 2008 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment

Women in Film & Video Screenwriting Awards

Women in Film & Video/New England (WIFV/NE) congratulates the winners of the 6th Annual Screenwriting Competition, co-sponsored by the Lesley University Writing for Stage & Screen MFA Program.

The event celebrating the winners took place on July 31st at University Hall Theatre in Cambridge.

This year's Grand PrizeWinner is Jessica DiGiacinto for her screenplay Me and Christian. A prominent Los Angeles literary agent will read her script for possible representation, and DiGiacinto will receive a $200 cash award. She will also receive professional script coverage by Inktip.com valued at $250.

In Second Place is Lonely Hunter by Sarah Schulman, and in third place is Wonder Drug by Caitlin McCarthy.

Each of the three finalists will receive a Final Draft software package, and a 6-month online script placement service by Inktip.com

"I was impressed by all three of the finalists," says Kate Boutilier (screenwriter of The Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys movies), who selected the two finalists and the grand prize winner.

"Each was compelling for different reasons, all were well-written and original." she continues. "Me and Christian was a very simple premise done in a very natural, original way. The loneliness and pain of the lead character was extremely well realized. There was humor and pathos to the script and an intriguing hook with the fantasy life. My congratulations to the author for a nice character study which felt fresh and contemporary, surprisingly moving in the end and very hopeful. A nice 'small' movie but with a very real heart."

Jessica DiGiacinto graduated this May from Tisch's (NYU) Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program, and currently serves as the Managing Editor for a website geared towards college women (collegecandy.com).

Sarah Schulman is a playwright (Carson McCullers), novelist (The Child), and nonfiction writer (Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and the Marketing of Gay America).

Caitlin McCarthy was born in Tampa, Florida, and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Emerson College. In addition to screenwriting, McCarthy serves as an English teacher at the high school level.

The WIFV/NE Screenwriting Competition aims to promote the work of women screenwriters and support the creation of worthy film roles for women. Entries must be authored or co-authored by a woman and/or feature a woman or women in prominent roles. Founded in 1981, WIFV/NE promotes the participation, education, and representation of women in the film, video, and media industry in New England. The non-profit organization is a member of the umbrella group Women in Film & Television International, a global network with over 35 chapters and more than 10,000 members. Membership is open to women and men who work in film, video, and related industries or those who aspire to work in these fields, as well as patrons of media arts.

For more information, about WIFV/NE, go to http://www.wifvne.org.

August 26, 2008 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment

The New Final Draft, Inc., Software Newsletter is Up!

Inside this issue:

* Product Manager's Message - Comic-Con, etc.
* Final Draft Release News - Features in Version 8
* Did You Know - read Final Draft scripts on the iPhone & Amazon Kindle
* Tips for New Writers - Part 4 of a 4-part series
* How I Write Profile - William Akers
* Writers' Resources
* Upcoming Product Demos in L.A., N.Y.C. and London

To read the entire newsletter, go here.

August 23, 2008 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment

UCLA Writers Faire - Sunday, September 7, 11 am - 3 pm

Check out the 9th Annual Writers Faire, on September 7, on the UCLA Campus. The event features 24 free mini-panels and lectures in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, writing for the youth market, playwriting, publishing, feature film writing, and television writing. Writers of all levels are welcome!

There's so much to do at the Writers Faire:
* Listen to 70 instructors/writers as they participate in lively discussions about the art, craft, business, and life of writing.
* Enroll in most fall courses at a ten percent discount (advanced courses not included).
* Get one-on-one advisement on courses and certificate programs.
* Learn more about Los Angeles-area MFA programs and speak to representatives from five top schools.
* Become familiar with Blackboard, the platform used in all Writers' Program online courses.
* Watch Final Draft representatives demonstrate their software (discounts are available).
* Visit with more than a dozen professional and community organizations and writing-allied businesses, all of whom share a common goal of promoting writing in Los Angeles.

Admission is free. Parking on campus in Lot 2 is $9.

For more information and a complete schedule, go to:
UCLA Writers Faire

August 20, 2008 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment

"Big Break" International Screenwriting Contest Judges Chosen

Final Draft, Inc., publisher of Final Draft, the #1-selling scriptwriting software, announces jury members for its 9th annual Big Break International Screenplay Contest. These stellar jury members represent award-winning writers and development executives. They will judge the top-10 scripts in September, and the top-three winners will be announced at an awards event in October.

The 2008 judges are:

- Dana Stevens--Writer: Life or Something Like It; For Love of the Game; City of Angels
- Benderspink management/production--A History of Violence; The Ring; Red Eye
- Blake Snyder--Author: Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
- Bruce Feirstein--Writer: The World is Not Enough; Tomorrow Never Dies; GoldenEye

[u]About Final Draft, Inc.'s Big Break International Screenwriting Contest[/u]
The Big Break contest is an annual, global screenwriting competition designed to promote emerging creative talent. The winner is awarded $15,000 cash plus meetings with industry professionals and a year-long mentorship through CineStory. Now in its ninth year, the Big Break contest has become one of the most popular in the nation because of its generous payout and previous winners' successes.

Winners and finalists alike have had their screenplays optioned and produced, and have secured high-profile representation as well as lucrative writing deals. The first contest's winner, Dawg, by Ken Hastings, was produced and shot by Gold Circle Films (starring Elizabeth Hurley and Denis Leary). The 2004 winner Rylend Grant was quickly signed by CAA and secured a six-figure deal to write for an A-list actress and an Oscar® -winning director. 2005 winner Julia Van Develder's The Escape Artist is in pre-production after being optioned by a U.K. production company with an award-winning director attached. The Big Break 2007 winner Robert Frisbee was quickly signed by Benderspink management.

For more information about the Big Break contest, visit http://www.finaldraft.com/big-break.

August 14, 2008 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Add Comment