Film and Screenplay Competitions
DEADLINES AND ENTRY FEES:
July 1st: Earlybird deadline,
$15
August 1st: Normal deadline, $20
August 21st: Late deadline, $25
October 1st: Extended deadline (WAB only), $30
PRIZES FOR FILM AND SCREENPLAY:
1st place:
$500 each category; VIP Reception with Elmore Leonard prior to the Gala; one ticket to the Gala on Saturday, November 13, where the 1st place award will be presented in each category, along with a prize and certificate.
1st place winners in each category will have their entries shown at a screening.
2nd place:
$250 each category; a screening of their work, and a prize and certificate presented at that screening.
3rd place:
$100 each category; a screening of their work, and a prize and certificate presented at that screening.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in film and scripts will be listed here by Friday, October 15. The finalists will also be notified by e-mail.
QUALIFICATIONS:
No FILM can be longer than 5 minutes (including credits).
No SCRIPT can exceed 5 properly formatted pages.
In order to qualify for the Elmore Leonard Film and Screenplay Competitions, the scripts and films must include the following elements, in any way the writers and filmmakers see fit:
1. A crime or mystery
2. A location in Michigan (a specific city, landmark, building, locale)
JUDGING criteria are the following:
Short FILM criteria are the following:
1. Story—creative and unique, versus clicheŽand boring; does the film even tell a story?
2. Characterization—developing characters through action and dialogue versus filming cardboard characters
3. Cinematography—effective use of visuals and composition to serve the story versus home movie
4. Editing—helps the film flow, adds to story, or distracts and takes viewer out of
the film
5. Sound—quality of dialogue, use of music and sound effects to enhance the story
6. Performance (directing and acting)—believable and grounded versus over-the-top and inconsistent
Short SCREENPLAY criteria are the following:
1. Story—creative and interesting
2. Format—follows structure, no typos or grammatical mistakes
3. Dialogue — See Elmore Leonard’s ‘Ten Rules of Writing’
4. Characterization—using action and dialogue to give characters life and dimension
5. Style/Tone—the feel and mood and how the script brings that to life and stays consistent with it
Each film or script does not necessarily need to have all the elements of a feature film episode, such as complete character arcs, three acts, and complete plot points
from beginning to end. However, there should be a story, and how effectively that story is told in ink or film is what the judges will decide upon.
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