On Thursday October 28th from 8:00 - 10:00 EST/5:00 -7:00 PT, join us for a virtual webinar, featuring the vice president of film and television for John Goldwyn Productions, Mike Blutstein. During this two-hour webinar Mike will discuss how writers need respond to producers if they hope to sell their scripts and see their projects underwritten. Don't miss this opportunity to get inside the mind of a key executive from the renowned John Goldwyn company. You'll also learn about Mike's master class IDEA, SCRIPT, SALE: A HOLLYWOOD GUIDE AND have the opportunity to send loglines to Mike. If interested in
Next Monday we review Joel Karlinsky's latest feature Say Good Night Gracie, a sci-fi adventure. It will be moderated by the awesome Eafat Newton. LOGLINE: With the help of an alien robot, a small-time waste disposal man seeks revenge from an evil corporation determined to destroy them. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joel holds degrees from MIT, Tufts University School of Medicine, and the BU Graduate School of Management. He earned a Certificate in Screenwriting from UCLA online. He’s now a retired Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at BUSM and has been a member of the Harvard Square Scriptwriters for
You've written your best script ever. Now it's time to persuade industry pros to actually read it and hopefully give it a "recommend." What is one of THE best ways to get a busy decision maker's interest piqued? Enter the pitch deck - a visually compelling overview of your story. Next Monday from 7:00 - 9:15 PM EST we take a look at 4 pitch decks from very different projects and meet the presenters behind them. Each presenter (see below) will walk you through their pitch and then you'll have an opportunity to react. - did it make you want
Next up, we review new/old member Jack Christie's feature Bell Bottom Brothers, a sweet coming of age feature. Logline: A year after Woodstock but still under the dark cloud of the Vietnam War, three young men struggle to navigate the fault lines erupting between the traditional world they have always known and the brave new world dawning all around them. About the Author: Jack grew up in a large family in the suburbs of NYC. He attended Catholic School K-12 and then went to the University of Colorado at Boulder where he graduated with a degree in Communications Theory and
Judy Richland has deep connections to the place where her story is set - she both lives and works there. But it was only after extensive research into the early life of Tennessee Williams that she decided this era of amazing creativity was worth exploring - right in her home town. LOGLINE: The unknown struggling playwright, Tennessee Williams, experiences love and loss in the summer of 1940 in Provincetown, when he is embroiled in love affairs with a female singer and male dancer. GENRE: Biographical Film or Biopic FILMS TO COMPARE IT TO: Up in the Air, A Single
Filmmaker and aspiring screenwriter Spencer Cohen has long been interested in the issues involving immigration rights and the path to citizenship in this country. Inspired by a real-life challenge faced by one of his friends, hoping to stay in the US beyond his visa, he imagined this darkly funny story. Logline: Two estranged friends reunite after years apart and enter into an awkward, often tense relationship that culminates with one agreeing to participate in a sham gay marriage with the other as a means of avoiding deportation. Genre: Comedy/ Dramedy Type of Project: Feature Film About The Author: Spencer Cohen
Come on out on Monday, January 10th to review Bill Holland's latest feature, The Sixth Sun. LOGLINE: After discovering his family's involvement with extraterrestrials, a young man travels to Guatemala with his father and aunt. Together, they set about thwarting his long-lost uncle's alien-abetted scheme to exterminate the human race and replace it with a more intelligent species. GENRE: Grounded Sci-Fi TYPE OF PROJECT: Feature-length ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bill Holland started writing screenplays back in 1978, and life has never been quite the same. After seeing Breaking Away, he became obsessed with getting a similar movie made, featuring the sport of cross-country ski racing. Sometime in
The concept of Jerkwater helped to earn writer/filmmaker Miles Benson a scholarship to the Vancouver Film School, courtesy of director/filmmaker Kevin Smith. Now, having graduated from there and from SNHU with an MBA, Miles hopes to find funding for his project. We welcome him back to HSSW as we take a look at the outline for his entire feature script and read the 1st 17 pages. Getting to "done" will be his critical next step. Come on out and help him with constructive suggestions. Logline: Seven very different strangers get stranded together at a small town train depot during a
Next Monday from 7:00 - 9:00 PM EST we review Bob Tremblay's feature Love and Let Love. So, if you're snowed in over the next day or two, why not curl up and read Bob's script? LOGLINE: Brother and sister twin teens fall in love with the same girl and then try their best to damage one another’s chances of success. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bob Tremblay is a former editor and film critic for the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham. He had been a professional journalist for more than 40 years and a film critic for around 30 years. He is a
Are you writing a historical screenplay? Or developing a feature or series based on real-life events, autobiographical or otherwise? Then this is the workshop for you! On Tuesday, February 15th, we'll be discussing the common mistakes that authors make when basing their material on actual facts. WHAT THIS WORKSHOP WILL ADDRESS The title of this workshop was named SADDLED BY FACTS because writers tackling these genres can often get bogged down or downright crippled by the desire to tell the exact truth in the exact chronological order which can, frankly, mean death to your story. We will look at the
Please join on Monday, 3/14 for Gabriela Lima's first review with us, featuring her 1st draft screenplay You Won't Die. As usual we will meet virtually from 7:00 - 9:00 PM EST. LOGLINE: Demi, a recently abandoned housewife, finds herself pregnant by a random guy and makes a deal to have the baby for her successful sister who can’t have children. But there is one big condition. GENRE: Family Drama ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gabriela Lima is an Argentinian writer, director and producer, with an international business background (MBA). Her short film, Doris's Flight was selected for multiple film festivals. She
Joel Karlinsky and Eafat Newton, long-time HSSWers, have partnered on a few scripts, this pilot being one of them. So, please join us to take a fresh look at their revised version of already award-winning Dissecting Rod Serling. Most recently, this script was a semi-finalist in the Filmmatic - PITCH NOW Screenplay Competition, Season 4. Genre: Psychological thriller Project Type: Pilot for a series Logline: In 1975, when an unstable medical student dissects the cadaver of the late Rod Serling, it triggers paranormal experiences, forcing her to navigate a world where the dean of her school, her memories, and even
