Now that I had a completed screenplay for Dig Down, I needed to figure out what to do with it.
While I’d had initial success with the screenplay for Lock the Doors, that sadly didn’t last. And the feedback I’d gotten from screenplay competitions was that if the judge read the entire script, it placed as a finalist, but otherwise, it wasn’t strong enough to keep a reader’s attention.
This was a harsh reality to accept…but it was a reality. I’d heard it said that people reading scripts (actors, producers, directors, studio heads, agents) can sometimes tell within the first page if it’s good. So sticking with the notion that if people just read it, they’d see how good it was, wasn’t a good tactic to get a script optioned and produced. In fairness to all the other screenwriters out there trying to eke out the same living, I’m positive so many of them would also relish the opportunity for those in a position of power to take the time to read their full story and watch everything come together into the masterpiece their screenplay is.
But…that’s not our reality.
In truth, with so many people chasing the dream of writing a screenplay in the hopes that it will one day be made into a movie, those people in who are in those positions of power have to do what they can to screen and weed out all the scripts that come across their desk that they know won’t get any further. And, they have to be brutal about it.
It’s harsh, but…it just means working harder to elevate the screenplay as much as possible so it avoids the junk pile.
Now, unfortunately for me, I found myself in the exact same situation I was in last summer with Lock the Doors, a complete script with no idea as to it’s quality. And just like last summer, I couldn’t think of too many resources that would be able to provide feedback on my script in a timely manner with some level of expertise and authority.
Which meant I felt my best option was…
…you guessed it.
Screenwriting competitions.
I’ll get into the contests I decided to enter next time.