WRITERS ON THE STORM WINNERS 2009

It all came down to voice.

This was without a doubt the single toughest contest to adjudicate I’ve ever been a part of. All of our top ten scripts are very good, every single one of them. And there was no consensus. Portia’s picks differed from Joe’s, which differed from mine and on and on. Everyone presented valid arguments as to why their picks should win the day. Some scripts had a cool concept or a great twist. Others had nifty characterizations and heart-wrenching conflict. But at the end of the day…

It all came down to voice.

Eight years of writing the Agent’s Hot Sheet column for Creative Screenwriting has given me, I hope, a pretty good idea of what the industry prizes most of all. What grabs these guys’ attention is “voice”—that elusive, ephemeral quality that is part craft, part attitude, part emotion, part pizzazz and topped off with a dollop of awesome. It’s what keeps you turning pages. Voice can help overcome story weaknesses and buy a lot of reader goodwill. Because when the voice is strong, the reader relaxes, confident he is in the hands of a great storyteller. All three of our top ten scripts exhibit that very quality in proverbial spades.

Which is not to say the rest of our top ten did not! It’s a judgment call, and somebody had to make it. That said, I am extremely proud of all of our entrants for 2009 -- far and away the best batch of scripts Writers on the Storm has ever received. It is amazing to watch everyone’s craft grow exponentially.

We humbly present to you the winners of Writers on the Storm 4. – Jim C

$10,000 GRAND PRIZE WINNER

RIVETER by Kevin Madden
Sci-fi. A new kind of “War of the Worlds”-style invasion. Creepy, gripping. Insane imagery. Lightning-fast read. Awesome style. Big, big things ahead for Mr. Madden. Bravo!

SECOND PLACE

SVENGALI EFFECT by Jeremy Shipp
Action/adventure. WWII-era magician recruited by the CIA as a spy. Pitch perfect throughout. Great pace and flow, snappy action and dialogue. A great read.

THIRD PLACE

WILSHIRE by Laurence Cruz
Dramedy. A new take on “After Hours.” Fantastic, snappy writing with laugh-out loud moments and fabulously quirky characters. A wonderful journey with two mismatched souls on a crazy night of serendipity and discovery. Beautiful.

The rest of the top ten (in alphabetical order):

ARKAN: THE LAST CAMPAIGN by Parrish Griggs
Action/horror. Civil wars re-enactors get more than they bargained for when they stage a little-known battle on the land of a ruthless adversary. Damn cool stuff, great writing.

BORDERLAND by Wyatt Wakeman
Action/buddy. A gay Fed and an Asian Texas cop investigate sniper murders at the US/Mexico border. Solid characters, pacing, dialogue and visuals. Also won Final Draft’s Big Break contest this year!

COLDBLOODED by Susan Stritter Russell
Horror. Female horror writer has unexpected ties to a serial killer. In the vein of “Captivity.” Smart, unexpectedly strong characterizations and gobs o’ creative gore.

THE LODGER by June Escalante
Drama/Thriller. 1940s drifter kills a rural businessman, then worms his way into the man’s family. Solid writing. Good pacing. Noir-ish “Postman Always Rings Twice” meets “The Hot Spot” vibe.

RAINWASHED by Paul Sargia
Psychological thriller. Private detective at a crossroads searches for a missing woman and, in a clash of dream vs. reality, becomes a changed man. Quirky, fun, truly unique.

SCATTERBRAINS by Richard Hohenrath
Horror. Zombie “Heathers.” Undead females seek revenge on those who wronged them. Great stuff!

SHROVETIDE by Peter Besson
Comedy. American businessman heads to England to claim an inheritance and finds himself embroiled in an age-old football rivalry. Wonderful local color and characterizations. Peter also write and directed the terrific, multi-award-winning short “True Beauty This Night.”

See you all at the Storm 2010!

WRITERS ON THE STORM 2008

Writers on the Storm 4 runs from 4/27/09 through 8/10/09. Run by Coverage, Ink in partnership with Writers Boot Camp and Inktip.com, Writers on the Storm aims to discover new screenwriting talent and introduce our winners to the town. The prize package is over 28 grand, including a $10,000 cash first prize and $4,500 in Writers Boot Camp Creative Currency!

Last year's contest yielded over 1,400 submissions, a heap of fantastic scripts and some success for our top tenners and honorable mentions. Please visit the SUCCESS! page at www.writerstorm.com for details. This year we're hoping for more of the same as our contest increases its penetration and we doggedly trumpet our winners to the town. We have over 140 participating management, agency and production companies and the top-rated analysts in the world on board.

There are three ways to enter Writers on the Storm. The first is right here at Coverage, Ink. (Just click the Submit It! tab.) Any script you submit to us during the contest period is automatically entered into the contest for free. You need do nothing else except submit the script right here! To advance to the quarterfinals, the script needs to score a 'consider with reservations' or better for script, which is roughly the top 10%. If the coverage comes back a pass, fear not--you can always polish the script based on the coverage and resubmit it (before the contest final deadline.)

The second way to enter is directly into the contest at www.writerstorm.com. You won't receive coverage, but you will receive a feedback form showing what the reader thought of the script and brief commentary. These submissions are either Paypal-only (for online submits) or check or money order (for hard copies.)

The third way to enter is at www.withoutabox.com. This is a good way to go if you want to pay by credit card (not Paypal) and enter online, or if you've already filled out the templates on Without A Box for easy submission into other contests and festivals. Couple clicks and you're done! Another advantage to WAB is they offer exclusive late entry past the contest end date for a small additional fee.

For more on the contest, please see the FAQ page or visit the contest website at www.writerstorm.com. Or e-mail our coordinator Portia Jefferson at writerstorm@gmail.com with any questions.

After plowing through an amazing amount of good scripts, ten rose to the top. The past 3 weeks several trusted confidants and I read these scripts and then I tallied the input. For the winner--it was a rout. All of us agreed that one script far and away was The One--an enthralling story, well-told. For the #2 and 3 slot, things were not quite as clear-cut. Both were fantastic, although completely different animals. Ultimately it came down to which one grabbed us, shook us senseless and made us beg for more the most.

 

A round of applause, please, for the
WINNERS OF WRITERS ON THE STORM 2008:

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

The Moonbeam Fisherman

by John Dummer

Family movie about a boy who discovers an interplanetary secret being kept by an old hermit. Engrossing, uplifting, wonderful.

RUNNER UP

Deathless (a.k.a "Link")

by Jerry White

A truly chilling, contained horror script that creates a brilliant new franchiseable bad guy. The town will flock. Spectacular.

SECOND RUNNER UP

Belfast Boys

by Heather Upton

A young man gets sucked into violent world of the I.R.A. in 1980s Ireland. Crackles with action and verisimilitude.

Once again, let's hear it for the rest of our top ten:

• Black Damp by Carla Robinson

• Cage by Philip Landa

• Canaries by Craig Cambria

• Colossus by Jason Kent

• Fausta by Dalisia Mendoza

• In the Middle of Greatness by C.J. Liao

• Upon This Rock by Tim Mangan

Congratulations to you all. On behalf of Portia Jefferson and the Coverage, Ink and Writers on the Storm teams, thanks to everyone who participated. Now we help shape the top ten scripts and then get them out to the industry for reactions. For updates on the contest, please check www.writerstorm.com or the CI blog: www.coverageink.blogspot.com. Keep honing, whittling, editing and polishing, and we'll see you guys when the contest starts up again April 27, 2009!

Jim Cirile
Founder, Coverage, Ink
Writers on the Storm Screenplay Competition

NEWSFLASH: Runners up John and Patricia Zussman have been hired to write the political drama "The Trial" by producer Erik Bauer as a direct result of WOTS! Way to go, guys!