The Big Picture: Screenwriters, start your engines
Written by Alexandyr Kent July, 02 2010 10:11 AM
We're partnering with Fairfield Studios to support their Shreveport-Bossier Best Screenplay Competition. Entries will be accepted between July 5 and Labor Day. Check out www.sbshortfilms.net for updates. This week's Forum also had a good piece about the contest.
To help spread the word, we are hosting a film industry meetup 6 p.m. July 13 at the Robinson Film Center. Fairfield will outline the contest and share some of its promotional trailers -- which are pretty wild.
Also at the July 13 meeting, the Shreveport Independent Filmmakers Alliance will tell us about their efforts to bolster the local indie scene.
Below is the script for today's Big Picture, which focuses on the screenplay contest. The Big Pictures airs Fridays at 4:32 p.m. on Red River Radio.
Subscribe to the podcast here.
ALEXANDYR KENT: Good afternoon, and welcome to the Big Picture. I’m Alexandyr Kent from the Robinson Film Center. Local screenwriters, get to work. You have until Labor Day to submit your best short film script to the Shreveport-Bossier Best Screenplay Competition.
CLINT MCCOMMON: Basically it’s a competition to find the best screenplay in the Shreveport-Bossier area. And we’re going to take the winning screenplay and turn it into a short film for the winner.
KENT: That’s Clint McCommon, manager of Fairfield Studios in Shreveport. The multimedia production company is offering the competition in hopes of finding a bright, new, local storyteller – an aspiring filmmaker -- who doesn’t call an elsewhere home. Now if you think a short film screenplay contest sounds small-time, take a listen to their first promotional trailer.
CLIP FROM PROMOTIONAL TRAILER (VOICE): I know it’s out there, here in my city. Somewhere in Shreveport-Bossier, there’s a screenplay waiting to be discovered. Nothing hides from me in my city.
KENT: As you can hear, the Shreveport-Bossier Best Screenplay Competition is dreaming big – at least in terms of production value. For this promo, Fairfield Studios did a green-screen shot, where man donning a trench coat stands in front of a massive nighttime skyline. That skyline background exists only in a computer at Fairfield Studios, by the way.
MCCOMMON: We know it’s really hard for somebody to get started in the movie business. And it takes a lot of resources. Luckily we have a lot of those in our studio, so we can provide those and provide our services to the community in the best way. And that’s where we best fit.
KENT: As a major bonus, Emmy-winning actor Pruitt Taylor Vince has agreed to direct the winning screenplay. The remaining intangible, however, is just what kind of story – supernatural thriller, action, adventure or slow-paced drama – will rise to the top. Fairfield Studio’s Joey Barto doesn’t have a clue what will win, and that’s part of the fun.
JOEY BARTO: You know there is a lot of people who want to write and have all these ideas, and I guess this gives them an outlet, locally, as far as what they want to do. I’m kind of curious to see what kind of turnout we’ll get. (Joey Barto)
KENT: The Shreveport-Bossier Best Screenplay will be open for submissions July 5 until Labor Day. On July 13 at the Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport, the contest sponsors will gather to discuss the project. For more information, log on to robinsonfilmcenter.org and click on the blog link. I’m Alexandyr Kent for the Big Picture.
