Sunday, February 11, 2024

Finalist, not winner

So I found out on February 5th that Personal Demons stopped at the Finalist stage. 

I did not win at the Hollywood Blood Horror Fest.

Here are the winners. 


Best Original Screenplay

🏆 Bloody teeth

Shaqwane Yates, Markus Evans

USA


Best Original Screenplay

🏆 Deadly shadows

Toneata Leona Martocchio

 

I don't know what's up with them having two original screenplay entry winners.

And I have some thoughts as to why these two entries won, but I will keep these theories to myself.

They then sent me an email asking if I wanted to buy my own "golden hand" trophy (the instructions for which seemed really convoluted... and I'm sure it is pricey).

I, not surprisingly, am opting not to get a trophy for nearly winning.

Don't get me wrong: I am not bitter towards this fest. I love that I was a late entry and still made it to the Finalist stage, but I'm going to put that on my writer's CV and move on.



Sunday, February 4, 2024

Finished!

This past Friday I finished my first original Christmas horror screenplay.

I began it in mid-December and got the bulk of it written before Christmas, but then I dragged my feet.

I said this before, but I should have finished it during one of the many snow days we have during January, when it was below freezing. 

Those days kept me in the holiday spirit in a weird sort of way.

I won't lie, even finishing those last few pages were kind of difficult. Even with my Charles Dickens Paddywax candle burning by my side, without the Christmas music in the background and the promise of watching the original 1974 Black Christmas later on that night, and the joy and excitement of the holiday itself still down the road a few days, I just didn't feel the motivation to finish this script.

This is just more evidence to support my theory that you need to pick the fruit while it is ripe, or it will rot on the vine.

Finish a story when you intend to finish it, and not later (before is okay). 

Also, in the end, this script is only 61 pages long.

Which, I suppose, makes it experimental. 

I guess this will be a script I trot out after I've been signed and had a script made and everyone in Hollywood is asking if I have any other scripts (I long for that day).

I see this script as, perhaps, being a straight-to-streaming affair, for better or worse.

But the bottom line is that I did not force the story to be longer than it (organically) had to be, and include extra scenes, dialog, characters that would be laborious for me to write, for producers to read and for audiences to watch.

In the end, I stayed true to myself and only let the story be as long as it needed to be. 

I hope that benefits this script, instead of hurting it.

But I can't think about that.

I just need to be glad that I was able to fully realize a story on paper  and that now it is out in the world (if the world wants it).

 

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Bloodlist update

 Got this update from the folks at the Blood List / Fresh Blood competition.

 My question:"I hate to trouble you, but is there any news on when Fresh Blood submissions for Bloodlist 15 will open back up in 2024?"

Their answer:"We are so sorry that there haven't been any updates.  We are figuring out between our partners, and will update as soon as we can."

https://www.bloodlist.com/


Friday, February 2, 2024

"Do it now!"

 That subject line is a quote from Arnold (Schwarzenegger).

Anyhow, I am dedicating tonight (Friday) to finishing the Christmas horror movie that I wrote the majority of ovewr winter break (before Christmas). 

I told myself I would finish it in January at the latest.

And then I dragged my feet.

Which is horrible because we had three snow days from school where it was wintry and either in the single digits or below freezing (as much as -12, I think). Those would have been perfect times to finish this script.

But, alas, I finish it tonight.


New Festival Win!

 I got the email last night before bed.

I could barely sleep I was so excited.

And this is a film festival I just submitted to a few weeks ago!

I don't know if "Finalist" means that Personal Demons is still in consideration and might emerge as the winner of their screenplay competition, of if "Finalist" is where it stands.

Either way, I'm good.

It gives me hope and motivation.

It makes me think that perhaps I am not wasting my money (on festival and competition entry fees), my time and effort or my life. 

It's another feather in my cap.

More bragging rights for this script of mine that I believe in so heavily.

It's moments like these that I live for.