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2009
Update
as of 11.21.09: The winners of the 2009 AWS Screenplay Contest, Brian Pittman and Rachel Long, have just optioned
their brilliant script, "Stranded" to Enderby Entertainment, with Dan Petrie, Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop, The Big Easy,
Turner & Hooch) attached to direct. They’ll begin shooting September in Ventura. Our crack judging team discovered
this gem, and it will be a fantastic movie!

"I think "Stranded" could win an Academy Award if it had the right elements attached.
This is a masterwork of art and craft deserving of consideration for a prestigious award. I hope that one day I can
write a script of such high caliber. In the meantime, I must be satisfied with earning my daily bread as I balance whatever
gifts I have with the demands of the marketplace. I am not an existentialist and do not see the human condition as being
so bleak, but the authors’ perspective rings true and the merger of the visual imagery created by direct, brief prose
and everyday but poetically evocative dialogue as it illuminates fully developed characters is haunting and will last with
me forever. I really have no suggestions or comments at all on how to change it. It needs no further work from
a writer; only a director can take things from here." - Judge, 2009 AWS Contest
1st
Place: Stranded by Brian Pittman and Rachel Long
2nd Place: Colter's Hell by Robin Russin
3rd Place: Lionheart by Nigel Grant
- Finalists - God's Assassin by Terry Wright Eclipse by Ron Brassfield Magnetic by
Michael Toay & Mike Shields Godspeed by Michael Toay & Travis Mann Rubicon by Michael Toay Her Swastica
Sword by Chris Canole Banzai Boy by Curtis Burdick Stranded by Rachel Long and Brian Pittman Red Gold by Elizabeth
Pfeiffer Demons & Gargoyles by Elizabeth Pfeiffer Nothing in Common by Philipp Senn The Saxon by Nigel
Grant Eke'Bolos by Stephen C. Settle Colter's Hell by Robin Russin
Sponsored by: Emergence Entertainment, Mattie Films,
Above the Line Agency, Hana Road Productions, Lowbar Productions & Great Dialogue Software !
Judges: Erin Chapman, Award
Winning Screenwriters; Mark Kratter, Emergence Entertainment; Michael Alexander Miller.
Analysts: AWS screenplay analysts have years of experience providing
coverage, and are entertainment industry professionals. Several analysts work as readers for MGM, Fox, Showtime,
Comedy Central, Tri-Star, Lionsgate, ICM; as well as the Academy of Motion Pictures Nicholl Fellowship's; they have
sold/optioned their own screenplays and are published book authors; another holds an M.F.A. degree in screenwriting
from UCLA. Confidentiality: all readers sign non-disclosure agreements.
Michael Alexander Miller is a member of
the WGA, represented by Creative Artists Agency. He has 3 writing credits to date and has written on assignment
for major studios and currently has 4 scripts under option with major studios, independents or directors with track
records for produced major studio films. His 24-episode Internet series, "Hardcore Analysis," will premiere
on Strike.TV and other websites in May. He was nominated for a Humanitas Award for his writing on the CBS
miniseries, "Joan of Arc." Before embarking on a career as a screenwriter, Michael was an entertainment attorney
and still represents some private clients, mainly writers, but also including a literary agency and a film studio. His
undergraduate degrees were in mathematics, physics, history and political science. Michael liked school.
CEO of Emergence Entertainment, an all-purpose entertainment company devoted to developing feature films, television
programs, and video games, Mark graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in English,
as well as a minor in Creative Writing. He also has an extensive background in business, including experience in Venture Capital
financing and securities trading. As a producer, his credits include: Cruel World (Jaime Pressly) and The Devil's Highway
(based on a Pulitzer-Prize nominated novel and adapted for the screen by Oscar-Nominee, Ron Nyswaner); and in development
are: Dark Horse and a $40M feature with an A-list actor (currently under wraps). His screenplays have won numerous awards,
including FADE IN Magazine's Grand Prize, and he recently completed a script-for-hire for Clark Peterson, producer of
Monster (Charlize Theron). Wants: films from $3M to $50M. Wants every genre (except:
romcoms, animation, Iraq/Afghanistan war-related films and arthouse character-driven dramas). High concepts preferred
especially thrillers, action, horror and some comedies etc. - anything which sells well internationally.
Head
of Production and Development with Mattie Films at Sunset Gower Studios, Tim has a wide base of experience in the film industry
starting in development at Miramax and then at the Weinstein Co. He has also been privileged to work as a segment producer
for The Apprentice 5 and The Amazing Race. Cruz has also freelanced in Commercial form from music videos, producing for
50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Nas, Jessica Simpson, PDIDDY, Bjork, My Chemical Romance and other pop stars. Currently in Development
for The Jet Set, Kick Flip. Project financing is raised through private equity groups as well as studio financed development.
Tim has an M.F.A. degree from New York University. Wants: mini epic adventures, action adventures, and
public domain literary adaptations.
Literary Agent at Above the Line Agency, Bruce has over 14 years of experience
in feature film and television. Above the Line works with both indy financiers and major studios. Upcoming releases
include Nowhereland with Eddie Murphy, Assassination of a High School President with Bruce Willis, and Lori Petty’s
directorial debut Poker House. Prior releases include Charlie’s Angels, Constantine, Backdraft, The Prophecy, and Pulse.
Wants: well crafted, studio level, high concept comedies, action and horror. (Note: see Bruce's blog
here: http://bartlettsscreenwritingtips.blogspot.com/)
Producer at Hana Road Productions LLC, which develops feature
films, documentaries and television programming; Cerise has been a freelance producer and writer on many reality/documentary
television series for networks, including: Discovery Channel, Lifetime, Animal Planet, MTV, Turner Broadcasting Systems and
Fox. Her credits include: the feature film "Net Worth," Discovery Channel's "The National Body Challenge,"
Lifetime's "What Should You Do?", Animal Planet's series "Adoption Tales" & "That's
My Baby," MTV's series "Out of Order," TBS's "The Native Americans" and Fox's "1968."
She was also a producer on the PBS documentary "The Prize," based on Daniel Yergin's Pulitzer Prize-winning
novel. On the film side, she was part of the production teams for "The Sweetest Thing," "Scream 3" and
"Music of the Heart." Wants: suspense thrillers, high octane smart action, and lower budget
($2-5 M) all genres.
Producer and Director at Lowbar Productions, Nate has worked in all facets of the entertainment
industry over the last eleven years, starting below-the-line before serving as the Vice-President of New Media at Automatic
Pictures and producing and directing his own projects. His most recent release, "Tales From Beyond", starred Adam
West; Nate is currently working on two literary adaptations, one as a producer and one as the screenwriter. Wants:
high-concept studio fare and under-$10 million indie and genre concepts with a unique voice.
Great Dialogue Software™
helps the screenwriter improve dialogue skills through reading great dialogue in action, and gaining specific techniques that
can be used in different dramatic situations. It also contains a database of thousands of samples of the best dialogue from
movies, TV, novels and plays, and they are all findable at the click of a button. Most of these samples also have a
detailed analysis to instruct you how the dialogue was constructed and why it works. Great Dialogue Software™
gives you 101 specific dialogue techniques used by the pros that any writer will find invaluable in creating that perfect
scene. The creator of Great Dialogue Software, Peter Colley, was nominated for the 2000 Humanitas Prize for screenwriting
and was a semi-finalist for the 2006 and 2007 Eugene O'Neill playwriting awards and a 2008 New American Play Award. Two
of his plays have been made into feature films, with Mr. Colley writing both screenplays. He has written extensively
for CBS Television, as well as Fox Family Channel, British ITV, CBC Canada, WNET TV.
2007
CONGRATULATIONS
TO 2007 AWS SCREENPLAY CONTEST WINNERS ! Tommy
Wood and Marc Benton, have had their script "Pieces of Eight," requested by: Radiant Pictures Entertainment, Suite
A Management, Zero Gravity Management/Pierce Williams Entertainment, Firehorse Pictures, and Astrakan Films.
1st Place Winners: Pieces
of Eight, Tommy Wood & Marc Benton - tommy@stimulusfilms.com
Finalists:
Healing Marie, James Ossi - james.ossi@earthlink.net Where the Dead Go, Mark Kratter - mark.kratter@alumni.stanford.org The Wonder Child, Anthony Zaccaro - tonyz@mindspring.com Princess Reborn, Lee Tidwell - leesius@netzero.net Bull's Eye, Tamara Farsadi & Toby O'Hara - Tamara.Farsadi@gmail.com Voices, Susan Klos - susan@bigtimepic.com
Tommy Wood and Marc Benton
have been friends since their "rock star" days in high school metal bands. Their first attempt at film began
when a mounted video camera caught them running away from a dangerous amalgam of fireworks. When Tommy's attention turned to screenwriting,
he asked Marc to come along. Their first script, Pieces of Eight has won three competitions and
in 2006 reached the Top 30 of the Academy Awards own Nicholl's Fellowship. In the fall of 2006, Tommy directed and Marc co-produced their first feature
film, the forthcoming "Grilling Bobby Hicks." With a huge slate of ideas on their plate, these guys are going
full-steam ahead. See below for trailer from their film, "Grilling
Bobby Hicks."
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PIECES OF EIGHT by Tommy Wood & Marc Benton
LOGLINE: Miguel
Arias, a 16th Century Captain of a Spanish galleon, is bereaved of his family in the Inquisition; and becomes a pirate bent
on revenge, and finding his lost son.
SYNOPSIS: Pieces
of Eight is a swashbuckling action/adventure pirate story in the vein of Pirates of the Caribbean; with thrilling swordfights,
swashbuckling battles between pirate ships and the Spanish Armada, and daring escapes. Miguel, a handsome and dashing Captain,
is disillusioned with service in the Spanish Armada after his entire family (except son Tomas) is brutally murdered in the
Inquisition for believing in Martin Luther’s teaching. King Phillip II and Captain Salvador, are on a mission to rid
Spain of Martin Luther’s teaching that salvation is attained through faith in the bible, rather than on purchases of
“indulgences” from the church for absolution of sin. In a stroke of luck, Miguel commandeers a pirate ship, the
Great White, a race-built galleon with sixty guns, during a battle between a West African pirate captain and Spanish mariners,
where nearly everyone is killed. Miguel, now known as the fearsome “El Corazon,” and his charming ruffian mates,
vow revenge on Salvador, and devote their lives as pirates, to pillaging Spanish galleons, and finding Miguel’s lost
son, Tomas. While on land in Plymouth, England, Miguel happens upon Elizabeth, a royal princess in disguise, and saves her
life. Meanwhile, Tomas apprentices on the Spanish galleon Gloria, helmed by Captain Salvador. Miguel “El
Corazon” brings gifts to the Queen of England, and discovers the girl whose life he saved in Plymouth, is now Queen
of England, (they have a romantic connection). Salvador offers Miguel a deal: turn himself in, and he will
turn over Miguel’s son, Tomas. When Miguel agrees to the deal, and is double-crossed, Salvador tells Tomas that Miguel
is responsible for the murder of his father. Tomas captures Miguel and his ship, the Great White, in Cadiz, and finds out
Miguel is his father. Salvador chases Miguel, who escapes by jumping off a cliff into the ocean and swimming to his ship.
Salvador rams the Gloria into the side of the Great White, crippling her. Salvador swordfights with Miguel, and kills him,
but is thrown over the side and eaten by sharks. Tomas grieves, but is left with a precious gift, at least thirty treasure
maps to Miguel’s pirate booty.
Testimonials from AWS Contest:
"Thank
you very much for the bonus opportunity you provide by forwarding the one-page synopsis to the contest sponsors. I’m
exceptionally pleased with the synopsis, and would love to use it on Inktip, if that’s okay (if not, I’ll go with
my pedestrian one which isn’t nearly as appealing or exciting.) I also appreciate the scores provided –
they point me in a firm direction for re-writes." - John Bain, Anne Bonny: Queen of Pirates
"Such incredible
news that we are finalists! We are grateful and honored and thankful for your readers' time and perspective. You do a
great job, and we value AWS." - Brian Pittman, Stranded
"Thank you for the great news, I'm quite
honored to be a finalist. Really appreciate you running this contest, and thank you for all the hard work and dedication involved."
- Curt Burdick, Banzai Boy
"I definitely want to stay in communication with you. I appreciate the fact that
you offer your terrific web site and contest to screenwriters.” – Donna Lisa, Kheng Kheng Crocodile &
Toucans of the Amazon
“Gadzooks, the person who wrote the logline and synopsis is smart. If the goal of a communication is
to put the imagery of one's own mind and have it duplicated in someone else's, regardless of that other person's
background, then the judge who wrote that logline and synopsis is pretty *@#*! smart. ... And careful, as in "with care"
... and a nice person who put lots of thought into a project ... and a writer with loads of experience ... and, and, and I'm
just really thankful. Thank you whoever you are. You mystery genius, you.” – James Ossi, Healing Marie
“I was
thrilled this week to see that Princess Reborn had been selected a finalist in your September 2007 AWS contest! And
to get the synopsis/rating sheets for both PR and my other script RICH and to see that Rich only scored one point lower! Tough
competition obviously. I'm honored to be named in such a fine group of screenwriters, and you certainly may do any
promotion that you wish with either of my scripts once the writers' strike is over.” – Lee Tidball, Princess
Reborn & Rich
“Thank you for taking the time to write up the report cards for both High Hopes and The Wonder Child. All feed
back is important to me. Both scripts have since had a professional proofing and are ready for marketing once the strike ends.
I've also been working on shoring up my structure skills as I put together my Mabel Normand project. Your contest has
been a kick in the rear for me to get moving on taking my writings to a higher level.” – Anthony Zaccaro
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