Online film forum IndieTalk thrives from making the online film community as interactive as possible, providing networking opportunities as well as a space for hardcore film buffs to share their obsessions with one another. Now, IndieTalk has taken it one step further with the Script to Screen challenge, a two-stage moviemaking competition that puts a unique twist on the traditional “film festival.”
In the first stage of the competition (which is free for Premier members of IndieTalk), participants submitted a script up to 10 pages long. On December 16, the winners in three categories (Comedy, Drama and Dramedy) were announced, marking the second stage of the Challenge.
Now, moviemakers are given the opportunity to turn any of the three screenplays into a completed, low-budget short film over the course of six weeks, with the winning films announced at the end of February. “What we are looking for is a well-made film that follows the script,†says IndieTalk founder Dan O’Berry, though he notes that the Challenge’s “90 percent rule†allows for some creativity and flexibility on the part of the moviemaker. According to this caveat, the director may alter no more than 10 percent of the script, whether that means altering the dialogue, deleting a scene or adding an entirely new character.
Judges of the second phase will determine whether entries have remained 90 percent faithful to the original screenplay, and one of the three prizes will go to the moviemaker who makes most original use of this rule. O’Berry remarks that “this inaugural challenge has proven very successful,†and that IndieTalk plans to run the Challenge at least once a year from this point forward.
For more information on the Script to Screen Challenge and to check out the winners of this year’s round, visit www.indietalk.com.
Sound Off: Do you think more directors should adhere to IndieTalk’s 90 percent rule? Weigh in by posting in the comments section!
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