I’ll tell my age with this, but when I first started screenwriting, there were about 10 or less contests. I think most of them are still around. They all offered good feedback and although you may not be “made” by winning, it was an honest break.

Now there must be over 50 contests. By and large, they are money making ventures. You might get back some good comments and you could take a nice prize, but the simple truth is that many people who enter these contests are not semi-pro or amatuer, they are beginning screenwriters.

They’re also probably not thinking of marketing or sales, they’re telling their own personal story, which is great. But nobody involved with a contest is ploking down $20 million on your script. I would think it’s more akin to the novel market.

The best speech I’ve heard about this was actually in a small movie, “The Dying Gaul” by Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss). He also wrote both plays. It’s about a gay screenwriter who writes this fantastic script, but the buyer wants to make the relationship heterosexual. It goes something like, “Nobody is going to see your movie. The vast majority of Americans hate gays. I don’t care if you case Tom Cruise in the lead, Steven Spielberg to direct and throw it on 400 screens. Nobody wants to see it.”

And that’s the majority of small movies.

I told you the logline of my secret worm farm script-in-progress in confidence! Thanks for outing my epic to the world.

I like the metaphor of film fests and screenwriting comps as comfort food. Because there are so many of them out there now, it’s become more likely to have a Hollywood power player show up at your brother’s birthday party than at the tiny film fest/screenwriting comp in BFE. We’re just feeding ourselves with the idea that the comp we enter will be our big break — and if we keep it up, someone’s gonna have to bring a fork lift to get us out of our houses.

Like you said, the experience is valuable, but as you so eloquently put it “…the end all to breaking into the business is a FUCKING OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAY.”

Poke

PS To all of you who sent “death threat” emails, why not post your thoughts here in the comments? I for one would love to see a good discussion break out because of dissenting views. As it seems now, all of us who agree respond openly, and all those who don’t send a private email.