Watch over 50 1st Scene Screenplay Festival Winners:
FULL FEEDBACK on your screenplay from our committee of Professional Screenwriters, Production Heads and Script Consultants.
Are you just starting off your screenplay and want immediate feedback on your first scenes/first moments of your script?
Send your first scene (or first moments – 10pg. limit) and get feedback. Winners (at least 40 a year) get their first scene read at the MONTHLY WILDsound Screenplay Festival (see video on right for example of what you’ll get when you win).
Great way to promote your script!
Submissions take 3-5 weeks for evaluation. Looking for screenplays
Matthew Toffolo: What is your feature film screenplay about?
Toby Roberts: The story is about three teenagers from completely different backgrounds on the run in rural New Mexico with a thoroughbred racehorse. But the underlying theme is the triumph of hope over experience and whether you should grow up doing exactly what your parents tell you or sometimes trust your spirit , abandon convention and go live your dream.
Matthew: Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Toby: It’s a fun, life affirming story that touches the heart, adults and kids alike. But it’s also got a profound message. I’ll leave it to you to watch the reading to discover that message.
Matthew: How would you describe this script in two words?
Toby: Adventurous fun
Matthew: What movie have you seen the most in your life?
Toby: Midnight Run
Matthew: How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Toby: On and off for years. Quite a few of them!
Matthew: How many stories have you written?
Toby: Stories? Too many to count…I’m always jotting things down. Screenplays? Three.
Matthew: What motivated you to write this screenplay?
Toby: Ultimately, the desire to tell a good, entertaining story. My parents had a lot to do with it in that my upbringing was a little unconventional and I thank them for that. I like to think I share those parental choices in the script.
Matthew: What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Toby: Many. One of the hardest was avoiding procrastination and actually sitting down and writing. Then came the rewriting. In a sense this was more fun but the page count was always increasing as new ideas poured in and deciding what to rip out was extremely tough because once you undo one thread, the whole thing has the ability to fall apart. Then there’s a lot of patch work required. (I’ve no idea why I’ve come up with a sewing analogy as there’s no particular link to finely made clothing but it seems to serve the purpose!)
Matthew: Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Toby: Directing. Soccer. And playing squash. On a broader level, taking life by the balls and giving it a damned good squeeze.
Matthew: What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
Toby: As soon as I saw what the festival was about I knew FFTB was the perfect match, there was no hesitation to submit. The feedback was excellent, really opened my eyes to a number of issues I hadn’t considered before.
Matthew: Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Toby: Woody Allen said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up,” by which he meant, completing the script. (There are a lot more writers who talk about their ideas rather than get them down into completed script form.) So, bottom line is, write the damned thing! And to those who have achieved this, the next tip is keep rewriting. I too thought my first draft was it, that’s all I had to do…other than write my thank you speech at the Oscars. People told me it doesn’t happen that way…and I ignored them. Now I know. And I bet you most writers reading this will ignore it too. But here’s an indication of what it takes…I’ve done over 50 rewrites of FFTB. It’s won a couple of prizes, there’s been some professional interest, and yet I still dip into it and see ways of improving it. You might think it’s because I’m not good enough. But Woody Allen, one of the industry’s most prolific writers, still rewrites his scripts even during filming.
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Director/Producer – Matthew Toffolo
Editor – John Johnson
Casting Director – Sean Ballantyne
I first met James Wallis 5 years ago when he performed at one of our Screenplay Festival events when we were working at the National Film Board of Canada. Right away you could tell he was an actor on the rise as he always served the story he was performing in while also bringing an original and unique take. That is something that is very rare to see in an actor.
I was happy to sit down with James as he’s preparing to play Hamlet at the Monarch Tavern in downtown Toronto, Canada from February 2-7 2016. Go to http://www.shakespearebashd.com/hamlet.html for more information.
James also serves as the Artistic Director for the successful theatre company Shakespeare BASH’d.
Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you and your team to start the Shakespeare BASH’d company?
James Wallis: For me I was interested in doing Shakespeare’s plays very simply, with a bare bones approach to…
A unit production manager (UPM) is responsible for the administration of a feature film or TV production.
A line producer is a type of film producer that functions as the key manager during the daily operations of a feature film, television film or an episode of a TV show.
I was honored to sit down with a veteran in the industry who simply knows how to put all of the right pieces together to make a great film. He’s been credited on working as a Line Producer and/or Unit Production Manager on over 40 productions, which, anyone in the biz will tell you, are the toughest jobs in the Film/TV industry. The amazing part of that is that he sometimes does both jobs at once in a single production.
Matthew Toffolo: You’ve worked on over 50 productions in the last 35 years, do you have a film or two that you’re most…
Get your story performed at the Writing Festival. FULL FEEDBACK on all entries.
Novels Showcased in 2015:
45 Novels Performed
9 Novels Made into a Movie
Plus, 12 Poems Made into a Movie
Get FULL FEEDBACK on either the 1st chapter or entire novel book from our committee of Professional Writers, and Writing Consultants. Get your novel performed by a professional actor at the festival.
NEW OPTION: Or, just submit for an actor performance reading transcript of your novel (any 5 pages of your book). Great way to promote the sales of your book if you’re already published. (see examples on the video playlist below)
The role of an Assistant Director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set.
It was a pure pleasure to sit down with 1st Assistant Director Mathew Dunne. Mathew has worked on some of the top action movies in the last 20 years, including: Starship Troopers (1998), The Last Samurai (2003), Mission Impossible III (2006), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), X-Men: First Class (2011), Iron Man 3 (2013), and the last 3 Planet of the Apes movies. As of this interview, Mathew is currently working on War for the Planet of the Apes, coming out in 2017.
Matthew Toffolo: In a typical Hollywood production, how many weeks before shooting does the 1st AD come aboard the film? When setting the schedule for the production, who is generally in the…
What Is A Film Director? How do you run an independent film casting call? How do you get the best out of the actors you’ve chosen to bring your film to life?
Whether you’re running your first independent film casting call or into your millionth day of shooting, you may find some useful ideas here. Below, we investigate some of the techniques you can use and pitfalls you may face in casting and directing actors. A good resource for actors as well as directors!
We’ll be posting more articles all the time, so make sure you come back and check every now and then.
What is a film director? More than anything, the person responsible for bringing together the technical aspects of capturing performances with the actors who will bring a story to life. One of the most important…
ARTIFICAL
DISAPPEARED
YO SOY PEDRO
THE MEGA PLUSH
OH MY OH AGAMI
LOVE AT FIRST LIGHT
F**KING WORLD
BURGLAR
Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you and your team to start the Shakespeare BASH’d company?
Matthew Toffolo: You’ve worked on over 50 productions in the last 35 years, do you have a film or two that you’re most…
FESTIVAL for FAMILY 