nofilmschool » nichollfellowships

Time's Up, Pencils Down: 2013 Academy Nicholl Fellowships Final Deadline is May 1

Christopher Boone — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:17:05 +0000

By now, if you’re planning on submitting a screenplay to the Academy Nicholl Fellowships, hopefully you’ve already done so. If not, your time to submit is quickly dwindling. The final deadline for the 2013 Academy Nicholl Fellowships is 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, Wed. May 1, but don’t wait until the last minute. Get your screenplay submitted now so you’re not freaking out about whether your submission made it into the system on time. Check out the details on how to submit below. (more…)

Finish That Rewrite: 2013 Academy Nicholl Fellowships Regular Deadline is April 10

Christopher Boone — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:28:05 +0000

This is a combination PSA/light a fire under your a** post to make sure you are writing, rewriting, and rewriting some more to get your screenplay ready for the Academy Nicholl Fellowships regular deadline of Apr. 10. I’ll be honest, my latest script will not be ready by that deadline (needs a little more seasoning – okay, a lot more seasoning), but if you’ve been diligent, hopefully your script will be ready. Otherwise, it will cost you another fifteen bucks for the late deadline on May 1. Check out current stats on this year’s competition and details on how to apply below. (more…)

The Nine-Year Overnight Success Story of the 'Olympus Has Fallen' Screenwriters

Christopher Boone — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:29:00 +0000

Working on the outside looking in when you are an aspiring screenwriter can be a grind. Certainly, there are moments when you may wonder if you are making progress toward your ultimate goal of getting a screenplay turned into a feature film. If you don’t put in the hours on your writing, however, your craft will never rise to the level necessary to make a sale or get a greenlight. Those hours, in the case of screenwriter Creighton Rothenberger, started at 4 a.m. before his corporate job for several years until 2002 when he won the Academy Nicholl Fellowship. After conceiving Olympus Has Fallen in 2003 and writing it with his wife, Katrin Benedikt, this screenwriting duo spent another nine years writing specs before selling this particular script in 2012 and seeing it hit the big screen last weekend. Watch them tell their story below. (more…)

2013 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Now Open, Early Deadline March 1st

Christopher Boone — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:40:19 +0000

Most screenwriting competitions are simply out to take your money. They won’t help you with your career. In fact, writing a great screenplay and making industry contacts who may then consider your screenplay will help you with your screenwriting career much more than a screenwriting contest. In other words, hone your screenwriting skills and cultivate industry relationships. So, as far as screenwriting competitions go, if you submit to any at all, I suggest only submitting to those that can actually help you launch or further a screenwriting career. As such, very few meet this criteria. One of the few is the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, now open for applications for 2013. (more…)

The Black List's New Paid Service Aims to Connect Screenwriters with Industry Professionals

Christopher Boone — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:39:01 +0000

For the uninitiated, The Black List compiles a list of the “most liked” unproduced screenplays according to the opinions of studio and production executives and their readers. At the time of The Black List’s publication in December each year, many of the scripts on the list have been acquired and are either in production or active development toward production. Getting a script listed on The Black List certainly boosts a screenwriter’s credentials within the industry and can lead to more work. Now, the people behind The Black List have launched a new paid service for aspiring screenwriters trying to get their screenplays in the hands of industry professionals. Here are the details: (more…)

Austin Film Festival Screenplay & Teleplay Competition Deadlines Approach

Christopher Boone — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:54:01 +0000

Have you already submitted your polished script to the Nicholl Fellowship? Did you miss that May 1 deadline and wish you had a few more days and another chance? Then you should consider submitting to the Austin Film Festival Screenplay & Teleplay Competition. Screenplay awards for Drama and Comedy category each include $5,000 plus reimbursement for round-trip airfare (up to $500) and hotel (up to $500) for the conference and festival. Teleplay awards for Sitcom Spec, One-Hour Spec, Sitcom Pilot and One-Hour Pilot each include $1,000, plus reimbursement for round-trip airfare (up to $500) and hotel (up to $500) for the conference and festival. (more…)

Get Industry Attention with the 2012 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowships and Two Other Competitions

Joe Marine — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:55:45 +0000

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is kind of a big deal – and if you’ve never heard of the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowships, it’s a life-changing opportunity to write a script and win a grant. We’ve also go two other fantastic opportunities for script writers: Scriptapalooza and the Nantucket Film Festival Showtime Tony Cox Screenplay Competition. That’s a mouthful, but let’s see what’s so special about these competitions. (more…)