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2011 Winners
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|
AAA
Screenplay Contest Winter
2010-2011 Winners
And Finalists
(For Semifinalists and
Honorable Mentions, click here)
| Title |
writers |
prize |
category |
subcategory |
| Feature
Film |
|
| Shiny Penny |
Dan Shea |
Grand Prize |
Feature |
Sci-Fi or Fantasy/Drama |
| Dead
Below Zero |
Edward Case |
Second Prize |
Feature |
Horror
Genre or Horror-Comedy |
| Homer's Odyssey |
Alex Drummond |
Third Prize |
Feature |
Romantic Comedy Genre |
|
|
|
|
|
| Top
Ten Finalists |
|
| Wipe |
Ben Arnold |
Top 10 Finalist |
Feature |
Thriller Genre |
| M.A.X.
101 - Edge Of Forever |
Sam
Lu |
Top 10 Finalist |
Feature |
Sci-Fi
or Fantasy |
| Ticket
to Mars |
Jason
Ginsburg |
Top 10 Finalist |
Feature |
Sci-Fi
or Fantasy |
| Rising
Phoenix |
Ryan
Mukai |
Top
10 Finalist |
Feature |
Sci-Fi
or Fantasy |
| Somerville |
James C. Victor |
Top
10 Finalist |
Feature |
Drama
Genre |
| Oathkeeper |
Elisa Graybill |
Top
10 Finalist |
Feature |
Sci-Fi
or Fantasy |
| Olympian
(tie) |
Tamsyn Harker
&
Esther
Venning |
Top 10
Finalist |
Feature |
Drama
Genre |
| The
Best Part of the Day (tie) |
Betty
Ellington
Smith |
Top 10 Finalist |
Feature |
Drama
Genre |
| |
| Best
Comedy |
|
| Homer's
Odyssey |
Alex
Drummond |
Comedy Prize |
Feature |
Romantic
Comedy Genre |
| |
| Best
Creature
Feature |
|
| Dead
Below Zero |
Edward
Case |
Creature
Feature |
Feature |
Horror
Genre or Horror-Comedy |
| | | | | | Best Thriller Or Drama* | | Wipe | Ben Arnold | Best Thriller | Feature | Thriller Genre |
| * "Best Thriller Or Drama"
was not an official prize category. However, judges and contest
management agreed that this script, which finished second in the
feature judging overall, merits special recognition. Because it
did not fit one of the genre categories in which cash prizes are
offered, we created this additional category to recognize this script. |
| | | | | |
| Best
One-Hour TV Show |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The
Good Wife: Slippage |
Josh
Weiss-Roessler &
Juliana
Weiss-Roessler |
First
Prize |
TV--Hour-Long |
|
Lie To Me:
Lost
And Found |
Jenna
Ryan |
Finalist
|
TV--Hour-Long
|
|
| Men Of A Certain Age: I Feel Like Having Me
Some Ribs: |
Dan
Shea |
Finalist
|
TV-Hour-Long
|
|
The Walking Dead:
The Drowning Pool | Jeremy McCann
| Finalist
| TV--Hour-Long
| |
Mad
Men:
The Lion
Sleeps
Tonight |
Alex
Simon |
Finalist
|
TV--Hour-Long
|
|
| |
| Best
Half-Hour
TV Show |
|
Parks and
Recreation:
Renaissance
Faire |
Julie
Cross
|
First Prize
|
TV--Half-Hour
|
|
Modern
Family:
Our Sacrifice |
Garron
Ma
|
Finalist
|
TV-Half-Hour
|
|
Modern Family:
To Catch A Thief |
Matthew
Kellard
|
Finalist
|
TV--Half-Hour
|
|
| |
| Best
Opening |
|
| Dead
Below Zero |
Edward
Case |
Best
Opening |
Feature |
Horror
Genre or Horror-Comedy |
| Homer's Odyssey |
Alex Drummond |
Best
Opening |
Feature |
Romantic
Comedy Genre |
| Rising Phoenix |
Ryan
Mukai |
Best
Opening |
Feature |
Sci-Fi
or Fantasy |
|
|
How Judging Was Done:
Why Judging Required Extra
Time
The
short version of the main caues of the delay was that with such close
scores after two rounds of judging, one judge
reviewed judged 40 scripts a third time and we agonized over
such matters as how to weight each criterion to come up with the best
choices.
The long version:
Our original plan
was that the semifinal round of judging would be the final
round. In this round, the 100 top-scoring scripts and ties
(totaling 125), which scored 90 or higher in the first round, were all
judged a second time by a different judge.
When
the semifinal judging results came in, we found that semifinal judges'
scores differed considerably from first-round judges on
most scripts.
That left us with a quandary: some scripts which scored
extremely high in
the first round received semifinal scores which were 7-10 points
lower. Some other scripts, which barely made the semifinals,
were scored much higher in the semifinal judging.
So
which score was more valid? Which judge's score should be
used to decide the winner? First round? Second?
An average?
Here is what we
decided to do:
We decided to have one
judge re-read and evaluate every script which met one or more of these
criteria:
- It
scored very high in the first round (94 or above), regardless of how
high it scored in the second round; or
- It
scored very high in the second round (93 or above), regardless of how
high it scored in the first round; or
- Its
average score of the two rounds was one of the highest.
In
this third reading, the judge added points to the average of the
first
and second-round scores based on these criteria:
– Originality
– The opening
– Special moments and plot turns
– Vividness and depth of the main character and antagonist
– Endings and pre-endings
–
Marketability in any
known
market
– "Heart" – is this a script about a person you
care about who has a goal you care about?
In all, 40
scripts met at least one of the criteria above
and received this third reading and evaluation. It takes a
lot of time for one person who also has a day job to read,
re-read sections of, and
judge 40 scripts.
During
this process, we consulted with advisors and debated the weights of
each of these criteria. For example, is "heart" -- a script with
a deeper emotional impact -- intrinsically more important than a
great opening when adding extra points, or should each be simply
given 0 to 5 points, and let the results fall where they may? (We
decided on the latter.)
The key benefit of this approach
is that it comes as close as possible to ensuring that no
judge's preference for one type of story over another
will knock an excellent script out of contention.
Two
More Advantages To This Third
Judging Round
1.
Notes are being made on each of these scripts for the purpose of
promoting them. As you know, the key prize is that we urge
hundreds of producers, agents, and managers urging them to read these
scripts. Because management is studying each of these scripts
in
detail, we will be able to individually promote them with much more
vivid, positive comments to the industry. The level of detail
we
are getting from this third round will increase the likelihood of
winning scripts being read.
2.
We are creating a new publication to replace our 2009 e-book,
“Send Them Your Scripts (And Queries).”
That popular 2009 E-book
had a list of nearly 50 producers and agents who accepted unsolicited
queries
or scripts at the time.
The new edition will have more
than 150 agents and
managers alone who will accept a query, and we expect to
have well over
100 producers on the new list. Before we put
this e-book on sale for writers, we will ask each of them to read
winning and high-placing scripts in the genres they seek.
Thus, contest winners and finalists will be the first to receive the
benefit of this new list.
Thank you, best wishes to all participants,
Bill Donovan
Publisher,
Creative Screenwriting Magazine
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