Submit the first 10 pages of your script, get feedback from professionals, and get your screenplay performed by professional actors. At least 2-5 winners every single month.
Facing life on the streets, a returning Vietnam veteran must undertake his most difficult challenge; reconcile with estranged drug-addicted sister and stop her from selling the family farm out from under him.
Get to know the winning writer:
What is your screenplay about?
On the surface it may seem like a simple “Save the farm” story, but underneath it’s a gritty tale about redemption and second chances. It may take place in the Seventies but there are elements that today’s audiences will identify with.
What genres does your screenplay under?
Drama.
How would you describe this script in two words?
Gritty, emotional.
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
In this day and age of fx driven tent poles, it’s important to have stories that are tactile and character driven. I’m not saying that this is the next ‘ROOM’ or ‘MOONLIGHT’ but I feel my screenplay has a good story with engaging characters that audiences would relate to. And besides, who doesn’t like the Seventies.
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
I can’t really say I’ve watched one particular movie more than another. I’m a sucker for the classics like ‘CASABLANCA’ and ‘FROM HERE TO ETERNITY’. I love westerns. I’m also a big Jennifer Lawrence fan and I have seen all of her movies. Last year I had the good fortune to have seen ‘ROOM’ and I was blown away by it.
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I’m still working on this screenplay and it will be a long time before I’m able to say I’m finished with it.
How many stories have you written?
I published a few poems and a short story years ago. I have also written two other screenplays before this, though I’ve never submitted them anywhere.
What motivated you to write this screenplay?
The short answer is a Lynyrd Skynryd song (no it isn’t ‘SWEET HOME ALABAMA’ or ‘FREEBIRD’) My sister had gotten me a mixed cassette of their songs for my birthday and on it was ‘COMING HOME’ When I heard it the first thing that popped into my head was the opening scene you see in ‘BROKEN FRAME’. After listening to it about twenty times I had the general outline of the story.
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
I could write a screenplay about the challenges that I faced writing ‘BROKEN FRAME’. Apart from the usual problems that plague any writer (writers block, procrastination, distraction, self doubt, indecision, ect) perhaps the greatest tragedy that I faced was accidently erasing my entire screenplay. That was a dark moment. Fortunately I was able to retrieve an older file, so I only lost one month of work instead of four years of my life.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I enjoy woodworking as well as the outdoors. I also enjoy history and science and I will watch any documentary that I can find.
What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I found this contest via a Google search. This is one of only two contests of this type anywhere. Festivals such as this are great because it gives writers, who may not be finished with their screenplays a chance to showcase their work before completion. And the feedback that Wildsound gives is top-notch. I appreciate the time and the effort it takes to evaluate each and every screenplay.
OCD (working title) is about a young woman who begins to have dark obsessions after an HIV scare.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Drama, Dark-Comedy
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
The script is currently 231 pages so it could be either a TV mini-series or film series. OCD should be made because it’s
an untold story relevant to the Millennial age.
How would you describe this script in two words?
“Digital Loneliness”
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
It’s a tie between The Santa Clause or Deathproof.
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Almost a year now.
How many stories have you written?
I’ve written several short stories but this is my first full-length story.
What motivated you to write this screenplay?
Something happened to me a year ago that left me in a state of devastation and I began writing this. It was the only thing that
made me feel better.
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
A major obstacle was finding a quiet place to write. I live in a loud household. It’s hard to write when there is some annoying
noise going on. I’m still trying to find a quiet, private place. Mostly, I write at night when everyone is asleep. Headphones,
earplugs, and music/atmospheric sound help.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I’m currently reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, which I had put off for years because it looked so long and boring.
But I’m so glad I started, because so far, it’s one of the best stories I’ve ever read.
What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I had also just rewritten the first scene so it was kind of a sign for me. Also, I found a coupon code on Facebook.
The feedback was paramount to my script’s consistent progress. It really encouraged me as a new writer, because it’s rare to get encouragement when people think you’re in your room all the time doing nothing, and you’re actually writing.
A black-hearted vixen lures an ambitious hustler into her mansion as he seeks out a forbidden love. When merciless thugs come to rob and kill, it’ll cost him his fortune to save her lost soul.
We lose our soul when we bury the dead without dignity and for the sake of manna. Two brothers are caught in a dilemma of conscience, to lose their jobs or their souls. CAST LIST:
It’s about devalued morals and the cheap currency of souls. People put so little value on their souls, they will trade them for a job and diminish the world they live in, as a result.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Contemporary Film Noir Drama
How would you describe this script in two words?
Dark Satire
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Casablanca
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
Six months
How many stories have you written?
59, that I can lay my hands on, probably a couple of hundred.
What motivated you to write this screenplay?
It began as a short story when I read about a change in the city rules regarding significant archaeological finds in building sites of the old city. I wondered what would happen if, in a competitive environment, something was found but hidden and then destroyed, to avoid costs and delays. Then I thought, given the type of locations being excavated and the changing face of Dublin, in terms of population and religions and changing social profiles,well, what if?
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
It was a completely new experience for me so I had to learn on the job, how to adapt my own story and then think in a new medium, film, and how a screenplay involves, at all times, action and movement. The Wildsound feedback was very helpful in those terms.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Film, luckily enough.
Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Learn to put some distance between you and your work. It makes it easier to absorb and use criticism to your advantage.
A high flying, arrogant female homicide cop is assigned a serial killer case that thrusts her into a downward tailspin. She struggles to close the case due too eerie connections she cannot explain. CAST LIST:
“Chasing The Wind” is about a tough female detective aspiring to become Chief of Police is assigned to a serial killer case and finds herself in a downward tailspin because she feels a eerie connection to the case.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Psycho -THRILLER
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
The screenplay has elements of many emotions( empathy, fear, joy love etc). There is lots of action and surprises. The audience will enjoy the ride that this movie will have you on as the case is being solved. The twist at the end is good.
How would you describe this script in two words?
COMPELLING THRILLER
What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
BABY BOOMER
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
1.5 years
How many stories have you written?
16
What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I took a writing class at a local library for TV but my writing turned out to be more suited for screen.
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Building a very strong protagonist, keeping the middle pacing
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I am a Christian. I am very passionate about music. I am the choir director for 3 choirs at my church. I write, produce and direct christian stage plays that are touring over the Northeast.
Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
The screenplay is about two young boys growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the early days of the American occupation. When they grow up, their lives take two very different paths when one becomes a Taliban fighter, and the other, an Afghan Army soldier.
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
In addition to being simply entertaining, I think it offers a perspective that hasn’t been portrayed in mainstream American cinema before. This is important because it allows us to connect and empathize with people we may have pre-conceived notions about, or
How would you describe this script in two words?
Tough sell.
What movie have you watched the most times in your life?
City of God. It changed my life.
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
It took just under a year to write, with some small revisions here and there for about a year or two after.
How many stories have you written?
Stories? Hundreds. Screenplays? Maybe a dozen.
What motivated you to write this screenplay?
The desire to express a point of view of this conflict that’s different than the one that’s been presented to us by large studios.
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
The research involved, i.e.: Afghan customs and traditions, politics, and Military accuracy.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
History, Movies, Psychology.
What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I submitted on a whim, actually. I had all but moved on from Kabul, and had no intentions of submitting it anywhere, but something about the reception of WILDsound captured my attention.
Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
A serial killer who turns his victims bodies into works of art becomesfixated on a little girl. She has dreams of him and thinks he is her angel, her mother pays little attention to it until the girl makes a model of the murderer.
A serial killer who turns his victims bodies into works of art becomesfixated on a little girl. She has dreams of him and thinks he is her angel, her mother pays little attention to it until the girl makes a model of the murderer.
It’s a supernatural thriller slasher film where a new killer has come to wreak havoc and mystery in a quiet town by placing atrocious “totems” around. The story soon discovers that a single-mother and her child have some sort of connection to this killer; but why and in what way? As they scramble to unravel the mystery, the killer himself is dealing with his own EXISTENTIAL QUANDARY as to his own purpose.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
I feel as if this particular story is unique in its set up and its layout, and hasn’t ever really been done. I like to think I take influence from Wes Craven and revitalizing and breathing new life into what is known as a drawn out subject matter. When I write, I try to imagine a film I haven’t seen, or a film I would want to see as a full fledged idea. This is why I feel a new, original (in my eyes) story is one to be seen.
3. How would you describe this script in two words?
Slowly intensifying.
4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Quite a few: probably Nightmare on Elm Street (original) over 25-30 times, Scream about 20+, and Hocus Pocus about 40+ times since 1993.
5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I started the first draft in my screenwriting class in Dec ’13, and it has slowly evolved over the years little by little-it still isn’t even fully complete.
6. How many stories have you written?
I’ve written about 5-7 short scripts, and 2-3 partial full features. Also, I’ve written quite a few short stories, not scripts, for various fiction/creative writing classes and 3/4ths of a novella.
7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
It actually came to me as I was reading a comic book that involved a former serial killer helping to analyze new crime scenes to help the police, yet he slowly starts to slip back to his ways—I’ll keep the title out to avoid copyrights. And I wanted to, in a sense, explore the psychological aspects of serial killings.
8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Still current. I was able to write the first 10 pages fairly quickly, but I am now only up to about 47 pages and haven’t finished.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Film studies/analyzing films. Or just general film viewing and collecting.
10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I’ve always been curious as to the start of this since it does involve dark subject matter and a child and her mother, so when I came across this festival through one of my many script sources I wanted to see if I was heading in a possible right direction and wasn’t too taboo or obscene. I was interested in grabbing the reader quick and taking a thrill ride through a killer’s psyche.
At first I was shocked that they actually understood where I was taking this and that I did a great job to convey the feeling of the story and leave questions for the reader to be wanting more. It felt good to know the script that is my most questionable actually is off to a great start.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Keep at it; collect stories, watch the world, write what you know and write what you want, not want the majority wants. Know what your specific audience you are writing for will be and don’t try to cater to everyone. Find your voice.
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Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
FEMALE 1st Scene Screenplay – GOD’S WORK IS NEVER DONE 
ROMANCE 1st Scene Screenplay – WAITING TO CRUMBLE 
FANTASY 1st Scene Screenplay – THE FLUTE OF PEACE 
First Scene Screenplay Festival 