Screenwriting : Too Soon? by Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal"

what's the point of polishing the script if the director will still shoot in his own way? personally, I do not participate in contests, only at the beginning three times to motivate me to write something new. test your capabilities.

I have no preconceptions about contests, it's all about math. if 1000 screenwriters participate in the competition, the chance to win is 0.1%. this is less than the chance to win at a roulette casino.

What changes are they referring to Phil?

This is a great topic, Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal". I've sent scripts to producers, directors, etc. that weren't ready. My advice to writers/creatives: Take extra time to look over your script before sending it out. Once it's out there, it's out there.

"what's the point of polishing the script if the director will still shoot in his own way?" Arthur Charpentier It's important that you polish a script before sending it out because your script needs to be its best. If a writer sends a director, producer, etc. an average script or an unpolished script, it might get passed on.

Maurice Vaughan, the quality of the script is a subjective thing. in such conditions, it is necessary to write more ideas and find those who are interested in these ideas than to polish one script in the hope of winning the competition. this is my opinion and obviously it's wrong because I'm a loser.

I think what they mean is generally once a script has been read/passed around town it is very difficult for the same script to be read again, even with changes. Again it's not impossible but agree with Maurice that the advice is to make sure the script is in the best possible shape before sharing it with those who have the means to buy or make it.

Sam Mannetti, the editor's job is to suggest changes that will make the script better. and the funny thing is that edits will definitely come for a polished script.

One of the things I get asked on a daily basis is some variation of this topic. Will they accept a treatment? Can I submit an early draft? I won't be ready by the deadline, can I submit what I have? If you want to set yourself up for success, why would you share work that is not your best? Yes, all things will need edits at really any point in the process. But you want your work to be polished shiny to attract people, not dull and dented.

Arthur: I love competing and have placed and won at more than 250 festivals and contests, including Page Awards, Screencraft (7 times), Blue Cat, Finish Line, Storypros (4 times) LA International Screenplay Contest, Austin Film Festival, Filmmatic, Emerging Writers, Page Turner and many others. So, I've had a lot of fun, and it hasn't hurt my resume.

I submit first drafts all the time, but I've also gone through them several times to edit, fine-turn, and remove the non-value-added scenes. Also, so I can correct omitted words, typos, and grammatical errors. But I've written 50 screenplays and teleplays and I frequently revisit work and make changes.

Lee: They're referring to polishing your draft before submitting it.

Niki: You're 100 percent correct. A few years back, I producer I've worked with on several projects bought me an idea he wanted to pitch to Millennium Media as a vehicle for Gerard Butler. I spent several days writing a two-page logline, synopsis, and pitch deck. We found some cool graphics and polished the hell out of the concept before submitting it. That was one of the few times I did that without having a finished script but I wrote a solid synopsis with loads of plot points. It was a great experience and kinda fun.

You're not a loser, Arthur Charpentier.