Volume 15 / Number 3, May/June 2009

1. The May/June 2009 Issue of Script is on Newsstands Now!
2. Final Draft version 8 Has Arrived
3. Reality Bites: Writers Get Clever
4. The Ultimate Writer’s Workspace Giveaway
5. Living Longer and Prospering: Crafting the New Star Trek
6. Script Extra Edition: Scriptmag.com
7. Writers Marketplace

In the May/June issue of Script, it’s summer blockbuster time. David S. Cohen sits down with Bob Peterson and Pete Docter to discuss Pixar’s newest feature, Up. Terminator Salvation’s John Brancato and Michael Ferris pick up the story of John Connor’s fight for planet Earth. Writers Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas explore the Land of the Lost as part of our “Writers on Writing” series. William Martell presents the first installment of Anatomy of an Action Scene in “Independents.” Mystery Man questions the need for sympathetic protagonists, while Joshua Stecker traces Radical Publishing President Barry Levine’s career from photographing rock stars to publishing graphic novels destined for the big screen. And that’s just a taste of what makes up this issue of Script.

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The newest version of the film industry’s scriptwriting software standard has arrived. Final Draft version 8 has been put through the wringer with critiques from the Final Draft, Inc. Product Team, Beta Team feature testing, and a battery of third-party manual tests. The finished product is a fit for every screenwriter and every screenwriting job.

To purchase Final Draft version 8, or upgrade from a previous version,
Visit: www.finaldraft.com/upgrade

How can drama writers compete with the mundane humanity of reality television? Today’s audiences seem to truly enjoy watching real people, even if they are doing completely unremarkable things. Phil Gladwin recounts a night spent watching people sleep on Britain’s reality sensation, Big Brother, and argues that TV writers will need to step up their game if they are going to keep the attention of modern viewers.

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There are some things that every screenwriter needs in order to write a successful script: software, workshops, books, massage chairs. Well, Script has it all and we’re offering you a chance to win it. Enter your short scene into our Ultimate Writer’s Workspace Giveaway and compete with other Script readers for your chance at a workspace makeover.

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Amid all the spin-offs and sequels to the original Star Trek, no one has ever written the story of the famed crew’s first adventure. This was the challenge undertaken by screenwriters and Trekkers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Script senior writer Bob Verini sat down with the writing/producing team to discuss how they engineered the story’s origins in the latest Star Trek.

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With a great deal of excitement, we welcome you to the new and improved Scriptmag.com -- your one-stop shop for all things Script related. We are constantly adding new, Web-only content, as well as information to complement what you read in the print issue, including industry news, new cinematic voices, and answers to your career questions.

Along with the Web-only content, the Script digital edition allows you to search, link, and e-mail full-text versions of the magazine. You can delve into our 15-year archive for information from past issues. We have also created an archive and a searchable database for our former e-zine, which is filled with Web-only articles on the business and craft of screenwriting.

Just as we have updated our print version to better serve you over the past 15 years, Scriptmag.com already has plans to stay on top of the latest news and trends, to keep you informed. Subscribers and first-time readers alike can easily give feedback on which events and services matter to them, and we’re creating a Script community as a place where you can talk to us, to each other, and to industry professionals.

Thanks for reading Script and Scriptmag.com!

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The following are messages from our sponsors:

International Screenwriter’s Association
Screenwriter Wanted for Drama: Independent production company seeks a screenwriter or showrunner to develop a dramatic episodic. Prefer past writing experience on a network show. If you fit the bill or would like to throw your hat in the ring please CUT and PASTE your resume into the body of email: NetworkISAquery@gmail.com. Producer Seeks Sitcom: Thunderstamp Productions seeks sitcom for 30-something MALE lead. SCRIPTED IMPROV preferred. The style of comedy we seek: Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. WGA and Non-WGA welcome. We intend to produce a pilot, then pitch to networks. You will not be paid cash upfront, but will maintain percentage ownership.
For more listings like these, join the International Screenwriter's Association. ISA offers writers worldwide a reliable informational resource, a mutual support network, and member-only discounts and benefits, like the ones above. Membership is free!
Visit: www.NetworkISA.org

iScript.com
Welcome to iScript.com, a revolutionary new service that puts screenplays, novels, or any text into an audio file (an "iScript") for iPods, MP3 players and CD players. iScript.com provides a new and paperless way to experience scripts and is the first company of its kind to provide an audio-book-quality recording of a screenplay for writers, directors, actors, studio executives, agents, and anyone who would rather listen. You upload your script, we record it using professional readers, you download an MP3 of your script to listen, share, submit. Screenwriters can fine-tune their script by listening to a professional “read” of the script and entice Hollywood execs by offering the story in a desirable ‘anytime, anywhere’ audio format. “I really digged listening to the iScript of your script … it took priority over the other scripts because I could listen to it in my car. I was really impressed by its effective use.” James Smith, Odd Lot Entertainment. Hearing is Believing. To order yours today,
Visit: www.iScript.com

InkTip
Joining InkTip gives screenwriters a real advantage over other writers who have not listed their scripts in our Executive Index or taken advantage of our other services. From the scripts and writers found through our network, over 80 feature films have been produced, over 400 scripts have been optioned and over 200 writers have gained representation. InkTip's most valuable service is the real connections we provide to working entertainment industry professionals. Many of our writers have developed continuing relationships with producers and agents, enabling them to further their careers beyond our network. Security of your scripts is a vital part of our job. If InkTip believes a production company is not abiding by our policies, we cancel their membership and access. With your membership, you receive at least one free lead (a call for scripts put out by our entertainment pros) per week via our regular newsletter. For more information, or to join InkTip today,
Visit: www.inktip.com

ScriptShark’s Out of the Computer / Into the Industry
Calling all screenwriters! Don’t let lack of industry business savvy hinder your aspirations to becoming a working screenwriter! ScriptShark’s Business of Screenwriting event -- Out of the Computer/Into the Industry -- is coming to New York (May 28th & 30th, The New York Times Building) and Seattle (June 25th & 27th, Northwest Screenwriter’s Guild). This lecture and workshop series, essential for any writer who has set his or her sights on a screenwriting career, will provide you with invaluable insight into the industry while helping you position yourself and your screenplay for industry success. Learn how to: position yourself for a prolific career, pitch effectively, write winning loglines, build industry connections without having any previous contacts, get an agent or manager, decipher industry expectations, and break your script down from a producer’s perspective. Not in the New York/Seattle vicinity? More cities and dates will be announced shortly! To learn more or sign up,
Visit: www.scriptshark.com/NYseminar.cfm

Slamdance 2009 Feature Screenplay Competition
Slamdance's 2009 Feature Screenplay Competition is now open for entries. Get your script produced! Grand Prize Winner receives $5000 and all entrants are also eligible for the Upload Films Best Low Budget Feature Award -- the winner receives potential option deal with Upload Films to get their script produced! Plus, entrants are eligible for the Script Accessible Award for best screenplay involving characters with disabilities and/or written by a person with disabilities. Previous Slamdance Feature Screenplay Competition successes also include Nicole Kassell and Stephen Fetcher's The Woodsman, Joshua Marston's Maria Full of Grace, and Nancy Kissam's Drool, which was a Slamdance 2009 Film Festival Special Screening! Final deadline is June 15, 2009. Slamdance sponsors writing competitions year-round, with feature, short, horror, teleplay, and Slamdance OnStage opportunities. For details, rules, guidelines, and submissions,
Visit: www.slamdance.com/writing/feature.html