Hello, once again, "People Who Write Words." AH! YES! DONE! I'm extremely satisfied with the first draft of HORROR-FEST. It now stands as my only horror script, following my previous feature journeys involving 3 dramas, 3 thrillers, and 1 comedy. Final page tally is 100. Looking forward to whittling that number down to 90... or an even leaner 85 (The sweet, sweet page count for horror.). Also looking forward to my FAVORITE aspect of the process-- working my magic by chopping the hell out of it!
Here was another project I tackled that had absolutely NO OUTLINE. I knew I had a very captivating idea. One with a somewhat, unique approach. I had my opening scene and my ending. Actually TWO endings-- One has the "Final Girl" surviving. The other has her spilling lots of her own transmission fluid (see blood). If there's a saving grace in that scene, it is this: She dies shortly after striking the death blow to the serial killer aka "The Sad Man." (Lots of that Rated R "Red stuff" for the cool kids!). Initially, her fate was sealed with a simple coin toss: Heads? She lives! Tails? Bye-Bye! It came up Heads, but.....SUPER "HATS OFF" AND MEGA-MEGA BRAVO!!!!... to fellow scribe, CRAIG D. GRIFFITHS, who suggested she should definitely "Say Goodbye to Oxygen." His thinking was along the lines of how tragic it is to witness the senseless death of nice people in movies. That idea of a strong impact, an emotional "gut punch" stayed with me.
Next steps are my usual routine: 1.) Sculpt, shave, tear away, KILL those pesky darlings, and mold what's left into a finished product. 2.) Library of Congress / Copyright. 3.) Await the arrival of the Copyright certificate. 4) Create the script entry on my FilmFreeway profile. 5.) Submit the script to the national and international screenplay competition circuit.
Next up: Another one of my "Hollywood-themed" narratives, most likely, a short script, as opposed to my two previous "Hollywood-laced" features.
That's all for now!
Happy '24, Everybody!
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Congratulations on finishing your 8th script/1st Horror script, Bill Brock!
You don't have to wait to get the Copyright certificate through the mail to pitch your script and submit it to contests. The U.S. Copyright Office will send you an email titled "U.S. Copyright Office Application - Confirmation of Receipt" after you fill out the application and pay the fee. There will be a link to upload your script in the email. Then the Copyright Office will send you a second email titled "Acknowledgement of Uploaded Deposit." After you upload the script, you're set.
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Good coin flip Bill, she would (probably) die in the sequel anyways. An other often used option, as you know, is her surviving and in the last scene/shot sugesting she's still going to die.
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Mr Block, you left out routine number 6: Pay $10,000 for a billboard on Sunset Plaza, Los Angeles, advertising your new horror script is for sale!
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well done Bill… I see the number rising. Good job
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Congratulations. It is the best feeling when you know the script is complete.
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Bill, happy 2024 (and beyond) to you, too...and congratulations on finishing your first horror screenplay!
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Congrats!! Every one is an accomplishment!!
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Maurice Vaughan Well said, Maurice. All my work is protected, and yes, I've received the emails regarding payment. Problem is, I get a TON of daily emails and always fear I may delete these receipts, which is why I just wait for the certificates to arrive (Previous delivery times have ranged from 4 weeks to 2 months). I am a bit anxious to get this one out. It's got a great pace as we follow our antagonist's journey through the course of one day, resulting in seven bodies.... almost eight, but our killing machine, film actor Trey Wallace, has a change of heart at the last second. His reason? The kill is "just too easy."
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Rutger Oosterhoff Thanks for the kind words, Rutger. Nope. SHE'S DEAD! One reason for this is that I despise sequels. Such lazy writing. The first 10 pages is usually the LAST 10 pages of the previous installment. One horror movie that I really admire is 2013's YOU'RE NEXT! Good movie that stands on it's own. No sequel. Here's a bit of trivia. The film was shot in 2011, but was shelved for two years because the producers couldn't find a distributor that wanted it.
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Dan MaxXx Hahahahaahhaha, Dan!!! OMG! How WEIRD is this, Dan? On page 4 of my script, my antagonist, horror film star Trey Wallace, is driving on Sunset and passes a large billboard advertising his latest film, DEATH SCREAM 4! I kid you not!!!! I think you and I have just entered THE TWILIGHT ZONE!!
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Emmanuel Ogidi-olu Thank you, Emmanuel, for your support. It's nice to have at least one scare script in the stack! : )
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Asmaa Jamil Thank you, Asmaa! Agreed! It's nice to arrive at the end of the road. The current street address is 100 pages. Soon to be relocated to 87 pages. : )
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Jim Boston Thanks, Jim! Growing up as a teenager during the "heyday of horror films," The 1980s, it was inevitable that I would eventually sit down and write one..... And now I have. Better late than never!
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Richard M Kjeldgaard Thanks, Rich! Agreed! It feels great to have another one under my belt, with each script taking it's own, unique path.
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Yeah, I'm on fire when it comes to writing, but BEYOND LAZY when it comes to answering network requests. Current number? 54.
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I dig that, I think a horror film should be able to stand alone.
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Congrats on wrapping another screenplay!
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Rutger Oosterhoff Definitely! Sequels have gotten way out of hand! I mean, seriously?
13 sequels, reboots, re-imaginings, and alternative story lines of HALLOWEEN? My God! How many times are we going to beat THAT dead horse???
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Stephen Folker Thanks, Steve! Very excited to getting my baby our there! Extremely happy to be the proud Daddy of something...... "Horrifically" ORIGINAL! : )
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Congratulations, Bill! It is always so special to smell a new screenplay. Good luck for this project!
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Bill Brock Even if you delete the emails/receipts, you (or producers, directors, etc.) can look up your scripts with the U.S. Copyright Office's database and see that they're registered (www.copyright.gov/public-records/). Under the "Online Records Collections" Section on the left, click "Official Public Catalog."
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Bill Brock well done, Bill. I hope you raised a glass to yourself, to toast your excellence.
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Congratulations! The best feeling in the world is completing a project!
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Evelyn Von Warnitz Thank you, Evelyn, for the kind words. Ha! I love how you phrased it. Like, when you buy a new car, it has that "New Car Smell." Now when I flip through the pages of HORROR-FEST, it has that "New Script Smell." Mmmmmmmmmm, Lilacs!
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Maurice Vaughan Thank you, Maurice, for the additional information! If I were your age, I would nickname you, "Data." But because I'm a little older, you'll have to settle with, "Filing Cabinet." I promise to step out on the ledge for you by purchasing the certificate, protecting the receipt email, immediately entering the script into a competition. : ) I'll keep you posted. Take care of yourself, "Filing Cabinet."
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Geoff Hall Thanks so much, Geoff! I really appreciate your wisdom and guidance, BUT I hate to have to inform you that I let you down. Yes, I DID raise a glass! Unfortunately, it was filled with almond milk. : (
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Karmin Mosley Agreed, Karmin! This one took a bit of time, which is good, because I consider it a very original entry to the horror genre. The good news: It only took me 38 days to write. The bad news: Those 38 days fell between April 2023 and February 2024. YIKES!!!! Time for a well-deserved break.
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Congrats! ::::HAPPY DANCE:::: Sometimes the definition of success is something that gets done!
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That's wonderful!
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Haha "Filing Cabinet" is fine, Bill Brock.
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Bill Brock Oh, how I feel you in your words. Especially the good and bad news about the times of finishing the writing smell.
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Sallie Olson Agreed. This one took a while. Not much of a shock. It's how I work. I wait for scenes to come to me. The discovery is always such a blast! Little gifts you give to yourself. Good things come to those who wait, right? : )
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Erik Meyers Thank you, Erik! Now the adventure REALLY begins! : )
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Evelyn Von Warnitz Hopefully, the Sweet Smell of SUCCESS one day! : )
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Maurice Vaughan
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Bill Brock Absolutely! I love those moments when the solution to a story problem comes bubbling up from your subconscious, often in the form of a complete scene, right when you least expect it: in the car, in the shower, walking the dog, at work, etc... I used to carry a pocket-sized recorder with me just to capture those moments. LOL
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Bill Brock ugh, almond milk. What a disappointment! But then, I’m sure you’ll recover your poise.