Ya know, I get propositioned more than a hooker in Vegas, but I thought this Cowrite idea sounded rather clever. It's a contest in which the Benderspink Production Company provides the movie premise and you submit the first ten pages of a script.
The latest premise is "Determined to be a high-level Jason Bourne type operative, an awkward teenager enlists the help of a mysterious, supposed ex-CIA agent in his hometown and finds himself entangled in a dangerous plot that is way over his head."
Below is the e-mail I received from Todd, the head honcho.
BTW - Andrea Berloff is hot.
God, I love writers...
-MM
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Dear Mystery Man,
I wanted to share with you and your readers a truly innovative screenwriting contest I have launched in association with management/production company Benderspink (A History of Violence, The Butterfly Effect, Just Friends) called Cowrite (http://www.cowritescript.com/). The contest provides a unique opportunity to those who have always thought they could write a screenplay to play an essential role in a potential Hollywood blockbuster.
A movie premise has been posted on the Cowrite website and writers now have the opportunity to submit their version of the first ten pages of the story. The best opening ten pages ($10 per 10 page entry), selected by the Cowrite judges, will be posted on the website and the story will build from there.
Every other week, the best ten-page script submission will be added to the developing story until the script is finished and ready to be sold. There will be eleven winners over the six month contest. For their ten-page contribution, each winning entrant will receive money and prizes totaling $3000, a pitch meeting with Benderspink and a chance to win the grand prize of a paid rewrite of the script. Winners will also share in any potential script sale proceeds.
Another exciting aspect of the Cowrite website is the "Pro's Take" section where professional screenwriters and industry professionals will offer comments and suggestions on the developing story as well as insight into how to get started in Hollywood. This mentoring program will serve as an invaluable tool for aspiring screenwriters and help guide the story along. Guest mentors will include screenwriters Andrea Berloff (World Trade Center), Shintaro Shimosawa (The Echo) and Josh Schaer (TV's Jericho).
This is believed to be the first screenwriting competition where the end goal is to try to sell a collaborative screenplay. In true Web 2.0 fashion, Cowrite utilizes social networking and the "wisdom of the crowd" to create a community-sourced product. Cowrite believes this method of art creation will become a widely accepted, and, in fact, sought out way of finding new talent while producing blueprints for major motion pictures. After all, what better market research tool for studios trying to figure out what audiences want to see at the theaters than letting the audiences provide the content?
Cowrite has partnered with The LA Film Festival and software companies Final Draft and Jungle Software, all of which will supply prizes to each of the eleven winners.
Please check out our website at http://www.cowritescript.com/ and let your readers know about this exciting new community-sourced project. If you have any questions about Cowrite LLC, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your consideration.
Todd Soffian
President & Executive ProducerCowrite
todd@cowritescript.com
http://www.cowritescript.com/
