Screenwriting Through the Shelter-In-Place
There is a lot of turmoil in the world right now. Whether it’s dealing with a job loss, furlough, loss of income, or just loss of toilet paper. We all have our stressors. We all feel isolated right now. Writing is a way to deal with that. It helps us process our fears and keep us focused on our dreams. To help you in this time, Screenwriters’ Workshop has put together some online resources:
Goal-Setting During the Confinement
Set your goals by clicking on this link. Screenwriters Workshop will send you periodic reminders of your goal, so you don’t get off track during what might be a productive time. If you want, you can request an accountability partner through this link who might help keep you on track.
Social Distancing Script Contest and Online Reading
If you write a short script (10 pages or less, 4 characters or less with limited locations) on a theme related to the COVID-19 response (e.g. social distancing, home confinement, working with kids around, relationships growing together or apart, loneliness, etc…) send it to mnscreenwritersworkshop@gmail.com no later than April 17th at midnight. We will assign you a time for an online reading of your script and have online voting for our favorite. Winner(s) will receive an SWW t-shirt. It’s like a script group, but online, informal, and with a prize!
Script Groups Are Now Online
Saturday and Sunday Script Groups, as well as 2nd Sunday Script Readings are now online according to their usual schedule. For Saturday Script group, contact group leader Chris Velasco for meeting procedures. For Sunday Group use the following instructions for Zoom Meetings on the 1st and 3rd Sundays starting April 5th:
Topic: Sunday Night Script Group
Time: This is a recurring meeting for the 1st and 3rd Sundays in each month
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/533859616?pwd=OWF5MTJkOFk3Y1Z4aHVVS0p1R3ZUdz09
Meeting ID: 533 859 616
Password: 848149
Dial by your location:
Meeting ID: 533 859 616
Find your local number: https://us04web.zoom.us/u/fQS5tVxSl
See the calendar below for instructions for specific, 2nd Sunday readings. Thursday night script group is postponed until further notice. We will notify you as soon as we are able to meet live. For instructions on using Zoom meetings, see this YouTube video on Zoom or the many others online with cool features on how to automatically enhance our lighting or project yourself on a beach in Hawaii (very therapeutic, but requires a lot of processing power)!
Are You Waiting For Love or Money?
Of course you are! March 15th was the deadline of our For Love or Money Shorts Contest. Thank you to everyone who entered. We will contact you about getting you the $5 cash, as we know you will need it for toilet paper and wipes! The scripts are now in the hands of our judging committee, so we will inform you as soon as we have scripts that will be read professionally in a theater (as soon as the theaters open up!).
Mini-Calendar of Events
Outside of regular script group meetings, here’s the short list of what Screenwriters’ Workshop has planned in the months to come:
April 18th—Quarterly board and committee meetings at ONLINE open to all who want to pitch in and plan some events with us.
Time: Apr 18, 2020 01:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/719267501?pwd=blBnNHkwOWx5SUNZQ3daS2xBMnpldz09
Meeting ID: 719 267 501
Password: 975274
April 26th—David Buchanan’s script will be read for 2nd Sunday reading (moved from Easter) will be ONLINE unless otherwise notified.
Time: Apr 26, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/654925245?pwd=Sm1NYVdNZVFEZjN4OEQzNjlNdW1CUT09
Meeting ID: 654 925 245
Password: 747622
May 10th—2nd Sunday Script reading for Lucas Miller. Hopefully we’ll be back at Film North by this time, but if not, but as a back-up or if you choose to remote in.
Time: May 10, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/641354194?pwd=WnU0QXV3OEVCU25XSW52ZEVidzNmZz09
Meeting ID: 641 354 194
Password: 960295
Get Con-tested!
While you’re at home, working in Zoom meetings or corralling the kids, don’t forget that upcoming national contests that are out there. Here are a few that are coming up:
The Stuck-at-Home Film Contest—put on by the 48 Hour Film Project, various deadlines
The Nicholl Fellowships—international screenwriting competition sponsored by the Academy Awards, deadlines April 9th(regular) and May 1st (late)
Script Pipeline—deadline April 15th
Page International Screenwriting Awards—last minute deadline April 20th
Bragging Rights
And if you do have success in contests or other sorts of film-related or writing ventures (literary, not your Master’s thesis), don’t forget, Screenwriters Workshop members get public shout outs for placing in major contests or production efforts. Keep us in the loop at: mnscreenwritersworkshop@gmail.com.
For Hope and Resilience
Finally, these are times when we all need inspiration to make it through. Consider subscribing to the Poetry Foundation’s Poem of the Day. You get a beautiful, daily poem every day to your inbox, such this one “The Promise” by Jane Hirschfield about the need for stability in a changing world. Lovely.
