Skip to content

50 Kisses series

My Thoughts On The Final 50 of “50 Kisses”

It was always going to be difficult, honing a list of 1800+ scripts down to just 50. It wasn’t just a case of picking only the “best” writing either, but balancing the “best” with the “right” subject matter too – we didn’t want 50 smoochy-smoochy scripts, or 50 outlandish ones either. The reading team needed to keep that end outcome in mind of “50 Kisses – the movie” as well! NOT easy. And I for one think the reading team did a fantastic job again. I wasn’t able to head the team this year because of other work commitments, but… Read More »My Thoughts On The Final 50 of “50 Kisses”

Share this:

#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #5: Scene Description

The “50 Kisses” contest is NOT just a writing contest – potentially, your script could be made by filmmakers. If you want your script to be picked first by the reader, then by the filmmaker, yours has to STAND OUT and one really easy, quick-fire way of doing this is to ensure your scene description ROCKS. Most scene description is bland at best, yet good scene description knows it is SCENE ACTION. Everything you write as scene description should be about moving the story forward and revealing character. A lot of writers get uppity and say the above cuts out… Read More »#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #5: Scene Description

Share this:

#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #4: Dialogue

Most writers write more dialogue in their script than they will EVER need. That’s not to say their dialogue is poor, it’s just extraneous. But how do you recognise what you need and what you don’t? Well in the very short film, it’s kind of obvious – dialogue takes up A LOT of space, a minimum of three lines, so you want to use dialogue as sparingly as possible, maybe even not use it at all. (It’s no accident short films with no dialogue often do very well in contests and film festivals, though I would not go so far… Read More »#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #4: Dialogue

Share this:

#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #3: Character

It’s oft-said that’s ALL about character. I actually disagree with this totally – if it’s all about character, then it has to be all about his/her goal too which means plot has to come into play at least HALF as much again – but that’s an argument for another time. In the VERY short film of 1-2 pages, you have to give us your characters in a SNAPSHOT. Literally, the first time we see them, we have to know WHO they are and WHAT they want/are facing, whilst avoiding lazy stereotypes or stock characters. No mean feat. First impressions count… Read More »#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #3: Character

Share this:

#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #2: Plot Construction

Following on from Concept, here are some thoughts on Plot Construction of the VERY short film (1-2 pages maximum), which is what you’ll be writing if you enter this great FREE opportunity. As screenwriters, we’ve ALL heard this very important maxim: Start late and finish early. Important in all screenwriting, it’s ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL in the very short film, however you approach it. Lots of Bang2writers confess to be unsure what the above *really* means however – which leads to their prose being “flabby”. Flabby prose then detracts from the flow of the story. This example was given to me at… Read More »#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #2: Plot Construction

Share this:

#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #1: Concept

So this is the first of my posts on the brilliant London Screenwriters Festival “50 Kisses” competition, a FREE opportunity which asks writers to come up with a 2 page script, including a kiss. From there, placing scripts will be made available to filmmakers to make, meaning writers’ screenplays *could* become the first CROWD-SOURCED feature film with distribution at the cinema from Valentine’s Day 2013. For full details and how to enter, CLICK HERE. So, number one – CONCEPT. From my time as a script reader (ten years + now) I would venture concept is one of the most UNDER-VALUED… Read More »#scriptchat @Londonswf 50 Kisses Comp #1: Concept

Share this: