First Writers Initiative

What is required for the submission?
Your submission should include two hard copies of each of the following:

• Bound first draft screenplay in standard industry format - without author's name
• Completed 1st Writers application cover sheet
• A one-sentence AND one-page synopses of the script
• one-page letter statement introducing yourself, outlining the project history, the work you think needs doing on your script next, and explaining why you wish to attend this course
• one-page CV with contact details

What is a logline?
This is the story of the film distilled into one sentence.  A good logline for a film with a strong dramatic premise will usually answer the questions: Who is the central character? What is their problem? What, or who is making the problem difficult to solve? And how do they ultimately deal with it?. Please note that a tagline is not a logline, e.g. ‘In space no one can hear you scream’ is a tagline.  In a purely practical way, offering a tagline instead of a logline will not do your application many favours.

How do I condence my script to one page?
Condensing a feature length story into a one page synopsis is tough work even for the most experienced of writers. We
are open to all approaches, but these pointers might help:

• Think about a good movie you’ve seen recently and try to write the spine of the story in three or four paragraphs 
• One definition of a dramatic story is that ‘someone wants something badly but is having a hard time getting it’
• Some dramatic stories aren’t about what someone consciously wants so much as about what they need, though they probably don’t know it to begin with. If yours is one of these then think about how the audience will know what the character needs
• Write a logline that encapsulates the story. A good logline for a film with a strong dramatic premise will usually answer the questions: Who is the central character? What is their problem? What, or who is making the problem difficult to solve? And how do they ultimately deal with it?
• Write the 1-pager in three or four paragraphs that take us on a character journey through:
  • The beginning, status quo, the ‘undisturbed life’
  • The problem, inciting event, the thing that disrupts the ‘undisturbed life’
  • Decision – what does (do) the main character(s) do now?
  • Struggle – a series of escalating complications that often ends in that ‘all is lost’ or ‘long night of the soul’ moment
  • Climax – where the question raised by the problem is finally answered, not necessarily in a positive way
  • Resolution – the fallout from the climax, which should suggest how the audience will feel when they leave the cinema
• Try not to end the synopsis with a teasing question mark, or dot, dot, dot… We need the whole story here. We want to know how it ends!

Can I drop off entries at the NZFC if I am local?  
Yes - but please don't forget to email your entry to reception@nzfilm.co.nz as well.

Can I submit more than one script?
Yes.

Is this initiative open to New Zealand residents, or only to citizens?
Yes - the workshop is open to residents.

If I was selected for the workshop last year, can I apply again this year with a new screenplay?
No.

Do you have any advice for first time screenwriters?
A list of questions designed to help you avoid common script mistakes is available for download on our workshops and training page. Although the following link is a site for playwrights it defines the essential elements of dramatic writing that are equally useful for screenwriters’. www.playmarket.org.nz/writing_a_play/playwright_resources