I wanted to find out about the benefits of joining.
I'm not really sure how to go about finding work that I can eventually use to gain membership into the guild. I'm also curious if it makes sense to try to get into the guild as quickly as possible or try to get a non-union jobs under my belt before entering the guild. Any thoughts, ideas and advice is greatly appreciated.
https://preview.redd.it/nhr9ws5w0l971.png?width=614&format=png&auto=webp&s=8073226e4b1b3bfc7d96aea552e6c934f9777535
This is me, back in 2016, accepting a Writers' Guild award, and looking just as surprised as everyone else at the awards ceremony; it was the first time in history a mod had won a national screenwriting award.
The Forgotten City was a big story-driven expansion for a popular RPG I've been asked not to mention. You discover a mysterious underground city in a state of ruin, travel back in time and meet its inhabitants. Then you learn about a terrible curse: If one persons sins here, everyone dies. So you try to figure out who's responsible for the sin that destroys the city, and prevent it - all while caught in a Groundhog Day-style time loop.
https://preview.redd.it/3cy5e7601l971.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=05a593b513556fb2ff7bdb0dc6d2ffcb51a18bd1
The mod was downloaded more than 1,000,000 times on Xbox One alone and IGN called it "simply amazing," but as popular as it was, I'd made it in my spare time on a budget of $0, and I knew I could do much, much better. So way back in 2017, I decided to develop it into a stand-alone game, bigger and better in every way possible. I just had 3 small problems:
-
I had no time
-
I had no budget
-
I had absolutely no idea how to make an entire game
Lol.
Despite all that, it's about to launch this month on Xbox One and Xbox Series X, and this is a story about how it all came together.
https://preview.redd.it/dbchu7601l971.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=56eda9d2fcde4ceb33c33d6ab8d253a6c815f6af
My first problem - no time - I solved by quitting my job. It was insanely risky, of course, especially as I was in the legal profession where taking a few years out usually means you can't get back in. It felt like jumping out of an airplane, and my plan was to learn to fly by the time I hit the ground.
My second problem - no budget - I solved by dipping into my savings and applying for grants. After making a rough prototype, I managed to land grants from a benevolent arts funding body (Film Victoria), as well as an Unreal Dev Grant from Epic. The mod and its reception really opened a lot of doors.
My third problem - no experience - I solved by hiring a programmer who'd just finished making a VR spacewalk sim in collaboration with NASA - a one-man-army who's done the work of an entire team of programmers over the last four years. We me
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hey Im getting a new install of Uru back up and running and I forget how to override the monthly calendar spark mechanism, turning them on by SDL alone doesnt seem to do anything. Can anyone help? I went to GoW but couldnt sign up or in. Thanks
If you don't already regularly check the Writers Guild library blog, you should start! They have a ton of helpful and useful posts, especially during lockdown, that address common questions in this sub and about screenwriting in general. These all use multiple screenplays to see how different writers tackle the same elements, so they're really instructional.
The blog isn't super easy to navigate so I've created a list of links to easily find the writing while socially distanced series so far (most recent at the top):
- Montage and series of shots
- Raising the stakes
- Creating suspense
- Backstory and exposition
- Musical and musical numbers
- Formatting text on screen
- Voice-over
- Subtext
- Dialogue
- Character voice
- Prose / descriptions and action
- Ignition points (aka inciting incident/call to adventure)
- Character descriptions
- Page one
I seem to recall a few folks on here talking about his during prior years. After previous rejections, I just got the email that I got in this year. I'm pretty excited about it.
More info, for the curious: https://www.wga.org/news-events/news/connect/5-21-21/call-of-duty
At Script Angel (I'm just reposting this to Reddit! - mod) we’ve long been supporters of the best writing competitions, screenwriting contests, labs and schemes – those that help to discover, develop and give a platform to new voices and emerging screenwriting talent.
And we’re not alone in wanting to help writers find their way around this landscape. The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain have launched a writing competition good practice guide to help you discern which opportunities are worth your time (and money) and which to be wary of.
Here’s what the WGGB say on writing competitions:
Many writers use competitions as a way to focus their attention, develop their craft and gain industry recognition, and the proliferation of online publications has resulted in an explosion in the number of potential opportunities for writers in all genres.
Many of these writing competitions offer writers an opportunity to get their work seen by a wider audience. However, others are little more than money making ventures for the organisers or disguised commissions at less than established industry rates. Worse still, some competitions actually end up costing the writer more than they gain, resulting in the loss of rights and future earnings.
So how can writers tell the difference between a worthwhile or exploitative competition, and how can publishers, producers and others design a competition that is fair to all parties?
WGGB’s new guide Competition or cut-price commission? sets out some key principles and guidance for competitions across audio, books, poetry, short stories, theatre, film and television, as well as providing advice for potential entrants.
It features case studies and a checklist to help writers make a measured assessment, as well competition organiser dos and don’ts and detailed advice relating to specific writing genres.
Further reading
Download the WGGB Writing Competition Good Practice Guide.
Read the Script Angel guide to the difference between film competitions and writing competitions.
Read the Script Angel curated list of the most respected script and screenwriting competitions.
Studio21 Drama Series Script Competition
Script Angel is proud to be a partner of the St
... keep reading on reddit ➡https://preview.redd.it/0cakz7c4sk971.png?width=614&format=png&auto=webp&s=bb957b0343e40b3654ecd9b26c7458a04977b022
This is me, back in 2016, accepting a Writers' Guild award, and looking just as surprised as everyone else at the awards ceremony; it was the first time in history a mod had won a national screenwriting award.
The Forgotten City was a big story-driven expansion for a popular RPG I've been asked not to mention. You discover a mysterious underground city in a state of ruin, travel back in time and meet its inhabitants. Then you learn about a terrible curse: If one persons sins here, everyone dies. So you try to figure out who's responsible for the sin that destroys the city, and prevent it - all while caught in a Groundhog Day-style time loop.
https://preview.redd.it/haneihl6sk971.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=8f74f08405a7d011d0d0ddd8e40eb65c3c172d4b
The mod was downloaded more than 3,000,000 times, and IGN called it "simply amazing," but as popular as it was, I'd never been able to share it with my PlayStation friends, and I'd made it in my spare time on a budget of $0, and I knew I could do much, much better. So way back in 2017, I decided to develop it into a stand-alone game and bring it to PS, bigger and better in every way possible.
I just had 3 small problems:
- I had no time
- I had no budget
- I had absolutely no idea how to make an entire game
Lol.
Despite all that, it's about to launch later this month, and this is a story about how it all came together.
https://preview.redd.it/jr0o2fn6sk971.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=73866513ad8fa9474627203beb129041b603fe22
My first problem - no time - I solved by quitting my job. It was insanely risky, of course, especially as I was in the legal profession where taking a few years out usually means you can't get back in. It felt like jumping out of an airplane, and my plan was to learn to fly by the time I hit the ground.
My second problem - no budget - I solved by dipping into my savings and applying for grants. After making a rough prototype, I managed to land grants from a benevolent arts funding body (Film Victoria), as well as an Unreal Dev Grant from Epic. The mod and its reception really opened a lot of doors.
My third problem - no experience - I solved by hiring a programmer who'd just finished making a VR spacewalk sim in collaboration with NASA - a one-man-army who's done the work of an entire team of programmers over
... keep reading on reddit ➡