This was an incredibly competitive year and the judges read many, many wonderful screenplays. We thank each and every writer who entered for allowing us to consider their work.

To see a full list of this year’s Quarterfinalists, click here.

As the first round judges tally scores and make their final determinations, CineStory thanks all the writers who entered the 2009 CSA’s for their patience. The announcement of which scripts are advancing into the next round is only days away.

Finally. A unique immersion experience for screenwriters that provides a safe, quiet place to escape and explore your craft. This year’s instructors include Joe Forte (writer, FIREWALL), Meg LeFauve (producer and former President Jodie Foster’s Egg Pictures), Amy Salko Robertson (producer, former agent CAA) and Barri Evins (producer, former President of Debra Hill Productions).

Let CineStory mentors guide you through an in-depth examination of your existing projects, as well as help you develop ideas that will make a splash in the real world.

‘I came to Idyllwild expecting to learn more about the craft of screenwriting. What I got was far greater… I learned about my own craft and how I write. I learned the basics of screenwriting at a college, but I learned more of the guts and glory at Idyllwild.’ Mary Conroy, Camp ‘06

Session I: Script Craft - Building Your Fire (July 5–8)
Work one-on-one with pro instructors who will guide you through that rewrite or first draft. Writers turn in pages for mentor and peer feedback daily.

Session II: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet - Targeting the Idea That Can Catapult Your Career (July 9–11)
Whether your goal is to win contests, get representation, attract producers, direct your own film or have a million dollar spec sale, you need the idea that will get you there. This session is devoted to crafting and pitching brilliant stories.

Now in its fourth year, CineStory’s Screenwriting Summer Camp is held in conjunction with the summer program of the Idyllwild Arts Academy. To sign up or for more information go to the online course description.

Yes, I am aware that I am always a week late blogging the wrap-up of the retreat.  CineStory fries your brain, and it takes awhile to start functioning again.

But I took copious notes, so here I am again with the closing session.

Barri was running down the mountain to catch a plane, so she opened the session by saying that one of her mentees had commented that the notes she had received from her two mentors had been like a Venn diagram–they only partially overlapped.  She said it’s a mistake to go back down the mountain and say, “I’m just going to make it more better.”  The urge may be to take all the notes and shove them willy nilly.  Instead, Barri reminded us to work on “scratching the itch”–those differing notes may root back to the same issue, it’s up to us to figure out what it is.  So she suggests going back to the blank page.  “This is a story about . . .”  Go back to the spine of your story, focus on your choices carefully.  Stay on a single sheet, and write down your structure from start to finish.  (Whew–on a single sheet?????)

Nana continued the closing, as she was in Barri’s car and had to leave with her ride.  Nana remarked that the weekend had been a lot like speed dating, as we hopped from mentor to mentor.  But her advice was to digest the instincts behind the notes, then put them aside and translate them into your own creative process.  Another way of saying, don’t just shove all the notes into your script.

Glenn then blew the room apart with a fantastic detailed analysis of how writing is like Method Acting.  I’m not going to go into it here (after all, I should leave some things only for the people who actually were there), but an enterprising writer might pick up Stanislavsky and figure it out for himself.  (You didn’t hear that from me.)

Glenn was a tough act to follow, but Phil gamely picked up with ball by announcing “I love you,” to Glenn and publicly wishing he had taken notes as the rest of us had.  Of course, he did have a few things to add:  a great tool to find out if your script is good is to read it aloud.  And have other people–non-actors–read it to you.  Good actors can cover up weaknesses in a script, but non-actors will really let you hear what is there.

Regina got back to the theme of scratching the itch and not taking the notes wholesale.  If the meal is not tasty, just adding salt will not mean you’re done.  Take a note and reconsider the project as a whole.

Gloria added that “everyone’s agenda is the same.”  Everyone wants to get the movie made.  And the mentors on a CineStory retreat have no agenda at all, they are here to help the writer most fulfill the writer’s vision.  However . . . then she went on to contradict herself and make the point that everyone down the mountain does have their own agenda.  Gloria and Regina were double-teaming here, I’m not sure who was saying what, but the point was made that execs need to put themselves in writers’ shoes in order to figure out how best to communicate with writers–and vice versa.  The execs want to get the best results from their notes.  On the other hand, the communication between each mentor/writer pair up on the mountain was just pretty amazing.

Phil then put in that “write what you know” is bullshit.  Write what you’d pay to see on the screen.  Glenn added that you know a lot more than you think, and Phil said that what you don’t know, you make up–that’s your job.

Amy closed the session by reminding us that we are preparing for success.  Take all the big risks, prepare to have all these great ideas.  Have five scripts, have 20 ideas.  Now is the time, because once you’re working, there’s no time.

And I really can’t think of anything to add to that.